HUGE BLASTING CHARGE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18773, 29 July 1924, Page 6

HUGE BLASTING CHARGE

TWO TONS 01" EXPLOSIVE.

ROCK FOR ATHENREE RAILWAY. HILLSIDE BLOWN DOWN. [by telegraph.—-owx correspondent.} WAIHI, Monday. Blasting operations involving tho use of nearly two tons of explosives were successfully carried out at the Public Works Department quarry at Athenree today by Mr. J. Leggo, New Zealand representative of Nobels, Ltd. The blasting of huge areas in one big shot is not a new departure at Government quarries. Experience has shown that it is cheaper in the long run to bring down a hillside in one big explosion than to be continually blasting, thus wasting time. The areji undermined was tho steep square j facecl end of a short spur- Nearly two tons of blasting gelatine, the most powerful engineering explosive known to modern science, was encased in solid concrete in a chamber driven fov a length of 50ft. into the hillside. The shot -was fired by Mr. Leggo at 3.30 p.m., in the presence of a large number of Government and mining officials, and was completely successful, about 12,000 tons of stone being dislodged. The metal will be used for roading purposes and for railway ballasting.