The New York herald., 1876-09-24
General Abbott's Measurement OF the
Veiocities of the Shock
Final Preparations Completed
at the Big Nine
FAREWELL CHEERS OF THE vORKMEN
Particulars Respecting the Monster Charg.
and Its Distribution.
WAITING FOR THE SIGNAL.

To-day, at three O'Clock in the afternoon the nnal
blow In the great battle with the Haett's Point reef
will be struck by General Newton with every pros
pect Of achieving complete victory over the rocky
enemy. Perhaps since the introduction OF Croton
water into New York event has created such gen.
srai excitement this great He'll Gate explosion
The former was, OF course, unattended with any
DANGER but occasion OF general rejoicing and
enthusiasm. but tho latter is which the ele-
mens OF danger enters TO additional interest n
The popular mind Tho OF the explosion which is
illustrated to-day In the HERALD in twoiod manner
that BY map Of the channel and approaches OF He'll
Gate and Of the adjacent lands and also by ords-eye
view Of the theatre Of operations from an elevated
point at tho northern end Of Backwell's Island
10 OF historic well as present interest
In the of the series or articles published In
che HERALD descriptive OF the character progress
Of the works at HaIets Point reef occasional refer
snce was made to the story of He'll Gate IN the early
days Of the occupation OF Manhattan Island by tho fol-
lowers Of He,ndrck Hudson and their immediate sue
sessors. But II was not until the war of the
Revolution that the obstructions the channels
assumed any great Importance, because pre-
vious 70 that time the tonnage Of trading
vessels along the New England coast was
very small The exigencies of the struggle gave an
impetus to ship building nearly every one of the
Sound ports. that in few years aftor the Dccara
ton OF Independence the records show that He'll Cato
became familiar name the mouths OF scamen aud
that It's terrors for the navigator grew proportion
as the tonnage OF vessels was increased and With
the extension Of the commerce of New YORK Whom
the Americans collected the vessels ha.
their navy they found themselves far overma,ched
BY tho swarmng cruisers OF the enemy and scarcely
dared to meet him the high the simple
reason that his ships and armament were invariably
heavier than theirs But whenever q chance of fight
ing tho Engshmen anything like equal terms pre-.
sonted ITSELF the hardy American eagerly en-
braced 1t and generally won handsome victory Dur
ing these days adventurous Yankee soops war would
very close the English lines New ork in
the hope Of picking up prize from among the mer-
chantmen that supplied the city and garrison with
provisions and munitions Of Tho Americans
would generally slip into tho East River from the
Sound by the channel now guarded by Fort Schuyler
and Fort Willctt's Point The daring captain
and crew, keenly alive TO their danger, were
generally familiar with tho Intricate windings OF
tho channels and the location Of every pointed
rock and treacherous reef and relied event of
pursuit by the British ships, tho chances OF the
latter striking some OF the distractions coming
to grief The famous novelist Fenmorc Cooper de-
scribes such chase graphic manner in his
lowed closely in the wake OF the flying Yankee,
but did not to cripple him, he gave by hts
movements the only clew by which the pursucr
could tread the labyrinth Of tho rocks aud escape
destruction. Trying escape the Gridron the fated
vessel might come the Frying Pan, lucky enough
10 miss that rock, would be almost certain to tumble
over the Pot Rock Getting the Hogs Back
He'll Gate Is by no means proof OF "a successful
career; and the sailors whose ship would strike
Holmes Reef would be likely never TO their
own homes again. The naming OF tho different rocks
was evidently done In spirit OF grim numor. The
least inviting OF them, even TO scaworn hungry
mariner, is called the Bread and Cheese, while such
harmless fowls the hen and chicken furnish names
Tor group o rocks big enough to sink Tho Great East
ern il she iouled them
In point of hardness the Negro Head Rocks viii
cor1parc favoraby with tho uils OF our coored el
low citizens II Dame Rumor docs justice to their
density and capacity for hard knocks The Great and
Little Mil rocks are calculated TO grind vessel TO
powder should she DRIFT between them and get
Aught on their rugged lcdges, while ike sentinels
guarding causeway Ways Reef, Shelldrake Rock
lhe about to be demolished Haletts Point Reef are
aligned In battle array.
Branching from the area known as He'll Gate proper
are channels leading three directions Que Of these
connects with the mouth OF the Harlem Rivor, which
lies westward OF the group OF Islands and between
them and the city OF New York. Another leads d.
rectly 10 the Sound, whne tho third. divided
by Blackwcll's Island leads to the Bay Ut New York,
which u enters at Governors Island. All three,
NJ Will be seen from the map unite He'll Gate, aud
are dependent the clearing OF that passage for their
navgable value AS parts OF system OF water commu
nication The greater part OF The iron, shown
tho accompanying map is rendered value
less for commerce bv reason OF tho obstructed
channels, therefore one can readily estimate the
advantages that accrue to tnat great interest
by the Improvement In progress. IL entirely
owicg to the blockade OF the channel at Hell Gate that
The Islands have been devoted to puOic institutions
which admirable IN their way, but unproduc,ve 10
lhe welfare OF the city commercially, and should,
therefore, not occupy much valuable space that
was intended by nature Tor other purposes Whe
New York has grown to be the metropolis OF the
continent the settlements along the Long Island
Anore, such as Astoria and Flushing. and on The West
chester side, az well have made progress compaTa-
lively although they almost az old as New York
The local elect, therefore, must be immense when the
Chief dangers of He'll Gate removed A new field
VIII De opened tor the extension OF commercial and
manuacurng business which cannot ail to add 10 tho
prosperity OF ootn. Tho illustrations published here
with give the clearcst idea the surroundings OF
Ihe great blast The view from Blackwel's
Island embraces the New ork shore opposite aIlcs
Point the southern shore OF Wards land acng He'll
Gate Tho water front OF Astoria. including the
Hooded shaft into which the exploding wires are led
IRON the great batteries In the bomb proof; the area
OF the OF Astoria with the buildings thereon
the firing point at which the operator will stand
when The Circuit Is closed; tho nocd rock now
partially excavated ami surrounded with sea wail
built OF the debris and the great mill rock opposite
The mouth Of the Harlem Rver-ali these points and
places be located u their relative POSITIONS on
The map, which gives more extended held than the
Tho of New fork aud Astoria aro named
facilitate the location OF the varlous effects pro.
duced by the explosion. the directions OF the shock
and any terrestrial or a;mo -pheric phenomena that
may result thereirom.
ATMOSPHERIC AND rERREsrIAL vibrations
Sound rs the elect produced the by an i'm
pulse impaired 10 the air by blow any other sud
den local disturbance noise represents single I'M
pulse such tnat produced by the nring OF cannon