The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-09-03
BLOWING UP ARCH ROCK.
The sight Seems 60 Have Been
Worth Seeing.
San Franclsco Chronlcle

San Francisco Chronicle.
Arch Rock is gone. over where II once
arose, menace TO navigation. mariners
may soon, it r. believed. steer their craft
I'm perfect confidence A few minutes past
noon yesterday Miss Luella Axman, daugh-
ter OF the contractor who has had the work
in hand pressed the button which un-
loosened all the explosive force Of thirty
tons OF nitrO-gelatin, well placed in hun
dreds Of holes under the great crag. And
then the watching hundreds on the boats
and the many thousands on the hills were
transhxed in attention.
They saw a mountain OF tum5ling waters.
dotted here and there with debris. rising
maiestically hundreds Of feet in the air
where an instant before had been long
fiat platform shining I'm the midst OF the
sunlit peaceful strait The waters had
hardly subsidized when scores OF craft OF
every description headed for the scene OF
the tpheaval Pieces Of timber were eager
~ taken in souvenirs, while bOatmen
did a lively business picking up dead nsh.
For acres and acres the waters were Whlte
with foam and strewn with debris. Pres
emily the contractors boat came up aud
began making sOundings. Whether the de-
sired depth has been made at all points
cannot be ascertained now. but there IS
nothing as yet TO indicate that AFTER dIeog-
inc ont the loose rock the channel viii not
be cleared. The engineers IA charge are
confident that the result Is altogether sue
II was ascertained by Colonel Heur. by
means of photographs and trlangulatiOn,
that the maximum height reached py The
water was 466 feet. In me nr5t - ShSg rock
explosion the column assembled gsl fees; In
the second l. l06 feet. In the amount OF eN-
plosive used the present operations we're
exceeded only by the blowing uD OF Hell
Gate i'm New York harbOr in 1916 ON that
occasion black powder was used
The charging Of mine OF such mag
uitude in the immediate vicinity Of city
yvas then altogether unprecedented and
dire results were predicted.
To those who saw the splendid column
thousand feet when the Shag rock mines
were shot the spectacle yesterday was
something Of a disappointment. Under
ebag rock there had been but eight tors
OF nftro-glycerin. Under Arch rock more
than thirty tons had been placed in the
different drillings and "A somewhat pro-
portionate result was anticipated.
II was difficult for the spectators 10 es-
innate the height 10 which the tremendous
body of displaced water was thrown. At
frst IL seemed as though the Shag rock
exhibition was TO be altogether dwarfcd
by the immense column OF water which
suddenly scared gracefully toward he
zenith. But. tremendous ia volume
though it WAS. the great white fOcd aid
not reach the expected height
Viewed from the south the ascending
water seemed 10 rise from the western
end Of the long working platform. spread
Ing eastward as b. rose. carrying hundreds
of piles with II and great burden of IN
discriminate timber. 10 soon reached
length almost twice that of its height.
Then some idea could be- gained 90 The
thousands upon thousands or cubic NafQs
OF water that had been lifted into midair.
The deep reverberation came across Ire
water 20 ones ear only after me noun
tain of water had almost subsided. 10
deep rumble save a new impression or the
which were lifted FAR ont OF the water
could not be so well seen as the scattering
fragments OF the demolished coner.