Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1885-10-12
Flood Rock Broken in FRAGMENTS
by Dynamite.
The Water Lifted Hundreds OF
Feet in the Air.
No Loss OF Life and no Damage
to Property Reported.

people watched the scene from the two shores
OF the river. The crowds that packed the
Astoria ferry boats made the Long Island po-
lice hold up their hands and clubs in surprise
But the crowd that went to Astoria was moth
ing compared with the crowd that turned out
and went somewhere else. There was gen.
eral impression that a spot far from the rock
but not out of sight, was a good enough spot
to be in, and all conceivable spots had been
chosen early in the day The little yellow
house on the Astoria landing was the place
from which the electric spark was to be sent
to fire the mine, and from there a good view
could be had of the different ideas entertain
ed by the crowd as to what was safe. Look
ing back of the hill just below Ninety-second
street. and up and down to, the right and lett
one could see something like black fringe
running along the tops of the houses as far
as anything was visible. Evidently the peo
pie of that quarter were sensible they knew
1t was better to be on the roof and see the
sight, running the risk of falling on their
houses if anything happened, than to stay in
doors, miss the show and have their houses
fall on them. Around the little yellow house
were gathered the lucky few who were to see
the touch that would blow the big rock to
pieces.
NO busler place was ever seen thar that
little spot where the last work was being
done. Electricians were dragging around
wires that constantly invited the unwary to
fall over them and break his neck. Soldiers
were going and coming with messages and
pleas for admission, and Gen. Newton had
not one second, standard time, to spare. The
mere work of answering the salutes showered
on him by l25 soldiers whenever he passed
kept his umbrella always wagging and his
arm tired, and then no one could do anything
without him. The little steamboat Runaway
was busy half the time Juggling him to the
rock and back, and spent the time shrieking
when deprived of that pleasure. But at last
the end of it all began to be seen. The big
scow, which has been huggng the rock for
nine years, was at last tugged away with its
powerful crane and with the last fragments
of the dsmantled machineH. The stars and
stripes that had been floating above the old
wooden frame towering above the shaft were
hauled down, and then everything over there
was black. An experiment was made with
the cable, a fuse on the rock was promptly
discharged, and the wires were found to be
in fine working order. There was only one
thing to be done-to make the connections
with the explosives in the rock. 1t was not
a very pleasant task. For once the connec-
ton was made, If anyone should happen to
touch the instrument on the shore, goodbye
to the rock, and to anyone then on it. Gen.
Newton thought it was his business to make
that connection, and, after seeing to the safe
ty of the instrument, he eet out once more on
the Runaway with his son a lad of l5 years.
Lieut. Derby, who knows all about the work.
and who seems rather to like dynamite, went
along too. When they came back all right
the people began to think about themselves.
Nothing remained but to touch button, and
then that 2S0,000 pounds of
dynamite and rackarock in the
bowels of the rocky deep just, 1000 feet away,
would go off and do its worst. Now 1000
feet is about four blocks on Third avenue,
and is not so far away as people generally
like to be from even petty powder mill ex-
plosions. 1t was easy to call up all of ones
former suspicious and dread in such mo-
ment. One young man in a brown coat,
who had had very hard work to get in, con-
cluded that he had been wasting his time.
He started apparently for South Brooklyn,
after explaining that he was engaged to be
married this month and that his loved one
would never survive his blowing up. One or
two followed his example, but most stayed
and saw it out. Gen. Hancock, with broad
brimmed hat, stood calmly beating his legs
with small cane, while boy held on to one
of his knees, apparently convinced that he
had a good refuge from danger. dozen
ladies, friends of Gen. Newton or members
of his family, remained also, because the gen.
eral had said it was safe, and they believed
him. But it was not very comfortable for all
that, and good many people afterward
blamed the explosion for a trembling with
which the dynamite had nothing to do.
Finally Gen. Newton told the little crowd to
get ready, that the rock was going up in two
minntes. Every man braced himself and the
young women took an extra hold on the arms
nearest them. The photographers who were
aiming at the rock from every conceivable
point of view bent their entire souls upon the
work In the meantime Gen. Abbott was
delicately and gingerly bringing out into the
open air the telegraph instrument which was
to send to the dynamite the order to get aw ay
with that rock. Close to him, with one hand
clinging to his coat tails and the other reach
ing for the instrument, was young person
with blue dress, a big hat, and big eyes full
of the desire to make things roar. 1t was
Miss Mary Newton, the generals l2-year old
daughter When she was three years old she
blew Hallet's Point rock. and now that she
was four times as old, her father had pro-
vided an explosion four times as large, and
she seemed anxious to make it go. Gen.
Hancock said: "Ha, ha You're going to
make a big noise considering your size" and
then stopped because he could not hear him
self any more. Gen. Abbott had stopped
down. the small forefnger of my lady was
poked vigorously down upon the key, and the
l4O tons of dynamite was let loose. There
was rumbling, growing noise, as
though thousand bulls. with brass throats,
were having a pow-wow away down under
the EARTH and then a trembling of the ground
that recalled the earthquake day. Hundreds
of thousands of eyes fixed steadily on the
island, first saw the water trembie like a
shaken blanket and then the stream opened
and huge black mass rose into the air, as
though the bottom of the river was being
pushed upward. Before the spectators,
dszed by the rapid changes, could decide
whether it was mud or rocks, it was lost to
sight, and there rose into the air beautiful
mounting of foaming water, pure white and
trembling and sparkling as it rose higher and
higher, l50 feet into the air. There it seemed
to stop for an instant and looked like An ice
berg suddenly lifted into existence, not the
muddy icebergs we see drifting across the
seas. but the pure crystal masses We read OF
and believe in. Then the mass fell in mil