Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1885-10-16
He'll Gate Destroyed,
Successful Explosion of Dy-
Mantle i'm Flood Rocks
Reefs.
A Grand Spectacle Presented
to Interesting Observers.

| CAdhlHdtIouS nave SHOWN, the reel
was completely destroyed. 1t is be-
lleved that clear channel has been
opened for steamers from the East
River into Long Island Sound, and
that the dangers that have beset the
mariners IN those waters for centuries
and which caused the old Kuicker~
bockers of early New York to call the
place He'll Gate are now a reminis
cence. No damage was caused to sur
rounding property by the explosion.
Indeed, those who were within a
Thousand feet of it felt little or no
commotlon, either in the air or in the
earth. A greater distance from the
scene, however, almost throughout
the entire city, slight tremor was
felt. In some places a decided shak-
up was observed. About rs, 900 peo-
pie witnessed the scene from the sur
rounding shores. Miss Mary Newton,
the young daughter of General John
| Newton, touched the electric button
which set off the battery and caused
the explosion. 1t was she who per
formed the same act nine years ago
for the Hallett's Reef explosion. Gen
eral Newton aud Lieutenant Derby
express themselves entirely satisfied
with the result of their operations,
and say that they will have the chan
mel cleared of the broken rock before
six months have passed.
The fear Of damage to property did
not deter an immense throrg of peo
pie from gathering on the bank over
looking the East River at this point.
AS early as s o'clock they began to
get together in little groups here and
there along the mile of river front.
The lrrepressible speculator turned up
as he does on all public occasions,
With seats which he was willing to
sell at advancing prices as the looked
for moment arrived and the demand
increased. Tue small boy was also
there, occupying the most advantage
GUS as well as the most dangerous
position, for, the branches of the over
hanging trees were weighted down
with venturesome youth. A high
shoulder of land projects into the rIv-
er at Eighty-fifth street and almost
reaches over to Flood Rock. This was
literally packed with people. Some
OF them were on top of the wooden
| bONSS thdL ote1AuS dlLHOSt III It's 6uRS.
There was scarcely standing room in
sight of the river
THE SCENE ON THE ASTORIA SIDE
of the river, from which the doomed
rock was but few yards distant. was
not so picturesque. The low, marshy
shore was deserted, save by the engin-
GERS and police. There were few of
the inhabitants of Astoria, how ever,
who were not gathered on the hill
side back of the police line.
On Wards and Blackwell's Islands,
between whose extreme ends Flood
Rock was about half way, the officials
were kept busy from early morning
looking after the inmates of the VAR
ious situations there On the former
all of the ,070 inmates of the lunatic
asylum who could be removed were
gathered in the big yard outside of the
building, while the violent ones were
placed in the basement, where there
was no ceiling to fall on them. The
sick people IN the hospital were treats
ed likewise. The same methods were
followed by the officials of the prison
and workhouse on Blackwell's Island.
Ali work was stopped and the inmates
were assembled in the large hall of
the penitentiary. The northern end
of Blackwell's Island some 200 yards
from the rock was the most advan-
tageous position from which to view
the spectacle, and about 1, 600 people
| bad stationed themselves there.
Among them were fully two dozen
photographers with their apparatus
ready to take an instantaneous view.
The eyes of rs, 600 people gathered on
the four shores that almest meet at
this point were centered on
THE THREE ACRES OF ROCK
in mid stream when it lacked but
fifteen minutes of the time set for the
great event.
1t was precisely Is o'clock when
the people waiting to see Flood Rock
go Up in the air heard
A DULL, CRACKING NOISE,
as if a thunder cloud were bursting in
the middle of the earth instead OF
overhead. There was nothing sharp
about it, as the report CT exploding
dynamite usually is, nor was the tre-
NOR of the earth so great as to cause
alarm. 1t felt just as if an immense
ball were rolling aro ound underneath
the surface, trying to find some open>
ing through which to get out into the
air. On the spot to which all ewes
were directed, however, there was
quite commotion. An immense wall
of frothing, seethlng water was rapid
1y risisg, apparently out of the very
rocks they mad just seen. First but a
thin column of a light blush tint was
outlined against the sunny sky OF the
morning. 1t rapidly increased in
volume and in height, however, and
as 1t did SO it became purer white.
Another column and still another
shot up on either side of the first one,
but the difference in time between
their rising was SO short that the three
shot up almost simultaneously.
When they had reached summit
of fully 800 feet Che spectators imagln-
ed that they were gazing from afar
off on short range of snow>capped
mountains, whose white tops were
half hidden from view in a pale blue
mist. The cracking noise had ceased,
however, and only a dull rumble
could be heard. The three geysers
gradually lowered, but they subdued
much slower than they had shot UP.
As they got lower they lost their
whiteness. When the mixture of
water, rock, and sticks vas at the
height of fifty feet the csluEn assum-
ed a yellowish tint, which changed
further down to a clay color. Finally y
the whole mass broke up into
HUNDREDS OF P.GMY MOUNTAINS,
almost black with dirt and reck. 1t
looked like circus field, with the big
performing teEt in the center and the
side show tents scattered all round it.
The first thing that Bas discernibl-
through the mist was the old derrick.
Its outlines could be seen In the midst
of the column when il was about
twenty-five feet above the ground. Ii
was still intact, and landed on its side
on the shattered mas. Then the
sticks and stones oegan to fy. Thoas-
ands of fragments shot up in the Air
as fast as they could be pushed out OF
the opening In the earth, but their
course was fortunately straie ht up and
ldown. In less than half . minute the