By Isaiah Burrows
Dozens of contestants put their strength to the test Saturday during the 45th annual World Championship Single Jack Rock Drilling Contest in Carson City.
Throughout the competition, a piece of sierra white granite was drilled into using 4 ½ pound hammers and a ¾ bit of steel. Participants had just 10 minutes to pound the drills into the stone as fast as they can. Their only help was from an assistant who ran water into the hole to loosen stone chips.
Once 10 minutes passed, each hole was measured and recorded to see who won it all.
The contest dates back to the older Comstock mining days, when blast holes for dynamite were drilled into ore by hand. Several participants took a shot at it on Saturday, and the competition is still going strong for 45 years and counting.
For more information, visit the link here.
