1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,960 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:06,040 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hey Hey, y'all, welcome to This Day in 3 00:00:06,160 --> 00:00:09,640 Speaker 1: History Class, a podcast for people who can never know 4 00:00:09,880 --> 00:00:12,719 Speaker 1: enough about history. I have to say that I feel 5 00:00:12,880 --> 00:00:15,120 Speaker 1: very comforted knowing that you all are listening to me 6 00:00:15,480 --> 00:00:17,880 Speaker 1: as I sit here and record from my pretty dark 7 00:00:17,920 --> 00:00:20,680 Speaker 1: and pretty cramped closet. So thank you all, and I 8 00:00:20,720 --> 00:00:22,840 Speaker 1: hope you're holding up. Will Let's get into the show. 9 00:00:24,040 --> 00:00:35,879 Speaker 1: Today is April. The day was April five, night, the 10 00:00:35,920 --> 00:00:38,960 Speaker 1: top of an underwater mountain known as Ripple Rock was 11 00:00:39,040 --> 00:00:42,920 Speaker 1: destroyed in an explosion. It was noted as one of 12 00:00:42,920 --> 00:00:48,239 Speaker 1: the largest non nuclear peacetime explosions ever. Ripple Rock was 13 00:00:48,320 --> 00:00:51,879 Speaker 1: located off the coast of British Columbia, Canada, north of 14 00:00:51,880 --> 00:00:54,520 Speaker 1: a city called Campbell River. It was in a shipping 15 00:00:54,600 --> 00:00:58,200 Speaker 1: channel called the Seymour Narrows, and it had two peaks. 16 00:00:59,160 --> 00:01:01,840 Speaker 1: At low tide, the south peak was only about nine 17 00:01:01,920 --> 00:01:06,640 Speaker 1: ft or two point seven meters below the surface. Because 18 00:01:06,720 --> 00:01:09,560 Speaker 1: it was so close to the surface but invisible to ships, 19 00:01:09,880 --> 00:01:13,039 Speaker 1: it was a huge hazard. On top of this, there 20 00:01:13,040 --> 00:01:15,800 Speaker 1: were dangerous tidal currents in the area around the peak. 21 00:01:16,880 --> 00:01:19,640 Speaker 1: Ripple Rock was responsible for the sinking or damage of 22 00:01:19,720 --> 00:01:23,240 Speaker 1: more than twenty large vessels and at least one hundred 23 00:01:23,360 --> 00:01:27,400 Speaker 1: smaller vessels. At least one hundred and fourteen people died 24 00:01:27,520 --> 00:01:31,520 Speaker 1: due to the rexit cost. It was clearly a dangerous obstacle, 25 00:01:32,040 --> 00:01:34,800 Speaker 1: but not everyone agreed on the destruction of the peak. 26 00:01:35,240 --> 00:01:38,000 Speaker 1: While some people wanted to get rid of Ripple Rock, 27 00:01:38,440 --> 00:01:41,440 Speaker 1: others advocated keeping it around in the hopes that it 28 00:01:41,440 --> 00:01:45,320 Speaker 1: could support a bridge to connect Vancouver Island to mainland 29 00:01:45,360 --> 00:01:49,880 Speaker 1: British Columbia. But in the end, the Canadian government decided 30 00:01:49,960 --> 00:01:54,640 Speaker 1: to destroy Ripple Rock. In nine an attempt was made 31 00:01:54,680 --> 00:01:57,240 Speaker 1: to blow up the rock by floating a drilling barge 32 00:01:57,280 --> 00:01:59,880 Speaker 1: over it. The barge was held in place by steel 33 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:04,280 Speaker 1: cables attached to concrete anchors that weighed one thousand and 34 00:02:04,280 --> 00:02:09,440 Speaker 1: one hundred tons or nine metric tons. Holes would be 35 00:02:09,480 --> 00:02:11,360 Speaker 1: drilled into the top of the rock and filled with 36 00:02:11,480 --> 00:02:15,320 Speaker 1: explosives so that the rock could be blasted away, but 37 00:02:15,400 --> 00:02:19,440 Speaker 1: the cables broke frequently. There was another attempt to use 38 00:02:19,480 --> 00:02:22,480 Speaker 1: a drill barge to blast the rock to pieces, but 39 00:02:22,600 --> 00:02:27,399 Speaker 1: water turbulence made the operation difficult and this attempt was abandoned. 40 00:02:28,360 --> 00:02:31,880 Speaker 1: But in ninety three the National Research Council of Canada 41 00:02:32,240 --> 00:02:35,920 Speaker 1: commissioned a feasibility study on tunneling into the rock to 42 00:02:36,040 --> 00:02:40,600 Speaker 1: plant explosives. This approach was approved and the government hired 43 00:02:40,680 --> 00:02:45,040 Speaker 1: Dolmage and Mason consulting engineers to plan the project. The 44 00:02:45,080 --> 00:02:49,240 Speaker 1: Northern Construction Company j W. Stewart Limited in Boyle's Brothers 45 00:02:49,360 --> 00:02:53,239 Speaker 1: Drilling Company got contracts for the project. The plan was 46 00:02:53,280 --> 00:02:56,239 Speaker 1: to sink a shaft on mod Island Tunnel out below 47 00:02:56,280 --> 00:03:00,359 Speaker 1: Seymour Narrows and drill two vertical shafts up into the rock. 48 00:03:01,480 --> 00:03:05,239 Speaker 1: Work began in November of n and lasted for more 49 00:03:05,280 --> 00:03:09,160 Speaker 1: than two years. Once the tunneling was done, workers drilled 50 00:03:09,240 --> 00:03:11,720 Speaker 1: so called coyote tunnels and the peaks of the rock 51 00:03:11,800 --> 00:03:15,760 Speaker 1: and placed explosives in them. At one in the morning 52 00:03:15,800 --> 00:03:19,600 Speaker 1: on April five, Ripple Rock exploded. The blast reached a 53 00:03:19,639 --> 00:03:23,880 Speaker 1: height of one thousand feet. The explosion was broadcast live 54 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:29,000 Speaker 1: on CBC. No environmental damage was reported in the area. Now, 55 00:03:29,120 --> 00:03:31,760 Speaker 1: the south peak is about forty five ft below the 56 00:03:31,760 --> 00:03:35,120 Speaker 1: surface at low tide. The north peak is about seventy 57 00:03:35,160 --> 00:03:39,240 Speaker 1: ft below the surface. I'm each Jeff Code, and hopefully 58 00:03:39,320 --> 00:03:41,760 Speaker 1: you know a little more about history today than you 59 00:03:41,800 --> 00:03:45,680 Speaker 1: did yesterday. If there's anything I missed, or something or 60 00:03:45,720 --> 00:03:47,680 Speaker 1: someone you really love to hear about on the show, 61 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:51,520 Speaker 1: please send us a message on social media. That's on Facebook, Twitter, 62 00:03:51,600 --> 00:03:55,600 Speaker 1: or Instagram at t D I h C Podcast, and 63 00:03:55,640 --> 00:03:57,680 Speaker 1: if you're so inclined, you can send us an email 64 00:03:57,720 --> 00:04:01,800 Speaker 1: at this day at i heart media dot com. Thanks 65 00:04:01,800 --> 00:04:04,000 Speaker 1: again for listening to the show, and we'll see you tomorrow. 66 00:04:07,360 --> 00:04:09,640 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from I heart Radio, visit the iHeart 67 00:04:09,720 --> 00:04:12,160 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 68 00:04:12,200 --> 00:04:12,840 Speaker 1: favorite shows.