The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-09-06
BLASTING ON
VERNON Street
Work Begins on New
Freight Station
There
FIRST CHARGE
NOISELESS ONE
Bystanders Fail to Hear Explosion
When II Is Fired-Old Dynamite
Found by Workmen Drilling in Bed
rock Doesn't Explode.

The first blast in connection with the
building of the foundation work of the
new freight house on Vernon street was
fired at 1125 this morning but was
extremely disappointing to those who
had observed the preparations for the
explosion and who had gathered to wit
ness the operation. In fact, the blowing
Of the charge was only slightly percep-
tible and was accompanied by light,
muffled sound lasting only fraction of
a second.
The blast was confined to the section
Of rock at the north end of the plot OF
land where the new freight house will
be located. At this point, there is mass
Of practically bed rock which it will be
necessary to remove to a depth of eight
feet in order to make way for the boiler
room which will be built at this spot
Eleven holes were drilled to a depth
Of six feet during the past few days and
13 sticks of dynamite were placed
therein 1t was explained by an official
this morning that this constituted light
charge and it was impossible to state
inst how much of an explosion would
take place on account OF anothef oId
charge which was discovered IN the rock
at this point and whichR had been there
since the removal of the great wall OF
rock during the construction of Vernon
street in 1912. This old charge could
not be removed as the workmen We're un-
able to get at it and as its explosive
power could not be computed 1T was de-
cided to make the new charge light
one. SO as to minimize the danger incident
J to the explosion.
After the IL holes were drilled the
dynamite sticks were inserted and packed
thoroughly with sand Over the packed
holes were packed small spruce trees to
prevent particles of rock from blowing IN
all directions when the blast was set off
Or top of the trees about 30 railroad ties
were placed and these were chained to-
gether by four stout chains. Two elec-
tric wires were run from the charge to
q battery box some 100 feet away, which
contained several batteries and a coil
which produced the spark necessary to
set off the blast.
When all was in readiness, men were
stationed at two points ON Vernon street
to prevent teams wagons and pedestrians
from passing by. A string of three cars
WAS also pulled away from the siding at
the railroad station in order to prevent
any damage resulting from stone and
railroad ties being blown on the cars and
through the windows. Horses hitched to
wagons at the express office were also
invited to get away to a safer location
When the blast was finally blown it
was 50 noiseless that people in the dis
tarce still stood rooted to the spot wait
ing for a mammoth catastrophe to take
place. The pile of logs was moved up
ward by the blast only for few inches
and the only other evidence of an explo-
sion was a slight smell of burnt powder,
which seeped its way through the rock
and the covering of brush and logs As
natter of fact, several of the spectators
rad to be informed that the explosion
had taken place and it proved to be
case where they could hardly believe
their eyes.