The 4 rules apply to cannons

Glenn E. Meyer · January 12, 2013, 01:28 PM

Treat your cannon as if it was always loaded.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/12/ny...tral-park.html

You just have to laugh. It was a revolutionary war British cannon and when they went to clean it - it was loaded and ready to go.

Obviously, no one should be hurt but it is amusing if that ancient cannon went off - and hurt no one.

sigcurious · January 12, 2013, 01:35 PM

I do find two things particularly interesting. One that after all those years the powder was deemed to be in working condition(bet naval folk back in the day wished their powder stayed so dry), and two instead of just spreading out and burning off the powder, they moved it some place "for safekeeping".

Rainbow Demon · January 12, 2013, 02:26 PM

Black Powder is such a simple formulation that you can soak it in water for decades then dry it out and it will still go off.
If the granules break down it can cause pressure problems but other wise its still an explosive mixture.

With ancient powder removed from such a cannon the powder could have historical significance and they may wish to analyse it to discover its origin.

There were many sources for BP in those days, with variations in quality of ingrediants. Each batch was tested to determine the exact powder charge needed.

sigcurious · January 12, 2013, 02:34 PM

Yes but sitting in a park in NYC is not exactly the conditions where drying out if it became wet are likely.

Alabama Shooter · January 12, 2013, 04:40 PM

That would be awfully neat if that cannon was loaded in the 1700s. I bet some historians would like to take a look at it, especially the powder.

Falcon5NZ · January 13, 2013, 04:38 AM

Maybe they needed this guy

(Background to the video for non-Kiwi's: Over here we have an jobseek service called "seek" A few years ago they had a series of ads showing non-existant jobs, with the tagline "If it exists, you'll find it on seek". "Cannon Safety Inspector" was one of them. As soon as I read the article I thought of the ad.)

January 12, 2013, 01:28 PM	#1
Glenn E. Meyer Senior Member Join Date: November 17, 2000 Posts: 20,064	The 4 rules apply to cannons Treat your cannon as if it was always loaded. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/12/ny...tral-park.html You just have to laugh. It was a revolutionary war British cannon and when they went to clean it - it was loaded and ready to go. Obviously, no one should be hurt but it is amusing if that ancient cannon went off - and hurt no one. __________________ NRA, TSRA, IDPA, NTI, Polite Soc. - Aux Armes, Citoyens

January 12, 2013, 04:40 PM	#5
Alabama Shooter Senior Member Join Date: December 20, 2012 Location: Sweet Home Posts: 886	That would be awfully neat if that cannon was loaded in the 1700s. I bet some historians would like to take a look at it, especially the powder. __________________ Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday.

January 13, 2013, 04:38 AM	#6
Falcon5NZ Senior Member Join Date: May 19, 2008 Location: Somewhere North of the Roaring 40's...Just Posts: 275	Maybe they needed this guy (Background to the video for non-Kiwi's: Over here we have an jobseek service called "seek" A few years ago they had a series of ads showing non-existant jobs, with the tagline "If it exists, you'll find it on seek". "Cannon Safety Inspector" was one of them. As soon as I read the article I thought of the ad.) __________________ It is New Zealand's role to send out its bright young men and women to help run the rest of the world. And they go, not hating the country of their birth, but loving it. From this loving base they make their mark on the world. Pro-1080 Poison and proud of it!!

January 12, 2013, 01:35 PM	#2
sigcurious Senior Member Join Date: May 25, 2011 Posts: 1,755	I do find two things particularly interesting. One that after all those years the powder was deemed to be in working condition(bet naval folk back in the day wished their powder stayed so dry), and two instead of just spreading out and burning off the powder, they moved it some place "for safekeeping".

January 12, 2013, 02:26 PM	#3
Rainbow Demon Senior Member Join Date: September 27, 2012 Posts: 397	Black Powder is such a simple formulation that you can soak it in water for decades then dry it out and it will still go off. If the granules break down it can cause pressure problems but other wise its still an explosive mixture. With ancient powder removed from such a cannon the powder could have historical significance and they may wish to analyse it to discover its origin. There were many sources for BP in those days, with variations in quality of ingrediants. Each batch was tested to determine the exact powder charge needed.

January 12, 2013, 02:34 PM	#4
sigcurious Senior Member Join Date: May 25, 2011 Posts: 1,755	Yes but sitting in a park in NYC is not exactly the conditions where drying out if it became wet are likely.