Canadians To Use 2,750,000 Pounds of
Explosives In An Attempt To Widen
Surface Below Seymour Narrows
CAMPBELL RIVER, B. C., <#—
Explosives were in place today
for man’s largest non-atomic blast
in history, scheduled to be set off
at 9:31 a.m. (PST) April 5 to des
troy the West Coast’s worst navi
gational hazard.
The shot is expected to shear
off two massive underwater humps
of rock that lie just below the sur
face of Seymour Narrows 100'miles
northwest of Vancouver, B. C., in
the protected sea lane called the
inside passage.
Known as Ripple Rock, they’ll
be turned to Rumble Rock in a
split second.
The twin peaks have sunk or
damaged at least 24 larger vessels
and 100 smaller ones with a loss
of upwards of 114 lives since 1875.
Today they are laced with a
network of lateral tunnels 40 to
70 feet below the water and
crammed with 2,750,000 pounds
of high explosive. Only the de
tonating cord remains to be put
in place and that will be finished
by Wednesday.
The blasting material is con
tained in 7,424 long, slim, cylin
drical cans weighing about 38
pounds each. They’re stacked in
the offshoot shafts, known as
“coyotes,” like cordwood.
Canadian Government Project
The project, financed entirely
by the Canadian Government,
has been more than 15 years in
the making and provides a series
of “firsts” and figures that stag
ger the imagination even o_ vet
eran explosives experts. They
include: An underwater blast of
a magnitude and type never be
fore attempted. Dispersal of
370,000 tons of rock and 320,000
tons of water. Use of 1,375 tons
of blasting material. Boring of
nearly 3,000 feet of primary tun
nels 6x7 feet and 2,700 feet of
coyote shafts 4x5 feet.
Two and a half years of prep
aration with an average of 75
men at work daily. Total cost
$3,100,000 of which about $770,000
is for explosives alone and an
other $357,000 to bring it to the
scene and put it in place.
Experts on the spot, about nine
miles north of this small Vancou
ver Island town, are confident
that when the shot is completed
have a safe navigational chan
nel at least 40 feet and possibly
70 feet deep at mean low tide.
The rocks now lie as little as nine
feet under.
This will remove the worst
hazard in the 850-mile stretch of
the inside passage which gives a
protected maritime artery from
the half-mile wide narrows will
Puget Sound through Canadian
Territorial waters to the gulf of
Alaska. Through this passage
each year go 2,000 large ships
carrying more than 175,000 per
sons and transporting 100 million
dollars worth of goods, plus many
thousands of smaller vessel.
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Workmen bored down 570 feet
from Maud Island on the east
side of the narrows, tunneled
2,000 feet horizontally to a ‘spot
beneath the north peak, cut shafts
upward into both humps and
honeycombed them for the spec
ial blasting agent developed by
the Du Pont Co.
The explosion will be touched
off by Dr. Victor Dolmage, head
of the project consulting engi
neering firm, from a bunker
2,400 feet from the rocks. With
him in this and another bunker
will be 23 other men, including
company experts and Canadian
and British defense, atomic en
ergy, public works, fisheries and
seismic officials.
News and television men will
record the event from bunkers
across the channel 7,500 feet from
the shot.
No Damage Expected
Damage from concussion, tidal
wave and blowing the hundreds
of thousands of tons of rock
nearly one-third of a mile in all
directions is expected to be neg
ligible.
Weather is the only thing that
will prevent the detonation at
9:31 a.m. on the day before East
er. Low overcast, rain or winds
could bring about a day-to-day
postponement, with the “shot”
an hour later each day because
of tide conditions.
1400 Pound Grizzly Bear
Bagged Near Talkeetna
The first successful grizzly bear
hunt of the season was reported
this week at Fort Richardson. The
bear, taken near Talkeetna, was
estimated to have weighed nearly
1400 pounds.
Lucky hunter was First Lieuten
ant Donald J. Ludwig, 27, of New !
York City, assigned to the <U. S.
Army, Alaska, Restearch Unit.
He was accompanied by veteran
guide and bush pilot Cliff Hudson,
31, of Talkeetna.
The hide after skinning, weighed
140 pounds and measured 9 feet, 5
inches, according to the Boone
Crockett method. The men had to
get a toboggan from Talkeetna to
haul the pelt to the airplane.
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Number of Jobless
Claims Decrease
In Mid-March
WASHINGTON, UP) — The num
ber of workers claiming unem
ployment benefits dropped by
10.500 during the week ended
March 15, the Labor Department
says.
However, the total jobless
claim figure of 3,264,100 for that
week was 134,000 higher than in
mid-February.
Thirty three states reported de
creases in claims for the week
ended March 15. But increases
were noted in several other states
including 17,900 in Michigan,
4.500 in Illinois, 4,200 in Indiana,
«nd 3,700 in Texas. The rise in
these states was attributed chief
ly to additional auto plant layoffs.
The Labor Department’s Bu
eau of Employment Security said
nearly 59,000 idle workers ex
hausted their benefit payment
rights during the first three
weeks of this month. This brought
to 351,000 the number of persons
who have used up their claims
since the start of the year.
Modifications To Be Made
At Five Alaska Radar
Tower Sites This Year
ANCHORAGE—U. - S. Army
Engineers announce that radar
tower modifications at five dif
ferent isolated sites are to be fin
ished during the present construc
tion season.
The work covers alterations to
towers; construction of new trans
former buildings and removal of
existing structures; also con
struction of quarters and sup
port facilities with outside util
ities.
If funds are allocated, the work
also will include an addition to
the operations building at each
site and probably fa White Alice
water supply system may be add
ed by addendum. The contrac
tor is to furnish equipment and
transportation.
At Tatalina, the work is to be
completed by October 15, 1953.
At other sites—Cape Newen
ham, Tin City, Cape Romanzof
and Cape Lisburne—completion
is scheduled for November 25,
1958
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