The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1905-07-22
uenderson's Point Blown Out
with Dynamite
SERIOUSLY oBs1Ruc1ED NAVIGATION
7bousands of People, Including Many
Distinguished Persons, Watched
Girl Touch the Button.

,rhorsands of people lined the water
front and occupied every other point
~ vantage in the vicinity when at nigh
+;ao +ois afternoon, fifty tons of dyna-
,rito was exploded and Henderson's
,,oin+ = hitting piece of land that has
olvavs narrowed the channel TO the
exclusion of ships of the heaviest
araft was removed from the geography
of New Hampshire.
# was the largest blast ever fired.
At the invitation of the navy depart
,nant. which conducted the engineering
feat eminent engineers, naval officers
and others were present in large num-
hers to witness the uplifting of land
and water The invited spectators
stood on Reservoir Hill from which
they had a splendid view of the ter
rifle explosion. The arrangements
were in charge of Engineer Gregory
Us y. Miss Edith Foster, daughter
of Supt Q. w. Foster, of the Massa-
chusetts Contracting Company, pressed
the button which set off the gigantic
charge and sent $4,000 yards of solid
day for the navy yard and all the en-
ployes turned out to witness the sight
The toWnspeOple of Portsmouth and
hundreds of visitors from nearby cities
and towns sWarmed over Pierce Island
on the Newcastle side Of the water.
When all was ready for the explosion
the cofferdam that had protected the
workmen While they were taking off
the surface earth and burrowing deep
into the rock to lay their train of eX-
ploSive was removed, and the water
which had been kept back from the
giant excavation flowed over the point
10 a depth of twenty feet. This cush-
ION of water served to temper the force
o1 the blast so that no bad effects were
experienced by persons or property,
ihough the quake of the earth was felt
for miles
Inc work of removing HendersOn'S
Point has been going on for several
years, Three quarters of a million
=lIlarS has been expended in the task.
Inc point projects into the channel
dl 'he narroWest place, where the
!NeF turns at sharp angle and flows
i"'o lhe harbor. The old channel was
Vul oVV 1eet wide. The removal of the
punt increases the width to $50 feet
anu gives the channel uniform depth
VI % 1eet-a width and depth that will
aunt of the entrance of anv vessel
1oM IN the navy or likely to be.
ol over TWO years contractors, un-
lIe supervision of the government,
",e oeen eXcavating the middle of the
l'" I'M Nearly 100000 cubic yards mad
ee! eXcavated. leaving $4,000 cubic
''uS Wnl ch was instantly disposed of
~ 'oday's explosion.
Do"h at the bottom of the big nit
5.,',, %11hlnen We're engaged for months.
UHllng holes into the rock to reco;va
tbis 'i' ae. tharge of dynamite exploded
boI.1 "l'eIiloon, Two hundred and fifty
1o, were drilled horizontally. the
7bo -, over eighty feet in length and
of rnl-t' '-0i 'eSt' flfty. Every three feet
each 5I,7 3'eSS required the sharpening of
Voc 'Il' so that a blacksmith shop
balo,, - eoeSSlty IN the pit, many feet
Tow. ."e level of the water. The f1ftv
vas - dynamite poured into the holes
5,E manufactured especially for This
in Ioadtn stealest care was necessary
mat',I m'''Is 'ne blast to prevent a pre-
nee, !. eAPloslon, which would have
of rbo 'S.fous not only to the lives
tho Go hlnen, but to the success of
arrana.s, 'eeElhg feat. The blast was
simnlta,1. III three circuits and set off
touebaa ~ when Miss Foster
1roaI the button from s.fo ro
the nayr 0lie NE OF the main buildings of
harbor r'og ol iiiflg all the vessels in the
ages ans removed to safe anchor
To pravaI every precaution was tawen
of life lc n IN jury to property or loss
other d;o., erhor Miles and staff ana
this morn:s iisulshed visitors arrived
Sion. ing and witnessed the explo-