DYNAMITE.

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 165, 6 April 1871, Page 6

DYNAMITE.

Everything that conduces to cheapen the cost of mining must of necessity increase tbe returns of our paying claims, and briivj; into the rank many which nt present barely pay their way. Tn California the use of '" Dynamite," or «ri:int, powder, a recent G-ennau invention, in place of ordinary hl.istin.: powder, has been attended with b >rh economy anrl success. We believe that a irentleman may be shortly expected to visit this colony and Victoria, as agent for the company niumfacLuriivj: this giant pow ler in America, who will practically demonstrate its use and value.

For mmm r purposes its economy is two-fold, b"inf very much stron ;er than ordinary blasting powder, and it is consequently u-*ed in much smaller q'iantiti< s requiring small »,r drill holes. The boles need only be single hand drilled, in this alone a saving of fifty per cent is effected. Then again, the hoi" is morn gui -klv eh irtxed, and tbe "hut powder requires no tampinr, it boi.i r su'nVicnt that the hole i*fil!el with san lor wit'>r. In wet mines t'^e enrfrid^es are simply pushed down through the, water, which has mi effect on the charge. T iere is also no rhin rer in it^ u^c\ for fire will not evnlode it, as it can be exploded only by the giant powder caps, and where common nowler works only upwards, t^is nnwder directs its force equally* on all si les. Thus it has been used for blasting submerged rocks by sinv>lv sinkin r cases filled with it on tie ro<-k«, puttin r a cap attached to a waterti ,'ht fu-*" through a snill gimblet hole into the pow ler, elo-un j the bole with grease, an I setting fire to the fuso before dropping the case into the water unon tbe ro-ks.

At first, great objections were made by the miners in California to the use of the new r>o vd«T, as it necessitated a eh a live in the mode, of work, but of late it has superseded to a large extent th" use of ordiruvv blasting powder, and has, we are told, rendercl it prod table to work mmm r claims which otherwise wuihl n>t hive paid. — "Auckland Weeky Iffra'd."