The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1885-10-15

GATHERING MASSES OF WATER SENT
HUNDREDS OF FEET INTO

HUNDREDS OF FEET INTO
THE AIR,
New YORK, October 10.-In order
to protect life and property at the
Floodrock explosion to-day, the most
careful and adequate police arrange
ments had been perfected. A force Of
450 policemen, in addition to the har-
Dor police, were detailed near the
scene Of action. Three hundred were
located on East River front, Black
wells Island contained a detachment
of 100 men, while fifty were on duty
at Wards Island, All the buildings
on the end Of Blackwell's Island were
cleared of inmates, including the
Alms-house, Work-house and Lunatic
Asylum, who were massed in the lawn
at a safe distance from the explosion
and carefully guarded. In the peni-
Tertiary the cell doors were thrown
open and the prisoners conducted to
the halls. The prison was surrounded
by police, while large force was sta
toned among the convicts to prevent
escape or riot, and to give aid, in case
it was found necessary to reach the
buildings.
All points on the shore from which
Flood-rock could be seen were density
packed with people. The police were
busy in keeping the crowd outside of
the danger line. Ropes had been
stretched across the river above and
below the place OF explosion, and
launches from the Navy yard patroll-
ed the river TO see that no vessels at
tempted to pass through,
The bell in the tower of St. AIMS
school building struck the hour of eley-
en-, and $4,000 people waited expect
antly for the explosion which was adj
vertised to be at that hour, but at that
moment there was still q number OF
people on Floodrock, few moments
later a tug took them off and then
the spectators braced themselves for
the expected shock, Ladies and gen.
tlemen in carriages stood upon the
cushions and leveled their opera-glass-
es toward the island. A hushed ex-
pectancy fell upon the vast crowd who
seemed almost afraid to breathe fol
fear the act would disturb their view
of tie explosion, should it occur al
that moment. The river in the vicini
, ty Of Flood-rock and HalIetts Poin
was now clear OF vessels.
AT a respectable distance, howevel
scores of excursion steamers, thei
decks black with people, yachts, tugs
or even sound liners, waited for thu
pressing Of the electric button. A
precisely IL :13 o'clock the earth trem
bled and the bosom of the river wa
pierced with a mighty upheavaI o
rocks and timbers; up, up, up, wen
the glittering masses of water until i
seemed as if they would never STOP
At a hight Of 200 feet the uplifted wa
= tiers paused and fell back again to til
river. AT this moment, when the al
for hundreds of feet in each direction
was filled with the white mass OF Wa
ter, the spectacle was grand beyond e1
. preston.
> Mary Newton, the 11-year old daugf
ter Of Gen. Newton, who as Chief Ell
, gineer, has conducted the operation
y at He'll Gate since the start, touche
. the button that set free the electri
= currant that exploded the sub-marin
: mines and shattered the mountain {
?, rock, lifted it out OF the bosom of til
y sea and crushing it into a million (
y fragments. 1t was little Mary New
y ton who, when a mere baby, touche
- off the first He'll Gate explosion fe
feet from the point where she stoc
to-day.
. The shock of the collapse was fe
= only slightly on the Astoria shore an
y the noise resembled far distant su
W terranean thunder. When Flood roc
had lifted its strong back mass
= broken wreck was seen on top of it a
- The big derrick that had been left
:. its fate turned over on its side and W
~ broken. A high tank that had bee
left AZ the north end OF the island sti
7 stood in its place, tilted over q littl
as it had settled when let down wi
- the angry waters from its aerial figf
- Immediately after the explosion Fl
3 broke out in the wreck and burn,
Justly amid the seething watel
u Four instantaneous photographs we
taken by officers Of the corps of engi
GERS from the firing point, Astor
As far as was possible 10 Judge fro
the position and appearance Of t
wreck the explosion had been an c
tire success, though for the prese
fo the vicinity Of the blasted rock will
Gu even more dangerous than heretofo
TO- until the wreck has been remoy,