Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1885-11-15
NsW York WoriAl

lGilss sf TaaaalinA
/, rNsv Yerk WoriAl
] Fer thirty ysars men have been blasting
away a. the jagged reefs shat jut out into
the nsfrow channel which eonnscts Long
Island sound with the bay. For twice q
long period SHIPS have struck regularly.
almot monotonouiy, Oh tho.s same rcck.
Sometimes four schoonsrs day pay tributs
IN the hungry reefs, and then, again. two
weeks may pass without . victim. But the
average las Lem abou: one vessel week
So tie govsrnmens decided to tunnel under.
meath all these b.tructions-rocks, island,
buildings AMI s!l-and at one explosion blow
everything SKI ward For ten years they
have been working At il and now in little
moro than . month the chief engineer will
touch an electric button. 2i5.O pounds Of
| dynamite AMI powder will explode and the
island will shoot up into the air to disap
pear forever in Fragments beasata tho
hurryiny green tide.
'DYNANITE-DoN'r LANr
Landing on ths doomed Island -ou srs
met BY young man with blue glasses and
an executive mir who examines your Gre
dentiaIs and gives the order that is the open
sesame 10 tho sub,s ranenn tunnels over
which yen stand. He is superintendent q
the work. Lieut. G. McC. Derby. All abou:
are evidences of the delicate nature OF tho
explosives that you &c. ranged in a=es, and
startling signs tell passcr-by Of Dynamite
don't land!' Men arc unloading unpleas-
snt-lookinz cartridges from a ting boat The
cartridges are about the sizs Of a rolling pin
and are stood up in square boxes like
hnran nj h-ar H.
weighs six pounds AMI contains a combine
ton Of rack-a-rock powder and dynamite
With a great-coat wrapped about you.
pair OF rubber boots reaching above the
knee, cap with frcman's cape 70 it al
mos: sufoeat;ng You and a camille in your
hand, the thing begins to look Xix, business
Somehow you half wish yon hal no. coma
But the guide pu hes on md straight into
tho black hole that stretches down into the
bosom Of tho earth. Thers arc five long
flights Of thess steps, You cling to the
rickety railing. not that you are afrnd. but
becauss you feel that tho guide wouii not
like TO have you come tumblins down upon
aim. Tho heat a growing oppressive, aud
ns your hand touches tho rocky wal! tbs hot
stons burns the fssh. At last the bottom of
tie shaft is reached and you stop for n mo
msnt to draw breath and look about
IN THE GALLERIES.
There are nearly four m les OF tar neling
about yen. or exactly u, go feet The long
est galleries arc four block, long, or 1870
feet In all, twenty-four galleries OF tun.
nels have been run from north To s1uth
These are interzectei by forty.i1 others.
running nearly east and wcst Tbs tunnsls
are on an average ton feet from floor to
ceiling AMI six or eight feet wide Tho roof
OF rock they support is from ten - twenty.
five feet thick The rock tak,n from them
measured 10. v0o cubic yard, az I. lay in its
original bed. Tho 467 hugo pillars and
roof that remain m=asurs rs, 900 cubic
yards a. they stand. In making these gal
leries h>sures Of water were met with, tut
tbey were all succe sfuIly plugged All
through these galleric, and corridors work.
men havo borci hole. nine feet deep and
three inches in diameter. Tho s67 rude
columns that remain have been also honey
combed with holes. Altogether there arc
Is $50 holss nr ons for svery working day
in the year for four years. Tnsse holes are
icing flied with dynam Is and powder car
trdees When the holes are full everything
will bs blown up.
One oncus,ion will ignite every car
fridge. The expo i've comp ,uni does not |
need frs to touch il. A pi til OF big fire. |
cracker exploded IN any gallery wouId sen! |
everything kywarL s, tho greatest care |
l. exerci@ei in handling the cartr.ds e. Ths |
chances aro about even that ons of them |
droppei would expl de o; ur.s that |
would send ovsry crson in or abov, tho |
tunnels to eternity. There are 2I5.0J0 |
pounds Of cartrf iEe. to b hanilel. Placel |
in line they woui reach twenty-five
miles. The previous expo ion at He'll Gats
was effected with 81. % 10 p,unl1 Tho work
m n cropped tLrse cartriiSe. s, far there |
ha- been hut ono droppsi hers 1t fell On
sois sani and did not explode. Toe chances |
nre !ittis m 70 than even that tho wor kmeu |
viii not let fall moro than three thi, time
SO the prohabilisis. 81 uccs sfully Charging
Bee m pss are. at least. doubtful. although
every human prscautiun i. u Cd.
APLAc. FOR cAREFULNsss.
Al you splash your way to whsrs dane
ing cluster Of lights shows the mon 10 b
working. these reflection. CON, upon you
with unpleasant forcs A man stlnis on
tho top rung Of a ladder shown, cartriige,
INTO a hole Another man carries tho things
20 him. climbing the anna ladder and hol l.
fry To tho rugs with ons hand Will, he
Sc tins cartridge with the other Tn,
oats n their cap, give an uncomfortable
!; % - tbs laborer.' facs. Ths-s is a s.ranys
..scin.t on atcut the piAcs. and you mon
lily bet with yourself that the nsx. car
irdse will b droppei. and then -. Cm-
inS down for the twelfth cartridge. tho Ia.
borer ,tumblss. Ah-you almost had him.
IL he had only fallen against the rocky vail,
But he straiyntcns up AMI thu dynamite u
rammei safely home So the work goes on
and you reluctantly move away VITA a
backward look 70 see II the tired finSers will
not let tall 1u.s this last ons
Down .nl,eher corriio- that il all the way
down hall you follow tho light OF your gui lie
and stop fora mnmsnt - admire the marvel
Gus effect OF light on great blocks o: crystal
quartz over which q stream o; clear water
splashes down from rock to rock. Across o
wooden bridge the tunnel leads The bridge
spans deep ditch so accurately laid out
that il collects nearly ali the water that
soaks in and carries il TO the pumps. which
Jump It out at the rate o, ~, 900 gallons an
hour. A block further down tho tunnel yor
bring NJ abruptly nSain.t a wooden gate
Wiz great cable attached to IL This di-
vidcs the excavations into two sections and
j. 81 arrange that should one section bs-
:one flooded IL could bs clossi NJ by tho
rope leading to higher ground ami thus pre-
vent the water from covering all the works
BACK TO DAYLIGHT.
Tic walk hack II enlivenei by tie talk of
the guide. who tells how tina twenty work
men are nil picked man, miners who get IS
. day. They nll carry matches in tin boxs.,
50 as TO relisht Their la:nrs hu, are rot al.
lowed smoke or talk to visit rs They
work from Pa m. TO g m. The climb up
the hiatt wa plea aate n gong down.
Lieut.. Derby rccogniS. : u, serlou. result
Of sig t.st n ciden
You hav, not hal wen tbs slightest mis-
haTr was rsssL
We can't have In. ons sccilen,.- 10
quietly Tcp.iei- t =; m.4ns Heath to
-re;y Oily On mar TIE isni'
n Lawyer. "E.frcr.''
.BCopklyn Eisi.l
A ce'ebra,el lawyer nal d.Tsr.,t -e.-
tect,' for every kini II casa h, was elca-s
IN Tnu' in trial for breach 4 pr.sn:s>