230 The Jotirnal of Forestry, 



two and three tons, and the result of the explosion was to break th& 

 stone into a great many small pieces. Another large stone was fired 

 from the top, with only a little clay over the cartridge, and the result 

 was the same. A piece of an iron rail was then brought forward. It 

 was 2 ft. by 4 in. by 2 in., and weighed 36 lbs. A cartridge having 

 been placed beside it and fired, the rail was broke into four large 

 pieces, in addition to many smaller ones. At the close of the 

 experiments, when many people had left the ground, Mr. Eobertshaw, 

 chief manager, Farnley Iron- works, and Mr. Tempest, manager for the 

 Lowmoor Iron-works Company at Beeston, expressed a desire to have 

 the tonite tried on a piece of rail made from the best Yorkshire iron 

 manufactured at the Farnley Works. Accordingly a piece of rail was 

 brought which measured 6 ft. by 4 in. by 2 in. In the first shot three 

 cartridges were applied, and on being fired the rail was completely 

 fractured. A single cartridge was then applied to one of the broken 

 pieces, measuring 2 ft. 6 in. in length, and the result was that the rail 

 was completely splintered and scattered. The gentlemen present 

 expressed themselves entirely satisfied with the experiments, and 

 there appears to be little reason to doubt that tonite is one of the 

 simplest, safest, and most powerful of explosives which have yet been 

 brought before the notice of the public, and if it can be produced in 

 quantity at a moderate cost, it will prove to be one of the greatest 

 boons of recent introduction to landowners and others, who at present 

 find it a costly process to reclaim stony land, and to remove large old 

 tree roots. 



