The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1876-10-05
e----
The Great He'll Gate Blast.
Especial to the St. Louis Globe Democrat

nun OeANO OAaoNe
Especial to the St. Louis Globe Democrat.
NEW YORK, September 24.-New
York and its neighborhood was thor
oughly affected this morning by woful
anticipations of the Hell Gate explosion.
Astoria, suburb nearest to the point
of dreadful interest, was early astir,
and housewives were to be seen in the
pouring rain packing in large baskets
Of straw their china and glassware, and
experimenting their removal to places
of safety. From many houses the light
er articles of furniture were taken to
the piazzas and the heavier placed in
the center of the rooms, and covered
with mattresses. In one solid stone
house an excited German, assisted by
women, was busily taking down beds
and removing them, as well as all the
furniture, even the carpets and door
mats, to tie back yard. Finally he
emerged from the house wildly gesticu-
lating and issuing orders to the women,
who followed him Juggling at a cook
stove. The upper eastern section of
New York City was also in confusion.
At noon the police and soldiery formed
cordons at all exposed points, keeping
eager spectators out of supposed dan
ger. On the other hand, thousands
quit: the city so as to be out of harms
way. ..--
An hour before the appointed time
many thousand spectators blackened all
the open lots, high docks and piers
along the shore on the New York side
of the river as far up and down as the
eye could reach, as we'll as all accessi
BILE places on the Long Island side.
The water was almost covered with
crafts of all sorts and sizes, from the
small skiff to large steamboats,, all
keeping back of the guard boats that
marked the limit of safe nearness. The
rain, it was feared, would injure the
powder of the batteries. Mr.. Julius
Streidenger, the electrician, sat with
his assistants under canvas awning in
the rear of the wide open-mouth bomb
proof, testing the conducting power of
the wires with a galyanometer. This
was delicate operation, and, to the
uninitiated, it seemed dangerous. To
be told that an electric current was
shooting through those wires, and that
little piece of interpOsed platinum
wire, no bigger than hair, alone
barred it from rushing on through the
bundle of wires led down into the shaft
and connected with the exploders in
the mine, made-a man feel as if he
would rather be a thousand feet fur
ther off while they were fooling with
the lightning.
The mouth of the shaft was filled
with water, and it looked ike a great
pool, showing that the cavernS beneath
were full to their roofs. A few men
were working around the shaft, clearing
away debris, and carrying, with fearful
carefulness, boxes of dynamite that had
been left over, down to boat, which
presently was rowed to a distant island.
The inhabited houses within the danger
lines were, at an early hour, deserted
by eliminates, and everywhere ankle
ty and suspense were visible. The pO-
lice had much trouble in restraining
hundreds of wild young men, who had
roWboats at the uptown piers, and who
seemed anxious to endanger themselves.
As to the explosion, which was set off
by the hand of Gen. Newton's two-year
old daughter, who touched the electric
apparatus at a distance, this is what
your correspondent saw from the deck
of the guard boat: Suddenly there came
or, at upheaval of foam, rising here
and there in columns. Every eye was
intent. The field of foam was held up
wonderfully lOng-only a few seconds
in actual time, but very long to the fas-
cinated eyes-and then it sinks. A two
acre cloud of earth,a bowlder, or Jagged
timber passing in its midst rising over the
foam. The earth cloud is in view long
too, buoyed seemingly by some invisi-
BILE power, but it sinks. Then a mar
velous wall of yellow Yapor rises upon
the foaming expanse. 1t changes to Q
greenish tint, and sails grandly before
the wind down toward New York.
Then every man turns to his neighbOr
and eyes him in amazement. Is this
really the vast explosion of which so
much has been said and written? Won
derment yields to JOY, and the savants
swelIed with their voices the cheers of
graduation. '......f .-.... IL.
L ne water dG OUCe UeCdiuG DltCh Will
little boats, the crews of which were
straining their muscles to be first at q
long dark line extending straight out
from HalletJ's Point, that was thought
to be the backbone of the upheaved
reef, and sailboats and little steamers
Joined in the race. The dark line was
made of bits of lumber that had
been used in the shaft.
The river was muddy and slug
gish over the shattered reef, as though
slow to recover from the terrible shock.
Not a stunned or dead fish hoated on
its surface. No damage was done any
where, and the shock, although felt at
places distant twenty miles, did no
harm. This evening sound steamer
passed fifty feet nearer Hallett's Point
than any large vessel had ever done be-
fore. 1t is believed that the explosion
was a perfect engineering success.