WATCH ABOVE: An explosive disposal unit had to be sent to the Galloway Station Museum after blasting caps were found inside an old safe.
EDMONTON — The opening of an antique safe at a museum in Edson, AB. led to explosives experts being called in. The safe had been in display at the Galloway Station Museum for many years after being donated by a family that had been an influential contributor to the local lumber industry.
The safe came from Erith Tie Camp, one of the many lumber camps in the area. The combination was lost many years ago, along with the memory of what lay inside. The contents became a legend in the museum’s tours, where visitors would be asked what they thought was hidden inside. Answers often varied from money to documents.
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On March 17, 2015 local locksmith Lawrence Roome and his service tech were tasked with cracking the antique safe. Based upon his experience Roome didn’t think anything would be inside, but once open the safe was found to be full of binders, payroll cheques and other papers. Behind those was a orange box, that once open revealed to be full of blasting caps: small explosives used to detonate larger ones like TNT or dynamite.
The box was gently put on the floor, and RCMP called. The Explosives Disposal Unit was called in from Edmonton to safely deal with the caps.
That wasn’t the only odd discovery. After the blasting caps were taken away, the rest of the safe’s contents were removed, revealing what might be the biggest joke of all: a sealed envelope with the words ‘Instructions for opening safe – DO NOT DESTROY’ written on it.
The donor of the safe had no idea why the blasting caps were inside, but was able to contact a former employee. She said the Erith Tie Camp came under intense flooding in the early 70s, and the only way to prevent damage was to blow up a bridge over the Erith river. The employee suspected the the caps were left over from that event.
Edson is about 200 kilometres west of Edmonton.
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