Civil War-era explosive detonated

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- Law enforcement have detonated a Civil War-era bomb that a Missouri farmer unearthed.

James Sharp had no idea what the 12-pound white object was when he found it 14 months ago. That changed earlier this month when the couple took their find to the American Indian artifact show in the nearby town of Agency.

Someone took one look at it and said "that's a live bomb, get it out of here," Sharp said.

The Buchanan County Sheriff's Department, Missouri State Highway Patrol, the division of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the bomb squad from Lee's Summit and other emergency personnel responded Friday to safely detonate the explosive.

Sharp's wife, Shirley, said she was told the device probably was manufactured in the 1860s. It was made of white lead with two plugs that hold the powder in the shell.

Her husband dug a hole. And the bomb squad began their work before an audience that included the Sharps' grandchildren, who left school early Friday to watch the detonation.

First, a robot carried the explosive to the hole. Next, a bomb squad technician clad in protective gear attached a detonator to the shell.

The bomb failed to explode on the first attempt, so the whole process was repeated.

Then there was a small boom.

James Sharp was unimpressed.

"Next time I think I'll just forget it and throw it somewhere," he said.