Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1885-10-12

lions of sparkling drops back to its bed, to
rise again in feeble imitation of il first gigsn-
tic effect. From the surface of the water it
looked as though the snowny spnnaker of
some giant yacht, breaking out of spots, after
fiuttering for a moment in the breeze,
had fallen and sunk from sight
simultaneously with the explosion, two
waves. parting from the middle of the river
broke upon either shore, but all sooa calmed
down, and the river was as placid as ever
At first it was muddy, then it became brigh,
yellow, and this in turn wa. succeeded by q
brillian! green, produced by the chemicals of
the explosive. The yellow fumes of the rack
arock rose in volumes and spoiled the fresh
air. The water flowed through tho channels
more peacefully, and the island was gone.
But everything had not gone from sight. The
tall wooden derrick was half visable, pitched
over on its side and badly battered. The
water tank stood about as it had stood be-
fore, and here and there big piece of rock
broke through the surface. But the little
black island, with its artificial stone walls
and its wooden bulkheads, was gone. The
exact time of the explosion was ll.l6 A. NJ.
Looking Backward IS Years.
The removal of Flood Rock is the crow ming
act of So years work, consumating the for
midable undertaking of clearing the He'll
Gate channel of those distractions which in
years past have been so fatal to shipping en-
tering the port of New York from the east by
way of the sound, and dating back to the day
in 1880, when the Hussar, laden with British
gold, in trying TO pass through the gate,
struck on Pot rock and. sunk. The initial
step in the work of clearing He'll Gate of its
many distractions was taken in lS4s, when,
in response to the demands of New York mer-
chants The government instructed Lieutenant
Commanders Chas. H Davis and David
Porter. U. S. N, to make careful survey of
the channel They reported the Gridiron, Pot
and Frying Pan rocks as very dangerous,
and recommended that they be removed by
blasting, together with the distractions in
the middle of the channel but this latter
suggestion was not deemed feasible, no ef-
fective method of marine blasting being then
known. Nothing was done until 1857 In
that year the merchants of New York city
raised about $4,000, and employed Mr..
Maillefert, French engineer, to superintend
the work of removing portions of the rocks
by exploding charges Of powder on their sur
faces. Many of their rough projections were
thus removed, and the following year Con-
gress was induced to appropriate $4,000 to
carry on the work. OF this amount Sis, 900
further was done until 1866, except that in
1865 a commission reported in favor of the
removal of the chief distractions by drilling
instead of surface blasting, but the recon-
mendations were not carried out. In 1866,
Brvt Ma. Gen. Newton, of the United States
Engineers, was commissioned to examine
He'll Gate. He made survey and reported
to Congress in 1867, and the following year
Ss5, 900 was appropriated for carrying cut
his plans. contract WAS given to Sidney
f. Shelbourne to remove Pot and Frying
Pan rocks, but his drilling machine, with
which he worked unsuccessfully, first with
water power and afterward with steam, was
destroyed in collision with vessel, and
work was suspended. In the meantime NJ
Maillefert resumed work on Ways reef and
Sheldrake rock, and, before his contract ex-
pred in 1869, succeeded in reducing them II
and Is feet respectively AT this time Gen.
Newton assumed control of the work In
May, 1871, a scow drilling machine was put
in operation, after long and careful expert
ments to determine the proper weight of drills
and size of points, and also upon the eIplo-
sive power of nitro glycerine. During 1872
Frying Pan rock was levelled, the final blast
being made in July of that year. The fol-
lowing month work begun on Pot rock. Forty
holes had been blasted, when work had to be
suspended, owing to the number of collisions
between the scow and other vessels, 16 hap
pening within a few months, two of the yes
sells being sunk. Work was commenced
again on Ways reef in 1874, during which
year it was reduced to depth of 26 feet
below mean low tide.