The Republican., 1889-06-22
Blowing up the Debris.
II. B. j.

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several complaints came to Genera!
Hastings that the shocks were doing
damage all around. In the Cambria
Iron Works a ceiling was cracked.
All the windows in the first ward
school house were smashed. A house
in Kearnville was thrown off its
foundation. A man who sat on
chair near headquarters was knocked
off his seat into the mud, and num-
ber of other trif1ing incidents were
noted. There were good manv
wild rumors of the terrible things
that were supposed to have happen
ed, but they were all without any
foundation of fact.
Regarding the explosions of the
blasts. your correspondent witnessed
several OF them, and the incident
proved very interesting sight. Two
electric wires. probably 200 feet in
length, connected with the explosive,
ran over the debris to the top of a
hill, where a small battery was at
tached to them.
After the charge had been safely
lowered into the depth under the
jam all the workmen were told to
get out of the gorge. The entire
place being cleared, Major Phillips
gave the signal to Mr.. Kirk, who
Immediately touched the electric
button.
First an awful silence, then flash,
and at last an explosion that resem-
bled the rolling noise of a thunder
bolt, and with the echo of this con-
cussion dying away in the distant
hills. a mountain of wreckage, shat
tered into thousand atoms, was
blown into the air about 200 feet. 1t
resembled the sudden eruption of a
volcano, and the fragments of houses,
bridges, railroad cars, animals and
human bodies were scattered over
the scenes in all directions.
Soon the men returned to their
places of work, and the next charge
was placed in the depth. while a
large mass of debris came floating
down the river, after having torn
itself loose from the solid mass of
several miles of rocks.
Now that the channel has been
opened, the work is comparatively
easy. Mr.. Mcknight. the contractor
of this part of the work, has about
300 men employed in cleaning away
the drift, and the lumbermen, who
are part of this corps, are very
efficient in their task.
Even tonight the men are at work
and the lumber which has already
been pulled from the RATS is being
set afire along the banks of the river.
Barrels of coal oil are being poured
over the debris and the expression of
"funeral pyre." which has become
stereotyped phase with the CORE.
spondents, has at last become appli-
cable. indeed.
Captain Jones. of Braddock, and
Captain Cosgrove arrived here this
afternoon. and Adjutant General
Hastings took them all over the
town to view the progress which has
been made. When the train arrived
at the gorge they expressed their
utmost qualification at the work COM
pleted.
The opening Of the debris has at
last been accomplished. The gorge
is opened and the jam which had
almost baffled human ingenuity has
been blown apart. and the waters of
the little. but wildly rapid, Cone
maugh are rushing along with old
time sWiftness and unimpeded buoy
ancy. carrying along wreckage of
railroad bridges, ruined houses and
devastated homesteads.
This is the gigantic task which has
been completed to-day, and which
was the all interesting subject around
the camps and in the town generally;
a problem achieved by Major Phil
lips. well-known civil engineer.
The completion of the blasting re-
quired 1000 pounds of dynamite to-
day alone. and according to the in
formation obtained from men who
were engaged in the work. there has
been 10000 pounds of dynamite used
altogether.
Major Phillips. while speaking of
the task of destruction, stated that
he had about 20 men who were i'm
mediately occupied in laying the
charges and doing the work inciden-
tai to the explosions. John Kirk,
well-known Pittsburger, has been
the foreman of the detachment occu-
pied in the explosion. and all are ex-
perienced and efficient men in their
work.
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