Excavating Cellars 



If the work is in rock, drill the holes four feet deep and two and a 

 half to three feet apart. Charge with one or one and a half 1% x 8-inch 

 cartridges of Red Cross Extra Dynamite 40%. As hand drills are not 

 often larger than one inch in diameter, it will be necessary to pour the 

 dynamite out of the shells and pack it in the bottoms of the holes with a 

 wooden stick exactly as when blockholing a boulder as already described. 

 The priming and tamping are also done as when blockholing boulders. 

 After one cut or bench has been taken out in part or over the entire 

 surface of the cellar or trench, the second cut of three or four feet may be 

 commenced and the excavating continued in this way until the proper 

 depth is reached. 



When the cellar foundations are to be in earth or shale the blasting 

 is done as in road grading already described. A small shallow cellar not 

 larger than fifteen by twenty feet nor deeper than four feet can be 

 economically excavated in earth almost entirely and with practically no 

 shoveling by drilling holes three feet apart each way, and three feet nine 

 inches deep and loading in each hole two 1/4 x 8-inch cartridges of Red 

 Cross Extra Dynamite 20%. The explosion spreads practically all of the 

 material excavated over the adjacent ground for some distance. 



The charges should each be primed with an electric fuze, should be 

 well tamped, and all exploded together with a Reliable Blasting Machine. 

 See pages 119 to 126 for proper methods of priming, charging, tamping 

 and firing. 



Sinking Wells 



Wells are generally sunk through rock or ground which cannot be 

 dug to advantage without the aid of explosives. In well sinking when 

 rock is reached and the earth or sand above is properly supported, a circle 

 of four or five drill holes should be started about half-way between the 

 center and the sides of the well and pointed at such an angle that they will 

 come closer together near the center when they are three or four feet 

 deep. These holes should be loaded about half full of Red Cross Extra 

 Dynamite 40%, with damp clay or sand tamping packed firmly above to 

 the top of the hole and then exploded all together from the- surface by 

 electricity. The result of this shot will be to blow out a funnel-shaped 

 opening in the center, and the bottom can then be squared up with another 

 circle of holes drilled straight down as close to the sides as possible. If 

 the well is large it may be necessary to drill a circle of holes between the 

 inner and outer circle. The above process should be repeated until the 

 well has passed through the rock or has been sunk to the necessary depth. 

 Do not in any case enter a well until all the fumes of the last blast have 

 come out. If in doubt, lower a lighted candle to the bottom, if it con- 

 tinues to burn the well may be entered safely. See pages 119 to 126 for 



proper methods of priming, charging, tamping and firing. 



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