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Results of the Great Blasting Operation at Holyhead, North Wales, 1856. Creator: Unknown
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Results of the Great Blasting Operation at Holyhead, North Wales, 1856. Creator: Unknown
Results of the Great Blasting Operation at Holyhead, North Wales, 1856. Building a new harbour and breakwater....in the lower quarries of the mountain a most stupendous and successful blasting operation took place, when the enormous quantity of 13, 000 lb. of powder, contained in four separate chambers, were simultaneously exploded by means of the galvanic battery, producing upwards of 70, 000 tons of the hardest schistus quartz, of which the Holyhead mountain is composed. The respective chambers...were so judiciously charged that the rock, after the explosion, fell in blocks of a size not larger than from one to twenty tons; thus enabling the contractors, without further expense for reducing the stone, to lift the blocks into the iron waggons; and so to convey them from the quarries over the staging, and thence tipped into the sea, or to build them into the Cyclopean structure'. From "Illustrated London News", 1856
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Blasting Civil Engineering Engineering Explosion Explosions Explosive Explosives Quartz Schist
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EDITORS COMMENTS
This photograph captures the aftermath of an extraordinary blasting operation that took place at Holyhead, North Wales, in 1856. The image showcases the impressive results of the meticulously planned explosion in the lower quarries of the mountain. An astonishing 13,000 lb. of powder was evenly distributed among four separate chambers, ready to be detonated. The innovation of using a galvanic battery to ignite the powder simultaneously led to an explosive event, generating over 70,000 tons of the hardest schistus quartz from the Holyhead mountain. The strategic charging of the chambers ensured that the rock fell in manageable blocks, ranging from one to twenty tons. This significant development allowed the contractors to efficiently lift the blocks into iron wagons, transport them over the staging, and either tip them into the sea to create the new harbor or use them to construct the Cyclopean structure. The successful execution of this blasting operation marked a significant milestone in the construction of the new harbor and breakwater at Holyhead. The event was widely reported in the press, with the Illustrated London News publishing this image and an accompanying article detailing the technical achievements of the operation. This photograph is a testament to the ingenuity and determination of the engineers and laborers who made this feat possible.
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