﻿(F. 
  ) 
  

  

  Description 
  of 
  the 
  means 
  employed 
  to 
  remove 
  the 
  

   Rocks 
  at 
  Hurlgate, 
  by 
  Submarine 
  Engineering. 
  By 
  

   E. 
  Meriam, 
  (accompanying 
  aspecimen 
  of 
  the 
  Rock 
  

   presented 
  to 
  the 
  State 
  Cabinet.) 
  

  

  New- 
  York, 
  January 
  7th, 
  1852. 
  

   Dr. 
  T. 
  R. 
  Beck, 
  

  

  Sec. 
  of 
  the 
  Board 
  of 
  Regents 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  University 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  Jfew-Yorki 
  

   Dear 
  Sir 
  — 
  In 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  October, 
  1849, 
  M. 
  Maillefert, 
  a 
  

   French 
  Engineer, 
  came 
  to 
  the 
  City 
  of 
  New- 
  York 
  from 
  Nassau, 
  

   New 
  Providence, 
  for 
  the 
  express 
  purpose 
  of 
  making 
  proposals 
  to 
  

   remove 
  the 
  rocks 
  from^the 
  channel 
  of 
  Hurl 
  Gate 
  by 
  a 
  new 
  mode 
  

   of 
  Submarine 
  Engineering. 
  He 
  proposed 
  to 
  break 
  and 
  scatter 
  

   the 
  rocks 
  by 
  exploding 
  powder 
  on 
  the 
  surfaces 
  under 
  water 
  using 
  

   the 
  water 
  as 
  a 
  fulcrum 
  and 
  igniting 
  the 
  charge 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  a 
  

   galvanic 
  battery. 
  

  

  His 
  proposition 
  was 
  communicated 
  to 
  Congress 
  and 
  the 
  Com- 
  

   mittee 
  on 
  Commerce 
  of 
  the 
  House 
  of 
  Representatives 
  recommend- 
  

   ed 
  an 
  appropriation 
  of 
  thirty 
  thousand 
  dollars 
  for 
  this 
  object 
  and 
  

   the 
  amount 
  was 
  included 
  in 
  the^'appropriations 
  of 
  the 
  River 
  and 
  

   Harbor 
  Bill, 
  which 
  passed 
  the 
  House 
  but 
  was 
  lost 
  in 
  the 
  Senate 
  

   at 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  session 
  for 
  want 
  of 
  time 
  to 
  act 
  upon 
  it. 
  

  

  An 
  application 
  was 
  subsequently 
  made 
  to 
  the 
  Legislature 
  of 
  

   this^State 
  for 
  an 
  appropriation 
  to 
  cover 
  the 
  expenses 
  of 
  removing 
  

   three 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  dangerous 
  rocks 
  from 
  this 
  great 
  thoroughfare, 
  

   but 
  the 
  application 
  v^s 
  unsuccessful. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1851 
  proceedings 
  were 
  commenced 
  for 
  rais- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  required 
  amount 
  by 
  subscriptions 
  to 
  a 
  loan 
  to 
  be 
  repaid 
  

   by 
  the 
  Government 
  of 
  the 
  U.^S. 
  when 
  Congress 
  shall 
  have 
  made 
  

   a 
  special 
  appropriation 
  therefor. 
  

  

  