Nathaniel Clark, age 13, of New Bedford, Mass., for his question:

HOW DID HELL GATE RECEIVE ITS NAME?

Hell Gate is a channel in the East River between Long Island and Manhattan Island in New York.

Early Dutch settlers of New York gave the channel.its name. Many believe it received the name because of the swift current and rough, dangerous reefs.

Others say the name came from the Dutch word Hellegat, a name once used for the whole of the East River.

The Hell Gate channel was made deeper and wider in 1885. It is now 200 feet wide and 26 feet deep, and can be used by large ocean vessels.  Hell Gate and the Triborough Bridge span the East River at this point.