The County Press: Bombs Found at Elba Home
Michigan State Police trooper Eric Hofmeister
photographs
a bomb that was uncovered at 146 Hayes Rd. in Elba Twp.
WWII relics unearthed during demolition
By Susan Younger
Staff Reporter
This demolition project came with its own explosives.
Jack Lancaster, a North American Dismantling Corporation operator,
was demolishing an old house on Hayes Road in Elba Township Thursday
when he unearthed live World War II bombs and ammunition that had
been buried for years in the basement.
"We wrecked the house and yesterday we cleaned concrete out
of the old farmhouse," said Lancaster.
While he was working, a cement casing crumbled open revealing live
ammunition rounds, and out popped the nose of a 250 pound bomb.
"I've been doing this for 22 years, and this was a first,"
said Lancaster.
Elbe resident Kevin Immink said he purchased the land in December
from a woman whose deceased husband was a collector of military
items.
"She made a police report and we suspected there would be
something there," said Immink. "But when we opened it,
there was a little bit of a shock and surprise."
Immink went through a scenario of finding the possible war relics,
be said he was told by authorities he had to have proof.
"I figured this was proof enough, so I called the Michigan
State Police directly and asked for trooper (Eric) Hofmeister to
respond," said Immink.
Hofmeister took pictures of the bombs and ammunition and sent them
to the state police bomb squad. They, in turn, contacted the explosive
ordinance dispatch, who detonated the live ammunition on sight.
Neighbors and nearby workers said they could feel the ground shaking.
"The largest one, which looked like a bomb dropped from a
B-52 in World War II, was just a shell, " said Hofmeister.
When Lancaster came to finish the job on Friday, he discovered
two more live bombs. The EOD detonated them on sight about 2 pm.
"The explosion was even bigger," said Hofmeister. "A
big boom."
Immink said he hopes they've found the last of the relics.
Reprinted with permission.
Sunday, June 25, 2006 Edition
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