The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1885-10-11
AZ HE'LL GaE.
THIS FLOOD ROCK EXPLOSION.
An Innense Crovs Que 10 View the Ex-
pissis.-rhs Attsmps Regarded as
Successful BY the Enginsers.
Buiixlngs in the City Bhsk-
en- by the shock.

e1plObiou lO-u&fs niots 'tf4lui hft Eu~
equzte police arrangements had been
perfected. 4 force Of $50 policemen, in
addition to the barber police, ware de-
tsilsd near ihs scene Of aoiion, 300 cf
wsom were lseatsd on the East River
front. Black y alas Island contained a
detachment . 100 man, while
81 others were GA duty At
Wards Ilsnd. All buildipgs
on thsnort1 end OF BiEoENslls Island
we're cleared eliminates, incla&ing tho
aims konre, Wsrt house aud lunatis
say lam, VINO were mgsSsd ON tho
lawns Ut . ssfs distance from tho ex-
piosion, sud carefully guarded In the
penikentlsry tho call doors were
thrown open and the prisoners COZ
duetAd TO tsa halls. The prison was
surraunsd ny police while large forcs
was stationed among the convicts 10
pr6vees escap9 or TiOtH and 10 give aid
If 10 wan found necessary 90 reach the
building.
All points on tho shore from which
Flood rock could DO seen, wsra denes-
" packed with people. The pslice
were busy keeping tho crowd outside
Of tho danger lice. Ropes had been
stretched across the rivsr above and
below the place of explosion, and
lsunshes from tho navy yard patrollod
.he river to aee that no vesssia 81
tho tower az st. AIMS school building
struck tho hour OF IL, snd
$1,000 people waited expectantly
FOR tho explosion, which WA sdvor-
tissd to be on hand et that hour, but at
that momont there wore still o mum.
persons ON Flood Rock. A fow min
utca later, however, 81 rug took th4m
off and then the spectators prepared
themselves for the expected shock.
Ladies' and gentlsmen in carriages
stood upon the cushions and l0veiel
their opera glasr0s towards tha ia.and.
A. hush of expectancy toll upon the
vast, crowd who were almost afraid to
breathe for fear tho act would dig
turb thsir Wow OF tho explosion
should it occur nj that moment,
The river in the vicinity Of Flood
Rock and Halls Point was ROW clear
of vessels. Scores of excursion sieam-
ers (qt a rBspeotabie distance, how
ever,), their decks black with people,
yachts, tugs and oven sound linor,
wnitad for the pressing OF the electric
button.
TIE FXpLosIGN,
AT precisely lib O'Clock tho earth
trembled aud the boaom OF eho river
w7s pierc.d with mighty upheayel
OF rocka sud iimbers. Up, up, wont
the giittoring nlbssea Of water until 1t
! seemed M il they would never
stop. At height Of 200 feet the
lupiifted waterB, paused aud fell back
agGin ~ tbs river. AT tdis moment,
whsp the air, hundreds Of feet In each
direction, was filled with thu white
masses OF sparkling water, the specta-
ole WAS grKnd beyond expression.
Mary Newton, tho l-yoar-olG ssugh-
tor OF aeneral Newton (who il chlof
ensinaer, mud has conducted the sper-
stions st Hell GGte since the stsrt),
touched the button that sou
FREQ the eleetric current that ex-
plodod the submarine mixes aud
shattered the mounJgin OF
rock, lifting it out Of the ses and crush.
Luz 10 into million fragments. 1t
aag littls Mary Newton who, whom q
msro baby, touched off the first Hell
Cato explosion fow feet rom tho
point where she atoOd to-day. The
ahssG of The collapse was isls ONLY
slightly on tho Astoria shore, and the
noiso resombled far distant AUDITOR
ranean thunder. Who're Flood Rock
hid lifted its strong back q. mass of
| broken rock was seen upon top OF it
| all. The big rock that had besn left
! to It's fAta, turned over on ils side, q
brol,Gn mass. A huge tank that Ind
| been left at the end OF the islsRd atn
| stood In lite place, ti,.oi ovCrA iDtti3 90
| IL had settl0d, whdn lot down with tho
| sngry wgtsra from its aaglal nirht.
Immediately aItsr the explosion = hfo
broke out IN tho wreck and burned
lsatily among the Watsrs. Four in.
Stantu9eOGN photographs eers taken
~ officers OF the corps OF engineers
from tho firing point, Astoria.
40 far ae II IS pnSsisls 10
judge from tho position aud
sppVGrhnce of the wreck, tho explp-
sion bps been an entiIo Hucasas,
though for tho prea0ut The vicinity OF
the bisSt5d rock win bs more danger.
GUS thSD herstsfOr0 until tho wreck
hes bsen removed.
The shock wss ielt 90 y slight extent
| in the city. IL was fer dislincttv iu
! tho city hall building, and the strUo-
turo trsnhlud for tho spaca or ave
seconds. Al the county court house
the shock VA elso distinctly lsl5 ia
| tho upper psrt of tho building. The
! luuys slp0s gud the WiudOTs trem.
blod when Tho explosion occurred.
Tho only ecciient reported IN con-
ueciiou with tho explosion was Iho
| burning OF General Newton slightly on
toe mock by = piece on iug0 attached 60
the Photographic camera. Tho cppip.
ters, of whom General New
Tn was chief, did rs
WAS oNp,ciat, make o thorough
examination 81 tba work done by the
cxplOs'op, This afternoon, y tux host
| with few persona on board, Cluigcd
IN the vicinity of tho place, but nc
| sOundipgJ vera taken, The work oi
surveying the bed ct the river win Ia
| commenced next wsos and 10 will not
ne known until alter tsls furvey
In made Just Whist the oileCt Of tho ex.
psosion has been. Onoof the sngineer,
Tonight speaking Of the work done 10y
tho dynamite and rsndh rock
oaid thss, so far va hi. Ohysrva.
ton ex,onded, the explosion VIVA
q successes. Flood Rock was not buried
out u eight. IL pRnk, perhaps, three
or four feet, aud that WA all Soma
had affirmed that the bed OF the river
| would be no broken aud gsVges
with rocks that tho middle
channel would become impossible
| until tho debris was removed, Such
did not prove 20 be the fact, Tho sound
steamers experienced no trouble what
ever IN m.king their trlpg .hrough
the channel. n tho work OF tse
electric current fsils8 at any point Il
discharge the cartridges, lt was proc
ably usder tho rock known ~ mix.
ger Rock oppohite tho electric light
stand on Hitlletps Point. The keeper
Of the llght,who watched the uphpavaI
LOT the waters, sAd that Ga,
water as that point was not disturbed
It might I've, however,, that no was mis-
takon. Tho engineer felt confident
that an examination Of rho bottom
OF tho diver would show that tho rock,
were shsttored into fragments. Captain
John Somors, iof tho lighthouse boat
Johu Rlgtre, after the explosion said
"We were 10 buoy st tho scene Of ID,
explosion sfIer it occurred, n
necessary. We found ut tho south ont
Of tho islaud blk faihoms OF wstei