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SUNNY Temp: 64 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Sunday, October 5, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine Joy Magazine Tempo A & E RogueValleyAutoFinder RogueValleyHomeFinder Real Estate Showcase Wellness Connection Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Employment Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend September 28, 2003 Jan Bailey waits at his Central Point antiques store Saturday night for authorities to come and dispose of this World War II Japanese hand grenade. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Police dispose of a blast from the past By ANITA BURKE Mail Tribune A Japanese hand grenade from World War II that showed up in a Central Point antique shop Saturday put shop owner Jay Bailey on high alert. The owner of Jay Bailey’s Antiques & Guns, 232 E. Pine St., has bought and sold military memorabilia since he was a youngster, he said. He’s bought footlockers with loaded pistols, mortar shells and other dangers tucked away inside. But the clay grenade sitting on a towel on his counter really made him nervous. "Those were last-ditch efforts, made in caves," he said. "It could be pretty volatile." Advertisement A local man brought the grenade along with a collection of other World War II items he had inherited from a recently deceased relative into Bailey’s shop. Bailey bought a stack of photos and a Japanese flag, torn by bullet holes and scribbled with Japanese characters. He recognized the grenade as potential trouble and called police. He praised Central Point officers for responding quickly, but an Oregon State Police bomb squad was needed to dispose of the artifact. Bailey wasn’t excited about the wait. State police got the request at about 5 p.m., and had to call a supervisor to authorize overtime for a bomb technician, who was off duty, said Bonnie Whiteside, an OSP dispatch supervisor. Sr. Trooper Blain Allen, who is trained to dispose of explosives, came in to have a look at the grenade at around 6 p.m. He advised Bailey to shut down the shop while he went to White City to get a bomb squad truck and to round up a second technician, needed to satisfy safety regulations. Whiteside said Allen and the second technician, Sgt. Eric Fox of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, had things taken care of by 8 p.m. "They have the grenade in the bomb truck and are going out to ‘render in safe’," she said. "In other words, they’re going to blow it up." Whiteside said that in the 12 years she’s worked with Oregon State Police she’s seen an increase in the number of potentially dangerous World War II artifacts discovered. As the era’s veterans die, families discover shells, grenades and weapons that they don’t know what to do with. Some of the items have been disarmed to make safe collectibles, she said. Others haven’t, but have set stably for decades, so should be OK for a few more hours until a bomb squad arrives to dispose of them safely, she said. Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Rogue Valley Auto Finder Rogue Valley Job Finder --> Rogue Valley Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times