(Note: This was supposed to be published about a week ago, but it inexplicably went into draft mode.)
A bomb found deep in the waters of the legendary Blue Hole in Santa Rosa, N.M., was safety recovered and dismantled Thursday, according to varying reports.
The person who found the bomb was the publisher of the Guadalupe County Communicator newspaper in Santa Rosa. He frequently comes to the Blue Hole for a relaxing dip. According to KOAT-TV in Albuquerque:
“From the surface it looked like a computer mouse with the cord partly cut off,” said M.E. Sprenglemeyer. “I thought it was a piece of equipment for the scuba divers.”
So he held his nose, dove under water, and grabbed it. But when he came to the surface, he realized it was a fuse.
“At that point I kind of said an expletive out loud because I realized, ‘What an idiot, now you’ve got this thing in your hand,'” he said.
So very carefully, Sprenglemeyer took it to an isolated area in the parking lot, set it down, then called police.
Local police evacuated the area. A report on the Communicator’s Facebook page said law enforcement used a water cannon to blast the device into a nearby hillside.
Police soon gave an “all-clear” for the Blue Hole area.
The Blue Hole is a frequent destination for Route 66 travelers. The 80-foot-deep pool often is used for SCUBA training.