The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-03-05
INDIAN HEAD DESTROYED.
DYNAMITE oBLITERATEs a LAND
MARK OF THE PkLISADES.
WITH = Great Roar -Four Hundred Thousand
Tens or Rock IL Sent In Fragments TO the
Hottom OF the Famous River Clins-

WITH = Great Roar -Four Hundred Thousand
Tone or Rock 10 Sent In Fragments to the
hottom OF the Famous River CiIGs-
Foreman Reilly Takes n Desperate Risk.
With an explosion tho noise Of which reverber-
ated far UP and down tho cliffs Of tho Hudson
the famous old Indian Head OF the Palisades
above Fort Lee, \. j., was destroyed yesterday.
Topping for n second. loath to give UP its lofty
perch. II finally pitched forward and went crash
ing down in fragments 200 feet to tho base Of
the cliffs. Man. aided by tons OF dynamite,
brought about the destruction OF this landmark.
1t is estimated that 100000 tons OF rock were
disloagcd by the explosion. which was second In
extent only to that which destroyed the rocks In
Hell Gate some years ago.
The Indian Head stood about three miles
above Fort Lee. Blasting has boon going on In
that vicinity for n long time for tho production
OF broken stone for market, and about two
months ago tho Carpenter Brothers. who are
working there, decided to blow down the old
Indian Head. Tho cliff at this point is 200 feet
high. and the portion Of 1t which formed the
India IN Head was at the very summit. 1t ex-
tended back II feet and along the cliff 30 feet.
The mining operations were in charge Of Hugh
Reilly. who has been blasting for over twenty
years.
Two main tunnels were constructed in tho
rock. Tho largest ono of these was started
eighty feet below tho top OF the cliff. 1t began
at tho face OF the cliff and extended In eighty
feet. In the middle Of II, in a small branch,
one ton of dynamite was placed, and two and q
half tons were put at the extreme end. The Sec
ond tunnel started at tho northern sido of the
head and was about sixty feet long. At the end
of this two tons Of dynamite verb placed. In ad-
dition to the tunnels forty holes were sunk
perpcndicularly from tho top of the cliff. and
.a,l. 80 49,, .n.t.aal or,, ..,ul - l--a
mite.
For months the people of the neighboring
towns have been keeping track of tho mining
operations, and yesterday crowds OF them went
to the scene. The people posted themselves on
some OF the noighborinR promontories and fear
kept them at u safe distance.
An electric wire connected the mines and
tunnels and was led out over the top OF the
cliff to a point 200 yards from the innermost
dynamite shaft. At the end of the wire was an
electric machine to set off the explosion.
To Miss Alice Haggerty was delegated the
for the explosion Was 10 A. NJ. There was some
scattering Of the crowd as sho drew up the
pllungor OF the electric machins IN readiness for
the plunger slowly down. Then there was
merely a mutfled rumbling.. q small cloud of
head Of the old Indian still pecred out from tho
rock and it was evident that there had been q
suit with the contractors, who had been watch.
ing the explosion from a boat, They decided
that neither OF the tunnels had exploded and
something must be done at once. Tons of dy-
Mantle lay unexploded in the rock.
Reilly resolved to take a desperate chance.
Collecting four or five OF his laborers he sta
toned them at the brow of the cliff with Il rope.
Making himself fast 10 the end of the rope he
was lowered down the eighty feet to the mouth
of tho larger tunnel. The crowd cheered him
when he reached 1t. He disappeared in the tun-
mel, and when tho people saw him emerge they
cheered again. He was hoisted up. and then he
explained that the wires were all right and that
a SECOND attempt he thought would be sue
ccssful In firing the mines. He took the plunger
this time. and again the crowd stood breathless.
Again there was but n muified roar, but the
watchers saw the Indian Head move slowly
from its surrounding. still in n compact mass,
and then shoot out twenty feet into the air.
Then. with a deafeninR roar and amid a cloud
of smoke it broke to pieces. and the 400. 600 tons
was minutes before the echoes of the explosion
ceased to rcsound among the cliffs. These
sounds were succeeded by the cheers of tho
workmen and the other spectators. The people
pressed forward to congratulate Reilly. and he
responded by giving his men q holiday. Tho
failure of the first attempt, 1t was explained
afterward. was duo to the wires not being Buf-
fciently charged to set off the whole system Of
mines.
The amount of rock dislodged yesterday will
take 40 men eight months to break up. There
may be considerable danger in this. as Mr..
Reilly Is of tho opinion that considerable dyna-
mite remains in 1t still uneXploded. Tho Car
penter Brothers have "A legal right to blow up
the rocks and take them away. because they
law went into effect In 1895: This law forbids
the granting of docking privileges to any one
along the cliffs unless they specifically agree to
do no blasting.