The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-12-26

VI tue uohrt, uot 10 ilit oucn okiiss ous
10 try to lift It. Jerry seemed to handle
his ponderous drill as easily 40 . drum
major wields his baton. He was very
particular about how its steel points
were sherpened and hardened. II too
soft, they dull easily; II too hard, they
are apt to break. II the local blacksmith
failed to temper them to suit him, he
would do 1t himself.
To see Jerry approach . great boulder
marked for bis attack, was impressive.
In his line he would have been recog-
nized anywhere as q master. His object
was to touch its most vulnerable point,
and have the bottom Of the hole would
as near the center OF tie rock es
possible. An unskilled man would have
a nole half drilled while Jerry was TAX
ing his bearings. But the result OF the
formers i'll judged effort would be only
to "spalt" of a fragment, and he mighs
drill and charge the same rock in half .
dozen places, without the execution that
Jerry would effect with q single blast,
tie would insist that the rock be first
dug around until its surfaces were suti-
ciently exposed to indicate It's shape and
size. The shape OF boulder mainly
hidden under ground, may be entirely
different from what would be guessed at
from its surface appearance.
Jerry's diagnosis Of the case in hand
was as grave and knowing witnal,as that
of a country doctor. From his decisions
there was no appeal, and nobody dared
to question his judgment. lie usual y
gave the hole to be drilled slanting ui-
rsction, so that when finished its lower
end should be at the central point OF re-
sistence. Sometimes he found it expedi-
ent TO drill into the side OF rock almost
horizontally. In that case the platform
OF planss be required to stano upon
needed TO be stronger than some recent
political platforms, to sustain his three
hundred pounds avoirdupois, "be the
same more or less"
Jerry struck the rock tightly at first,
not from any tender feeling for the rock,
the destruction OF which 1t was bis mis-
son to compass by professional malice
aforethought, but to spare MS drill
point. An inexperienced person would
nave made a three-cornered cavity and
have quickly broken his drill. The hole
started by Jerry was round as dollar,
made and kept so by turning the drill in
his hands every time it was lifted. A
bucket of water was adjusted so that a
little stream would trickle into the
cavity, as it was rapidly deepened by
powerful blows. At intervals the work
man would stop and clean out the stone
dust with q long-handld iron spoon.
Just before the required depth was
reached, he would stop OFF the water and
-tritf the hote out dry. Having drilled
perhaps a dozen rocks, he would prepare
for the Fourth of July part Of the per-
formance, at which we boys were wont
to become enthusiastic. have often no.
Iced how quickly the other laborers in
the field would find something to do at
quite a distance away, as soon as Jerry
began the work of "loading up"
In the early years OF his labors, and
prior TO the introduction of the safety
fuse, he used a priming wire in charging
the rocks. The coarse powder used. for
blasting was poured in, halt filling tie
cavity. The priming wire, o straight
iron rod about the size of lead pencil,
was then inserted SO as II reach down
into the powder. A sm II quantity OF
paper, cotton or bits of rags being pressed
down upon the powder, was followed ~
the tampiDg. Fragments OF soft stone
or brick were dropped in and driven
down hard with the ,amping bar. Tnis
was q bar of iron of sufficient length,
with a groove down one side, into which
the priming wire fitted. The way in
which the head OF the bar was battered
showed the force of the blows it received
from a sledge TO drive the tamping
solidly. A small quantity of material was
dropped in at time and tamped, then
little more, until the aperture was filled.
The next operation-the withdrawal of
the priming wire was always
a dangerous one. A crowbar was run
through the ring in the upper end of the
wire, and IL required violent upward
lift to pull the wire oct OF the place in
which it was so firmly bedded. All that
was sential to tragedy was q particle
OF finty stone in contact with the lower
emo of the wire, and tiny spark struck
off into the powder.
When the wire was safely drawn out,
tho cavity which IL left was filled with
powder. Then train of shavings was
laid to the powder. All that was known
to do in those days had then been done.
Tne result was matter of chance. When
the shavings were lighted, IL the fire
burned and reached the powder, some
times the charge was exploded, but not
always. A portion of the tamping
might have become loosened and dis
lodged, falling into the hole from which
the priming-wire was withdrawn. 1hen
the powder would only burn down to the
obstruction. In that case the blast in
that spot had 10 be abandoned, or the
hole "drilled out' TO save the powder
fatal economy in many instances. Often
the shavipgs would burn nearly to the
powder and apparently the fire would
70 ont III the lahorers. az the flame