Ray Boston, a local farmer who lived on what is now Sheephouse Road, was a huge purchaser of Dumorite from Du Pont. He purchased it by the truckload and stored it in an old chicken house on his farm. In the winter, when farming chores were finished, he would hire his services to other local farmers for land clearing, stump removal and really quick digging of ditches. He hired my father and grandfather as part of his crew and I occasionally tagged along just to see the spectacle. My grandfather was in charge of priming and rigging the initial blasting caps and I can still remember how it was done. I remember one time on Greenbackville Road, near present-day Captain's Cove, a land owner desired to have a pond dug. We just placed 5 entire cases (about 300 lbs.) in a shallow depression, lit the fuse and ran like hell. Needless to say, we had a huge pond that is still there to this day.
Ray Boston, a local farmer who lived on what is now Sheephouse Road, was a huge purchaser of Dumorite from Du Pont. He purchased it by the truckload and stored it in an old chicken house on his farm. In the winter, when farming chores were finished, he would hire his services to other local farmers for land clearing, stump removal and really quick digging of ditches. He hired my father and grandfather as part of his crew and I occasionally tagged along just to see the spectacle. My grandfather was in charge of priming and rigging the initial blasting caps and I can still remember how it was done. I remember one time on Greenbackville Road, near present-day Captain's Cove, a land owner desired to have a pond dug. We just placed 5 entire cases (about 300 lbs.) in a shallow depression, lit the fuse and ran like hell. Needless to say, we had a huge pond that is still there to this day.
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