The Diamond Drilling Industry is the first book ever written for a general readership about this fascinating profession which has intimate ties with western Canada. Diamond drilling involves the removal of core samples of rock and soil from the earth using power drills with diamond-studded bits. It is an information service which provides miners, geologists and engineers with information about the composition and structure of rock formations for use in the mining and construction industries and by scientific institutions. It is a very competitive industry dominated by relatively small companies operating on a freelance basis, under contract to various clients. Each new job contract presents the diamond driller with a different situation and new challenges. Often this involves the transportation of men and equipment to remote areas for extended periods of time. The pressures of this kind of lifestyle upon the drillers often inspire these men to develop into unique charcters who have more in common with the rugged frontiersmen of the last century than with the corporate busniessmen of our own.
This Book traces the development of diamond drilling since 1862 when the first diamond drill was invented, with particular emphasis upon the role of diamond drill contractors in the development of the mining industry in Western Canada. It includes a dramatization of the work routines and lifestyles of a modern-day contractor exploring mineral deposits in a remote area of the globe. A photographic scrapbook of diamond drilling in the past century pays tribute to the men who have made this profession their own. |
