The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1876-09-25
A Little GIfl oaly three Years old Ex-
plodes the Mine.
1t is a Perfect Success.
Not Pane of Glass Broken and Nobody
Hurt.
Pass over the Place in Safety

New YORK, Sept. 24.-With slight
tremor of the earth throughout the city,
and the upheavel of two columns of water,
accompanied with considerable quantity
of rock, which all fell into the river, Hal
lett's Point reef at He'll Gate was demol
ished this afternoon. No accident occurr-
ed. This triumph of American engineer
ing, accomplished by Gen. John Newton,
was completed in the precise time and
manner intended, and without single
accident At about IL o'clock streams of
pedestrians we're vending their way across
the city to points of observation on the
east side. Vast numbers of strangers
came to see what everybody expected
would be a magnificent spectacle The
street cars going up town were loaded with
citizens, and First and Second Avenues as
viewed from the heights, were black with
pedestrians moving toward Ninetieth
street. About two o'clock. the cross streets
and avenues from which view could be
had, were swarming with people. and the
housetops along the East side were crowd
ed. Thousands of vehicles of every de-
scription filled the heights and cross
streets.
Great alarm prevailed among the resi-
dents of First avenue and the cross streets
from Eighty second to Eighty-sixth streets,
and some houses were entirely deserted by
the residents, through fear OF rocks being
hurled across the river or Of huge wave
being caused by the upheaval. Every
house in the vicinity had its doors and win
| dows open as matter of precaution
! Spectators swarIned on the piers and low
grounds directly in line with the rocks,
where they might have been drowned by
thousands in case Of wave. The police
lined First and Second avenues, and were
stationed amongst the crowds on the rocks
to be available in case of panic. Directly
opposite across the river was Hallett' $
Point, and the timbers and shanties at the
opening OF the shaft nearly midway in the
river; but a trifle to the north was a little
island with boat house, and few hun
dred yards to the south was Little Rock,
surmounted by an advertising board
The rock to be blasted lay beneath the
surface, between Little Island and Hallett' s
Point. Government scows, Police and
Emigration Board steamers, and hundreds
Of barges ana row boats lay between New
York and Wards Island, about opposite
llOth street. At clock a faint puff Of
!
port Of the first gun, and there was instant
commotion, the crowds swaying about IN
fresh eagerness Ten minutes later, another
report, and deep hush fell upon the null
tiiude, whose stiffness was unbroken from
this until the third gun, at ten minutes to
three clock, which was followed precisely
at nine minutes to three by an explosion in
a straight and seemingly morrow line run
i min oh
yards the water whitened and rose oaly
three or four feet high. A dull thud was
heard and the Rocks trembled beneath the
short pulsations. of an earthquake,
stationary for an instant, broke, and
masses about twelve feet high, mixed with
uark smoke from the dynamite; then il
fell back, and in moment the river
resumed its peaceful aspect. Then q
nightly cheer arose from all the northeast
side of the city, and from the steamers
and boats; steam whistles we're blown abC
bells were rung out loyously-and all was
3 over.
The report was scarcely noticeable, anC
: not so much as a ripple was caused upor
the water save just over the spot where
the explosion took place. There was NJ
conclusion in the air, and not a paue o
glass was broken in the city, On Ward's
Island, immediately after the explosion
. hundreds of row boats pat out at theil
d best speed, each anxious to have th'
honor of first passing over the scene Of tht
explosion.
o That the work was effectually done is tin
) general feeling: and this also appears from
the fact that the police boat passed owe
the spot safely.
3. At the works it was found that the coffe
dam which surrounded the shaft was en-
tirely gone, and a small house which stooC
close by the shaft was thrown distance o
ten feet; but all other buildings were jus
te as before the explosion.
to The affair was complete success, an,
,e the whole reef was blown up. The It'd
has been materially changed by the ex
IS plosion, and now the current sets directl
L. on Big and Little Mill Rocks, which wi
have to 6e exploded next.
New YORK, Sept. 24-At Hallett'
Y Point this morning the only traces to b
I'd seen of the great Golfer dam are a fc,
fragments afoat in the water.
;, General Newton, this morning, in con
81 pauy with Bernard f. Boyle, oversee
e. of the late works, inspected the scene {
;" the explosion with evident satisfaction. |
answer to questions as to the success
= the blast he declared emphatically tn;
it was thorough explosion.
H There are $223,000 now available fC
the prosecution of further work at He
s Gate A large part of this will be requi
ed for the removal of the rocks blown U
II yesterday aud it is probable that sever
C. years will elapse before the beginning
J. operations at Flood Rock.
= New YORK, Sept. 25.-It was MAJ
Newton, daughter of General Newton, an
not quite three years of age, who fred tt
- mine that blew Hallett's Point reef to piec,
- yesterday.
Il Last evening, when the tide was at abol
n ebb the steamer Providence, of the Fa
= RIVER Line, passed over the place of expl
sion. She encountered no difficulty an
a, sailed about fifty feet nearer to Hallett
5 Point than any other steamer had eve
e done before
:. The soundings, to ascertain the full r,
l. suit of the explosion, are to be made tn
g- morning at slack water, the current beiu
too strong to attempt them at any otht
time.