As you can see in the photographs, a powerful drill grinds a whole in the ledge below.  Once the hole is opened up, a “charge,” or dynamite, is placed in the hole.  The depth of the ledge dictates the number of holes and the depth of each hole.  In this case, the ledge is pretty thick, so there were many holes drilled and filled.

The construction crew brought in huge mats of old tires to place on top of the blasting areas that were close to the building.  These mats can weigh up to 7,000 pounds and are difficult for the excavators to carry.  The mats are positioned to help keep the rocks, when blasted, from falling onto the foundation footings.