Smyrna times., 1885-06-10
Extracting Stunps With Dyna.
mite.

Extracting Stunps With Dyna-
mite.
On Saturday the experiment of blow
ing up stumps by dynamite was sue
cess'ully tried on the farm of benjamin
\. and Herman =. HAZEL, Wood
side on the State road, four miles
above Smyrna. 1t was done bv 5.
O'Brien, of the Atlantic Dynamite Co..
Of Baltimore, and was witnessed bv
several interested spectators from this
town. Mr. O'Brien's method is a sim.
pie one, the object being to get the car
fridge beneath the stump near the cen
tire. 70 do this he has dirt auyur
and wood augur, which are applied
latcrallY, the latter being used only
when root prevents the proper plac-
ing OF the cartridge. The cartridge is
about foot long and the thickness of
n broom stick. A little or decavcd
stump will require only quarter or
Il half cartridge, while from this they
grade up to the big, green. tough fell
lows requiring three and four. After
tossing out several of the average size
like boy would Il trab-ball, some of
the spectators wanted Mr. O'Bren to
tackle n big black gum stump that had
immense roots running in every direc-
ton, the tree of which had only been
cut down the past Winter. He saw
that they thought he would find i'm
this stumper,' but, rcmarking that
it was just such resistance as this that
dynamite courted, he proceeded to the
work and soon had the hole made and
four cartridges inserted. The can ON
and dirt packed around the stump. the
fuse was fired, when, as is the custom.
they Scampcr to greater or less dis
tance according to the size Ofthe charge.
IN this case, about 100 yards 1t re
qured about minute for the fuse to
burn, when, with a heavy, detonating
sound the heart of the stump, almost as
round as if turned with Il lathe and
nearly a foot in diameter. shot directly
up in the air about $50 feet. while the
other portions were scattered about in
different directions, one piece IL dis
tance of seventy-tive steps. There WAS
no longer any question but that it would
blow up a stump as big as u house.
IhlrtY-three were thus in short time
blown out of the ground at cost of 30
cents each. They will vary according
to size and age from six cents to
thirty, proper average being about IL
cents stump. 4 superintendent and
two helpers can remove, it is stated.
about $50 stumps day, take them as
they come, in new ground. The car
fridge Is opened and the contents
packed into the hole with n stick with
perfect impunity, the explosion com
ing only by concussOn or when igni-
ted in Il confined state. In the open
air it will burn as deliberately as a
taper The Messrs HAZEL are about
going into an arrangement for the
agency for the sale of it, including
three or four States, and it is likely to
come into immediate and large use
for various purposes, especially for
clearing ground Of stumps. Already
we hear that N. +. Wilds and b. +. G. !
Rothwell have given orders for 100
pounds each. The cartridges contain |
II half pound each.
This farm, by the way, of the Messrs. !
HAZEL, which contains 275 acres, has |
had more hard and expensive work |
done on it since it came into their pos |
session three years ago in the way of |
clearing up, ditching, tiling, &c, than
perhaps any like tract in this vicinity,
and it will not be many years before, at
the same rate Of progress, it will be
recognized as one of the best. Some of
the low, heavy-timhered parts have
been reclaimed at II cost of 500 per
acre, hut it promises to he about tho
most valuable in tho future. The farm
is now divided into eight fields, the
fences substantial, new posts and rails,
and when brought up to the advance
stage Of agriculture intended, it will
no doubt meet their expectation for the
purposes intended, cattle raising and
fruit culture. The peach trees in bear
Ing show already that it is capable of
growing zine and highly-colored
fruit.