Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1885-07-23
Nine Acres to be Blown Up.
THE ONLY REMAINING OBSTRUCTION AT HE'LL
GATE TO BE REMOVED IN THE FALL.

Flocd Rock reef, at He'll Gate, is soon to
90 the way of Halletts Point. which was
smashed all into smthereens ten years ago,
when $4,000 pounds of dynamite was explo.
ded in mines that had been drilled through it.
But the coming explosion is TO be much big
ger affair than the last The section then
exploded was only three and a half acres in
extent. while this time nine acres of rock are
to be demolished and nearly three hundred
thousand pounds of dvnamite-or, rather,
''rockarock." nnwer explosive-is to do the
work. When this great mine has been
touched off it is confidently hoped that He'll
Gate " ill lose its terrOrs, except those that
cling about the name.
Work on Flood Rock was begun before the
Halletts Point ledge was exploded. 1t has
been going on in a desultory way ever since.
az the money was provided by Congress. At
times a coupl" of hundred men have been
employed, divided into three gangs. One
great difficulty that has been experienced has
been to keep the water out of the mine. OF
late three steam pumps have been almost con-
stantly at work pumping out the accumulated
drippings from the river above that have been
brought into large we'll In
all, 81 $40 feet of galleries have been cut
through the rock. and 1900 holes, three
inches in diameter and of an average length
of nine feet have been bored through the
roof. compressed air drilling machine has
had to be worked five hours in the boring OF
each of these holes. Through the shaft on
top sc. 100 cubic yards of rock have been car
ried up
The levy of the shaft il fifty feet below
the level of the river Radating from the
bottom of the main shaft are the galleries,
hnp Of fap fIa
ledge The root of the large chamber at the
shaft is fifteen or twenty feet in height, while
the height OF the galleries varies from five to
twelve feet Alnrg the shore of each gallery
runs a railroad track. used for carrying away
the rock as the galleries are extended.
Througr the roof in places the water comes
so freely as to occasion anxiety in the minds
of those in charge of the great work This
is particularly the case with about an acre of
galleries at the north end of the ledge. To
guard against accident this part is about shut
off from the larger excavation by heavy
gate.
1t is suspected that by the end of this month
the work of loading the mine will he begun.
The explosive to be used consists of two in
gradients which are entirely harmless when
not brought together. They are when com
bined. to be packed in copper cylinders two
and a half inches in diameter and two feet
long. each holding about six pounds of the
explosive. In addition to the 225 900 pounds
of the 'rackaroff," about 5000 pounds OF
No. | dynamite is to be used The delicate
operation of packing the compound into the
cylinders is to be performed by special ex-
perts and other picked men are to ram home
the cylinders after they have been made water
tight by solder When the cylinders are all
in and the exploding trains laid the mine i'll
be flooded bv water. ready to be touched off
The cost of the whole work, including that
of carrying away the debris after the explo-
sion, will be about 81 900, 900.