BLASTING OPERATIONS AT OPUNAKE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XL, Issue 12272, 16 May 1903, Page 7

BLASTING OPERATIONS AT OPUNAKE.

It will be remembered that Captain (now Major) Coylo, with Diver O. G. Warwick and a detachment of the New Zealand Submarine Miners, left Auckland on April 26 for Opuuake for the purpose of blasting away some rocks there, which were an obstruction to navigation. The party arrived on the evening of April 27, and started operations on the following day. By eleven a.m. Diver Warwick had been down, and examined the position of the rock, known as j the Glenelg Rock, and upon coming to the surface again reported that there was not only one large rock there, but three others, measuring on an average from 25ft wide to 18ft high. The diver then descended to the rock known as the Glenelg Rock, and placed two guncotton charges, of about 781b each, under each side of it. After the explosion Mi. Warwick again went down to examine the extent of the damage, and reported that the rock was no more, and that the largest piece he could find must have moasured about 4-ft square. The following day Major Coyle decided that it would be as well to shift the other two rocks, and, being favoured with fine weather, set about it in a business-like manner; in fact, he could not have been more anxious to completo the work had be been doing it by contract. Mr. Warwick also set about his diving operations in a thoroughly practical and decisive manner. He had tho charges placed and the rocks blown into road metal inside of two hours. The explosion sent a column of water to a height of over 60ft. Everything that Major Ooyle has done in connection with this work has gone as smoothly and quietly as clockwork. He was assisted by Sergeant-Major Pacey, of the New Zealand Submarine Miners, and Mr. O. G. Warwick. The completion of this work at Opunake will confer a great boon to the {Correspondent.]