New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-09-20
EFFECTS or TIE HELL GATE EXPLOSION
GIN. NEwroNs REASONS FOR EXPECTING NO
SERIOUS DAMAGE TO PROPERTY-A POSTPONE
EBXV

GEN. NRwTON's REASONS FOR EXPECTING NO
SERIOUS DAMAGE TO PRopERrY-A POSTPONE
MENT FOR A FEW DAYS.
A TRIBUNE reporter called upon Gen. New
ton at his in Brooklyn, last evening TO mako
inquiries as to the truth OF the reports that great dam
age would be done to property when tie Haetts Point
explosion takes place. Gen. Newton said:
Ihaye seen published statement this evening pur-
porting to come from Mr. Campbell TO the effect tnat
Ing ton aud half over so feet OF the water, and
that when the cal fridge was l6 feet under water
wish TO declare this statement absurd aud false no mat
ter whom It from That amount OF giyceIine has
not the power 70 perform any such WORK we nave
simultaneously in charges OF nom 90 10 80 pouhds,
aud ON that occasion one rock weighing about a ton was
thrown about 20 feet INTO tue ar Ihat saw nysJil
II has been proved by experiments mt lalletts Point
that takes om one aud half TO two pounds OF nitro
gyccrine To break up one cube yhId OF Ioeh an1 We
not az that place. and viii not nave more tnnD
thrce-fourhs Of pound Of dynamite aud other eXpo-
siyes used-a OF winch are o lower giue tnh
gyccrinetO every CUBIC yard To DC broken up these
explosives when fired. not TO 30 exposed openly IN
heaps the floors Of the glicres but are to be packed
away In nearly 600 small holes drilled IN the rock ana
separated from each other. IL must be borne IN mind
thai Tho dam Is 20 be pierced and THAI the whole work
Will he flooded with water 90 the Lowell OF the tides me
charges being tamped with water confined In the gal
erics viii be compelled perform their full work upon
the rock, which viii leave no opportunity Tor Tue eN-
Guany OF work be done by the charge IN each hole Ia
breaking up the rock Il fully equal TO the power Oh tue
dynamite TINS Is not theory We know IL from prdH
teal experiments on that rock .
llg
will be expended ia overcoming tbs resistance Oh tne
rock aud hcnco the which does escape, being de-
we'd uf heat loses IL touslon aud consequently s ue
sTnctiye properties, and Wnen II ma eneges ~ ne
atmosphere II will have little or no disper1iVe action
Sa' rrc thl"nS6 n4nde of cracks and ruptures
which causes put in this divided state II has likewise
TO pass through the water parting thereby Win any neat
mat may be- left In IL. In addition tO this the gases
ioiurd by the explosion OF nitroglycerhe contain i
themselves great quantity OF wacry yapIr, when VIII
be condensed Nv the cold rock and hy tine water IL fol-
lows from these lcts which cannot be oOnuOVef'eI'
that the effect the atmosphere VIII ~ nOths, or on
the other hand, the ohy eAtoinaL oIo.L p iV
duccd win be caused Dy a Few Isolated rhaigess
here aud there partially escaping through scam ana
making harmless jcts OF wafer it nitnnr na1t paln
y these facts that this case viii bC entirely dlHertht
from the explosion oi powdormil, or OF ntrogyc
In the open att In theso instances the wnO' !'Is5 VI
the explosive cxerted upon be atmosphere the waves
of which, propelled with disastrous velocity, would
destroy neghbOrhOOd Hence II II very plain tha the
buildings Ia Astoria will not be sIHkon by atmosphere
coucasson sdch as certain critics hseh 70 DC a,Sng
either the air. embedded In the edth would pro,
duce much greater effect than u u were dstlp9,eI
over larger area IN sHy, nYphhu Caress, tn o,ol
words large uuautty-Of explosives, distributed over
rg, area aud IN small charges, would produce effects
trhing In comparison WIN we Same aiSl. oo, TN
trnt,d I'm one spot, divided into largo charges rus
Is precisely thu principle that has beor pursued ~ a
ctts Point. The explosives are divided into compare
lively small charges an AREA OF three acres OF rock
each charge having s uli amount OF work TO- do IN the
rock Tue conclusion upon the rock VIII DE that due 10
small charges and only a. few OF those charsts III
words, the conclusion IN the rogH when VIII pe
prupagutcd along the line OF ieef VIII DO dno oy 10
inc charges which lie on tue line OF separation between
the rock to be demolished aud the part OF the reet
which rclas Finally, matter OF course, the COY
cruent cannot be- stopped from prosecuting us public
works by tEg uoSSibe eli IL critics are correct
which an explosion may have upon property alone
iu tho ueighbOrhOOd. Government officers are bound
m nToict human hie aud To do little damage % prop
rry as pos,ibe-that Il all Further Than tins ctZens
nt look Ia the Government itself Tor damages, 40 the
breaking OF pants Of glass the failing OF piastefng, OK
even tS cracking OF walls In residences near by, should
not and cannot Op works OF national Importance But
also wish to say That after giving 60 critics the
benefit of an their assertions, quite decided IN my
oninon that the amount OF damage viii be very trhng
In regard TO the time for the explosion Gen Newton
said lac had fixed the day He would have been ready
FOR the goth had the contractors been prompt In deliver
inc tine explosives but they were so far behind that 1t
would be difficult to say when everything would be IN
readiness 1t was scarcely possible that the explosion
would take place this week.