Morris tribune., 1885-10-14
r. w. RANDALL,
TO THE HIGH HEAVENS
THE FRAGMsNTS OF FLOOD ROCK,
IN HE'LL GATE, AScENDE0.
The Greatest Explosion in the History Of
the Country View the
Scsne-A Great Benefit to New
York Harbor.

New YORK, Oct IL The most intense
excitement existed in the city Saturday
morning on account of the lgreat explosion
at He'll Gate whereby Flood Rock was to be
removed. Thousands of timd but anxious
Spectators were hurrying forward to wit.
! ness the great event. The horss-cars on the
east side were filed to their utmost capacity,
effectually blockading the routes owing to
the inability of the horses to draw
the heavy weight The Brook.
lyn bridge rapidly filed with
thousands Of people curious to see "soms-
thing" yet fearful of damage that might
| occur at the towers or anchorageS. Every
available space on house tops of convenient
| altitude was secured for the purpose of
witnessing the final work.
| {. The explosion took place at 11:13 the
| vibration being felt in New York and
| Brooklyn. 1t is estimated that the progress
| OF vibration was at the rate of l, 700 feet per
second. In the neighborhood Of the postoffice
the vibration was felt at :l5. The Brooklyn
bridge was filed with people from Brooklyn
! and Nav York. As viewed from this point
there was vast cloul of vapor which was
| soon waited away by the wind. Steam
launches from the Brooklyn navy yard
| guarded all the approaches to the terrible
!
bright uniforms of the United States
| engineer corps guarded the river front on
| the Long island shore, while great many
of the Metropolitan police were stationed at
! intervals along the New York shore to keep
venturesome sight-seers out of danger.
The beautiful weather and the clearness
of the atmosphere brought the doomed rock
within the vision of thousands gathered at
different points for q milo around There
was perceptible excitement among the in
mates Of the great public institutions on
Wards ani BlackwelrS island, where it was
feared the shock of the explosion might
cause some disaster. A large force of police
had crossed to Blackwelrs island early in
the morning and patroled the shores near
the penitentiary ready to allay panic or
quell any outbreak among the 1,2O0 pris-
onsrs.
A few minutes before IL o'clock small
band Of earnest men stood about a small
battery in little temporary building on the
Long Island shore on the dock north of the
Astoria ferry slip These were the engin-
eers who had planned and prepared the
great work. Gen. Newton, their chief,
stood quietly aud coolly talking to one OF
the engineers. Frequently he consulted his
watch. All houses near the battery were
deserted. The engineers were just about
1000 feet away from the mine.
at 11:12 precisely one of the partJ'
touched the little key of the battery. n
stanty IL, 2s6 dynamite cartridges protrud.
ing from that many holes drilled in the
mine were exploded, and the 24O, 900 pounds
Of rack-a-rock packed back of the dynamite
cartridges went UP second later. Flood
Rock went up toe. The report was not as
loud as was expected. Three pieces
OF heavy ordnance discharged simul-
taneously might make as loud
a noise. But second before the report
was heard persons looking toward He'll Gate
saw rare and grand picture. A great
mass of foam, white as snow, went into the
air to a distance of perhaps 800 feet. falling
back in wild confusion to be met by swollen
. upheayals that came with and after the dull
report that shook the biggest building, in
town. Big pieces of rock went into the
air in perfect shower, but
were covered and almost hidden
from view by tho great noun.
tain of foam. A vapor covered the
troubled waters Immediately after the ex-
plosion, but the watching thousands could
discern plainly that Flood Rock was no
morp
All New York, from Harlem to the Bat
terry south, and north to the Bronx river
felt the Shocks for there were three Of them,
lasting over one minute.
The current Of electricity let loose by the
touch on the little battery went over a sin.
gle wire under the river to a heavy bichro.
mate battery on the rock, which diffuse the
current through twentyfour independent
circuits into the mine The inner ends of
these wires were unite1 by bridge of fine
platinum wire. The heat communi-
Gated in this way made the first explosion
In the mine.
Mary Newton, daughter of Gen. Newton,
aged IL years, closed the key which sent th,
current through the wires and fred the
mine Gen. Newton was slightly injured in
the neck by the explosion of a illuminate
torpedo. He claimed the honor of being
the only man hurt
The daughter Of Gen. Newton who pressed
the button is the same one whose baby
fingers brought about the great explosion
years ago. In its appearance in the sound
and in the character Of the shock the ex-
plesion was much like that at Hallet's Point |
In 1876 except that the upheaval of water |
was far greater both in the extent Of river
line which it covered and in the height to
which it rose.
The work upon Flood Rock, now con-
summated, was begun in 1875 Nine acres
of solid rock wers tunneled. The greatest |
depth attained was 81 feet by the main
shaft, and the average gallery floor was |
about so feet deep. The length of the gal
leries and tunnel was nearly four miles,
and the shell OF rock separating |
them from the body of water over
head varied from 10 to "a feet. Four
hundred and sixty-seven rock columns, each |
about Is feet square, supported this roof. In
these pillars and the roof IL, 2S6 holes, 8
inches in diameter, were drilled to an
average depth of feet. AS compared with
the work upon. .Hallet's Reef, it Is stated that
there the total length Of the galleries was
I426 feet; at Flood Rock the total length
was q, &C. In the former there were 173
piers, each 10 feet square, in the latts
476, each 10 feet square There 81, 900 cub
yards of rock had to be re-
moved; here $4,000 cubic yards were
taken away. In Hallett's Reef 1878 holes
were drilled, in Flood Rock there were
10, 2o6, and while only 47,7S1 pounds
OF dynamite were used in 1876, six times
that amount was exploded under the waters
Of He'll Gate
The holes in the pillars were charged
with @rack-a-rock" and dynamite (No. u
cartridges in the proportion of about eight
volumes OF the former to one volume of the
latter. The total weight of these cartridges
was about $1,000 pounds, or in round
figures, over $40 tons.
Cowboys Chasing Indians.
ABILENE, Tex, Oct. 12.-Capt. CIaib
Merchant, Of the Sansome Cattle company,
received information Friday evening that
Indians had stolen eighty head of horses
from the company's ranch in New Mexico,