It's Always a Blast When Terry's Around

The shale surface mine owned by T.L. Long Excavation, Inc., of rural Martinsburg, got a little deeper on Monday.

A section of the two-acre shale field on Agway Road, Martinsburg, was wired for a blast to break up rock for shale by Wampum Hardware of New Galilee.

Jerry Brumbaugh, manager for Wampum Hardware, explained that the explosives are buried in the ground in a grid pattern and that from detonation to the last blast takes less than two seconds.

The crew, from Wampum's Stoystown location, worked to dig the holes and set the explosives to one detonating line that went off in an S shape.

Terry Long was on location for the blasting. He explained that because only two acres of the property is bonded for surface mining, the company can't go wider on the field so they have to go deeper to get more shale.

Blasting is regulated by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Special licenses are required to oversee blasting operations. The Long property blast was overseen by Mark Stephens.

Terry Long offered lunch to T.L. Long employees who were working in the area and came over to watch the blast.

Long said that the rock taken from the site is slate that is useful but less costly to consumers than limestone shale. T.L. Long has been mining the site for shale for about three years.

Shale has multiple uses in general construction, including use in building foundations and driveways.