RECORD QUARRY FEAT

Manawatu Times, Volume 62, Issue 37, 13 February 1937, Page 17 (Supplement)

RECORD QUARRY FEAT

1,000,000 Tons Blasted at Once

A block of white marble weighing 1,000,000 tons,' and equal in size to St. Paul’s Cathedral, was blasted out of the hillside at the famous Carrara quarries in Italy. This feat of engineering is claimed as a world record. It certainly is the biggest piece of marble ever dislodged in the history of Italian mining.

of the base, and four tons on thi other. From a mile and a half away* the explosives were electrically deto* nated.

The explosion sounded like the up« heaval of Vimy Ridge. Thfough tho ■creon of thick dust the whole summit was seen as if suspended for an instant above the mountain before- crashing; down in a tremendous landslide. For two hours afterwards the engineers scouted round to see that all was safe*

Seven hundred had worked for more than a year preparing for the explosion. A novel system was followed The huge block was the apex of a spur ot the marble mountains. A cutting of 300,000 square feet was hewn round the hill until the summit took tho form of a pine tree. Three charges of dynamite were laid. One was to demolish simultaneously the supporting props. The other two were laid by the stem of the colossal “tree.” Seven and a half tons of high explosive was placed on one side

And there lay the greatest monolith! of pure white marble ever seen. Thi explosion was heard fifty miles away# The work of cutting up the detached sector will give employment to mori than 8000 workmen for a year. Bignor Mussolini, on receipt of the news of the successful issue of this feat, telegraphed his congratulations to all con* cerned