New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-04-22
Hell GQte.

Those who have never explored the won
derful work which is to destroy the OBJ
structing bed OF rock at He'll Gate should
soon pay q visit to Astoria, or the oppor-
tunity will be lost, The labOrs ON the main
| rock have ceased, the drilling machines
have fulfilled their mission. and now the
long headings, each Of which is dark,
dripping cave, remain silent. except as the
trickling of the leakages keeps up q regular
''tick," "tick," or the sound of the ex-
plorer's voice is echoed holloway through.
The six years labor on the largest of the
He'll Gate rocks is completed. 1t has been
entirely honeycombed by the ingenuity and
perseverance of man. Nothing now re-
mains to do save filing the bOres in the
This will be accomplished 40 soon as it is
decided what explosive material will best
serve. Experiments are now being made
with the different forms of nitrO-glycerine
to determine the safest for use to this OBJ
ject.
nearly the same as when the work was
before darted about like fends with lighted
torches, in and out of the headings, are no
longer there, and the shaft and the caves
have been tidied up to q considerable ex-
tent. The place may be said to be in re-
ception dress, and it is surely something to
see these 172 rocky pillars, hewn ont in pic
tureeqdely ragged forme, many of them
showing handsome specimens of stone, all
Of them water stained and partly moss COW
cred. Visitors who wish to descend the
steep steps and walk in under the seething
torrent which sweeps the gate, can, for q
small fee, hire an old cotton umbrella and q
smoking torch, both OF which are necessary
to accomplish the trip with comfort. The
pieces of rock taken from the bed lie in
huge piles as you approach the works from
the ferry, and convince the inspector how
we'll the obstruction has been chopped out.
The engineers and superintendents, those
who witnessed the formidable Undertaking
from its beginning, are now looking for
ward with anxious expectancy to the day OF
the great centennial blow out, when they
will behold the triumph of their labOrs in
the crumbling Of the rocky roof which now
fights the waters, and snarls it In false cur
rents, whirlpoOls and treacherous paths.
The extent OF the ten main headings are as
200 feet; No. 3, 300 feet; No. A, 500 feet; No.
5, 200 feet; No. 6. 230 feet; No. 7, 24O feet;
No. 8. $40 feet; No. 9, $40, and No. 10, 3l5
feet. The pillars, which ere ten feet square,
have been pierced horizontally in q cone
shape, beginning with three inches, and
narrowing down to two. Eight thousand
holes have been drilled for the reception OF
the explosive maleIlai, soMe VI tueso aIo III
the roof or shell.
The time for this great blast is not def
nitely settled upon, bnt it will be July or
August next. The explosive material will
not be placed in the pillars until short
time before it is to be iguited, for fear of
moisture and accident. The pumps have
now to be continually worked to keep the
cavern dry At the time when the cleo
tricity fires the charges there will probably
be general stampede Of the cottagers and
surrounding residents. Those who are wise
will take out their windows and unhinge
their doors, as the earthquake and leaping
of waters will be violent.
Mr.. Boyle, the accomplished euperintend..
ent, is of the opinion that the singing OF
the water will do more damage than the
conclusion. One or two seasons will be oc-
cupied IN dredging the rocks from the river
bed after they are broken up, when good
by to the Instructions which have 90 long
made He'll Gate q cursed spot The work
of drilling has been transferred to Flood
Rock, which is 600 yards from the point.
Here 100 men labor day and night in much
the same way as they did on the main rock.
They have already three headings there,
but are not yet down to the bed of the
shaft Flood Rock will not be blown up
until some t;lns after the great point OBJ
etruction.-New York Commercial Adcer-