Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1876-10-16
LETTER FROM NEW YoRk.
NKw Yokk. sept %. 1875

not una NE Seoouug through Saturn
rings on my way to the North Star. or
rattling round in '.the Dipper" or firt-
ing with the PleiadA. or getting hugged
by TIE Great Bear" or something equal
" astronomical. But it turned out to
be not that kind of an explosion and SO
instead Of playing comet in the inter-
stellar spaces. find myself safe on the
same old planet and ~all agog" like
John Gilpin to tell the story Of the men,
orable moment.
The dangerous work Of priming the
cartridges and connecting the whole
chain Of holes by the electric wire was
accomplished by Friday night. and the
flooding of the mine commenced. Dy-
Mantle Is so very uncertain a commodity
that it was not deemed safe to let the
river rush in suddenly, lest the attend
ant eommotiOn should upset the equili-
/ brium of this exeitable s'brown sugar"
! (which dynamite exactly resembles) and
do untold damage. So large syphon
was constructed, reaching from the
rivers edge to the bottom Of the shaft,
and through this the water was slowly
admitted. This filling with water served
the double purpose Of protecting the
cartridges till the appointed time, and
then preventing them from blowing out
Of the holes and wasting large part
of their force. This done, the enormous
batteries which were to send the light
ming flashing down into those dark
depths, were placed and tested, and
finally guards were set to keep curious
meddlers az safe distance till Sunday 5
high tide, that moment being chosen in
order to have the heaviest possible ''wet
blanket" thrown over the upheaval.
Sunday dawned dull and dripping
and the fine searching rain fell steadily
all day long. Nothing daunted by this
dise0uraging state Of things. however,
spectators began as early as 10 a m. to
arrive on that part of the New York
shore commanding the best view of the
point, and having secured good positions
settled themselves for long wait, sup
ported only by antieipations of the IN
known magnitude of the blast, and by
the possibility Of premature discharge
which they alone would witness. As
the day wore on, the crowd thiekened
rapidly and the excitement throughout
the city and suburbs rose higher and
higher. Shortly after noon the upward
bound horse cars began to labor under
elinging loads, and from that time TIL
the crash, the streets we're literally alive
with hurrying throng in the cars,
carts and carriages, which however were
but handful to the army that splasbed
through the mud on foot The weather
prevented the attendance of the thou
sands Of women who would otherwise
have been present, and as nine-tenths
Of the men we're dressed in Sunday
black. the streams Of humanity thai
ehoked the eastern avenues looked like
a vast but demoralized funeral proees-
sion
Everybody who had an umbrella car
ried it that day. and the sloping river
bank which held some fifty thousand
closely packed spectators. had the appear
anee Of an immense field of black toad
stools. Each umbrella was so arranged
as to shut of the view Of some eagel
watcher. and also to convey little riyu
lets down the backs of several neighbors
but these slight drawbacks failed L
damp the enthusiasm Of expectancy
{ which pervaded the whole mass, and
which became almost breathless during
the last half hour. No one knew jus
what he was going to see or what wa
! to become Of him, and the possibility
/ however slight. Of having yawniDG
, chasm opened beneath them was sufh
) eient TO keep the nerves Of all strung VI
to the last degree Of tension
High tide would be at exactly nib'
! minutes before three Twenty minute
beforehand. q preliminary gun was fire.
| 70 correct watches. and to warn all boats
] large and small, away from preseribe'
: limit a murmur ran through the nul
titude and attention was redoubled
! The ten minutes following we're like TEL
f days-the next five ike as many months
! Then the crowd stopped talking and be
: gan 70 look serious. The time va
! really at hand. and they were face 1
: face Eith something they didn't fee
J quite sure about If the truth Een
E known. there we're probably good nan.
f who at that moment would WiIIingl,
D have fore-gOne the coming display.
E they eo1Id have suddenly trznsportef
/ themselves to > place Of absolute safety,
E The last few minutes dragged endless
. ly. Everything vas quiet as the graz
: along the shore. and every ere wzs fxe
; o. the black water that lay plaeidly j
> the pattering rain over the do0ned rec
: No one dared 70 - much as wink, fer fez
!, Of losing tie dreaded sight Onee mor
6 the cannon boomed. announcing al ]
{ readiness, and fez moments Of Painfs
d suspense followed- Then cane sadde
tremor of rhe ground. yery slight b