Blasting of Rocks— Danger and Remedies. loS 



liberty to address you for the purpose of obtaining some information, 

 on a subject important to mankind. 



It is undoubtedly well known to you, Sir, that a large number of 

 men in tiiis place, are engaged in the quarrying of stone.* They are 

 under the necessity of using large quantities of gunpowder, for the 

 purpose of liberating the rocks, and injuries have not unfrequently 

 been received, from premature explosions. But till recently, the 

 injuries have seldom been serious, and the explosion has readil}^ been 

 accounted for, and has generally, perhaps always, except in the last 

 case that occurred, been owing to the carelessness of the operator. 

 The lives of two valuable young men of this place, have within a 

 few weeks, been destroyed by explosions, which has alarmed us; the 

 last case particularly, as we are unable to discover the manner in 

 which the powder became ignited. I will relate the circumstances : 

 the hole which was charged was eighteen or twenty inches deep, 

 and about three in diameter, and was made by drilling into a solid 

 rock. The spindle used was made of copper, and that it might be 

 easily drawn, it was oiled ; a wad of dry tow was first put down, with 

 a wooden rammer, and followed by two wet wads, pushed in with 

 the same instrument. The hole was then filled up a few inches 

 with gypsum, by putting in a little at a time, and pounding it down 

 forcibly with an iron tampering bar, held in the hole and struck upon 

 with a hammer. The spindle was then withdrawn a little, by plac- 

 ing the tampering bar through the ring at the upper end of the spin- 

 dle, holding one end in the hand, and striking under the other 

 with the hammer ; after this, the workman proceeded to tamper 

 down as before, and again drew his spindle as at first, but thinking 

 that it w^as not withdrawn sufiiciently, he gave another blow and it 

 exploded. The end of the tampering bar, (as is supposed,) struck 

 in his right eye, fractured the orbitar plates of the os frontis, and des- 

 troyed life in thirty-six hours. 



Now, Sir, if you can inform me, how the powder became ignited, 

 and how the danger may be avoided in future, you will confer a ben- 

 efit on all those engaged in quarrying and much oblige 



Your servant, 



Benjamin H. Catlin. 



* In the vast strata of hornblende-gneiss, which, below Middletown, for thirty or 

 forty miles, form the banks of the Connecticut, to its mouth. This rock affords an 

 admiiable flagging and building stone for our cities, and is transported even to the 

 Southern States. In this region are found, also, tlie crysoberyl, beryl, and many 

 other interesting minerals.— £"(/. 



