The Sunday tatler and Jersey City express. (Jersey City, N.J.) 1883-1886, 1885-10-11
FLOOD ROCK BLOWN UP.
YEsrERDAY,s GREAT EXPLOSION
THAT OPENS HE'LL GAZE.

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Gen. NewtOn's Successful Dynamite Ex-
perimenf-The Shock Little Felt aud No
Damage Done-The Scene lac the Ex-
pIOsion-75,O 600 lbs. of Dynamite Used.
New YORK, Oct. 10.-The great explos-
ion at Flood Rock, which has been awaited
for many months, took place at 11;13AM.
to-day. So far as is known at the present
writing, it is a complete success in every
way. It is believed that the calculations
OF General Newton aud his staff have been
proved exactly correct, and that as soon as
the necessary dredging has been done, the
greatest obstacle to the navigation of the
East River viii have permanently disap-
peared.
AT a few seconds before 11:13, according
to most watches, there was a dull rumble
of thunder and the earth seemed to sink
little. Those who were watching Flood
Rock could scarcely tell when it disap-
peared, so rapid was the Transformation
scene. In place Of the island in the mid
die of the stream, an apparently solid mass
of water and foam, many acres in area, had
risen to height almost equal to that of
the electric light tower at Hallet's Point,
with here and there jet of foam OF spray
reaching still higher. For about half a
second the main body of the mass seemed
to be almost motionless; then with crash
and noise of seething, boiling water the
whole collapsed in an irregular mountain of
water, foam, ahd debris of the island and
the buildings which had been upon it.
Before the fail of the mass, while it was yet
apparently suspended in air, the resem-
blanee to an immense iceberg in color and
outline was very marked. A solid wall of
white streaked with dull green, 500 OF 600
feet in length and fully 100 feet high,
seemed to rise straight up from the bed Of
the river, the top of the mass irregular,
with sharp peaks and jets of spray shoot
ing up, as high again into the air From
heigt on the New York shore the top
M spray cbscured the electrie-light
er on Haifet's Point completely, SO that
Ia all probability the water was thrown eco
feet high. A curious feature of the picture
was the absence Of all rocks or debris of
any kind until the mountain subsidized
Nothing was seen for BecondAafter the
explosion but this magnificent mountain of
white and green water topped with its
jagged crest Of spray.
The electric button which started the
current and free" the enormous blast was
touched by Miss Mary Newton, the 11-year
old daughter of General Newton, who per-
formed q similar task nines years ago on
Hallett's Point, when the first explosion
took place. The child stood beside Lieu
tenants Colonel Abbott, Who held the key
board, and without a tremor, but with q
look of suppressed excitement in her eyes
as if conscious of the terrible effects of
what she was about to do, lightly pressed
the button while all present held their
breaths. Like. --ash came the response
a solid mass of water, several hundred feet
wide, and about $50 feet high in the CEN
tire, completely hiding the scene of the ex--~
plosion from sight
The work upon, Hallet's Point was begun
in 1869, and the obstruc ion was blown up
on Sunday, September a. 1876. As soor
as the great value of what had been done
was ascertained, work was begun on Flood
Rock, q reef of about nine acres in area
which obstructed the main channel be-
tween Hallets Point and the New York
shore, An island was constructed on top
of the rock and shaft was sunk to a
depth of GA feet below low-tide level.
From this main shaft radiating galleries
were blasted out and the roof honey
combed. The total length of the galleries
was 81, $40 feet. The roof Of the galleries
was drilled with 13, 286 holes of an average
depth of feet These holes were loaded
with cartridges containg pounds of ex
plosive. About $4,000 pounds of No. 1
dynamite and 240, 600 pounds of rack-a-
rock, mixture of chlorate of potash and
dinitro-benzole, were used. the blast was
six times as large as that of September, 1876,
which was the largest ever known up to
that time.
The public interest in the event was
very great everywhere. In the lower part
of the city everybody was listening for the
shock. The East River Bridge was packed
with thousands of spectators gazing stead
tasty in the direction of He'll Gate The
roofs of the high Office buildings were also
converted iuto temporary grand stands for
spectators. The roof Of the new Mutual
Life Insurance Company building, of the
Western Union, and the old Mutual and
Equitable and other buildings, were black
with watchers. The shock was plainly
perceptibIe, even at the Battery.