Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-10-10
The Great Explosion at He'll
Gate To-day.
EUROPE DRIFTING INTO WAR.
ENGLAND'S POLITICAL CAMPAIGN.
EARTHQUAKE SHOCKS IN VIRGINIA.
DESTRUCTIVE PRAIRIE FIRES.


waters OF He'll Gate are Hurled 200
Feet into the Aria Grand Spectacle
Witnessed by Thousands Of People.
New YORK October 10.-At 1l:l4 am. to-day
the 2sO,OOO pounds of dynamite under Flood
Rock, He'll Gate, were exploded. The shock
was plainly felt at the lower end of the city.
The elevated railroads and the horse cars be-
gan to carry large numbers of passengers from
an early hour this morning to various points OF
vantage in the upper part of the city to witness
the explosion. These got off the cars all along
from SOth to 95th street, and walked down to-
wards He'll Gate. The scene at 10 o'clock was
pretty and impressive. The shore on the New
York side was fringed with dark masses OF
men, women and boys, who tried in every pos
sible way to get the best view OF Flood Rock.
Some were perched upon huge piles of boards
i'm the neighboring lumber yards. Some with
more enterprise sat in fancied security upon
the roofs of tenement houses, while
others planted themselves upon terra JfrmG.
The largest crowd was collected i'm front OF seth
pletely covered with people. A few yachts and
boats, more venturesome than their neighbors,
lay off the piers awaiting the pressing OF the
electric button, which should blow up the hid
den mine. A few barges loaded with brick
were anchored at their docks. The owners
seemed willing to take the risk OF being sent
Policemen were as thick as autumn leaves
ana were everywhere: Every foot of
n Inna ,h along rvd the river front was
OF the peace. Soon after 10 O'clock the police
boat and the boat OF the commissioners of chart
ties steamed up the river and began their work
OF clearing the stream of the venturesome craft.
They stretched imaginary ropes across the river,
both above and below Hallett's point, and gave
orders that no vessels should pass until after
the explosion had taken place. photographers
with their cameras were perched upon availa-
BILE spots ready to take instantaneous views of
the mighty upheaval.
Waiting for the Explosion.
The bell in the tower of st. AIMS school
building struck the hour of IL, and $4,000
people waited expectantly for the explosion
which was advertised to be on hand at that
hour. But at that moment there was still a
number OF people on Flood Rock. A few mo-
then the spectators braced themselves for the
expected shock. Ladies and gentlemen i'm car
riages stood upon the cushions and levelled
hushed expectancy fell upon the vast crowd,
who seemed almost afraid to breathe for fear
the act would disturb their view OF the explo-
The river In the vicinity OF Flood
Rock and Hallert's Point was now
distance. however scores Of excursion Steam.
ers, their decks black with people; yachts, tugs
and even a sound liner waited for the pressing
AT precisely lib o'clock the earth trembled
and the bosom of the river was pierced with
mighty upheaval OF rocks and timbers.
Up, Up Went Glittering Masses Of
Water
until it seemed as If they would never stop. At
a height of two hundred feet the uplifted
waters paused in their upward flight and fell
back again to the river. At this moment, when
the air for hundreds of feet i'm each direction
was filled with the white masses of sparkling
water, the spectacle was
Grand Beyond Expression.
Mary Newton, the eleven-year-old daughter
of General Newton, who, as chief engineer, has
conducted the operations at He'll Gate since the
start, touched the button that set free the cleo
trio current that exploded the submarine mines
and shattered the mountain OF rock, lifting il
out OF the bosom of the sea and crushing ii
into a million of fragments.
1t was little Mary Newton who when a mere
baby, touched off the first He'll Gate explosion
a few feet from the point where She stood to-
slightly on the Astoria Shore and the noise re-
sembled far-distant subterranean thunder A
tremendous volume of water rose to a height of
$50 feet or 200 feet, masses of white foam
shining In the sunlight, presenting the ap-
pearance of a fantastic iceberg lifted bodily
upon a solid basis of dark frozen water. For
and then sank back into the river upon
which a yellow sulphurous glow rested
wonted course. When Flood Rock had lifted
its stony back, mass OF broken wreck was
seen on top of it. All the big derrick that had
been left to its fate turned over on its side and
was broken. A huge tank that had been left at
the north end of the island still stood i'm its
place, lifted over q little it had settled when
let down with the angry waters from
its aerial flight Immediately after the explo-
sion fire broke out in the wreck and burned
Justify among the seething waters Four i'm
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 appearance OF the wreck the
explosion had been an entire success though
for the present the vicinity of the blasted rock
will be even more dangerous than heretofore,
until the wreck has been removed.
THE SHOCK IN THE CITY.
The shock was felt to q slight extent in the
city. 1t was distinctly felt in the city hall
building, the structure trembling for the space
Of about five seconds. At the county court
house the shock was also distinctly felt Judge
Lawrence was hearing motion In the supreme
court He held up his hand, stopped the argu-
ment and exclaimed: THAT is the He'll Gate
explosion. Do you feel it?' In the upper part
Of the building the floors shook and the win
dows trembled when the explosion occurred
THE SACRED SOIL TREMBLES.
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