Hell Gate

The Hell Gate (German Gates of Hell ) is a strait located in the East River in New York City. The Hellgate separates Astoria, Queens from Randall's Iceland.

(Today: Hell Gate Bridge ) Since 1918, the constriction of the New York Connecting Railroad Bridge is spanned, in 1936 also was the Triborough Bridge (now the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge ) over the Hellgate built.

History

Early phase

The first mention of the road is carried out in the diaries of Dutch helmsman Adriaen Block, the first European who has crossed the East River in 1614. The name of the East River - part, therefore, is derived from the Dutch expression Hellegat, which can be translated as hell or hell hole passage. Originally, often called it the entire East River.

Even today, several waterways in the Netherlands and Belgium are named as Hellegat.

The heyday of seafaring

After the end of the 19th century, many ships, including the HMS Hussar, sank in the strait, the United States Army Corps of Engineers began in 1851 in order to blow up obstacles in Hellgate. On October 10, 1885, the biggest blast of a rock has been made in this 150 tons of explosives were used. A 75 -meter-high fountain was created by this explosion, the pressure could still be perceived in Princeton, New Jersey.

The explosion is now considered the " largest human controlled detonation before the start of the test of the atomic bomb " although the explosions of the Battle of Messines were significantly larger and stronger.

Current time

The Hellgate is still regarded as difficult to go through, but it is during the changing tides sometimes so quiet that even small boats have no problems competing here.