New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-06-27
REMOVAL OF FLOOD ROCK.
HOW THE WORK IS GOING FORWARD.
rwENrY-sIx THOUSAND TONS OF FRAGMENTS AL
READY RtMOvED.

TwENrY-sIX TnOUsAND TONS OF FRAGMENTS AL
READY R,MOvED.
To one who has seen He'll Gate in its best days,
when its turbulent treacherous currents dashed
and Teamed AT high tide on the jagged, half-sunken
crcsts of Flood Rock and Halcts Reef. 1T seems
difficult TO cxaggcrate the change which has been
gradually coming over the face of the East RIVER
just north of Black. ellis Island in the last lew
years. Before everything had combined 10 make
this harrow passage the most dangerous OF water
ways Tie old Flood Rock. huge mass of solid
rock, stretching far ont under water. with It's
dependent reefs, the Niger Head" and Hen ana
Chickens" lay Just beyond the point where the
arms of the river. separated for mile or more by
Blackwelrs Island. met, aud turned and twisted
them INTO u thOus nd raging eddes rs thcy sep
arated again TO encrclc Wards Island. The west
erp channel spread itself ont broadly bed of
reefs. The eastern one. narrower and more tortn-
ous. had worn n deep enough way past Flood Rock,
but rushed at once scarcely ahundredy yards further
np on the projecting IIallct's Reef The surface of
the wafer rudled enough near Blackwells, became
here a mass of tiny whrlpooDs with caps of foam.
Small craft were constantly ia danger Of capslzng
and the large ones had to be stecred
with unusual care to escape being driven
by the conflicting currents on the rocks
Of one side or the other
With the first blasting in 1876 at Haet's Point
all this began to change. Constant dredging re
away the entire reef to depth OF thirty feet, whe
ali the low ands and marshes in the neig nborhOod
were being filled up with The cxcavlted stone. The
east channel above Flood Rock was completely
cleared Then the preparations began Tor the pig
blast of last September and at the touch OF General
Newton's IItte daughter the great rock far down
intoiis depths was shattered into millions of pieces
II.., ,.,I ktplr
ems were broken IS thoroughly as Flood
Rock itself. Only the SLOW work OF
dredging remains. and IN ten twenty
wears at most the terrors of He'll Gate Passage will
be left only in Rnckerbockcr legend Il name.
Even now the tides rush up and down through
the eastern channel at furious rate, but the river
craft follow them earlessly and take advantage OF
their swiltness. The big Sound boats run close III
or far out at their pleasure. The waterway Is lashed
whl;e BY their huge side-Nheels and the eddies
wuiu in near the shore IN a way that looks dln-
gerous for all board. There is Il clear PASSAGE,
however, Of from twenty to thirty feet III depth;
Down near the tSR OF d Back n"d cb ioan
bat the turbulence Is superficial. r. lhete
Is depth here of 100 feet; To the
west Of Flood Rock. over the Niger iiead d recl,
sluggishly here, aud there are no whirlpool or
breakers. Few steamers or sailing vessels OF any
size pass through, however, ana the chanel TO tHe
west side of Wards island is deserted for the most
part Flood Rock itself, "A Shameless mass OF broken
pieces shows its head few feet above the water
at high tide. few huts. once used to store Il ma
mite nd fools stand the lower end, and the three
dredging scows which have been working steadily
since the great blast are anchored on IT'S western
edge. Flags and poles Tor soundlngs are Scattcred
among the rocks which are hcaped togei hcr ul-
evenly and make sure footing dlihcnit. icW
hundred square feet of surface, most OF III mace
for engineering purposes have been iel' ABOVE
water. ,.,
Inls IS scarcely needed for the dredging which
occupies most Of the engineers attention now IL
was more a matter of chance. perhaps, tnan any
thing e Sc that the work OF dredging has gone on
so long without any serious Interruption one nun
dred thousand dollars had been saved Unexpectedly
on ne blasting of Flood Rock, aud rs soon as the
cracked mass had SCI tied contract was maze WIN
the Atlantic Dredging Company for the removal OF
80. 600 tons of it at 50 10 ton. No money mas
been appropriated by Congress Tor tne Worh
ON Hell Gate since the passage or the liver
and Unrbor Biil of 1889, and il was found
necessary to husband resources Llentenaht- oi2
/ mel Ncfarland VINO hat taken Hcneral NeWtpn
mace as superintendent, decided 10 nave the dicdG-
! inc done only where il was most neede' ana work
was begun accordingly Oh the Migset iaoJ d "I
| Hem ana Chickens reefs, to the west ana south
| of Flood Rock proper Ihe west channel here was
| $50 feet wide but only from thirteen to sixteen
feet deep. The big dredge which worked so long on
| Ualiei's Reef was brought and two smaller
| drcdges we're hired At HalietS keci IL TOOK out
only nifty IONS day. Now 1t axes ou "p" n y
| MS capacity Two Of the dredges work lncesSan ~
| day aud night the other only during The daytime.
No difficulty has Deed Iounu Ill ilt ul'uSiilS' a.
though 1t has been tried at tour 9ln,Iehl
nolnfy The mon0tOny Of the dredging
il broken occaS OnallY when the cIaWSoi the iiicc
close uron an unusually large FRAGMENT; ne t En-,
| nun nuils aud yneezcs the derrick crcaNs ana the
heavy stone slips up and down through the teeth
OF the scoop like gdIucy trout Struggling as;iino
rceln IN At last the gr At jaws taAe firm liod ana
the rock comes up slowly nom ne oot.ou' oinst
ing with 4 tremendous splasn, whch almost SPINS
over the scow which the drcdgc deposit, H. a
| chunk weighing over thirty tons was plchcl uP
| one dav last week, after an exciting struggle,
There are some inds,' however.'dcsIdes rocks "ui
gravel. The wreck of a schooner was Pulieu uP
| moi long ago from the Hens and Chlchens" reei
| The bow had rotted away ana Inc name was
| lacking. he body OF a drowned man "aS
caught in the scoop recen'iE, ING pto u uSor.
| gloves and was rather tastlqiously dresser. lhG
poiuts of his collar were neatly til ned down, ana
his gaylv coiOred neCktir had stained MS shlIt.
! His coat was gone and SO were his Shoes lie Douy
WAS sent TO the mo, que but was not lueii lHcu-
Altogether the progress made " tne dreuscs mas
| exceeded The most slnguine expectations ot Lieu
tenant Derby, who has IDncdidte s1Pe si0 VI ~
| and of Lieutenaut-C oonel Nc Farland. twenty
six thousand tons OF rock lave been taken OUT since
last October and there Is every prospect th'il thG
limit of f. cuutract-:;O, 600 tOus-wil Do rcdchcu
| nv JuIv il. The Niger Head reef has beeh
cut away to depth of cig lteen feet 90 mas
| channel eighteen feet OF water clear at low tide
and " Ill relieve tne present excessive rui vi tnI ,
eastern channel Few OF te vessGs t t.o S'''
| The cutting already finished is, OF course ohiy
small fraction of what remains To he done; Souid-
mos have been ma 20 in All directions from lIia'
part OF Flood Rock stl above water, and We me
shows a depth of from thirty ieet on tie elSt sIuc
IN ,ittc.u fee SIX inches and sixteen leet on the
! ,onth ana wesI All this has 10 ne cut away 10
fyeuty-six feet before the work can be considered
finished Nothing be done. or course al'er Tue
nr.sent cnntraci expires, until Congress makes q
! new appropnlt on. The complete demolition OF
Hell Gaze Is TOO great necessity. however, 10 DC
! allowed to languIsh long.
A Tale OF 4 PICTURE.