Hell Gate, the narrow strait in New York City’s East River between Astoria and Randall’s and Wards Islands, was long feared for rocks, shoals, whirlpools, and powerful converging tides that made navigation dangerous. Its name likely came from the Dutch or Low German Hellegat, first recorded on a Dutch map and applied by Adriaen Block during his 1614–1616 voyage. After early, limited attempts to improve the passage, a major U.S. Army Corps of Engineers effort after the Civil War transformed it through large-scale blasting at Hallert’s Point Reef in 1876 and Flood Rock in 1885. Later bridges made it a vital rail and road crossing as well as a shipping route.

Photo: Wikipedia · Public domain

Photo: Wikipedia · Public domain

New York, New York · USA