The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-09-26

Washington Point. n Historic SPOT on The
RnIlanden. TO 60.

Palisades, TO Go.
Washington Point, one of the old
Of the Palisades OF tho Hudson, about -four
miles north Of tho Fort Leo ferry in New Jcr.
soy. was partially blown away yesterday af-
tornoon. and preparations are being made 10
finish tho work within the next three months.
Tho blasting Is being done by Carpenter Bros,
operators OF a number OF large stone c%rushers,
who recently purchased u palisado frontage
Of 1000 feet with n Gop:h ~ 500 feet, intend
ing to gend the rock gradually in enormous guam
titles, and reduce II with tho crushers to a size
suitable for the matchmaking OF roads.
The blast which WINS made yesterday afternoon
dlslodEed about Sc. 200 tons of rock by the oSplo-
sion of 1900 pounds OF dynamite. 1t was one of
the smallest OF the blasts that have been made.
taking up the extreme end OF the point, in order
that the next shot may be sufficiently heavy
to rend the entire point from its base. Prep
a~rations for this blast will begin on Monday,
and Mr.. Carpenter hopes that the heavy blast
may DO made before Christmas.
In tho past It has been the custom OF stone
crushing concerns to blow the rock from the Pal
isades In small quantities, beginning at the
top and gradually working toward the bot
tom. Washington Point, however. reaches a
height Of ass feet, and the sheer drop from top
to bottom made this impossible. AS a result,
It was decided that the rock should be broken
In masses of from 100000 to 100000 tons.
The dynamite, In quantities OF from a ton and
a half to seven tons, Is buried a hundred feet
under tho top surface and from thirty to fifty
feet from tho side Of the palisAde. A tunnel Is
eKcavated to the point where the dynamite is
to be placed. and a shaft five feet square is sunk
70. a depth sufficient. to place the explosive.
After the cartridges have been fused and the
electric wires connected the shaft is sealed with
cement and the tunnel choked with stone and
| mortar. The electric battery ia Dlared on the
spatehed Indifferent directions to warn bicyclers
for tbs. ffhc9 ' boss bla saeG. Nus NO R aiiSsssI an.
at 5 o'clock. he was stationed thirty feet from
the brink Of the point with the battery. and.
4 Violent vibration Of the ground. accompanied
the mass of rock becoming detached. 1t wa
thought that the shot" had f tiH1 and and them hem
topping over, crashed to the shore Of the Hud.
sliding to the base OF the Palisades. and break.
Ing into hundreds'of pieces before reaching tho
to weigh from 5000 to i,o5o tons. :
Before the large mass OF rock toppled toward
the rive not q rock Of any size was disturbed
feet from the tunnel without mourning dan:
ger. The msss Of rock which was detached
The blast which will be made In December
certainly the heaviest ever attempted on the
Hudson. IL IL calculated that the charge Of
$4,000 pounds of dynamite which will be used
will dislodge 100000 tons of rock. The mass
OF rock to be blown out 10 eoxl2o feet on the
summit 1850 in height, At $50 feet from the
summit and q tunnel will be excavated to q length
Of fifty, feet. where the shaft or magazine will
be sunk.
The destruction Of Washington Point wipes
out one of the historic points OF interest on the
Hudson. Tradition has 1t that IL was here that
Washington watched the deportation of the
American Army after 1t had crossed the Hudson
In its retreat from Fort Washington. and tho
precipitous path up which Washington Is said
to have climbed has been kept open for many
years by the people living in the vicinity. The
point was purchased By Carpenter Bros. about
three years ago.