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There was a Civil War fatality in Feburary. A collector trying to clean up an artillery shell with a grinder set it off killing him.http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080502/ap_on_re_us/cannonball_death
Bombs are often found in Europe when new construction goes up. There is a specially trained EOD unit of the fire department in most German and English cities that were heavily bombed in WWII. I also remember reading a story about a farmer in France near the Somme who suffered Mustard Gas burns after cutting down a tree on his farm and sitting on the stump about ten years ago. there is no reason why ordnance should not remain viable after sitting in the ground for many years unless the casing is ruptured. Remember, artillery and bombs are designed to withstand terrific forces and only detonate when their fuses go off. What is amazing to me is that more idiots don't kill themselves playing with Unexploded Ordnance. While the stuff is tough it is not indestructible. There was a guy in Houston who blew himself up two years ago after playing with a grenade he found that his dad had brought back from WWII.
not too far from where I live is Tobyhanna State Park, which is adjacent to Tobyhanna Army Depot.Back in WWI, parts of what are now the park was used an artillery pratice range. Every now and then, some camper or hiker comes across an artillery shell, and that part of the park is closed off until the Army comes and takes care of it.Strange to think that stuff from 90 years ago would still be around....and liveI read about the fatality with the Civil War cannonball before this thread...talk about unlucky
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