^42^ BLASTING Of ROCKS. 



Safe and ^afy of 21- Indies 111 depth, he put as much powder, together with 



S^rockt ^'*^' '^^° ^^ ^^^^^^ f '*^^^^' °^ ^'°^^" ^»^'^^' ^^ ^^'^ ^" '"^^^ diameter 

 and about four or five inches long, as reached 12 inches up- 

 wards : The flicks he introduced tor the purpofe of keeping 

 the powder loofe in the hole, fo that it might take fire more 

 nearly all at the fame Inftant : This done, he put in a charged 

 Uraw, in(o the outer end of which was fixed a match-paper; 

 and lallly, he (with a fmirking countenance, anticipating the 

 joy he cxpeded to feel at my difappointment) filled up the 

 hole with fand. The match was then fired, upon which we 

 removed to a difiance, and the powder foon exploded ; when 

 he immediately exclaimed, from the peculiarity of the report, 

 though the effed was unfeen by him, that the rock was as 

 completely fliattered as if the hole iiad been rammed with 

 Hone ; and a view of the place verified the prediction. Since 

 that time the plan has been adopted in that and moft of the 

 neighbouring q^iarries, with the ufe of fmall fand which is 

 wallied out of the river in floods, and the method anfwers as 

 •well as the old one which was attended with fo much danger. 

 In one cafe the fand was thrown out twice without any efFeft 

 on the rock ; the third time, the hole was rammed in the ufual 

 manner with ftone, which was thrown out likewife ; fo that 

 the new procefs fortunately loft no reputation. 



I have detailed thus much in confirmation of the valuable 

 paper before mentioned, and in hopes that it may induce fome 

 of your readers who refide in the neighbourhood of mines or 

 quarries, to endeavour to introduce this fafe and eafy method 

 in lieu of the dangerous and tedious one of ramming with 

 Hone, in which procefs we have had repeated inftances of 

 the lofs of limb, vifion, and even life itfelf : In the ufe of 

 fand there is comparatively no danger, ajid by adopting this 

 plan many a valuable life will be faved. 



DefcriptioTi 



