Blowing up a Huge Chimney

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The enormous chimney of Messrs. Mus-pratt's chemical works, which is 406 feet high, 46 feet in diameter at the base, and 17 feet in diameter at the summit, Was levelled to the ground in an instant by means of gunpowder. It is necessary to explain to our readers that the above works are situated about twenty miles trom Liverpool, England, in the vicinity of the London and Northwestern Railway, at what is called the Warrington Junction, and some idea of the size of the chimney may be conceived, when informed that it contained 3,500,000 bricks, weight 3.500 tons. The following was the mode of operating: a number of holes were dug round the base, and 14 charges of gunpowder inserted, nine of these exploded without any apparent damage being done to the stability of the shaft, but the report of the tenth had no sooner been heard than the huge chimney was rent from top to bottom, and the enormous fabric fell, crumbling along gradually from the base upwards. The whole column fell nearly within the circumference of ita own base. A dense cloud of lime-dust hid the ruins for a few seconds, but when it cleared off the debris were perceived in the shape of a large mound. No accident of any kind occurred, although a considerable number of spectators had assembled to witness the downfall of this vast chimney.

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