The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1885-10-12
A BIG UPHEAVAL.
THE FLOOD ROCK EXPLOSION
In New York Hsrbor Complete Success.
Nearly Three Hundred Thousand Pounds
of Explosives Employed Iu Destroy.
ing tho Obstruction to Navigation.

messed by hundreds Of thousands OF peo.
pie. The shock felt like an earthquake,
and was perceived throughout Brooklyn
aud New York, making the houses tren-
BILE, and shaking down few ceilings near
the scene OF the explosion, but doing no
serious damage anywhere. The crLwds
that hocked the Astoria ferry boats made
the Long Island police hold up their hands
and clubs in mute surprise. But the
crowd that went TO Astoria was as nothing
comp pared to the crowd that turned out
and went somewhere else. There was 3
general impression that spot far from
the rock, but not out Of sight, was good
enough place to be in, aud all conceivable
ispnts bad been chosen early in the day.
The little yellow house on the Astoria
landing was the place from which the
electric park was to be sent To fre tho
mine, and from these good view could
be had OF the different ideas entertained
by the crowd as TO what was safe. There
were people everywhere, from solitary
mortals sitting on the banks Of the river,
almost out OF sight, to multitude strug-
Cling on the New York side, which cover.
ed the green hill Just below Ninety:3econd
street, and made it look like monster
mound OF huckleberries-all berries, with
not sign OF leaf or twig showing
through. Looking back OF the hill, and
up and down TO the right and left, one
could see something like blackiireng run.
ming along the tops OF the houses far as
anything was visible.
tbs CENTRAL SCENE OF ACTION,
Around the little yellow house were
gathered the lucky few who were to see
the touch that would blow the big rock to
pieces. No buster place was ever seen
than that little spot while the last work
was being done. But at last the end of it
all began to be seen. The big scow which
has Eeen hugging the rock for nine years
was tugged away, with its powerful crane
aud with the last fragments OF the disman.
tied machinery. The stars and stripes
that had been floating above the old
wooden frame towering above the shaft
wore hauled down, and then everything
over there was black.
An experiment was made with the
cables. A fuse on the rock was promptly
discharged and the wires we're found to
be in fine working order. Then there was
only one thing left to be dOne-to make
the connections with the explosives In the
rock. 1t was not very pleasant task,
for once the connection was made, il any.
one should happen to touch the instru.
ment on shore, good.by to the rock and
anyone then on It. General Newton
thoughtit was his business 10 make that
connection, and after seeing to the safety
Of the instrument, he Set out once more on
the steamboat Runaway, with bis son,
lad Of Is. Lieutenant Derby, who knows
all about the work, and who seems rather
to like dynamite, went along too. When
they came back all right, the people began
to think about themselves. Nothing re.
NAMED but to touch button, and then
that $50, 900 pounds OF dynamite and raEa-
rock in the bowels Of tue rock yonder
just 1000 feet away would 20 OF and do its
worst. ID
General Hancock, with q broad.brimned |
hat, stood calmly beating his legs With
very small cane, while still smaller boy
held on to one Of his knees, apparently
firmly convinced that he had good |
refuge from whatever danger. A dczsn
ladies, friends oil General Newton or mem
bers OF his family, remained also, because
the General had said it was safe, and they
believed him. Finally, General Newton
told the little crowd to get ready, that the
rock was going up in two minutes. Every
man braced himself, aud the younv
women took an extra hold on the arms
nearest them. The photographers, who
were aiming at the rock from every con-
ceivable point OF view, bent their entire
uoul Ia ~ non THAR rnrk ".H#r
THE NINE TOUCHED OFF.
In the meanwhile General Abbott was
delicately aud gingerly bringing out into
the open air the telegraph instrument
which was to send to the dynamite the or
der to get away with that rock. Close to
him, with one hand olinging 10 his coat
tails and the other reaching for the instru.
ment, was young person with blue
dress, a big hat aud big eyes, full OF the
desire to make things roar. It was Miss
Mary Newton, the Generals l2-year.oid
daughter. When She was years old she
blew up Hallet's Point reef, and now that
she was four times az old, her father had
provided her with an explosion four times
as big, and she seemed anxious to make it |
60.
General Hancock said: "Ha! ha!
You're going to make big noise, consid-
ering your size" and then stopped, be-
cause he could not hear himself any more.
General Abbott had stopped down. The
small foreflnger Of my lady was poked
vigorously down upon the key and the 40
tons Of dynamite were let loose. There
was rumbling, growling noise as though |
thousand bulls with brass throats were
having pow.wow away down under the
earth, and then trembling Of ground
that recalled earthquake days. Hundreds
oil thousands OF eyes, fixed steadily on the
island, first saw the water trembla like a
shaken blanket, and then the stream
opened. aud huge black mass rose into
tie air, as though the bottom OF the river
were Leing pushed upward.
before the spectators, dazed by the
rapid changes, could decide whether 1t
was mud or rock, it was lost to sight, and
there rose into the air beautiful noun
tain OF foaming water, pure white, and
trembling and sparkling as II rose higher
aud higher, $50 feet in the air. There it
seemed 10 stop for an instant, and looked
like an iceberg suddenly lifted into exist
enCe; not the muddy iOebsrHs we zee
drifting across the seas, but the pure
crystal masses we read OF and believe in.
| ALL OVER.
Then tho mass fell in millions Of spark
ling drops back to its bed, to rise again in
feeble limitations Of its first gigantic effort.
From the surface Of the water it looked as
though the snowy spinaker OF some giant
yacht, breaking out Of stops after a1tter-
Ing for moment in the breeze, had fallen
and sank from sight.
simultaneously with the explosion, two
waves, parting from the middle Of the
river, broke upon either shore, but all
soon aslmed down, and the river was az
placid as ever. At Grst It was muddy,
then it became bright yellow, and this
in turn was succeeded by a brilliant
green, produced by the chemicals Of the
explosion. The yellow fumes OF the rack
erock arose in volumes and spoiled the