The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-11-16
A MIGHTY BLAST STOPPED.
4 0ATE-IN DEtATS THE DBsTRUc-
TIoN OF THE PALISADES.

Third Attempt to Tumble washisEtea Peint 70
the River Bauh Faiis because er . HiishsP
nt the last naemest-A LabeTer Hurt
Another Trial to Ne MADE before Christmas.
Thousands Of tons Of Palisades rock wero 10
havo been blown out at Washington foht On
tho Hudson yesterday afternoon. put- owing W
q oavein OF the tunnel. the destruction was
postponed for six weeks. Before Christmas'
however, one Of the most familiar
70 river pilots win have disappeared ny the OK.
plosion of between three and four tons OF
dynamite. and tho great crag which rises
from tho edge of tho river to q heigh Oh Aoo
feet will be split into thousands OF pieces and
tumbled to the bank, where 1t will DO ground
and crushed, to be used In macadamizng the
roads.
Tho blast which was to have been made yes
terday would have been the heaviest ever ex-
plodcd In the East, and according to the boss
blaster" Of Carpenter Brothers, the operators
Of the crushers, 1t would have been one OF the
heaviest ever made in tho United States. BY the
explosion of $500 or 1000 pounds of dynamite
1t was calculated that 100000 pounds of trap
rock, the hard. flint-like stone Of the Palisades,
would DO broken away. Preparations for the
blast have been active for weeks. Two tunnels.
each seventy-avo feet in length and excavated
at points 100 and 200 feet from the base OF
the point, were completed the latter part OF
last week and 1t was expected that the dyn-
amite would be buried yesterday and the cleo
trical connections placed In position. At the
end Of the upper tunnel q shaft was sunk To
tho lower tunnel 1t was planned that the
charge of dynamite should be divided into
three portions, and the entire amount was TO
have been exploded at once.
The blasting out of the tunnels and the SHAFT
ened to tumble down while the work was being
prosecuted. The side walls of the shaft had
also been split and loosened TO a degree which
endangered the safety of tho men working at
81 amt stuck on having that rock tumble
place" said Riley, the boss b~laster, as q dozen
Italians labored through the tunnels each with
fifty pounds of dynamite on his back. After
argument and Inspection IT was decided to take
the chance. and under ,Riley's supervision the
e tbTse 9 hTnd Tsi 1s%efsa h lnio b tn9 s piSced IN hT posi- Or
ton when a large rock, loosened by the smaller
blasts and by the damp weather. broke away
from the top Of the shaft and tumbled down
Look outI Look out for your lives!" yelled
The Italians made a wild break for the lower
tunnel, forgetting dynamite and everything
e feli b sassee lp the c cs.sa1 of gnamite and dHG a gen gen:
eral explosion was ayeried. The men had
scarcely returned to work when another rock fell
with q crash. This time II struck some sticks
of dynamite. Why they did not explode was q
source Of wonderment to the ,blasters
u b III use thlhlhkp sChtu Az "OSoh
get through this job while the weather keeps
damp. You fellows get that dynamite out OF
there as quick as you, can. for the whole blsi
ness Is going to cave"
The Italians. kept in the shaft by their bosses
worked like beavers, and in a remarkably shori
time the first installment OF hundreds Of pounds
Of high explosives was taken out Of the tunne
and returned in safety to the powder house; A
few men were removing tools when Riley
"Run.for it, Run for your lives! She's goint
to cave!'
A wild scurry was made for daylight. Tn
chatter and rumbiing of the fallen rock wa
heard outside of the tunnels. and tho frightene'
laborers Just succeeded in getting out befor
up with rock. Ono laborer was not quicl
enough, and received O bad cut on tho head
The injury was not serious.
There goes weeks of work and planning,
said Riley. r%uefully. surveying. the damage
, 'and the worst of 1t is that I can't blow OF tina
point. I've been waiting for months TO see I
tumble to tho river shore, but i guess there
something against us which means to keel
that point in its place, for this is tho thru
time we've failed"
People living near the part of the Palisade
where the blasting has been done are remon
ground that the tremendous conclusion oftel
: damages their houses, threatening the stabilit.
|, Of the foundations. Many OF them hav
threatened to appeal to tho courts for protect
, ton.
, Carpenter Brothers, who have been de
1 stroying the Palisades since 1872, have cor
, cluded that II another heavy blast Is made.
: break away the Palisades in small pieces, bt
, ginning the destruction at the summit an
working to the foot by blowing away strip
s twenty or thirty feet in width.