There were two large propane tank bombs planted in the cafeteria
According to the official story, the cafeteria bombs created by Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold were sophisticated devices that could have killed hundreds and would have taken out the second-story library. That story didn't age well.
Disclaimer
Disclaimer: This post in no way provides instructions on how to make a bomb or a timing device. This is an analysis of why their timers failed, which is basic electronic circuitry. While this post explains why the timers failed, it does not explain what should have been done to make them work. Their entire design was flawed and it was to be ignited inside an oxygen-deprived environment.
My dad was an electrical engineer and I grew up with him building projects, computers, he competed with Casio when they both invented a synthesizer at the same time, and he built a scanner and designed OCR software in the early 1960s, so electronics are in my blood, and I need to state that I have never made an explosive device, nor would I ever. I don't even like fireworks. These are just observations.
Why did the cafeteria bomb timers fail?
If you know basic circuitry, it's obvious by looking at this photo:
Most people have been told that in order to create a timing device out of a manual alarm clock, the hands need to be metal. Rumor has it, this particular model had plastic hands, which prevented the circuit from being completed. Plastic won't complete a circuit, it's true, but there are two reasons this doesn't matter: (1) there's a simple foolproof way to use a plastic hand anyway, but (2), their timers weren't built to complete the circuit with the clock hands.
How do we know this? There's no screw in the faceplate. Clock hands need to run into a metal post on the faceplate to complete a circuit. This is not how they created their circuitry. Their circuitry was 100% in the bells. Except they didn't actually create a strong circuit. It seems they were given bad, bad instructions from someone. (Or they used this powerless circuit to set off fireworks as a test run and didn't realize it wouldn't translate to big bombs).
Here's another clock and you can see there is no screw here, either:
We don't have any evidence that they tested their timers
If they tested their timing circuitry with any success, they probably did it out in the open (not in a closed bag) because getting a fuse to light with electricity through wires is not as easy as lighting it with a lighter or even a match. They used matches all right, but if they couldn't get that fuse to ignite with the electricity first, those matches were never going to ignite to kickstart their "bombs."
Did the timers ignite when the alarm went off?
A closer look at the photos suggests these timing devices did ignite, but these appear to be from the bombs in Dylan Klebold's vehicle, which were intentionally disrupted through a controlled explosion.
Based on observing their circuitry from the photos, it appears that they had no real power because (1) they may have built a weak, useless "circuit" that rapidly connected and disconnected the circuit continuously via the bells, and (2) their ignition source (and power source - 9v battery) was weak.
The absence of a screw in the faceplate means they didn't build their timers to complete the circuit via the hands. The only other possibility is with the bells. There are two ways to build a circuit using the bells. One is weak, the other is stronger. It is possible that they created the stronger version of the bell circuit, which would not rapidly connect and disconnect the circuit, but it's impossible to know for sure without more photos.
Below is a video demonstrating the potential power of their "timing devices" with the same circuitry and a comparable ignition source to what they used (Keep in mind, in this video, the circuit is created properly, the ignition source is slightly more ignitable than what they created, this uses a much more powerful battery, and it still has no power):
This is the amount of power their timers had to ignite those cafeteria bombs. Actually less.
Their circuitry did not have the power to ignite anything more than fireworks. It was dead from the start. Their setup was what kids do to ignite fireworks remotely when bored. My guess is they tested timers on bottle rockets and other things. Then, they tried to jump from igniting small fireworks with timers to massive bombs.
Was a diversionary bomb really kicked?
I don't buy the story that a diversionary bomb was kicked or moved and then it ignited. I think that's a cover story for why the bag only started a fire and didn't cause any kind of explosion. They already told the story that 2 separate cafe bombs failed because of a single loose wire (impossible and false). With the exception of their car bombs that were intentionally disrupted, it appears that all of their timers ignited at least to a smolder. If they told people this, they would have to account for why they only smoldered and two bombs created a fire (one when shot in the cafeteria and one of the diversionary bombs). Based on the circuitry, they'd have to give away the fact that those cafe bombs were never going to explode, which would blow a hole in their story of why they never entered the school (pun intended).
How we know the clocks were weak?
Notice that you can't see the alarm hand in in the second photo. When this type of alarm goes off, the minute hand and small alarm hand overlap and the minute hand conceals the alarm hand underneath. This clock has taken a beating, so it had to have partially been disrupted. However, it's possible it took a beating from being disrupted in Dylan's BMW. We don't know where it was found because these photos were leaked and no context was given for an evidence item number to reference where it was found.
The fact that the alarm hand isn't visible indicates two possibilities:
- This timing device ignited because of the circuitry when the alarm rang. So, their circuitry "functioned," but it was weak.
- This timing device sounded the alarm, but didn't actually produce the electricity to ignite their match & fuse combo. So, it just sat there in Dylan's car until they disrupted it.
Now let's get into the time on the faces. The common misconception is the timers show the time they were set to explode. This is highly unlikely. If this device ignited something, it doesn't mean it ignited at the time set on the clock (12:48?).
