Blasting Expertise 
2003 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance
When I was working on the construction of an irrigation canal in West Africa in the 1960s, it was necessary to clear the route of some extremely large trees. Gelignite was cheap, and quick. Fortunately, we had George on our staff. George possessed a Blasting Certificate, testifying to his expertise in this field.
As I approached George in the course of his showing an African foreman how to set up the explosives, I noticed that George had a cigarette in his mouth (his hands were occupied with fuse cord and sticks of gelignite). For comfort, George was seated on a 56lb case of Special Blasting Gelatine. Those who know explosives will realise that this, in itself, presented no problem: gelignite may burn when ignited, but will not explode unless prompted to do so by a detonator. As I walked up, I saw that George was inserting a detonator into a stick of gelignite.......
We all (with the exception of the tree) lived to tell the tale, so no Darwin Award. But, feeling that I would be unlikely to believe my own recollection of the incident unless I recorded it, I delayed running for cover until I had taken a photograph (which I have to this day). I feel that this triumph of photography over self-preservation ought to merit an Honourable Mention.
Peter Watts Submitted on 12/27/2002
Submitted by:
Peter Watts
Reference:
Personal account
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