OPUNAKE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 120, 22 May 1903, Page 4

OPUNAKE.

(Fbok ocb Own Uokresposdent.) . In following account of the blasting : operations in our harbour here will, no > doubt, interest your readers. It will be remembered that Captain (now ■ Major) Coyle, with Diver 0. G Warwick, and a detachment of the New : Zealand Submarine Mirers, left Auck- ; land on April 26th for Opunake for the purpose of blasting away some rocks there, whioh were an obstruction to navigation'. The party arrived on the * evening of April 27, and started operas' tiona on the following day. By eleven a,m. Diver Warwick had been down, and examined the position of the rock, tha Gjenelg Rock, and upon earning to the surface again reported that there was not only one large rock there, fctfthtee others, measuring on an average from Mft.: wide to 18ft. high. : yh. a.djver then descended to „ the rock 'known the Glenelg Rock, i and placed two guncotton charges, of about 781b: euh, under each, side of it. Afterthe explosion Mr Warwick again went .the extent of the damage, and reported that the rock ww no mora, and that the largest piece ha could find mast have measured 4ft.

- aquare. Thy day Major ; Ooyle decided that it would be as well to drift theother two rocks, and, being ' favoured with fioe weather, set about it in •■htteinsss-like manner; in fact, 1m oould not have been more anxiouß to eomplefi<tha workhadhebeen dung it by contract. Mr Warwick also set •bout his diving operations in a thoroughly practical and decisive manMr. He had the charges placed and the rocks blown into road metal inside of two hours. The explosion sent a column of water to a height of over 60ft. Everything that Major Ooyle has done in connection with this work has gone as empothly and- quietly as dock-wo*s. He was assisted by Ser-geant-Major Eacty, of the New Zealand Submarine Miners, and Mr 0. 6. Warwick, The oompletion of this work at Opunake will confer a great boon to the port. Mr Warwick, who mad Heinke's apparatus belonging to the New Zsaland Insurance Ocmpany, wOrked m an. average depth of 24 foot of water.