The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1876-09-28
[From the New York Times, Tuesday,

T.
TURE. 0s q! & Is. .s:s s..@
From the New York Times, tuesday,
No more dislaal-looking spot could have
we'll been found along the waterfront OF
Astoria yesterday morning than Halleft's
Point. IL looked very much like the scene
Eof previous nights exhibition OF fire.
WORKS. Everything was trampled and
dirty, broken odds and ends were lying
about and tunnbllng teiegraph-poles, with
their cress-bars did duty for the frame
work Of the set-pieces.. A regular Curl
osity.crowd surged around the site OF
the old shaft and cofier-dam, peered
with wistful gaze into the bomb
proof, and shrank back IS Captain Mercur
exhibited the electric spark, over an inch
and a half square, which the battery wires
shot out. As for relics, the greediness OF
the crowd was unsuitable. They seized upon
everything; bits of rock, the small plates OF
tin bearing the numbers OF the cartridge
holes, md even the very wooden plugs
themselves; while enterprisihg youthful
natives drove n large and profitable trade
by selling small pieces Of the insulated wires
which carried the electric current from the
batteries to the mine at the eXorbitant price
OF ten cents for three OF four inches.
The work of ascertaining the depth OF
water over the reef and buoying 1t was
commenced early yesterday afternoon. The
lighthouse steamer began operations on the
northeastern end about 2 O'Clock and work
ed for some hours. The object was to buoy
out what is known as the twenty-one-foot
curve--that .js, the curved line running
round Hallett's Point at such q distance
from the Point rs to give twenty-one feet OF
water all along the line. The mode Of doing
this is for the steamer to start slowly at
right angles from the shore in direction gov
| crned by the survey ranges, the lead being
constantly thrown until depth Of twenty
one feet is reached and there to plant large
black-and-green -spar-buoy. In this way
three buoys were put in position, each buoy
being anchored by mass OF rock weighing
nearly thousand pounds. One buoy is
over No. 8 heading, another over No. 8, and
the third over No. /. In the mean time Mr..
Striederger was busy in the tug Star
!" sweeping" the reef. Sweeping is done
by attaching reversed projecting cross
head to the bottom OF measured pole,
which can be raised OF lowered to any de-
sired depth, the pole being firmly attached
to the side Of the tug. The vessel then be-
gins to sweep slowly over the reef ut O
given depth, going backward and forward
as q mower cuts swarths OF grass. Should
anything project it must strike the sweeper,
the tug is ut once stopped, soundings are
made, and the spot is marked on q surveying
chart. When the reef has all been swept ut
given depth, and no impeachment found,
the sweeper is lowered and the same opera
ton is gone through again. This is re-
peated till rock is touched and the highest
point Of the broken reef determined. Yes
terday Mr.. Striedergcr began sweeping at
$50 feet from the shore, ut depth OF IL feet
at low water, again at 275 feet, 800, 325, and
| $50 feet. In all cases no rock was encoun-
tered, and at 375 feet the sweeper was
lowered to Il depth OF II feet without touch
ing bottom. Work was then given up for
the day, as it can only be carried on in slack
water at high tide. He will resume opera
tions at 10 o'clock, and in the afternoon he
will begin to take soundings for the regular
survey. This was not possible yester-
day, as the tileodolites for locating
the soundings and the sounding-rods
were all removed to General New
toms Office for safety before the cXplo-
sion. The locations Of the sOundings are
determined by the theodolites from the
shore, certain points Of !crosS-section being
used for the purpose. The best cross-sec-
ton is that made by an angle OF sixty de-
grees, the apex OF an cquilateral triangle,
having the shore for its base. This will be
a long and laborious work, and will take
considerable time to complete. On. Wed
nesday Mr. Striederger and his assistants
will commence diving in order to ascertain
how the debris lies and to what extent it is
broken up. These points, as well as the
average depth, will all have to be accurately
determined before drawing up the specif-
cations on which all contracts for removing
the debris will be based. A submarine
lamp win be used, tue air necessary for the
combustion Of the flame being pumped into
the lamp through tube, in the same way
that air will be supplied to the diver who
carries it. 49,
About O'Clock in the afternoon, when
the ebb-tidc began to have full swing, and
was running at about seven knots an hour,
the opportunity was presented OF making
some estimate of the alteration of the cur
rent since the explosion. 1t showed un-
mistakably that there was ireer passage OF
water over the reef than formerly.
General Newton's next blasting opera
| lions will be the completion Of the work al
ready begun at Flood rock, which stands
out in the centre Of the river, directly of
| Hallett's reef This will be much more
vast undertaking than the one which has
lust proved to have been so successfully
carried out, as Hallett's reef is only three
acres in extent, and Flood rock has an area
| Of seven acres. Already General Newton
has blasted out the shaft, and has begun
two headings and one cross-heading.
How long it will be before we are treated
! to another explosion, it it impossible to say,
as it depends entirely on the liberality OF
congressional appropriations. The public,
however, will be more inspired to support
| expenditures for such purposes, now that
Gen eral Newton has been so successful, and
| L %I,a NJ n
| explosions and found it safe and pleasant,
| New Workers, at least, will be apt to banker
after more. .xla Iafi' ~
| 1t is now proposed to change the name OF
Hcll-Gate to " Newton's Passage" in COM
pliment to General Newton. ftu-tsg