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Three cheers for Uncle Sluggo
Jul. 26th, 2003 09:14 pmRebecca's father and twin sister have been working on cleaning up Sluggo's house. Apparently, when they arrived, it was buried four feet deep in stuff. All kinds of stuff. Whenever he'd lose something, it looks like he bought four more. Tools, Books, plywood, crap, stuff... everything. At first, there was just a narrow pathway running through the house. Some of the rooms were inaccessible due to the buildup of crap. They rented three giant trash dumpsters and three giant transport crates. All of them are full and there's still more stuff.
The best part was when they came across his chemicals. Emily tried calling all sorts of people, including the fire department, and they showed no interest. Then she finally got a hazardous materials guy to listen, and after she faxed a list of chemicals, she got a call back, and the guy said, "We have a problem, I'm calling the bomb squad."
Pretty soon there were half a dozen fire trucks and the police bomb squad there. In addition to the POUND of mercury that he had, there was 12 ounces of picric acid, aka trinitrophenol, i.e. not too far from TriNitroToluene (TNT). Read that linked article... it's enough to scare the pants off you:
1. First and foremost: DO NOT TOUCH THE BOTTLE! Depending on the length of time the bottle has been left and the state of the product inside, even a slight movement could be critical. Hidden crystals may have formed within the threads of the bottle’s lid. Any attempt to open the bottle could result in enough friction to produce an explosion large enough to blow up a small laboratory.
Well, it's all dealt with now. Though Charles and Emily still have a couple more days of work before they've emptied out the house. I just hope Sluggo was a happy loony, living with his Wallaby shoe-soles, five bandsaws and high-explosives.
The best part was when they came across his chemicals. Emily tried calling all sorts of people, including the fire department, and they showed no interest. Then she finally got a hazardous materials guy to listen, and after she faxed a list of chemicals, she got a call back, and the guy said, "We have a problem, I'm calling the bomb squad."
Pretty soon there were half a dozen fire trucks and the police bomb squad there. In addition to the POUND of mercury that he had, there was 12 ounces of picric acid, aka trinitrophenol, i.e. not too far from TriNitroToluene (TNT). Read that linked article... it's enough to scare the pants off you:
1. First and foremost: DO NOT TOUCH THE BOTTLE! Depending on the length of time the bottle has been left and the state of the product inside, even a slight movement could be critical. Hidden crystals may have formed within the threads of the bottle’s lid. Any attempt to open the bottle could result in enough friction to produce an explosion large enough to blow up a small laboratory.
Well, it's all dealt with now. Though Charles and Emily still have a couple more days of work before they've emptied out the house. I just hope Sluggo was a happy loony, living with his Wallaby shoe-soles, five bandsaws and high-explosives.