You can set these alarms for any time and then set the timer for any interval of time. They took the plastic/glass faceplates out, so it would have been possible to quickly and easily set the clock to, say, 12:30 and then set the alarm at 12:45 even if the real time was 9am, 8:33am, etc. With the hour hand at the 12, the minute hand at the 6, and the alarm hand at the 9, this timing device would go off in 15 minutes. The real time would have been irrelevant.
In the first image, the minute and hour hands are gone, but the alarm is set at 12, which means it was either set to ignite on the hour (if they set the clock to the correct time) or they used the 12 mark to make it ignite in a relative amount of time. For example, they could have set the clock to any time with the minute hand at the 45 minute mark (the "9") and that would give the timer 15 minutes before it would ignite. Since these clocks can be set to any time to make timing the ignition easy in chunks of 15-30 minutes, we will never know what time these devices were actually set to go off.
Dylan said it would be the most nerve-wracking 15 minutes of his life waiting for the timers to go off before they would start shooting, so they probably did set them for 15 minutes. If that's true, since they planted the bombs at 11am, they would have set them to ignite at 11:15, which makes sense, considering that's about when Dylan went into the cafeteria to apparently check on the bombs and then they started shooting right after.
And they wouldn't need to set the clocks to the actual time to make them go off in 15 minutes. They could have set a clock to 3:45 and set the alarm hand at the 12 and it would have gone off in 15 minutes. So again, we can't tell what time they actually ignited, only that they did ignite given their condition. The timers could have ignited in the bag at the right time and then fizzled out fast. In the video linked above, you'll see how hard it is to get fuse to ignite from this type of circuit, even when the circuit is made correctly and there is no lack of oxygen like there is in a closed bag. Fuses will ignite with a flame, but they had to create the flame with electricity first. Apparently, they couldn't get that.
How did they wire their circuits if it didn't involve the hands?
They set up their timers to complete the circuit with the hammer by ringing the bells. Don't worry, this isn't a functional circuit for anything other than hobby projects, nobody can take this information and use it for a bomb. It's trash. However, it is a huge mistake a lot of people make when using alarm clocks to power DIY electronics projects.
Go back to the first alarm clock. Notice that there is only one wire connected to the bells - it's connected to the left bell. Notice the rest of the wire is out of the picture frame. Notice also that the metal hammer that rings the bells is missing from the clock. The hammer is either connected to an alligator clip on the other end of that wire and was ripped off the clock, or it completely fell out of the clock.
Also notice the duct tape on the metal bar that connects the bells. Based on the way it's wrapped completely over the top wire, the tape is probably not there just to hold the battery. The tape is likely wrapped over the space where they cut the bar in the middle. (This is a circuit a lot of people make, but it's crap and intermittent). It's possible they made it slightly differently, but either way the circuits were weak.
Here's a video that shows the end result of igniting a very similar ignition source using the same type of circuit they made, but with 4x the battery power and at least 2x the number of matches to keep the flame going AND the person who created this is preventing the hammer from moving, so the circuit doesn't break 10x a second. This is MORE powerful than what they created, and observe how weak this is:
There's your maximum oh-so-powerful, deadly, "could have taken down the library and killed 500+ people" bomb ignition potential right there.
The initial "fire" was not designed to make a bomb "go off," but rather, start a chain of ignition sources until a large fire was created. This weak electronic ignition was designed to light matches that would light a fuse (likely held together), which would then light something bigger (like a pipe bomb) to get a bigger fire going. All inside of a duffel bag with low oxygen. As you can see, even in open air this is doomed.
The only way their design would have worked is if they could get a massive spark from their initial electronic circuit, but with a 9V battery? Come on, that's not enough. They also used model rocket igniters, and maybe later I'll post a video of what it looks like for one of those to ignite from their circuitry. It's pathetic in terms of power.
We don't have pictures of the fuse from their cafeteria "bombs," but if I saw one, I could know right away if they knew how to create a short in their circuit to get more power. I doubt they knew circuits, though. They were just copying a design and had no true electronics knowledge.
It's completely understandable that the response that day was to be cautious of their bombs. However, there is absolutely no reason to perpetuate the idea that their bombs could have ever gone off or posed a threat beyond the pressure release valve filling the cafeteria with gas that would ignite, or the fire we see in the CCTV footage. There never could have been any explosions even if they had created a proper electrical circuit (this is discussed in a previous post).
The media is fully responsible for creating Eric and Dylan to be legendary school shooters and failed bombers, where they almost killed hundreds of people. Not so. That's not reality.
The puny fire we see on the CCTV tape was all they ever could have achieved and that was caused by a bullet-ruptured Coleman fuel can and the pressure allowing gas to escape from the propane tank (thanks to SarinGasAttack for researching this aspect in-depth!). The fireball was horizontal and short-lived. The "cafeteria bombs" were not bombs. They were heavy things that resembled bombs made by two people who were living in a fantasy world trying to play "bomber" when in reality, they had no clue what they were doing.
