WSP squad removes bomb shells from Dusty-area barn

A two-man Washington State Patrol explosives team from the Tri-Cities removed two shells from a barn at the Anne Hogue residence east of Dusty last Thursday, July 8. The WSP duo checked out the shells, which were on a shelf in the barn, and decided they did not pose an immediate danger. They carried the shells, which weighed about 20 pounds each, out of the barn and placed them in a trailer behind their special truck.

Whitman County Deputy Jim Pelissier assisted at the scene.

Mrs. Hogue said she decided to request removal of the shells after she noticed powder-like material coming from one of them. She noted her husband, the late James Hogue, had a wide variety of interests and probably placed the shells in the barn. Mr. Hogue, a retired WSU research physicist, died March 9 at age 73.

Mrs. Hogue said deputies earlier removed blasting caps which were located in a former milk house next to the barn. Their Dusty area residence was the former long-time home place for Alby Ochs at the Penawawa Road intersection with Highway 26.

Trooper Marty Finan, one of the bomb squad troopers who removed the shells from the barn, reported Tuesday they were taken to a gravel pit in the Prescott area.

To detonate a shell, the squad uses an electric charge to pierce a hole in the shells by remote control. These shells did not go off when charged.

Trooper Finan said shells of this type, although lacking powder cartridges, sometimes contain explosives in the head, but that was not the case in this instance.

Trooper Donald Bancroft was the other bomb squad member on the scene. They are among four troopers who are assigned on-call duty with the squad.

Trooper Finan said the appearance of the two shells from Dusty indicates they were probably found after they had been discharged.

He noted many families have shells which came back from World War II or other wars and have been handed down from generation to generation, sometimes without families knowing the age, type or origin of the shells.

Families who are uncertain about the safety of such shells or other heritage munitions are encouraged to contact the WSP to have the items checked.