The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-10-06

The Day and Hour Fixed for the Explosion of |
the Middle Reef
New York Telegram.

New York Telegram.
Il do not know how it is" said Colonel Nc
Farland to a Telegram reporter this morning,
that all the papers, with singular unanimity,
declare that Flood Rock is to be blown up Thurs
day. Oct l. No one said so in this office,
nor was any special day fixed. General Newton
has now appointed the day-Wednesday Oct.
land suppose all the families in the vicinity
of Ninety second street will begin to get nerv-
Gus, and to consider the necessity of moving out
of town until the performance is over"
''Will it be much of performance, Colonel2'
mot from the journalistic and sensational
point of view. At the explosion of Hallet's
Point Reef. in 1876, there was such anticipation
of evil that even the nuns of the Magdalen Re-
formatory and their naughty charges were con-
veyed away to places of safety and the whole
neighborhood on the New York side expected at
the very least that there would not be whole
pane of glass left in the place. The amount of
explosive material used at that time was little
trihe of 30, 900 pounds, and the disruption was
entirely on the Astoria side But on Ocr. there
will be an explosion of nearly six times as much
matter, 22o00O pounds of rock rent, $4,000
pounds of dynamite, and the DISRUPTION takes
place on the Middle Reef. or Flood Rock. whose
surface is about halfway between Astoria and
the New York side. Below the water the reef
trends in the direction of the New York shore to
some extent. and is an irregular kidney -shaped
mass of about nine acres, eight of which have
been mined and charged Halletts Reef was
prolongation below the water Of Halett's Point
and was about three acres and half in extent
There is, you will observe far more reason for
a scare now than in 1876.
But" continued the Colonel, sin my iudg-
ment there need be no apprehension. The ex-
plosion at Halets Reef was so tame in public
estimation that really believe the people in
general angry with General Newton for
robbing them of thrilling sensation. 1t was con-
sdered too bad that not pane of glass was
broken, and that the vibration of the groudd
even was imperceptible 200 feet from the explo-
sion. The arrangement Of the galleries was so
perfect, the disruption of the cartridges so even
that the water wave was limited to the actual
shore-lne in contact with the reef at the place
where the shaft descended to the floor of the
galleries. There were thousands upon thousands
of people lining the New York shore, and when
all they saw was column of water forced up
ward and a yellowish, oily clond floating over
tho scene of the explosion, the universal senti-
ment was one of disappointment"
From a scientific point it was consigned
great success, know. Colonel" said the re-
Porter do you expect that there will be the
same absence Of striking features the TIN of
next month";"
II do. implicitly" replied Colonel Mcfarland;
II have no reason for believing anything else.
The explosion will be made about the slack of
the food tide. when there will be the greatest
amount Of water above the reef, and this viii