The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1885-10-12
70 TIE HIGH HEAVENS
THE FRAGMENTS OF FLOOD ROCK,
IN HE'LL GATE, AScENDED.
The Greatsst Explosion i'm the History o'
the Country Thousands View the
Sccnc-A Great Hen0iIt to New
Yarh HarIbor.

Nrw YoRK, Oct II Tine most inteu.e
| ex '.t.lHeut existed in the city S9tur lay
| rlofniu, on account of tAe iErAat expio ion
! at iiei Cato whereby Fool Rock wa, to be
removeL Thou aHi' OF iimll hat an1iuus
| spectators were hurryin, forward :" ait.
nass t1e great eveat. The hor cars on the
east SIDE wore filed to their utnoi capacity,
eiloctuilly bio ka ling tha routes owing to
tho inability of tho horses TO draw
the heavy weight. The Brook
iyn bridge rapidly file. with
tnoasiuls of peopio curious 10 see some
| thing yet fearful of damage that might
| occur nt the towers or auchoragss Every
| available space on house tops OF convenient
| altitude was secured for the purpose OF
~ituessing tho final work.
The oxpipsion took place at HIS the
vibration b9ins felt in Now York and
| HrJuklyn 1t is estimated that tho progress
OF vibration was at tho rate OF l. 200 ieot per
second. In the neghbor hood of the postoilcs
tho vibration was ielt at IL :l5. The Brooalyn
bridge wa ii led with people from Brock lyn
| M N York. As viewed from this point
there was Il v st clou of vapor which was
coon waited away by the winl. Steam
launches from tho Brooklyn navy yard
gunrdei all the approaches to the terrible
dynamite mine. A hundred mon in the
bfigul uniforms OF liI8 united states
engineer corps guarded the river frpnt on
the Long island shore, while n great many
of the Metropolitan police were stationsi at
intervals along the New York shore to keep
vsnturesome sig ht-sears out of danger.
The beautiful weather ani the clearness
OF the atmo ,phere brought the doomai rock
within the vision Of thousands gathered Mt
different points for a mile around. There
was perccrtbls excitement among the in
mates of the great public institutions on
Wari's an Black welr5 island, where it was
feared the shock Of the explo ion might
cause some diaster A large force OF police
mad crossed to Black we!rs island early in
the mcrnins and patrolsl the shores near
the pontentiary ready to allay panic or
quel any outbreak among tho 200 pris-
ulers.
a few minutes lefore IL o'clock small
band Of earnest men stood about small
battery in Il little temporary building on the
long Isianl shore on tho dock north of the
Astoria ferry slip. These were tho engin-
erri who had planned and prepared tho
gi-at work. Gen Newton, their chief,
stood. quietly end coolly talking to one of
the engineer. Frequently he consulted his
watch All houses near the battery were
dosortel. The engineers wers just about
1000 fcet away from tho mine.
At i:l2 precisely on3 of tho party
touched the little key OF the battery. In
SANITY Is, 2S6 dynamite cartridges protrui-
ing from that many hoes drilled in thJ
mine were explol led, and the $40, 0jo pounl1
of rack a-rocll packed back of the dynamit,
cnrtii igcs went up a second later, Flood
Rock went up too The report was not a
loul was expectei. Three piece,
of heavy ordnance discharged stimuli
taneeu ly might make loui
"A nnl n "a sant nj In! ran
VA, heard per ons iookin>, toward He'll Gats
saw rHro AMI eranl picture. a great
mn 50 OF foam white as snow, went into the
aiI b. n distnnrs of perhaps 2JO feet, falling
back in vii confusion to bo met by swollen
upheaval7 tat cam, witt! AMI after tao duh
report that shook the biggest bull ling iii
town. Big pieces of rock went into tho
air in perfect shower but
"ore covered AMI almost hidden
from view by tho groat noun
trin of foam. \ vap,r coveral tn,
troubled waters immeiatsly after tho ex-
piu ion, but tho Watching thpnsan Is could
discern plainly that Tiooi Rock was no
NOR.
All Now York, from Harlem to the Bat
bn,y south, and north to tbs Bronx river,
f'lt tie hooks. for tharo wcra tareo of them.
ting over one minute.
The current of electricity lot loose by the
touch on tho little bsttery went over "a sin
,,', i.tt'r, w tl, r,o,. ,,hinI :, ,;,y',l tta
,',,..,,,t tt,.,,,,.h t,,.a,,t,, e,,r ;,,in',,I,t
circ,,its intn t,,' ,,ina rhn innar ana, nr
,,,,,,, ,,iras r,,,ra ,,;t,, l,,, , nr;Jr. ~ s,,a
do,t ..;'. M ,t s ", 10y
oat,d in thls way male the first explosion
in tho mine
Mary Newton, daughter of Gen. Newton,
aged II years, closed the key which sent tho
,.'i o'', n' ,'. '''
,,'1 .ha ,,,.' Ir ~, a',,'; % ~, f'J,,i,,t
,,,'it T. ;,l, t,, - ~ ,,I,'
. f', ia,'''''' WV ''o''0' WI 'e''T
''n o"'y n'''' n"'',
-. a"u' H.', % o' zen Ne"'"h who pre'sei
=, "o ,' u',p. - 'i'' sai,' one ""'", "'',
:. ~ ''.' ; 'o''
, .',' u" r.. i 20 aff1''' "''o !" .'' H""'''
,'"' ~ 'an '"n' ,teIo' , ., .',' s1"'H Vne
p'',i"i Was ''u1 ''N' t'''i ~ f''',o' i'l"'
III iP'" .At,N. 'nl' ne "p'eaVa' OF water
,;,' ~ =, :. , .'i - IN, " t''.'
~ ~ '''' ''' '''e ''e's'' ~
,r,,' ...,,J ,,, III pa,.
ul"h RI '"' i.Vt"' no" '""-
n,s "uo - W. ~ 'I'' nv "'fe,
Il som ro'H were 'uin.l'n' me greatest
shnit ani the average gallery hror was
about % feet deap Iha length OF the gal
lerles AMI tunnel waa nearly four miles, |
AMI tue smell OF rock separating |
them rom the hoiy OF water over
E9ai Variei from 10 to "a feet -Four |
haidred ana sixty-Seven rock columns, each |
ahout 10 iect square, Surp2rtei this roof. In |
thesc pillar, nhi the roof Is 2S5 holes, j
lncAea IN dlain"toF, were drilled to an |
'he work upon lia!iets Reef, 1t IL stated that |
i. ,1'. vns 'oNa' -, VI 'he sai'ef,eS "S
',i"' 'eSs' az fi''o1 hoth bho tothi IeHSth