Reenactors: avoid doing this!

[Bigkahuna]

As I recall we had several "messy" accidents with cannons during the Bicenntennial. Most involved the loss of a hand due to not sponging the barrel properly between shots.

[BoldHighlander]

As I recall we had several "messy" accidents with cannons during the Bicenntennial. Most involved the loss of a hand due to not sponging the barrel properly between shots.

There's also been a few of those within the ACW community in the last 10 years too (& I believe a death or two as well).

I do remember someone either blasting their neighbor's (or their own) house by accident about 2 or 3 years ago though. I'll have to check the BAR list & see if I can locate it

[BoldHighlander]

There's also been a few of those within the ACW community in the last 10 years too (& I believe a death or two as well).

I do remember someone either blasting their neighbor's (or their own) house by accident about 2 or 3 years ago though. I'll have to check the BAR list & see if I can locate it

I haven't located the incident I was thinking about & in truth might have confused it with a collector who was killed in his garage back in May 2008 when he attempted to disarm an ACW naval round that went off. It broke house windows up to 9 miles away!

I did run across some accidental ACW cannon deaths from about 2000 on back however (& quite a number of accidents).

I'm not sure why there seems to be more accidental deaths & injuries amongst Ame. Civil War cannon operators than 18th century?
IMHO (& this is strictly from my own observation/participation) it's perhaps because from what I've observed, there are stricter safety guidelines in Rev War? Some ACW events I participated in the 1990s almost turned into free-for-alls during the battles. Is this still true?

[Chas]

He said he is sorry and he will stop shooting them on his property, about 35 miles southeast of Pittsburgh.

So what is Yahoo News trying to say - the people of Pittsburgh are in some kind of danger from this man 35 miles away?

Regards

Chas

[Howard Clark]

I have a friend who, thinking that they would shed velocity very quickly due to their small mass, shot at his neighbors garage (1/2 mi. away) with a load of radishes, several times. The siding on that side of the garage had to be replaced, as it had been riddled very thoroughly with radish sized holes. The owner was unimpressed. I, on the other hand, thought it was very impressive that radishes could do that.

[St. Amish]

I have a friend who, thinking that they would shed velocity very quickly due to their small mass, shot at his neighbors garage (1/2 mi. away) with a load of radishes, several times. The siding on that side of the garage had to be replaced, as it had been riddled very thoroughly with radish sized holes. The owner was unimpressed. I, on the other hand, thought it was very impressive that radishes could do that.

I'm just wondering why radishes?

Eggs would have been my choice. Or cow pies.

[macwilkin]

As I recall we had several "messy" accidents with cannons during the Bicenntennial. Most involved the loss of a hand due to not sponging the barrel properly between shots.

Yep. I've seen the film of a nasty incident involving a cannon crew at the half-time of a sporting event...the film is shown as part of NPS's black powder training for living historians.

T.

[dfmacliam]

Well so much for my swivel gun for home security....lol and no radish loads..