The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-10-11
BLOWING UP FLOOD ROCK.
Nine Acres of Rocks Hurled Into the
Air by 100000 Pounds of Dynamite.
The Explosion Thought to Have Been Entirely
Successful and to Have Accomplished the
Object Intended by the Engineers.

NEW YORK, Oct. 10.-In order to protect life
and property at the Flood Rock explosion, to-day.
the most careful and adequate police arrange
ments had been perfected A force of 450 police
men, in addition to the harbor police, were de-
tailed near the scene of action, 300 of whom
were located on the East river front Black
wells Island contained detachment of one hum
.dred men, while fifty were on duty ut Wards
Island All the buildings on the north
end of Blackwels Island were
cleared of inmates, including the alms-house
work-house and lunatic asylum, who were
massed on the lawns at safe distance from the
explosion, and carefully guarded. In the peni-
tertiary the cell doors were thrown open and
the prisoners conducted to the halls. The prison
was surrounded by police, while large force
was stationed among the convcts to prevent
escape or riot, and to give aid in case it was
found necessary to reach the building.
All points on the shorefrom which Flood Rock
could be seen were densely packed with people.
The police were busy in keeping the crowd out
side of the danger line. Ropes had been
stretched across the river above and below the
place of the explosion, and launches from the
sells attempted to pass through.
The bell in the tower of st. AIMS school build
ing struck the hour of II, and $4,000 people
waited expectantly for the explosion, which was
advertised to be on hand at that hour. But at
that moment there were still number of people
on Flood Rock. few moments later, how
ever. a tug took them off, and
then the spectators braced themselves
for the expected shock. Ladies and gentle
men in carriages stood upon the cushions and
leveled their opera-glass toward the island. A
hushed expectancy fell upon the vast crowd. who
seemed almost afraid to breathe for fear the
act would disturb their view of the explosion
should it occur at that moment. The river in
the vicinity Of Flood Rock and Hallets Point
| tance however, scores of excursion steamers,
their decks black with people; yachts, tugs, and
even Sound liner, waited for the pressure Of
the electric button.
At precisely 1I:I3 o'clock the earth trembled,
and the bosom of the river was pierced with
mighty upheaval of rocks and timbers Up up.
went the glittering masses of water until it
seemed as if they would never stop. AT height
back again to the river. At this moment, when :
the air for hundreds of feet in each
direction was filled with white masses OF
sparkling water, the spectacle was grand
eleven year-old daughter of General Newton.
who. as chief engineer. has conducted the opera
lions at He'll Gate since the start. touched the
button that set fire the electric current that
exploded the submarine mines and shattered the
mountain of rock, lifting it out of the bosom Of
the sea and crushing it into million fragments.
1t was little Mary Newton who. when mere
baby, touched off the first He'll Gate explosion,
few feet from the point where she stood to-
day.
The shock of the collapse was felt only
slightly on the Astoria shore, and the noise re-
sembled far-distant subterranean thunder.
Where Flood Rock had lifted its strong back, q
mass of broken rock was seen. On top Of it all
the big derrick, that had been left to its fate,
turned over on its side and fell, broken. A huge
tank, that had been left at the north end OF the
island, still stood in its place. tilted little,
as it had settled when let down with the angry
waters from its aerial flight
| Immediately after the explosion fire broke out
in the wreck and burned Justify amid the seeth-
| ing waters. instantaneous photographs were
taken by officers Of the corps of engineers from
| the firing point, at Astoria. AS far as it was
possible to judge from the position and appear
ance of the wreck, the explosion had been an
| entire success, though for the present the
| vicinity of the blasted rock will be even moro
| dangerous than heretofore until tho wreck has
| been removed
| The shock was felt to slight extent in the
| city. 1t was distinctly felt in the City Hall
| building, the structure trembling for the space
| of FIVE seconds. At the county courthouse the
| shock was also distinctly felt In the upper
| part of the building, the floors shook and the
| windows trembed when the explosion occurred.
| 1t is impossible to get realistic idea by bare
| figures of the amount of rock removed. If put
into the form of cube of solid rock, the edge Of
| that cube would measure $50 feet. making nearly
| 5000, 900 cubic feet This would be equal to
mass about twenty times as big as the Herald
| building, Zig as the whole block bounded
| between Broadway, Fulton. Nassau and Ann
| streets, with enough lefG over to make quarter
of another block These are the dimensions of
| the solid rock. When it is broken up, tie space
occupied by the fragments will be nearly twice
| as great The area blown up is nine acres.
General Newtons next work will be the levei-
| ing off by surface blasting of Fryingpan reef.
which now has depth of only eighteen feet OF
| water above it at low tide, and in working
little off Negro Point at the southeastern ex-
| tremity of Wards Island. When this Is done
| there will be straight channel through. The
| removal of Flood Rock will do away with the
| boiling eddies south of it, where the waters OK
the Harlem river join those of the East river at
| almost right angles. 1t will change the appear
ance of the river very materially, so that could
| Ten Brock his chronicler, old Diedrich
| Knickerbocker, revisit the scenes of the cele-
| brated voyage of discovery, when He'll Gate was
named, they would probably be at loss TO know
| the place.
1 ~