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Potato or Hand Grenade? A Rusty Bombshell at a Chip Factory | Potato or Hand Grenade? A Rusty Bombshell at a Chip Factory |
(about 20 hours later) | |
HONG KONG — One spud was a dud. | HONG KONG — One spud was a dud. |
Caked in rust and mud, a World War I hand grenade was harvested with potatoes in France and shipped to a potato chip factory in Hong Kong — until a machine found that one was not quite like the others. | Caked in rust and mud, a World War I hand grenade was harvested with potatoes in France and shipped to a potato chip factory in Hong Kong — until a machine found that one was not quite like the others. |
The bomb, a German-made device that was in an unstable condition, was defused by the Hong Kong police at the factory on Saturday using a “high-pressure water firing technique.” | The bomb, a German-made device that was in an unstable condition, was defused by the Hong Kong police at the factory on Saturday using a “high-pressure water firing technique.” |
“Since the grenade had not blown up at the time it was thrown, there was an immediate danger that needed to be handled right away,” Superintendent Wong Ho-hon said. | “Since the grenade had not blown up at the time it was thrown, there was an immediate danger that needed to be handled right away,” Superintendent Wong Ho-hon said. |
At 2.2 pounds, with a 3-inch diameter, the grenade was about the size of a potato, but was around five times as heavy. | At 2.2 pounds, with a 3-inch diameter, the grenade was about the size of a potato, but was around five times as heavy. |
While it is unusual for a grenade to evade detection as it travels halfway across the world, this was not the first war relic to be unearthed somewhere surprising. A farmer in Scotland discovered an unexploded World War II bomb last year, and farmers in Belgium have found shells even in fields that have been plowed many times before. | While it is unusual for a grenade to evade detection as it travels halfway across the world, this was not the first war relic to be unearthed somewhere surprising. A farmer in Scotland discovered an unexploded World War II bomb last year, and farmers in Belgium have found shells even in fields that have been plowed many times before. |
“Many hand grenades are left behind during bombardments, when an entire trench is buried,” said Kwong Chi-man, a military historian and an assistant professor of history at Hong Kong Baptist University. | “Many hand grenades are left behind during bombardments, when an entire trench is buried,” said Kwong Chi-man, a military historian and an assistant professor of history at Hong Kong Baptist University. |
The chip factory, Calbee Four Seas Company, did not respond to a request for comment. | The chip factory, Calbee Four Seas Company, did not respond to a request for comment. |
“I don’t know what mechanical means the plant uses to scoop up the potatoes, but I imagine they don’t routinely run magnet detectors through potatoes,” said Franco David Macri, a senior research fellow in the history department at Hong Kong University. | “I don’t know what mechanical means the plant uses to scoop up the potatoes, but I imagine they don’t routinely run magnet detectors through potatoes,” said Franco David Macri, a senior research fellow in the history department at Hong Kong University. |
Last year, the Hong Kong police defused three 1,000-pound American-made bombs from World War II. They had been found within months of one another at a construction site in Wan Chai, a busy residential district where thousands had to be evacuated overnight. Another American bomb discovered and detonated in Hong Kong in 2014 weighed one ton. | Last year, the Hong Kong police defused three 1,000-pound American-made bombs from World War II. They had been found within months of one another at a construction site in Wan Chai, a busy residential district where thousands had to be evacuated overnight. Another American bomb discovered and detonated in Hong Kong in 2014 weighed one ton. |
Many wartime relics are degraded over time by rust and water damage, but the explosive mechanism can sometimes remain intact. | |
“It doesn’t matter how old these things are,” Dr. Macri said. “They can still be a threat.” | “It doesn’t matter how old these things are,” Dr. Macri said. “They can still be a threat.” |
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