Science: The Bomb Tamer

At work excavating gravel from a water-filled pit in Kent, England last week, a workman felt his scoop hit an obstacle. He gave it an extra pull, and near fainted from fright: up came a 1,100-lb. bomb, a German dud from World War II. Within minutes, the Royal Engineers' Bomb Disposal Unit at Horsham, Sussex was racing to the rescue. A few hours later, all was clear again. The bomb was expertly defused and trucked off to a bomb graveyard where the explosive filling could be steamed out in safety —at least for Kent's...

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