Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1885-10-22
BLOWN INTO FRAGMENTS.
Flood Rock at He'll Gate DESTROYED by $50 600
Pounds Of Dynamite.

The mountain of stone known as Flood
Rock at Hell CAT, at the entrance of New
York harbor, was successfully blown up on
the 10th inst. Ovet 10000 pounds of dyna-
mite were use I. Every precaut on was taken to
insu tie safety o. life and p oper.y. All the
but dirgs on the north en- of Blackwelps
Island were cea ed Of inmates, including the
alms-house, wo: house and lunatlc asylums,
who were massei In the lawns at a safe dis
lance from the explosion and carefully guard
el. In the penitentiary the cell doors were
thrown open and the prisoners conducted to
the halls The prison was surrounded BY
pol ce, while large force was stationed
among the colvicts to prevent escape or riot
and to give aid 10 case it was found necessary
TO reach the building
All points on the shore from which Floou
Rock could be seen were densely packed with
people. The polio were kept busy in keeping
the crowd outside of the danger line. Ropes
had been s.retchtd across the river above and
below the place of explosion and launchei
from the navy yard patrolled the river to see
that 10 vessels tempted TO pass through.
Atprecisely II lS o'clock the earth trembled
and the bosom Of the river was pierced with
mighty uphelval of rocks and timbers. Up,
up went the glittering masses of water until it
seemed as IL trey would never stop At q
height of 200 feet the uplifed waters pass
and fell tuck again to The river. At this mo-
m; mt when the air for hundreds of feet in each
direction was filled with the white masses of
sparkling wafer, the spectacle was grand be
yond express on.
Mary Newton, the 11-year-old daughter O..
Gen New, on, who as chief engineer has con-
duced the operations at Hell Gate since the
start, touched The button that set free the
cleo re cuIrent that exploded the submarine
mines and shattered the mo intain Of rock
lifting IL out O. the bosom of the sea and
crushing il into million OF fragments 1t was
little Mary Newton who when mere baby
touched of the first He'll Gate explosion.
The shock of the collapse was felt only
slightly on the Astoria shore, AMI the noise
resembled far distant suber-anean thunder
When Flood Rock had lifted its strong back
mass of broken wreck was seen on top of IL all
the big derrick that had been let to its fate
turnel over on its de and broken. A huge
tank that had Teen left at the north end of the
island still stood in It place, tilted over little
as { had settled when let down W th the angry
waters from lis ferial flight Immeda ely
O ter the explosion FIRE broke out in the
wreck and burned Justify amid the seething
waters. Four instantaneous autographs were
taken by fcers of the corps of engineers from
the firing point at Astoria.
AS far II was possible to Judge from the
POS ton and appearance OF the wreck the ex-
plosion had feen an ent re success though for
the pres mt thu vicinity of the blasted rock
will be even more dangerous than heretofore
until the wreck hos BEEN removed. The shock
was felt TO slight extent in the city. 1t was
dstn tly felt In tle City Hal building, the
structure trembling for the space OF five sec
ones. At the county court hOu the shocS
was also distinctly felt In the upper part of
the building the ioors shook and the windows
trembled when the exp.osion occurred.
The only accidents reported In connection
with the explosion was the burning of Gen.
Newton slightly on the neck by piece of the
fuse attlched to tn Photographic camera. A
tug boat with few persons on board crulsed
about In the vicinity OF the place, but no
soundings were taken. The work of survey
ing the I'D Of the river will be commenced
next week, and Il win not be known till after
this surveJ is made just what the effect Of the
in speaking of the work done by dyna-
mite and rend a-rock, said that so far as his OBJ
seryation extended the explosion was eminentlv
q success. Flood Rock was not burltd out OF
sight IL sank, perhaps, three or four ieet and
that was all. Some had affirmed that the bed
of the river would be so broken up and Jagged
with rocks that the middle channel would be-
come impossible until the debris was removed.
Such did not prove TO be the fact The Sound
steamers experienced no diff uty whatever In
making trips through the channel. IL the
work OF the electric current failed at am point
TO discharge tie cartridges IL was probably
under the ok known rs ''nigger rock OPP
posIte the electric light stand on Hallets
Point The keeper OF the light who watched
the upheaval of waters said the water at that
point was not disturbed.
The engineer felt confident an examination
OF the bottom 81 the river would show the rocks
were shattered into fragments. Capt John
somers OF the lighthouse boat John Rogers,
after the explosion said: 1--WE were to buoy
the scene OF the explosion after IL occurred II
necessary. We found at the south end Of the
island six fath6ns OF water, and on the west
end thres or four fathoms. There were three
or four feet Of water there before this: We
did not find II necessary 10 buoy the place at
all while the main channel is entirely clear, 50
that the explosion Is success and vessels can
pass without any fear.