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In the ponds on the Gorechtkade in Stad an explosive was found three times last week, the last time on Tuesday evening. But the ponds are not yet a magnet for magnet fishermen, looking for more explosives from World War II. On Wednesday afternoon there is only one magnet fisherman active, Jan Duurt Dijkman, the one who also found a grenade on Tuesday and who was standing next to it when a large grenade was fished from this pond on Saturday. “That was a best of fifty centimeters. The one I found yesterday was a lot smaller. “ Cash box Dijkman discovered magnet fishing a year ago. “It’s a hobby of mine. It’s nice to find old tools and other utensils. “ Today’s harvest: among other things a rusted money box, an old bicycle, a dog leash, a cap gun (‘something goes through your mind when you see something like this slowly appear above water’), a pocket knife, a door lock, seven bicycle locks and cartridges for a gas gun. Wtver lies in the water of the Gorechtvijvers Bombs and grenades What Dijkman is certainly not waiting for is the discovery of bombs and grenades. “I don’t do it for that. But it happened to me twice recently. It is especially important to know what to do then. If there is an explosive hanging on your rod, lower it back into the water and call the police immediately. When that guy from Leek made his find on Monday, I immediately came here to give advice, because not everyone knows. “
Not forbidden Coincidentally, community police officer Eva Dijkman (no family) is also watching the magnet fisherman. Or not coincidentally, because the Groningen police are also alert now that a grenade is regularly fished out of the water here.
“Magnetic fishing is not prohibited here, it is only in certain areas in the city, such as the Diepenring. But I do point out the risks and the rules to the people who are doing it now. They need to know what to do when they uncover an explosive. And they also need to clean up the mess they fish up. “
Jan Duurt Dijkman agrees with the latter wholeheartedly. ‘These days I always have to take the mess that others leave behind. The neighborhood is also starting to notice that I take everything with me. This time I came with the trailer especially for it, but please write down that those magnet fishermen should not pass up. “
Liberation But why are so many grenades in the water here? War historian Joel Stoppels knows this: “During the liberation of Groningen between 13 and 16 April there was fierce fighting in the Korrewegwijk, so there was a lot of unexploded ammunition there. After the war it was often just thrown into the ponds. It was not thought that magnet fishermen would ever come and fish it. Now all of that is emerging. “
Stoppels also points to the risks of magnet fishing for grenades. “It is very dangerous indeed. If you fish a phosphorus grenade as a magnet fisherman, it can ignite spontaneously as soon as oxygen is added, then the consequences are incalculable. And it also matters how you work as a magnet fisherman. If you pull hard and treat the explosive roughly, it can explode, especially if it is a dud, an unexploded grenade on target. But the rust can make even ammunition that hasn’t been fired become unstable. “ |
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