- Ripple Rock
Ripple Rock was an underwater, twin-peaked mountain in the
Seymour Narrows of theDiscovery Passage inBritish Columbia ,Canada , [BCGNIS|19876|Ripple Rock] a part of the marine trade route fromVancouver and coastal points north. The nearest town was Campbell River. Only 2.7 meters (9 feet) underwater at low tide, it was a marine hazard, described by the explorerGeorge Vancouver as "one of vilest stretches of water in the world." It was destroyed by a planned explosion onApril 5 1958 . ["Canadians Destroy Rock Periling Ships In 1,375-Ton Blast", in the New York Times, April 6, 1958] This is a National Historic Event in Canada. The Ripple Rock explosion was seen throughout Canada, live on CBC Television. It was one of the first live coast to coast television coverages of an event in Canada. [ [http://archives.cbc.ca/science_technology/applied_science/clips/3654/ B.C.'s deadly Ripple Rock blown up, CBC Broadcast Date: April 5, 1958] ]The first known large ship to fall prey to Ripple Rock was the sidewheel steamer "Saranac" in 1875, as it was heading north to Alaska. At least 20 large and 100 smaller vessels were badly damaged or sunk between then and 1958. At least 110 people drowned in these accidents.
As early as 1931, a Marine Commission recommended removing Ripple Rock, but it was not until 1942 that the government authorized attempts to remove it. There was political opposition to the destruction of Ripple Rock, as some felt it would serve well as a bridge support to connect
Vancouver Island to the mainland.The first attempts at planting explosive charges on Ripple Rock were made with floating drilling barges with the goal of blasting away the rock in pieces. The first, in 1943, was secured with six 3.8 cm steel cables attached to anchors that altogether weighed 998 metric tons. This approach was abandoned when one cable broke on average every 48 hours. Another attempt in 1945, involving two large overhead steel lines was similarly abandoned after only 93 (out of 1500 planned) controlled explosions were successful.
In 1953, the
National Research Council of Canada commissioned a feasibility study on the idea of planting a large explosive charge underneath the peaks by drilling vertical and horizontal shafts from Maud Island in the sound. Based on the study, this approach was recommended.Dolmage and Mason Consulting Engineers were retained to plan the project, and three firms, Northern Construction Company, J.W. Stewart Limited, and Boyles Brothers Drilling Company, were granted the contract, which ended up costing in excess of 3 million Canadian dollars.Between November 1955, and April 1958, a three-shift operation involving an average of 75 men worked to build a 174 meter vertical shaft from Maud Island, a 762 meter horizontal shaft to the base of Ripple Rock, and two main 91 meter vertical shafts into the twin peaks, from which "coyote" shafts were drilled for the explosives. 1,270 metric tons of Nitramex 2H explosives were placed in these shafts, estimated at ten times the amount needed for a similar explosion above water.
The explosion took place at 9:31:02 am on April 5, 1958. 635,000 metric tons of rock and water was displaced by the explosion, resulting in debris at least 300 meters in the air, falling on land on either side of the narrows. The blast increased the clearing at low tide to about 14 meters (45 feet).
The
Royal Canadian Mounted Police cleared the area of within 3 miles of the explosion, and the engineers and TV crew that witnessed the explosion were housed in a bunker.The explosion was noted as one of the largest non-nuclear planned explosions on record, though Soviet authorities reported a larger explosion in the Ural Mountains to carve a new channel for the
Kolonga River and in China to open a copper mine.Vancouver based punk rock band
the Evaporators ' 2004 album was named after Ripple Rock and includes a song that details its history and destruction.The first song recorded about the taming of Ripple Rock was named "Ripple Rock" and recorded by Canadian folk/country singer
Stu Davis .In 2008 Campbell River celebrated the 50th anniversary of the blast with another commemorative blast done by a Vancouver special effects company. It took place at 9:31:02 AM,
April 5 2008 .References
External links
* [http://www.crmuseum.ca/exhibits/ripplerock.html Museum at Campbell River history of Ripple Rock]
* [http://www.sitnews.us/Kiffer/RippleRock/092305_ripple_rock.html Stories in the News article on Ripple Rock]
* [http://www.vancouverislandabound.com/tamingof.htm "The Taming of the Rock", by Jeremy Leet]
* [http://archives.cbc.ca/science_technology/applied_science/clips/3654/ "B.C.'s deadly Ripple Rock blown up" CBC broadcast from April 5 1968]
* [http://www.thesmokinggun.com/tsgtv/index.html?id=TSGV21-03&link=TSGTVshlk Universal-International newsreal archival footage from "The Smoking Gun."]
* [http://digital.hagley.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/p268001coll4&CISOPTR=538&CISOBOX=1&REC=3 Courtesy of the Hagley Museum & Library: The Maud Island Mine head for the Ripple Rock tunnel]
* [http://digital.hagley.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/p268001coll4&CISOPTR=533&CISOBOX=1&REC=2 Courtesy of the Hagley Museum & Library: Loading explosives for placement in the Ripple Rock Tunnels.]
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