The Cecil Whig., 1885-10-17
FLOOD ROCK GONE
The Reef Destroyed Isy great Explosion =

The Reef Dest sDyed I,y great Explosion
A Little Girl FIRES the Electric Mine.
The most intense excitement existed
in New York city last Sunday morning
on account of the great explosion at the
He'll Gate whereby Flood Rock was to be
removed at II O'clock. Thousands of
timid but anxious spectators were hurry
ing forward to witness the great event.
The horse cars on the east side were
filled to their utmost capacity, effect
ually blockading the routes, owing to the
inability of the horses to draw the heavy
weight. The Brooklyn bridge rapidly
filled with thousands Of people curious
to see Something" yet fearful Of dam
age that might occur at the towers or
anchorages. \ few minutes before II
o'clock a small band of earnest men stood
about small battery in little tempo
array building on the Long island shore
on the dock north of the Astoria ferry
slip. These were the engineers, who had
planned and prepared for the great work
of the day. Gen. Newton, their chief,
stood quietly and cody talking to one Of
the marines. Fl, qleutIy he consulted
his watch. The engineers were ,just
about 900 feet away from the mine.
At liz pr, ci. ely one of the party
touched the little key Of the battery. H.
stantly 1886 dynamite cartridges, pro-
truding from that many holes drilled in
the mine, We're exploded and the 2i0 600
pounds of rack !; rock packed back of the
dynamite cartridges went up second
later. Flood Rock went up too. The
report was not as loud as was cxpH ctcd
Three pieces of heavy ordnance dis
charged simultaneously might mike as
loud noise. But second befo;e HE
report was heard persons looking toward
He'll Gate saw rare and grarnl picture
The daughter of Gen. Newton, who
pressed the button, is the same o;e whose
baby fingers brought about the greas ex
plosion nlne years ago. In Its appearance
in the sound and in the character of the
shock the explosion Sunday WAS much
like that at ii .lett. $ Point i'll l>16, cx-
cept that the upheaval was far greater,
both in the extent of river, line which it
covered aud in the height to which it
rose GeneraI Newton, with Lieutenant
Derby. inspected the work of the explo
sion at Flood X 'ck Monday. \ diver
went down on Niger Head during slack
water at noon and found the rock iull
of assures and seams. \ sounding rod
was dropped into some of them for eigh
and ten leet. Into others the diver let
himself down to the waist and he could
have gone further if he had dared to risk
it. General Newton says there is no
doubt that the entire island vas thor
oughly shattered. There is crust of
large rocks over the top. but when that
is removed the stone underneath will be
found fine enough. 1t was ,iust so after
the explosion at llallett's Point. Some
parts of the crust will have to be broken
BY surface blasting. AT high tide the
water made clean breach over nearly
all of the island. Lieutenant Derby said
that the island had sunk away six or
eight feet since Saturday. 1t might sink
still further, until the whole thing would
be below the surface at high tide. In
! that eveut Lieutenant Derby will place a
beacon at each end of the reef for the
benefit of pilots.