He was the first in the United States to employ hydraulic power for stripping quarries .
He was also the first to load large holes with several hundred pounds of black powder , to shake the hills and loosen thousands of tons of stone at one blast .
He was the first in the United States to employ hydraulic power for stripping quarries , and he was also the first to load large holes with several hundred pounds of black powder , to shake the hills and loosen thousands of tons of stone at one blast .