The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1885-10-12
BLOWN UP.
The Hell Gate Mine Of Dynamite Sue
cessfulIy Exploded:
The Great upheavaI Not as Violent as
Was Expected.

NEW YORK, Oct. 10.-Today has witnessed the
consummation of long-cherished wish to blow
up Flood Rock, one of the most dangerous lmped-
iments to- navigation near Hell Gate. All the
plans had been Iicely laid, and no accident &c,
CURED during the explosion, Soon aftef ~, ~
O'Clock the river was fairly alive with craft, tnc
most VentureSome being driven back by the Ro-.
lice boats, while fully 100000 people lned tne
shores.
When everything was in readiness for the final
blast, Mary Newton, the 12years-od danghIer oI
Gen. Newton, touched the button which SET Ifee &c
the electric current and exploded the submarine
mine, shattering the mountain of rock, liftlng y
out of the bosom Of the sea and crushing II INTO
millions of flying fragments. The shock OF tne
collapse was only slightly felt on the Astoria
Shore and the report resembled far-distant SUD
terranean thunder. A tremendous volume OF wa.
ter rose. to, the. height of 15Q or 200 feet, ana
masses of white foam shone in the sunlight; pre-
sentng the appearance of fantastic lceperg.
The shock was felt to a slight extent IN New
York city 1t was distinctly felt in the City Hall
building, the structure trembling for a space OF
about five seconds.
A few seconds before 1o15 there was dull
rumble. similar to thunder, and the earth seemed
to sink Those who were watching Flood Rock
could scarcely tell when it disappeared SO rapid
was the transformation. In place Of an Island N
the middle OF the stream an apparently SOHO mass
OF water and foam many acres in area had risen
to height almost equal to that of the electric
light tower at Hallett'S Point, with here ana
there jet OF foam or spray rising still higher FOR
about half second the mass seemed to be mo
tionless, and then with noise and crash OF
seething, boiling water the whole collapsed into
an irregular mountain of water, foam and debris
of the Island and buildings which had been upon
Before the fall of the mass, and while it was yet
apparently suspended in the air, the resemblance
to an immense iceberg in color and outline was
very marked. A solid wall of white, Streaked
with dull green, 500 or 900 feet in length, and
fully 100 feet high, seemed to rise straight up
from the bed Of the river The top OF the mass
was irregular with sharp peaks and jets of spray
shooting up as high again into the air. From the
heights on the New York shore the topmost spray
obscured the electric light tower at Hanett's
Point completely, so that in all probability the
water was thrown 200 feet high A curious fea-
ture of the picture was the absence of all rocks OF
debris of any kind until the mountain subsidized
Nothing was seen for second after the eXpio-
sion biit this magnificent mountain OF white and
green water, tipped with its Jagged crests OF
II was predicted that the broken rock would
make an even more dangerous reef than before, at
and the appearance of the rock after the expo
sion seemed to verify the prediction. Gen. New
ton, however, expressed satisfaction with the ex.
ploSion as apparently successful The Work OF
removing the rock to the deep hole north Of
Backwels Island, where there is room for 1t ALL
will be begun at once.
taken by government officers, all successfully and
anumber by private photographers. During the
explosion electric communication was established
over the Western Union wires between Ferry
Point at Astoria, and observation parties sent
out to Patchogue,. Bay Shore, Pearsall and Mil
letts Point. on Loug Island, for the purpose Of
testing the duration and extent OF the shock The
shock of the exposion was felt at Flushing, Col
lege Point and East New YORK, Ill Long lsistlu
and at Astoria. At IL .15 there was pefceptlble
vibration of the earth, and distant report, like
rumblng thunder, which reminded all Of the
earthquake OF August 1884. so sensible were
MANY people of the shock that they expressed
the opinion that the houses near Flood Rock must
have been demolished.
PRINCETON, N j., Oct 10.-Successful obser-
yations of the effect of the shock caused by the
Flood Rock explosion, were made at Princeton
College observatory today. Strong disturbances
were noted on the Instruments at 1l.14.47, last
ing about 80 seconds, and the shock caused Win
dowS here to rattle.
NEW YORK Oct 1o.-The only accidents re-
ported in connection with the explosion was the
burning of Gen Newton slightly on the neck by
piece OF fuse attached to Photographic camera.
The engineers of whom Gen. Newton was chief.
nation of the work done by the explosion this ar
ternoon, but tug boat with a few persons on
board cruised about in the vicinity of the place,
though no soundings were taken.
The work Of surveying the bed OF the river VIII
be commenced next week, and it will not be
known until after this survey is made just what
the effect of the explosion has been; one OF the
engineers tonight said that so far as his ObVerVa-
tions had extended the explosion was eminently a
success. AS was predicted, Flood Rock was not
buried out of sight. 1t sank perhaps three OF
that The bed of the river would be so
broken up and Jagged with rocks that
the middle of the channel would become
impossible until the debris was removed.
Such however, did not prove TO be d fact and the
Sound steamers experienced no difficulty what
ever in passing through the channel. III the Work
of the electric current failed at any point to dis
charge the cartridges, it was probably under the
rock known as the "Nigger Rock" opposite the
electric light stand on Hallett's Point. The
keeper OF this light, who watched the upheayal OF
not disturbed. 1t may be, however, he was mis-
taken as the engineer felt confident ali eXanna-
tion OF the bottom Of the river would show the
rocks were shattered into fragments.