After last week's Earth shattering blast at the Wilkinson Quarry, David Summers, President of Bermuda-Caribbean Engineering Consultants Ltd. and a consultant for Wilkinson Estates Limited has moved to calm fears of nearby residents and business owners.

Mr. Summers said: "The problems certainly are a concern, indeed action has been taken and Wilkinson Estates Ltd, have asked Island Quarry to stop blasting until a consultant mining engineer arrives on the Island.'' Dr. Peter Calder of Queen's University in Canada is Wilkinson Estates Ltd.

consultant engineer, but he is currently lecturing in Chile.

Mr. Summers said: "We have made contact with him and he has agreed to come to Bermuda on October 19 and we are going to set about finding out what idiosyncrasies arose from the blast so we will be carrying out all sorts of tests at that time.'' Mr. Summers said he had spoken with Mr. Haycock, whose wife Noela had been home at the time of the blast. She took her anger public last week in The Royal Gazette .

Mr. Haycock agreed to have a seismograph placed on his property which Mr.

Summers said would be of great assistance to Dr. Calder's studies.

Mr. Summers said: "We can appreciate that these blasts do have a state of notoriety about them, even to the point that the Swizzle Inn are selling a drink named after the blasts.'' But on a more serious note he said: "Wilkinson Estates are very concerned, obviously as the operators of the Crystal Caves and the new cave to be opened in the new year.

"We are concerned about the interests of our neighbours and we already have an application to the Department of Immigration to bring Dr. Calder back into Bermuda and we are hopeful and confident that the minister will grant this permission before October 19.'' He added: "Dr. Calder anticipates he will want to set a number of charges himself to study the area.'' Mr. Summers said there had been six blasts in the last two weeks, the first of which was an old charge that was very loud. The most recent blast he said had caused all the complaints.

"The blasts in between caused no alarm and this tells us there is something unusual in the rock that is causing the blast to travel an unusually long distance.'' All the blasts have been of the same magnitude. The maximum blast uses 25 charges.

Mr. Summers also said knowing the problem would be half or more of the solution, which is why Wilkinson Estates Ltd. is bringing in Dr. Calder.