Show I NIAGARA CANYOJ Seven and a Half Tons of Powder ExplodedYesterday Remoy 3 ink 60000 Yards of Rock One of the most difficult pieces of railway engineering on the Island Railway Rail-way is the Niagara Canyon near Gold I stream The bottom of the canyon is over 300 feet below the level of the railway rail-way line In form it is semicircular rendering it impossible to build a trestlework trestle-work whereon to carry the track across I the yawning chasm At one time it was supposed that the only feasible plan for I overcoming the difficulty was to tunnel I the mountain After much consideration I considera-tion and examination it was decided to fill up the canyon by blasting the rock on the mountain slope The work was entrusted by Mr Dnnsmuir and his engineer Mr Hunter to Mr Thomas ONeil an experienced contractor from San Francisco who at one time was superintendent of the Central Pacific Railway of California and who also constructed the Market Street cable line for the street cars and likewise superintended tho great blast on Sheep Island for tho sea wall in San Francisco About a month ago Mr ONr set himself him-self energetically to work on the contrast con-trast He secured the service of experienced ex-perienced foremen and with a gang of twentyfive men run four tunnels in the I shape of an L into the rock Into these was deposited 15000 pounds 7U TONS OF JUDSON POWDER It was intended to set efi the mine today but on Saturday it was discovered dis-covered that the holes were filling up I with water necessitating their being plueged with bags of flour It was then resolved to explode the mine yesterday Accordingly at 3 oclock the chief engineer Mr Hunter and a few other gentlemen gathered near the scene to witness the explos OD Mr Gordon of the ramilfon powder company supplied I sup-plied the battery and tne wires At the hour named Mr 0 Neil opened the key and in nn instant the earth rocks and trees trembled as if they had been an aspen leaf with terrific crash rocks weighing tons wern sent spinning into tha air many hundred of feet The confined powder had found relief ajd made itself heard and felt at a distance of many miles After the explosion its effect was examined when it was discovered dis-covered that at least GO 000 cubic yards of rock had been thrown into the abyss below which will so reduce the height t of the tresllo work that it will bs but 120 feet high and sixty feet in length So carefully had everything been planned that not an incA had been left of intervening inter-vening rock It was a remarkable undertaking un-dertaking involving either the making orloing of a few thousand dollars Mr ONiel received much counsel from Mr Hunter tbe euginoericchief I The sickness of Mr Ant nelli the former contractor prevented his being present Mr ONiel was ably assisted I in the difficult task by his partner Mr Fmney Both gentlemen naturally feel elated over their Exchange I a |