Democratic Sentinel, Volume 9, Number 37, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 October 1885 — SHATTERED BY DYNAMITE. [ARTICLE]

SHATTERED BY DYNAMITE.

: 11 k*& i\ TT* Flood Rock, in New York Harbor, Torn Asunder by Powerful Explosives. Interesting Account or the Destruction of Mnc Acres of Dangerons ' Rock. [New York special] The nine acres of rock comprising the famous Flood Bock Island were shattered into fragments this morning. The 300,000 pounds of explosives with which the tuunels were charged went off simultaneously, and, so far as to-day’s examinations have Rhown, the reef was completely destroyed. It is believed now that a clear ohannel has been opened for steamers from the East lliver into Long Island Hound, and that the dangers that have beset the mariners in those waters for centuries and which caused the old Knickerbockers of early New York to call the place Hell Gate are bow a reminiscence. No damage was caused to sursounding property by tbo explosion. Indeed, those who wero within a thousand feet of it felt little or no commotion, either in the air or in the earth. A greater distance from the scene, however, almost throughout the entire city, a slight tremor was felt. In some places a decided shake-up was observed About 75,000 people witnessed the scene from the surrounding shores. Miss Mary Newton, the young daughter of Gen. .John Newton, touched the electric button which set off the battery and caused the explosion. It was she who porfoimod the same act nine years ago for the Hallet’s Beef explosion. Gen. Newton and Lieut. Derby express themselves entirely satisfied with the result of their operations, and sky that they will have tho channel cleared of tho broken rock beforo six months have passed. It was precisely 11:15 o'clock when the people wailing to see Flood Bock go up in the air heard a dull, crackling noise as if a thunder cloud were bursting in the middle of tho earth instead of overhead. There was nothing sharp about it as the report of exploding dynamite usually is, nor was the tremor of the earth so great as to cause alarm. It felt just us if an immense ball were rolling around underneath the surface, trying to find some opening through which to get out into the air. On the spot to whioh all eyes were directed, however, there was quite a commotion. An immense wall of frothing, seething water was rapidly rising, apparently out of the very rocks thoy had just seen. First but a thin column of a light bluish tint wus outlined against the sunny sky of the marniug. It rapidly increased in volume and in height, however, and as it did so it became a purer white. Another column and still another shot up on either side of the first one, but the difference in time.between their rising was so short that the three shot up almost simultaneously. • ; r i . When they bad reached a summit of fully 300 feet: the spectators imagined that they were gazing from afar off on a short range of snow-capped mountains, whose white tops were, hiddeu front view in! la pale-blue mist, 'jhe crackliug noise had ceased, however, and obl/ei ‘(lull 1 irumble could bo heard. «JThc, three geysers gradually lowered, but .they subsided much slower" 1 'thfth' 1 thsy 1 had 1 dfiWt ' up. As they got Iqwer fi^iey,, Jpst, ,tht*r whiteness. When the mixture of water, rock, and sticks 'Was jhb height Of fifty Finally the hvholfl tnasß broke life into hiindreds of pygmy mountains, .almost blink with dirt aim'fbcw.' ibdked'liko’i cSitcifg field, with the jbijg in tbto center and the side-show tents scatteied all round it. The first thing that Was didarnable through the mist was the old derrick. Its outlines could be seen in the midst of tho column-when-it* was about twenty-five es • mass. Tbenjthe; i pjtjeWs) pud idtonea to fly. Thousands ,of fragments shot in the air as 'fSfetd 1 dlre^ ! Wrfila l bo idbt of the op^ug course wus rortupately straight up . and down. Indcssthurtihajfaminute tjie tarnover. ThbuWflWliteadkd JaVout'jthi&sport with great fury, and lushed themselves into bigi'yfAHfeWof WkW.'fetit IlJd there was not .tie iwr mense commotion that nacl taken place., In the idea hlitnfe itoestcajaersi were blow 4 ing their shrill [whistles, thousands ot people were waidug hrfridketdhtefs ana ‘knotting, and were .thrown: to the, brqoze from iAnumerabli staffs iff bight from the shore. >, Xtyp jfqftqtfbg <qf; tbOJ water Heerned to be ink signal for vessels of all sizes ty make for the,' Spot where Flood Bock hdd stood. Hundreds of littlerowboats seamed to hdie coiffc up froth beneath the water and made its surface black, while steam launchesf, yachts, schooners;' load even the excursion steamers,, started to make ’al’ tour ' atouriu tie spot, Some .were: looking sos . little souvenirs, others mote, ppbsttntial reminders in the shape of huge limbers that werp floating about, while T othefs busied themselves in filling their boats with the thousands of doad fish which bad been killed by the concussion. The rock had been so utUesoab, tered that the channel was at once declared open for steamers as usual and the police line withdrawn. 1' While witnessing the, explosion Charles Merritt, 'of Chicago, 1 fell from a tree and, was severely injured, Ho was sont to the hospital. , Gen.’ Newton was slightly injured on the neck by a piede of jheinse attached to th® photographic! catoeiki 1 7