The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-05-13
VINE TONS ~ ONE BLAST.
A Colsmn Of water Thrown u thousand Feet
In the Air In San Francisco Hay.
From tho San F'rdrc,sco Chrontcic

From iho San Francisco Chronicle
shay Rock, a menace for years TO bay navi-
CATION. was blown out OF tho harbor and on
the chart at 3n3 o'clock yesterday afternoon
Nine tons Of nltro-gelatinp loaded into thirty
four holes. each nine inches in diameter and
extending straight down into the little islei
some thirty-three feet brlow the ~s,irIa'r,
was the tremendous power that rent the mas
asunder and directed u mighty column Of water
a thousand feet In the air
The sight was one 10 impress oven the most
stolid Of witnesses. Warned Of the hidden
force about to be- let loose. all manner OF crali
kept a mile and a halt away from the innocent,
fifty foot spar that stuck ny at an angle ~
though IL were the disinantlcd mast OF som"
sunken shin. Even the barge from which, IN"
current was 10 Hash the spark into ia" hidden
rock drew back and back until she had paiG
out more than a nllc OF the small electric cable.
Then the tug slipped away from her and s"uIE
round into position with DOW pointed III tht
direction wherce they had been led to "Ap'stihc
onrushinS wave following a gigantic upheaval OF
waters.
without warning. almost without sound
there rose from the unruff'ed surface OF the ba!
a towering, feathery-edged whitlsil, mass
Najestcally IL mounted still higher and higher
while two great literal llamrn,s like Dropping
ostrich plumes broke away and lell gracefully
out from the rising column that then Tor an
instant rescmbled n ilecry uileur De ls. sun
the huge Jet kept rising, Then there surged
up from beneath through the whole lower
part for several hundreds of feet a yellowish
cloudy tint that blended into silvery white
ness above. For vetE, small artotasecoidthe
tower stood as II crystalil2ed, and thcnli dropped
as swiftly ~ II had ascerded and ~ nOiselessll.
Fifty feet from the sea II finally spread onl
umbrelawise IN n dirty coifee-cr!ored fountain
that splashed up the surrounding mud tess
and created for just a second or so n dusty
haze over the spot where Shag Rock had been
The whole spectacle lasted not more than Il
dozen seconds.
As there had been only a strange Ominous
"whoof" when the water leapcd G,ult, so ther,
was scarcely "A COuImotion rs il returned 70 the
bay almost in time to refill the vortex that II
had created. There were no Oulrishing blllowy
wave. no threatening c0n"entric series OF waves
As soon rs the thing was done IA" bod's 'ha'
watched the explosion from safe distances
bore down on the scene u small l'eet OF row
boats, fishing boats with sails hastily set,
four steam tugs, a smart sailing yacht, q dlngE
schooner. and three gasoline, Launches hli
converging upon the hall mere OF wreckage ana
yellowish scum where IL was expected there
would be myriads Of dead fish upon the surface
Except for a porpoise or two and Anew rock COZ
no dead fish were TO be seen, but here ana therr
great bolted timbers the size of telegraph
poles floated in pieces, torn and twisted and
violently rent asunder "a by lightning.
Contractor ANmann believes that the, ex-
ploslon was a success and cOHgrntnlates MN
self upon the favorable conditions Of the
weather and the tide. At the outset there
was some delay at the rock while William Draw
~ II flt'tlIltul IN ~ I lfNN''l VIZ wiz N'N
Meeting the caps. This was. q hazardous I'M
dcrtaking and made cold chilis run up and
down the backs of n" hal! dozen men c2nn,,
current. however, Just sufficient TO show
that all was intact, When the test was com
plrted the barge, in, tow OF the tugs transit
and Iottie, moved slowly away toward Ang'i
Island II took nearly an hour TO run to the
end Of the cable. ~ icet, the distance n
which the Authorities placed the danger line
Another 0yn minutes was consumed in anchor
Ina tla larnn Than tho | nftla sounded mo
signal of three blasts on her siren. Five min
utes later the current was turned on.
,Shas Rock, is '-timated 70 have CONTAINED
about three thousand eight hundred cubic feet
oil sandstone, slightly metamorphic, ~ hig!
tide only about ten feet of it, crest showed
Contractor Axmnnn, who was awarded the con
mrdiately set 10 work. The first two month
! was, spent in getting, drills and MACHINERY
In place. then the actr al work of drilling began
In all thirty -four h,.os were cut, VARYING y
depth from n few feet 10 fifty feet. Into th"e,
holes the gelatine was firmly ramncd VIII
heavy steel bars. At the mouth OF each hol'
These caps contained about half a pound Of
illuminate of mercury in which was imbedd',
a small platinum rod connecting the posi-
tive and negative wires. The electrical clrreni
heated the platinum to a red heat, which u
turn ignited the illuminate Of mercury A,
the ~golatino used If difficult to ignite, Cor
tractor Axnann took the rr"cnutiun of sur
rounding each cap with dynamite, thus insur.
ing the success Of his venture,
The exact effect of the explosion cann'
be learned until the soundings are made. A,
cording to the terms Of the contract The roc.
must be lev"llcd 10 a d"pth of thirty -four fc"
at low water. n is quite possible that "
dnrth will be found greater than neceSsar'
The effect Of the ~golatine was visible toWar'
the centre aud in the direction 81 the Create
resistance. II the force expended + as .greH'
as the EXPERTS estimate, il will b. found Ma.
there is nothing OF Shar Rock left,
From AlcatraY Island the height o. the c"!
umn was asccrtained by angular m"asnr"
mont. According to Engineer Dcmerritt th'
! column reached over ono thousand feet.