Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1885-10-11
TEE rxrIs.Iex AT nfIl GAZE.

seen we're Gsneety p8ckr1 ~tAh S-S~tT-
The police we're busy in keeping TIE
crosd outside tie danger hne. hopes
hsd been stretched across tie rs-r
above soc beiow tie place OF s1plo'ion'
and launches from tee navy YARD pe-
trelied tie river 70 Sc t1st 20 Fe--e
attempted TO pass thro1Rs- 4 De Del 70
the tsver Of cfsDn's school bsiIo z Z
struck the boar Of IL. snd 20 UV people
waited sxpee .snfiy for the s1pso-i9n !,
which uz- advertised % . n n-h1 a.
that boar, ba. AZ tBat u3oussuS I1e'r
vas still a u7nb=r o. people on Z . %
Rock. A fsE u oIneafs more bo%SFeF'
took them Of. aud then ths speetstof-
brse-d the 70 selves feE tie eKpcSsec
shock. LscIes and gsuiieneo 10 ear
rIaaes stood upon tie eusGioLs so1 lev
el.d their o1sga glasses toNAr1 TIE
island. A h1sus5 expectancy tea 1pon
th- vast crowd. wh seemed aiue-.
afraid 20 breathe FOX fear the AZ ~oa-a
disturb tb6Ir view e ths explosion
should 10 occnr ~ that tn0fnsuf. te
river IL the vicinity o. Flood R'cE ana
hallett's Point Sss oE clear OF vessels
At respectful Distance, h0SeFrt. cores
Of exearsion STEAMERS, taeir decks oithS
with people, yachts, TUGS sBd vFsu : liid
steamers waited for tie pressing Of TIE
electrie baton.
AZ precis-Iy Has O'Clock the earth
tremb!eo, aud tie bosom OF tie river
Sss pierced vith a mighty upheAEal Oh
rocks aud tiHbers. Up vent toe gi!t-
terlno m4s4ss Of water until u sctt-Sd
IS If they never would stop. AT TIE
night Of 40 feet the Gpllfied ~afer'
paused and fell back again 10 ta- flVer-
At this moment, vGea the AR for hun
dreds OF fest ia each direction vas
fllsa With white mssses OF sJafAiihs
water, the spectacle was eraud b Sona
expression. Mary SsStoo, Sue eieYeE-
wear old daughter # General NeSton,
Who as chief engineer has CONDUCTED
the operations Al He'll Gate SINCE tie
start, touched the buttcu that st ne
the electric current that exploded TIE
.ubmarine mine and shattered the
mountain OF rock, lifting II cut of toe
oas-m of the SCI ami crushing Is INTO
millions of fragments. IL was HlEle
Mars Newton Who, wien a mere babe,
touched Of the Hrst He'll Gate expo
sion, a few feet from the point vurre
she stood today. Inc shock OF the
collapse WAS felt emily slightly on the
Astoria shore, and tie noise snIoled
far distant suoterranean thunder.
When Flood Rock had lifted It's ssr0De
sack a mass of broken wreck Eas seen
on top OF II ali. The Dig derrick which
had been left to its fate TUNED ever on
It's side and broke huge tAEk that pad
been left at the Bcrtb End, ana which
still stood in its place tilted ever n
little as IL had settled when let down b
the angry waters from their aerial
flight.
Immediately after the explosion fire
broke out in the wreck, aud burned
Justify amid the seethIng waters. Four
,nstantau eous photographs were taken
by offisers of the corps OF engineers
from the firing point ut Astoria. As
far as it was possible t. Judge from the
position and appearance Of tue wee <
the ex slosion has been an entire sue
CESS, though for the present the vicinity
Of the blasted rock viii be even more
dangerous than heretofore until the
wreck has been removed. The shock
was felt to slight extent in the city.
It was distinctly felt Ia the City Hall
building, the structure trembling fol
the space OF few seconds At the
County Court House ths shock was also
distinctly felt in the upper part OF toe
building. The door shook AID the win
dows trembled when the explosion
| occurred.
THE EXPLOSION SUCCESS.
The only accident reported in connes
| tion with the explosion WAS the burning
Of GeEersl Newton slightly on the necs
| by a piece of fuse attached 10 photo
graphic camera. The engineers, OF
| whom General Newton Was chief, die
| not, as WAS expected, make thorough
| examination of the work done by the
| explosion. This afternoon tug boat
| with q few persons on board crulsed
| about in the vicinity of the place. bu'
40 soundings were taken. The work Of
surveying tue bed of the river will b
commenced next week, and II will no
be known unti! after this survey Is mad,
Just what the effect has seen.
| One of the engineers tonight, IL
| speaking OF the work done by the dy-
Mantle and 'rendsrook," said that ~
| far - his observations extend. d the
| explosion WAS eminenuy a snc 'ess
Flood X lck was not buried ont II sight
Ii sank perhaps three or four feet and
that was all. Some had affirmed thai
lbe river would be 81 brosen up and
| iae ged with rocks that the middle chan
| uel would b. impossible ontll The d.
| oris was removed. such WAS not the
tact. The Sound steamers experience
| no difficulty whatever IN makiug ,heir
\ trips through the ehsDnel. IL the work
| Of the electric current failed at ans
| ooist to discharge tue cartridges II WAS
| probably nader the rock known rs
Niger Rock, opposite the electric light
-tasd OF HalletI's Point. The keep 7
of the light who watched the upheaval
| Of the waters said that tbs water at that
point had not been distn d. lt might
| oe, hove yer, tnat hs was mistaken. The
engineer felt coEhdeHt that an exami
| nation Of the bottom of the river
| would show that the rocks were shat
tered into fragments.
Captain John = mers, OF the light
house boat John Rogers, after the ex
plosion said :" We were to buos tn
scene Of the explosion after II 0cenrred,
II necessary. We found at the south
end Of the island six f.thoms of water
and on the wesl end three OF four faith
oms. There were three or faur feet OF
water there before tbis. We did cot
dnd it necessary TO buoy the place o.
all, white the main channel ~ entirely
clear, 30 that the explosion /. a sacsess,
and vessels eau pass without any fear.
CAPTAIN MERcER's WINS
ASTORIA, l. l.. Oct. l0-to obtain a
scientific opiBion of the explosion At
Flood Rock, an Associated Press re-
porter intervisved Capt. Mercer of the
United States Engineer Corps. whp
formerly had charge of the Fiood Rock
work. Capt. Mercer said: Il am per
fecsly we'll satisfied that the explosion
was . success IL has accomplished all
that was anticipated by tnose in charge
Of the work. OF course the people v DO
expected 10 see the whole nine acres of
rock blown ssywsrd and to see them
fall back TO the water in cohble stones,
were disappointed. We did not expect
thai 10 occur. 10 my opinion the reck
10 10 Just suca coalition a. vii render
removal easy. OF course, until the sur
vey has been made it will not BE- known
hos the under parts of tue rock have
been scted on. Ii ~ believed that every
pound Of dynamite and rackrock was
exploded and did its doiy. When |
vent on top Of the rock with Lisnfen
ant Derov did not care TO stay long"
"whyg-
"weli. because there was no telling
what might happsn. IL might sob.ids