Hunt, — Notes on hlowlng up Snags in the Waikato River with Dynamite. 163 



of the log to its centre. Tlieu the same cross-cuttuag action was seen ; it 

 did not split the log, but cut it nearly in half, as if it had been done with a 

 gouge ; and a second shot in the same place showed a like result. Then 

 they found an old split in the end of the log ; a charge in this simply laid it 

 open along the line of the old cleavage. Some few of the snags evidenced 

 a downward force from the explosion, disappearing entirely ; the only thing 

 remaining to show where they had been being air-bubbles rising from the 

 sandy river-bed at the spot. One hollow snag, three feet diameter and the 

 same deep, with a shell only two to three inches thick, showed this downward 

 force well. Many charges had been tried in the shell, but without much effect, 

 as they did not seem to be able to get a hold of it, merely splintering it. 

 One pound of dynamite Was then placed at the bottom of the cavity, and 

 after the explosion an oar was i3ut down the split nine feet ! but the old 

 stump stands triumphantly there still. Some people use dynamite for 

 felling trees. The writer is not aware how they apply it, but thinks the 

 observed cross-cutting action should be further experimented upon. If 

 boring a hole from the outside to the centre of a tree, and exploding 

 dynamite therein, does not shatter it for timber, proves expeditious and 

 economical in felling, it v/ould certainly save many lives per annum, as the 

 fuse could be timed to let every one get clear of the tree, and no accidents 

 to bushmen should then be chronicled. 



The cost of blowing up snags by dynamite must be trifling as compared 

 with the method followed during the war by the Government of cutting 

 them out with saws. The aforesaid company tried this ]Dlan before the 

 writer adopted the dynamite ; it then cost them fifteen shillings per snag, 

 with the dynamite about five shillings each. On the average three men 

 are able to blow out eight snags per day. 



Names of the wood operated on are (mostl}-) kauri, matai, and rimu; the 

 latter resisted the dynamite more than the others, taking at least double 

 the quantity to blow them out. The top of the snag which sunk the p.s. 

 " Waipa " is now in the Auckland Museum ; it is kauri ; when cut off by a 

 diver and brought into contact with the air it split up directly, as you may 

 now see it. 



Further experimeuts will be made on next snagging expedition, wdth a 

 view to lessening the cost of blowing up snags, by doing away with the 

 boring and making the dynamite do the whole work — viz. : First, upon 

 small snags of nine to twelve inches in diameter by encircling the trunk by 

 packets of djmamite like a string of sausages round it to see if it will cut 

 the snag off. Second, upon snags of from one to two feet in diameter, to 

 see if exploding the dynamite on the somewhat flat top will remove them. 

 Third, to ascertain the effect of a sausage-Hke string of dynamite exploded 



