MARBLE QUARRY FEAT

Evening Star, Issue 22577, 19 February 1937, Page 1

MARBLE QUARRY FEAT

1,000,000 TONS BLASTED AT ONCE A block of white marble weighing 1,000,000 tons and equal in size to St. Paul’s Cathedral, was blasted out of the hillside at the famous Carrara quarries, Italy, recently. ' This feat of engineering is claimed as a world record. It certainly is the biggest piece of marble ever dislodged in the history of Italian mining. Seven hundred men had worked for more than a year preparing for the explosion. A novel system was followed. The huge block was the apex of a spur of the marble mountains. A cutting of 300,000 square feet was hewn round the hill until the summit took the form of a pine tree. Three charges of dynamite were laid, One was to demolish simultaneously the supporting props. The other two were laid by the stem of the colossal *‘ tree.” Seven tons and a-half of high explosive were placed on one side of thei base, and four tons on the other. Frdm a mile and a-half away the explosives were electrically detonated. The explosion sounded like the upheaval of Vimy Ridge. Through the screen of thick dust the whole summit was seen as if suspended for an instant above the mountain before crashing down in a tremendous landslide. For two hours afterward the engineers scouted round to see that all was safe. And there lay the greatest monolith, of pure white marble ever seen. The explosion was heard 50 miles away. The work of cutting up the detached sector will give employment to more than 3,000 workmen for a year.* Signor Mussolini, on receipt of the nows of the successful issue of this feat telegraphed his congratulations to all concerned.