When Eric wrote about possibly leaving the battery out of the device and then putting it in when he got the bomb into the commons to avoid having it blow up right then, he was dreaming. That's not how timers even work. He was puffing himself up in his own writing/verbal expressions on the Basement Tapes to make himself feel like he was a badass bomber who knew what he was doing. In reality, he was just like every other teenager, struggling with life more than most, and he had no idea how to be a real criminal. He wasn't the type, but he tried desperately to step into that image to become somebody in death, because he knew, just like everyone knows, that people don't care until you're dead. At least, from his perspective that was the only truth he knew.
Now who taught them this circuitry? I know for a fact that other TCMers knew how to make timers that worked and were quite powerful. Why would they choose this specific circuitry when the other option is far more popular and reliable? Someone out there is responsible for teaching them poorly (and thankfully, because they taught them wrong). To my knowledge, this bad circuitry is not in the ACB, so where the heck did they get the idea from?
Did they have a friend taking an electronics course who taught them things here and there? Michelle Hartsough admitted to teaching them how to de-powder fireworks to use the powder for other purposes, since her dad was a pyrotechnics guy.
Someone out there knows the answer.
Columbine is a great example of how appearances can be deceiving. This is true on many levels, but especially with those "bombs." Now why would the media push that angle so hard? The story that they could have killed hundreds and it's a miracle their cafeteria bombs didn't go off?
I still think it was to cover for the fact that they used a bomb protocol that day and didn't get everyone into the building fast enough. Maybe it was their only line of defense against being sued into oblivion. Tell the families, community, judges, and juries that you couldn't go into the school because the whole school was booby-trapped (give me a break - booby-trapped with crickets?) and there were deadly devices everywhere (you mean pipe bombs that blew off an end cap at best?) and nobody will question you if you're the expert. Of course they had to be careful. They could have been injured, absolutely. Their pipe bombs had some power, but not enough to kill people with shrapnel (what shrapnel? They mostly remained intact), and not enough to warrant the lack of entry into the building. But, that's hindsight I guess.
So get the media to remind everyone for months and years that these two teenagers were in total control of the school with massively powerful, super-deadly bombs everywhere, and make the scene sound more dangerous than it really was for all those officers outside... and it will be believed. Man, they're legends because of this.
But leak one evidence photo of a timing device that gives away the whole show (plus other details in the documentation about the components) and when people notice the details, the circus comes to a close.
What about the 'deadly' crickets?
From the Denver Post, 02-14-99:
"They were set there to get us," Burdick said. "These two gentlemen - and I use that term loosely - wanted to take everybody out." The carbon dioxide bombs - often called "crickets" - were the smallest of the bombs. One of them, which, again, was faulty, was attached to a quart of homemade napalm and placed at one of the two doors to the library, Young said. Eventually, 26 students escaped through that door to safety.
"Had that device functioned, they wouldn't have gotten out that door," Young said, implying all of the students would have died."
There are so many problems with these statements:
(1) It's nearly impossible to make a "faulty cricket." It's literally just powder and a fuse. That's it. You light the fuse, a few seconds later it goes kaboom when the powder is ignited (but it's such a weak explosion and would not have killed anyone).
(2) The device they describe - a molotov cocktail with a cricket taped to the side - was not "faulty." It needed to be lit to explode. It wasn't lit. It was set on the ground and abandoned.
What they're describing here is a completely harmless device that required someone to light the fuse with a source of FIRE to become a danger. They could have lined up 100 of those devices and not a single one of them would have posed a danger to anyoneunless someone started lighting the fuses.
(3) The cricket was the detonator for the molotov cocktail. What he's saying here is that since the cricket didn't ignite the molotov cocktail all by itself, it was "faulty." That's not how it works. That's like saying a pipe bomb is faulty because you set it on a table and it didn't explode. You.Have.To.Light.The.Fuse to make it work.
And even if this device had been lit, this is an example of what that oh-so-deadly explosion would have looked like.
Certainly, this explosion would have wiped out every student who exited the building? Killing hundreds! Give me a break!
This is what a traditional molotov cocktail looks like when it explodes from being thrown/smashed.
Here's another video showing a traditional molotov cocktail being thrown at a billboard.
Here's a video of military personnel training with molotov cocktails.
The device Harris and Klebold placed at the library doors - the molotov with a cricket taped to the side - was designed to be detonated by the cricket in lieu of throwing it. The explosions seen in the above three videos are exactly what this device would have produced had the cricket fuse been lit. At best, it would have created a short-lived fire that may have burned people, but definitely would not have killed anyone. And after several seconds, the fire would have died down and everyone could have jumped over the tiny flames to safety.
And who would have lit the fuse to make this device become a fire hazard? Certainly not SWAT or the students. Haven't SWAT seen a molotov cocktail before? Of course they have! It's the most basic IED on the planet. There's a reason they "gently pushed the bomb aside before storming the school." First of all, it wasn't a bomb. Second, they gently pushed it aside because they knew it was a harmless molotov cocktail that wasn't going to explode unless they lit the fuse or smashed it. They didn't move the pipe bombs because disturbing the powder can detonate the device without the fuse being lit. But a molotov with a puny cricket? SWAT knew exactly what it was, so they moved it out of the way.
This article is just another example of how police tried to play up the bombs to shield themselves from backlash over not going into the building. Don't buy the BS about their bombs being deadly. It's all hype.