EXPERIMENTS IN TREEBLASTING.

Manawatu Times, Volume II, Issue 106, 24 October 1877, Page 3

EXPERIMENTS IN TREEBLASTING.

A number of experiments m tree blasting were lately made near Melbourne with. Nobel's patent dynamite, of which Messrs M'Leari Brothers and Bigg have recently imported a quautity. The cartridges only explode by means of a detonating cap (inserted when heated to 420deg. Fahrenheit. The experiment failed somewliat through the two charges placed under the tree not exploding at the sam& time, the explosion nevertheless being shown by the, complete destruction of one side of the tree. A tree about I2ft m circumference was selected for the second trial, about 3lb. of the dynamite (the charge costing 7s) being inserted m two holes bored under the trunk. The result of the oxploBion was. to lift the whole mass of the tree right out of the ground, scattering the roots and branches m all directions, and leaviug a great hole m the earth. The work of uprooting was very completely done and. the expenditure saved by the application of a power of this kind m such cases may Recalculated from the fact that the mass raised was estimated to weigh twenty tons, and the cutting down and grubbing of the tree was considered to be a good day's work for two men. The third experiment was made with a still larger tree, under which G^lbs, of djjnaSnite was inserted, and the thoEQUgh destruction that was wrought by this charge showed that a. smaller quantity would have been sufficient for the success of the experiment. The dynamite is made up m cartridges of ten to lib., aud by a little experience m its use great precision can be arrived at iiS effecting the.. work desired to be done by a charge, without any waste of novrdor. In the bush-covered district* of New Zealand, and especially to (.liters, such a destructive agont should be most valuable as a means of saving labor.—" Press ".