DRAINING BY EXPLOSIVES.

Waipa Post, Volume III, Issue 143, 6 September 1912, Page 4

DRAINING BY EXPLOSIVES.

THE WEREROA EXPERIMENTS

The explosive used in the recent draining by explosives experiments carried out at the Wcivroa State Farm, and already described in this column was eruptite, which is manufactured by a local chemist, and has been taken over by a New Zealand Company. The recent trials were carried out by Colonel Loveday, secretary of the company, and under the direction of the manager of the farm, Mr J. Drysdale. A plot of wet land three acres in extent was dealt with, and the results appear to have been very satisfactory as far as can be gathered. The process of draining is simple. Firstly a hole is bored with an augur to a depth of about five and a half feet. The cartridge attached to the fuse with detonator is then lowered, and tamping is done. When tamping is finished, either by water or otherwise, the fuse is lit, and the eruptite explodes. A charge of 6oz. was put down each hole on the plot experimented upon, and an area of about sft 6in by. 6ft. 6in. deep was nicely broken into porous land, through which the water percolated. The explosive can be used in either water or on the land, and to show its use in the former direction, Colonel Loveday planted an Boz. charge in a pond on the estate, and caused the charge to be exploded. Shortly after the fuse had arted, the waters began to disappear, percolating through the broken-up soil. A great advantage about eruptite, Mr Drysdale explained, is the fact that there is no clanger attached to it. It is perfectly safe to be carried about, or stored in one's own private rooms. It will be interesting to learn how the cost of draining by this explosive works out on a given area.