Method of blasting, employing diamond drills or extension steel drills with tungsten carbide bits, applied to ore-winning operations where conditions are suitable. The essential requirements from the practical and economic points of view are (1) a large orebody or wide regular vein, (2) a strong country rock, and (3) a good parting between the ore and the rock to avoid undue contamination of the ore. Holes to take cartridges up to 2 in (5.1 cm) in diameter may be drilled. Since the drilling of long holes is relatively expensive, high-strength, high-density gelatinous explosives are usually employed so that the maximum burden can be placed on each hole. For this reason also, the largest diameter of explosive cartridge that can be loaded into the holes should be used to obtain the greatest possible loading density.