The sun., 1878-07-24
BLASTING UNDER THE RIVER.
Miners In the Heart of Flood Rock-subma-
rine Galleries Hswn out Of stone.

Prom ne frentnq Pot
Gen. Newton is again at work under Flood
Rock. East river. with force OF about forty
men, which will soon be largely increased On
the oath OF June last. TO use the words OF Capt.
Mercur. who is in charge OF the operations.
we commenced to prepare to begin to &c.
ready" The first thing to do after the long in:
activity was 70 test the three boilers which had
been lying idle and which. for aught that the
engineers knew. might have gotten so rusted
rs 10 be useless. This took until the Sth OF the
present month. on which day the pumps were
started for the purpose OF removing the water
that had leaked from above into the shaft and
the submarine galleries The shaft Is fifty feet
deep. and the galleries which run from 1t in
many directions are now about six hundred
feet long. On the 18th inst. began the task OF
and drilling machines in order and propping
the sides OF the galleries where these sides are
cracked or otherwise in danger OF falling.
This morning the preparations were nearly
finished. and tomorrow morning or the next
day tho drilling and blasting will be resumed.
A reporter of the Erening Post. on the invita-
tion OF the engineer in charge. yesterday in
spected the excavations already made in Flood
Rock, Acs3mBsnied by that officer, and by the
Astoria pier TO the deck OF little steamtug, and
IN about five minutes was landed on Flood
the lighthouse that adorns the thin extremity OF
Blackwell's Island. He was conducted at once
TO Mr.. Boyle's private oiilce. where all three OF
flremen's hats. and galoshes. Then he was led
70 the yawning mouth OF the shaft. from the
Just been drawn up by steam an immense
shovel shaped receptacle full OF mud and stone
on ,S ssd h9 engineer to the
lowering the vehicle TO the bottom: hold on:
think well 90 down with her."
Like other descents II was easy and fast.
Presently thud. jar. and grating announced
that the car had reached bottom. In the damp
and chilly e stmSSsphere the several galleries lead
The party entered one OF them. Two members
were provided with torches in whose light the
ioiced The way was rough and iSborious.
Pools OF water OF uncertain depth stood in II.
and little streams trickled upon II through the
rocky ceiling from the river above. The size
was more or less circular at times. with a diam
eter OF eight feet or 80; at other times the gal
lery runs into another. and this into third. at
the head Of which several others are focussed
Finally the party reached the end Of the ex-
II should think" the reporter observed.
that in blasting down here you are liable to
force an opening above. and to let the river in
-" on. that is the least OF our dangers. sim
we have TO feel our way pretty carefully. and
mind what we are about"
What are some other dangers2"
The falling Of rock Is tho principal one.
least expected. You see those cracks there p
| The reporter saw large and long ones which
the concpssion OF the Blasting had made. :" We
rock in front Of you. That is what we cali a
sliding rock" It's strata, were diagonal. and i
might slip from under the mass above il and do
terrible mischief. In almost every direction
props had been laid crosswise between the
| walls OF the galleries to keep them in place.
Occasionally we came upon large slabs which
had been sliced of and tumbled to the bottom.
| They looked ugly and nasty In the presence of
the thirty or forty laborers near them. Lis
| ton" the engineer said softly. DO you hear
that2' 1t sounded like the tumult OF waves
| above.
=, The gallery the party were in is soon to be
nine or ten feet deep are to be drilled across
| the bottom Of IT, and eight feet length OF bottom
blown out Then similar holes eight feet fur.
| ther on. are TO be made. and another stretch OF
bottom torn away. the process being repeated
until the depth OF the gallery is thirty. forty or
fifty feet In few years the whole OF Flood
Rock will have been undermined. the top OF It.
mostly under water now. becoming a roof sup
ported by pillars. When the time for the final
| blowing up arrives the top will be pierced up
| ward in thousands Of places and the pillars
sideways. and both will be stored with nitro
Handling the nitro -glycerine." the engineer
| replied, Is the worst source OF danger to tho
men, No ono Of them has been Killed yet by
| anything else. except fellow who ran direct
into q blast. They got consumption. though
and other diseases. and seven Of them one day
| wore upset In our rowboat. while crossing to
| Astoria. and nearly drowned the tide was so
strong and the waves were 30 high. But we use
a steamtug now for crossing" Applications
| Tor work. however. are constantly coming in,
| and Il thousand fresh laborers could be- engaged
| in twenty four hours. The prices paid vary
with the work done. The men employed arc
those who were tried in the Hallctt's Point OK
cavations. and Capt Mercur desires II TO be un-
| derstood that thore is room for no others.
| The ascent from the IN Inc WAS made by lad
ders After that labyrinthin inc tour in the bowels
OF the rock in the darkness. under deep water
perhaps also in peril. certainly in chlliness in
dirt and in continual drippings. the sunshine
and the SKY were pleasant When the blesting
is begun. tomorrow or the next day. Flood
Rock will certainly be dangerous to visit.