EXPLOSION ON MOTUROA.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 August 1920, Page 4

EXPLOSION ON MOTUROA.

LINK IN HARBOR SCHEME. ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL "BLAST." Tlie routine of, harbor improvement work was broken at Moturoa yesterday when, at 3 p.m., a blast, consisting of H totna of explosives, was fired on Moturoa Island. The object of the blast was to block up the channel between the island and Lion Rock. At five minvtes to three the.steaßi siren' gave the five-minute warning, and at 3 o'clock exactly the explosion took place.' Viewed by a Daily News representative from a launch Standing to the southward of Moturoa,-the effect of the explosion was most striking. The face lof the hill seemed to burst into frag- | ments, and for quite a surprising length of time the south face of the island was a tumbling, galloping mass of rocks, the roar of the falling debris seeming louder than the actual explosion. When the huge mass of rock, estimated at somewhere in the vicinity of 40,000 cubic yards, had disappeared into the sea, the appearance of the ligltmd was considerably altered. The results of the shot are considered very satisfactory. The work of tunnelling was commenced about a month ago, a main drive being made northwards into the .hill "for fifty feet, and two wing tunnels of 10 feet each to right and left. When the charges are laid, the tunnels are cemented up, thus giving the fullest possible effect to the explosives.

Those who were dn the island when the shot was-fired, state that they experienced a very severe earthquake, #nd large cracks appeared. even on the "safe" side of the hill.- One Maori workman, who came off directly after the blast, said, "Pi korry, I thought we were going up too!" Although such a large amount of rock was precipitated into the apparently narrow channel between Moturoa and Lion Rock, it will evidently require a much larger amount to affect « complete blockage, as the refuse of this last bkst is pra#tica!ly all under water. As the remaining portion of the aummit of the island is badly shaken it wl)l easily be dislodged by small shots. Although work is proceeding at the harbor with a full complement of men, numbering about a hundred, little general progress is noticeable, but it must be remembered that a great deal of she present work is below the surface of the water, and so is not apparent to the casual observer,