By GARY DEMUTH

Salina Journal

Two large bombs found last week behind a Salina business turned out to be dummies.

On July 16, a landscaper was mowing property on York Street, near North and Ohio streets. The property is owned by Vulcan Manufacturing, 1007 W. North, a local company that does custom fabrication work.

The landscaper came across two large, torpedo-shaped metal casings half-buried in mud near a fence. To him, they looked suspiciously like live bombs.

The Salina Police Department was called, and it wasn't long before officers determined the 500-pound bombs were dummies, filled with concrete and not explosive materials, said Capt. Mike Sweeney of the Salina Police Department.

But just to make certain, the bomb disposal team from Fort Riley was called in a day later.

"The bombs were junk, but with any kind of bomb, we'll call Fort Riley for verification," Sweeney said.

As suspected, the "bombs" turned out to be dummies once used by the National Guard's Smoky Hill Weapons Range west of Salina for training exercises.

Because the bombs were harmless, the bomb disposal unit left them on the property.

The property on York Street, where the bombs were found, once was used as a scrap yard by Salina Iron & Metal, 312 N. Fifth. Police suspect that the training bombs might have been overlooked after the company sold the property to Vulcan Manufacturing, Sweeney said.

Often sold for scrap

Training bombs from the bombing range routinely were sold to Salina Iron & Metal for recycling and disposal, he said.

Officials from Vulcan Manufacturing would not comment about the discovery, and the landscaper who discovered the bombs was not identified. Salina Iron & Metal officials contacted Thursday weren't aware of the situation.

"This really is only news now because Fort Riley decided to put it out (in a news release)," Sweeney said. "We determined the bombs were not a threat to the public."

nReporter Gary Demuth can be reached at 822-1405 or by e-mail at gdemuth@salina.com.