The New York herald., 1876-09-25

HERALD representative stood. 1t lasted about Sec
ond. II was simply thud, If some mighty far dist
ant force had reached the loot To the eye there was
wall Of water about forty afy feet high and twice
hundred length tho base OF 1t dull leadcn black
the middle light aud transparent, the top ringcd with
fragments Of dark obje cts, some long, somo Short
some mere spots and speckx II stood erect
about four seconds, and then It fell taking ~ fell
different hues and colors Above It all q
halo Of green light There odor OF gas In tho
air. Tho the point Of the explosion seehed
and dubbed. F,rst thoy inky hue, then
blue aght, then green and finally their natural
color dull muddy color, aud succession oi wavcets
gradually running away in rpicts 10 the shore. In
few minutes nnumerable boats steamers and tugboats
put OFT TO the scene, cheer oil along the
coast nc the whistles of steamboats, and tugs made
tho AR resonant, and every one OF tho
thousands and thousands Of spectators felt
a relief that cannot be told The explosion S,
for a sourd considered was failure. The guns
that fired la advance to give warning OF tie dis
charge OF the great rock -ricd gun that TO be
fred thundcrcd out sharp, clear decisive. with the un
mlstakabc ring OF artillery. That which followed
the great cxplosion-was dull hcAvy mulled belch,
not the discharge OF II hundred or thousand guns,
not all earthquake sound, but something In all proba
bihty this generation will never hear aean.
donso crowd OF umbrcllacovered citizens gathered
along the front IN the neghboth hood OF
Ninety-nrst and Nncty-thir streets and the East
River FOR hours beisrc the appointed time of firing
the mine srcamcd down alone, in twos and threes
IN dozens, and as the .nal moment approached moro
closely, In hundreds Whichever way tho eye turned
1t fell on moving mass OF umbrellas OF all sorts and
sizes that swayed and cashed aud and Tell Ike an
agtated vi black The drcary condition Of tho at
mospnerc seemed 10 act as damper upon tho enthus
asm OF tho until just few moments
before tho mine was fired. From the conversation
heard Oh all sides II easy to see that there were
great expectations OF tho coming event AS spectacle
Old inhabitants recalled the blasting operations OF lS4
when tho shore line at Astoria very perceptbly
shaken by tho premature explosion OF a few cans Of
ordinary blasting powder. Then windows were broken
in houses even several hundred yards away from tho
scene OF tho explosion What would DO tho
quence that some 60 900 pounds Of much moro
powcrfu, explosive to be set off Disastrous In
deed, these wiseacres said, ana really seemed TO feel
judging by thoir nervousness. Most Of them
expected to see every window in the House
OF the Good Shepherd shattered to atoms
and its walls and shvered The police hud taken
the precauon keep tho street in tho vicinity Of tho
building perfectly free OF people, Great crowds OF peo
pie massed in the open spaces between Nineteth and
Ninty- y-hrst streets, c!amberng piles OF stone and
within about halr mile OF the doomed reef buzzing
sound of conversation heard after tho second
signal gun, and increased until the dnal warning
came when silence suddenly possessed the multitude
and all eyes were turned toward the reef
Now every moment seems prolonged hundred fold,
and the hands OF the hundred timo pieces closely
watched the seconds recorded But there not
long to wait now. Halt a minute only and tremor
agtates the rocky ground at the foot OF Nineteth
street. About the same instant very dull sound
comes from the direction OF tho rcef something be.
tween rumble and a TINS sound has not fully
died-indeed is scarcely fully grasped by the ear
before another booming sound less mufiled than the
first succeeds it, and closely that tne second report
though of different character from the FIRST seems
but vigorous prolongation OF It, The water had
evidently smothcred the first SCUM whIe the
second or continued was in the mir.
Almost simultaneously with these sounds and tho faint
tremor Of the earth ut this point seen the
displaced by the great blast First in irregular
jets what seemed at this distance pulls OF donse white
vapor At an apparent distance Of about or ffcen
feet from tho OF the water this irregular body
ofvapor puns united In one vast body and shot up
ward about hfty fect into the ar. Then, breaking
overhead and disappearing before the view like large
veil Of white cloud separated in front OF darker and
smaller one IL disclosed the mass OF flying proeces
which shot up afterward into the air Like the two
sounds TO the ear these projected columns to
the eye. There was just pcrccptble dill
ference in their time and relation TO the
view OF observers at this part Of the city The body
Of material projected upward scattered In flight
and broken tmbcrs and small pieces OF rock whstled
and scattered In all directions. When the body OF
vapor faded and tho and flying debris fell back
to the place from which they had been blown u III
tie tidal wave, apparently about ten inches high
and quite perpendicular on tho outside, rolled
outward from the centre of the reef slightly dis
turning the wafer f)r some little distance outward. and
sending faint rlppcs to the watcners feet The
over the reef continued greatly agated Tor some time
afterward, and was turned to seeming green sh yel
low, with lot OF debris floating It's surface. So
RAPID all these effects, engaging the Of feel
ing. the eye and at once, that lew people found
time to an alyze them Al the moment tho shock
felt sensation OF warmth passed through the body,
and immedately after the blast smell OF gas per-
vaded the atmosphere or scmo minutes Tho smell
offensive and savored slightly Of ether
siGuTsEERs.
Perhaps the most eligible point Oh Manhattan Island,
certainly the most crowded yesterday were the
half vacant blocks between The front and Third
avenue and Ninccth and Tooth Streets covering, saw
space q square half mile, into which trcm
assemblaee of people crowded 10 say that every
available space, particularly prominent points and
especially rocksirom which II was generally thought
a sensation OF somo Kind would be expericnccd--was
occupied, would but family describe the advantage
by the general public Of all that section between
the points named. The greatest possible credit
Is due the police officers Tor the kindly but
rigid manner in which they carried out their
instructirns. With an eager, curious and expec,ant
crowd the polccmans duty becomes both disagreeabic
and oncrous, but the proverbia respect which Amcri
can pay to order and authority, save such
extraordinary occasions as the one in question: greatly
hghtcncd the burden imposed the long and i'm
posing Gordon OF officers. which stretched IRON Nnc-
ticth To 1OCth street.
The line of obs,rva ion from Ninety second street,
tending nor,hward dozen blocks, along Second
avenue Across that line. between those streets, but
a privileged few, outside OF those who occupied tho
hulldipcs slluated Tho