Explosives Turn Up in Shore Rocks

Md. Discovery Disrupts Erosion-Control Project

It started out as an afternoon stroll on the beach. Then Richard Roden spotted a strange yellow object wedged into one of the shoreline rocks. He pulled it out and soon saw another a foot away. It wasn't until Roden extracted a third yellow tube and saw the words "DYNO NOBEL" that he realized what he was holding in his hands: undetonated explosives.

That's when he and his wife started to panic.

A call to 911 brought an army of authorities rushing to the private community beach on the Severn River in Severna Park, just north of Annapolis. Bomb squads showed up along with police from multiple jurisdictions, fire investigators, U.S. Coast Guard boats and bomb-sniffing dogs.

"This is a beach where you find shells, sea glass, horseshoe crabs . . . you know, natural substances. You don't expect unexploded ammonium nitrate," said Richard's wife, Maureen.

The situation began with the Rodens' project to stop erosion on the tidal beach behind their house. The beach is owned by the 230-home community of Round Bay. But the Rodens had proposed and offered to pay for a shoreline project on the small stretch near their house.

So, weeks ago, they hired a company to supply 200 tons of rock to act as a buffer against the wave action. About 150 tons of rock was in place by Saturday afternoon when Richard spotted the first yellow tube.

The tube was broken open and the substance inside looked like white toothpaste in a yellow plastic wrapping.

Fire investigators had another word for it: an explosive emulsion.

"It's almost a white powder, looks like pudding, encased in a cartridge," said Deputy State Fire Marshal Joe Zurolo. "For a chain reaction to take place, you have to add an explosive charge, so it wasn't likely to explode right there. But it's certainly not something you play around with."

More than 40 public safety officials and experts swarmed the scene Saturday. Nearby houses were temporarily evacuated. The neighbors gaped as hazmat vehicles, firetrucks and police cruisers packed the streets. The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was contacted, and the state Department of Natural Resources was consulted about the environmental effects of explosives on the Severn River.

By Saturday night, authorities had removed the explosives found by emergency workers and their dogs. D.C. Aggregate, the company that supplied the rock, provided a worker to watch over the site round-the-clock. The Rodens were told not to worry.

Then, Monday evening, as the Rodens were about to put their three girls to bed, they heard a knock on the door.