1837.] 



for widening the Pamban Passage. 



127 



hose attached, lately sent by Captain Cotton ; not one went off, but the 

 hose had burnt to the nozle of the rases ; there it must have been ex- 

 tinguished, from the suffocating effects of the oil mixed with the resin, 

 and easily absorbed by the powder in the hose. At eleven a. m. fired 

 off a 1 0-1 b. case. The dhonies were not in use to-day. 



5th. The borer and jumper were employed on the northern reef, 

 but only made together six holes during the day. The buoys 1 took 

 so much pains about have lost their distances, and two have had their 

 numbers stolen by the dhonies passing to and fro. The two dhonies 

 with the sapper removed from the channel 1295 cubic feet of stones, 

 weighing 87 tons. 



6th. There was no blasting to-day, the jumper and borer proceeded 

 to the northern reef, where they made twelve holes during the day, three 

 feet deep— 56 tons of stone were removed from the large channel, mea- 

 suring 860 cubic feet. 



7th. The wall of the new magazine was completed with a door- 

 way ; part of the old roof has been removed, being excessively dange- 

 rous and constantly threatening to fall — 74 tons of stone were removed 

 from the large channel, measuring 1100 cubic feet. 



8th. The jumper, shamrock and borer were all out to-day, and six- 

 teen holes were made. The sawyers have been employed in cutting 

 up planks for the paumben out of the pieces of jackwood sent to us 

 from Ceylon. Thirty-eight tons of stone w T ere removed from the chan- 

 nel, measuring 570 cubic feet. 



10th. The jumper, borer and shamrock were all out to day in the 

 large channel. The sawyers continued cutting up plank for the paum- 

 ben. Eighty-six tons of stone were removed from the large channel, 

 ; measuring 1290 cubic feet. 



11th. The jumper and borer only w 7 ere employed today— -four se- 

 poys were sent to the small channel — seven blasts were fired there to- 

 day, which had great effect. There are, however, so many stones lying 

 in the bed, as to form a serious obstruction to the larger description of 

 cargo boats. I shall, therefore, use the small dhoney there, if it can 

 be spared from the large channel— 68 tons of stone were removed from 

 the large channel, measuring 1040 cubic feet. 



12th. As our powder is now nearly out, I am forced to limit the de- 

 ' tails of parties proceeding to the channel to blast. Twenty men were 

 at the small channel today— the holes were fired off that had already 

 been made. A great quantity of large stones are in the bed of the 

 channel, that it would be necessary to blast, if required to drag them to 

 any distance ; but the small dhoney will be able to take them away 

 without this additional trouble. One-hundred tons of stone were remov- 

 ed to-day from the large channel, measuring 1500 cubic feet. 



