The New York herald., 1876-09-10
BEFORE THE BLAST
Description of the Famous Iron
Gate to the Sound.
LOCKS AND BARS OF GNEISS.
The Suuken Rocks and Their
Partial Removal.
LAST DAYS OF A REEF.
Ns't to the Cayemous Depths Under
he Eas, Rwek
THE FEDERAL UMBRELLA.
4 HiStsry Il Eitro-Glyesrins-ll plact
G Manufacture
SAFE TRANSPORTATION.
SAFE TRANSPORTATION.

little group o! buildings erected under TIE gheter OF
the siockade enclosure aiterward known as ihe Bat,
bery, AND Wild animals roamed through the woods that
covered Murray Hi, ,ne white man has viewed with
ave ana wonder the surg;ng o: the tireess udcs
through the rock obstruc,ed channels OF Hell Gate
indicative Of shs early Impressions procuced
BY m seething. whrl!ng Anc roaring va;ers
or the drss Of .hs white ,ha.
gazed upon them, as we'll as being suggestive o: dan
gers which are least have been. appalling
the terrors supposed TO surround the portals OF the
Internal abyss Legends without number are aeso
siated with this remarkable channel and old residents
Of ,:s vicinity retail these with all tho gusto Of tho
Eastern story telers Tales OF tho Indian Gays whom
the redskins Of Long Island and the Connectcu
shore made war on those OF Manhattan. Stories o,
the daring OF the old navigators. who forced their
buf-bowed GALLONS through tho OF ,h,s
route d'enfer from the harbor OF Nieu Amster.
dam into The Sound How the English q
She mainland gradually pushed the Dutch
from power und the possession of the fair lands and
spreading forests that they had long held by tho
right OF might Again, when the 1rst whisperings OF
resistance 70 the Crown began 10 be oreahed by the
coonists and political religious and commercial bonds
united oil! the colonies from Carroll
mas in a common interest the old Terry from Astoria
Eighty sixth crossed backward and forward
by many . plotter for the cause Of liberty. Later
on tho wild scene grows rapidly .n interest
Tor u becomes the which many his
tonc tragedies during the bloody struggle
OF the men OF 76 against the public enemy. Still
later yet have the stories direct from the
lips OF the veterans Of 1872 VINO actors In
the stirring events OF that day AS the history OF He'll
Gate approaches time the chief
In tue effect II has produced the comm ercial growth
ofNow York The Introduction Of steam as q motor
has robbed He'll Gate OF its chief errors because the
carefully stored steamboat overcome the force
she eddies and currents that would carry ordinary
sailing crai. 10 destruction Of tho numerous
sunken reefs that stud the river bed
Hell. GATE
In order TO convey clear idea the dangers that
attend navigation IN this remarkable channel tho
accompany ing map which shows the relative positions
OF all the great rocks and reels presented for the
readers guidance and information. The danger to
vessels attempting the passage northward toward the
Sound may be said 10 begin when they clear the end
Of Blackwels Island and to terminate alter running
the gauntlet between Pot Rock and Ways Rect
CUKREM
During the food tide the current Of the East River
becomes divided into streams by the long and
row Blackwels leland Reunting again at the north.
extremity OF that island, which Is shown the
map, the tidal curren. sweeps forward toward
These are tho Flood Rec "Hen Chicken" rocks
"Littlo Negro Head,r and q number Of smaller and
lameless projection which combine with the roc ks
sbove named the southern side tho elevation
known as ,.e Middle Reef" Here the current again
ivides one part moving to the northward and west
word and turning around the Mil Rock and thence
Sowing eastwardly toward the "Fryln! PAM and the
'Pot" rocka Another, and the chief streira passes
through the channel between the Flood Rock and
Astoria, and meeting tba FIRST described
Ihe Frying Pan Rock Thence tho united again
flows north ward toward the Sound, through wide
deep channel free from obstructionA
CURRENT.
Tho stream in tho return iidu flow through He'll
Bate Is. II possible. dangerous ono 10 navigate
than the food current because on entering the gate
from the northward, the course OF tho ship Is
beset by the most dangerously situated rocks Of the
entire system. Between Pot Rock aud Ways Reef the
distance Is barely sutcier. for the passage Of well
stcered vessel laboring in the rushing eddcs and
counter currents that created by the sunken rocks
Any miscalculaton tho part OF the pilot would result
In the ship driving either the Frying Pan Rock or
some OF the numerous proJecties composing
the Middle Reef but chiefly the Gridron Rock which
stands to the channel After safely passing
the rccks OF He'll Gate proper tho ship running with
the ebb current is liable DRIFT on the "Bread and
lslaud
uALLRrrs POINT REEF.
Although close in shore this reef forms one Of the
most dangerous obsructons in the He'll Gate passage
~ holds the relation TO the Frying Pan Rock
Is Ways Reef does ~ the Pot Rock, and ,
liable 70 cause the loss Of vessel when
she is ryns to avoid TIE danger IRON
The Frying Pan Rock. The removal o! this immense
reef by the blasting operations in progress will
and will transfer from the Gridiron the Flood Rock
the attention OF careful navigstors But as the
'ast named obstruction Is ike that OF Haetrs Point
Reef process OF removal by blasting is safe to say
Mat when both ceased to the OF He'll
Safe viii have Amos, disappeared.
The actual area and volume OF Ha!lett's Point Reef
can be readily estimated from General Newtons meas
srencn,a, which tolows:-'Tna reef
IN shape AZ irregular sem,epsc, the
pnger axis, which lies the
ihore being ,2o fee, 10 length The
'horer semraxu projecting straight into the channel
ibous 800 foet The cubic contents above She depth Of
iwenty-six feet low water amount TO 81, 900
yards The shalowest portion o! this reef Is ridge
coincide with the OF stratincanon and having
direction Of N. 81 6"
rHz srxKxx ROCKS
The most important OF these dangerous obs,ruc,ons
become well known as ,c receive distinctive
from ,he He'll Gate pilots and naviga,ors IA gen
,rs. Among them are tnc Pot Rock which had orgin-
ally ony eight fee, OF waller OF II Al
log uao ana which had the form o.
Q uuncated pyramid with broad base which
developed rapidly alter depth OF eighteen feet was
reached By series Of costly blastinss on the po,
Rock surface has been lowered twenty feet seven
Inches below low water yryins PaI Rock vac long
kniie-ke rage. 10 length about sixteen feet but IN
width only inches, and had a depth OF only nine
feet OF NJ low uds After blasting tnis
dspth Of Increased 10 Toe. ., when