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primitve cannon


silverhearted maggie

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My husband made an accidental discovery which made me wonder about the history of the cannon.

He was pouring gasoline on a tree stump to try to burn it out. There was a hole next to the tree where some of the gasoline poured down. When he lit the stump the gasoline in the hole caught on fire. What he didn't know was that the hole was a tunnel connecting another hole about 6 feet away. That connecting hole "boomed" out a force of fire and air.

So, it got me a-thinkin'. Was this kind of primitive cannon ever used? Did it contribute to the cannons we know today? Is my husband a very lucky dumb-ass?

We have tried it several times since with the same results each time. We haven't put anything in the hole to see if it would actually shoot something in the air but if anybody has any suggestions...

Long Live the crew of the CrimsonPermanent Assurance!

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Yes... I am pretty sure that the cannon was developed from someone pouring gas on a treestump and lighting it.

;)

GoF

Come aboard my pirate re-enacting site

http://www.gentlemenoffortune.com/

Where you will find lots of information on building your authentic Pirate Impression!

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All joking aside, some early Chinese cannons were fashioned out of thick sections of bamboo. The charge was often very light and more often used for the purpose of fireworks or infantry charges. They are far from the heavy ground shakers of later years, but they did exsist.

 

image.jpeg.6e5f24495b9d06c08a6a4e051c2bcc99.jpeg

 

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Why waste time building a tree stump cannon when they coulda made improvised hand grenadoes? :unsure:

Interesting link on European cannon development-

http://www.hyw.com/Books/History/cannon.htm

and another-

http://www.du.edu/~jcalvert/tech/cannon.htm

Yours, &c.

Mike

Try these for starters- "A General History of the Pyrates" edited by Manuel Schonhorn, "Captured by Pirates" by John Richard Stephens, and "The Buccaneers of America" by Alexander Exquemelin.

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Using a hole-in-the-ground and an explosive is actually a primative "fougasse".

Generally, the way these worked was to dig a pit in front of your walls facing the expected direction of enemy advance. Place a charge of powder in it, with a fuze of some sorts running back to within your walls.

Place a layer of gravel over the powder charge.

Wait for undesirables to get within range, taking into account the burn rate for the length of fuze.

Giggle at aftereffects.

Dances for nickels.

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Using a hole-in-the-ground and an explosive is actually a primative "fougasse".

Generally, the way these worked was to dig a pit in front of your walls facing the expected direction of enemy advance. Place a charge of powder in it, with a fuze of some sorts running back to within your walls.

Place a layer of gravel over the powder charge.

Wait for undesirables to get within range, taking into account the burn rate for the length of fuze.

Giggle at aftereffects.

Thanks for the info! I appreciate Mad Mike's cannon links as well. Now if I can convince my husband that pouring gas down a hornet's hole and shooting it with bottle rockets isn't such a great idea I think maybe we'll be safe for awhile !

I feel for him though..I mean who doesn't like to blow things up?

Long Live the crew of the CrimsonPermanent Assurance!

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Is my husband a very lucky dumb-ass?

We have tried it several times since with the same results each time. We haven't put anything in the hole to see if it would actually shoot something in the air but if anybody has any suggestions...

My suggestion: stop playing games with it before something serious happens. Gasoline, black powder, improvised cannon: these are not things to play games with! I know people who have lost body parts this way. :lol:

Capt. William

"The fight's not over while there's a shot in the locker!"

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Using a hole-in-the-ground and an explosive is actually a primative "fougasse".

Generally, the way these worked was to dig a pit in front of your walls facing the expected direction of enemy advance. Place a charge of powder in it, with a fuze of some sorts running back to within your walls.

Place a layer of gravel over the powder charge.

Wait for undesirables to get within range, taking into account the burn rate for the length of fuze.

Giggle at aftereffects.

Thanks for the info! I appreciate Mad Mike's cannon links as well. Now if I can convince my husband that pouring gas down a hornet's hole and shooting it with bottle rockets isn't such a great idea I think maybe we'll be safe for awhile !

I feel for him though..I mean who doesn't like to blow things up?

Maggie,

If you're named as his sole beneficiary, what's the worry? B)

Dances for nickels.

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remind me NEVER to let my brothers read this website. we already had the rocket phase. not really over, especially since my dad encourages it...

they like to make things go BOOM!!!

which is usually followed by:

B) "dude, that was cool..."

"DO IT AGAIN! DO IT AGAIN!"

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they like to make things go BOOM!!!

which is usually followed by:

"dude, that was cool..."

"DO IT AGAIN! DO IT AGAIN!"

Which always seems to be followed by "OH S@#$!!!!" and Sirens and Ginormous bills... and then your mother and/or wife shaking their head and sighing heavily.... :unsure:

- 10 Fathoms Deep on the Road to Hell... Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rum...

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Quick story: this one made the Darwin Awards as an honorable mention (he didn't die)

Some guys (its always some guys) sitting out in the back yard drinking beer and shooting pistols at cans, bottles, whatever. A raccoon strolls accross the field of fire and everybody opens up on the critter (after all, he asked for it). All the fine marksmen miss and the raccoon scurries down a culvert. To flush the critter back out, the assembled geniuses pour gasoline into the culvert. Still no critter. One intrepid (read "really stupid") member of the party crawls in after the departing raccoon, but cannot find him...its too dark...so, he flicks his Bic lighter and

Report says it blew him right over the house. Broke a few things but he lived to possibly "contribute" to the shallow end of the gene pool.

The raccoon escaped out the other end of the culvert.

3ff66f1f.jpg

My occupational hazard bein' my occupation's just not around...

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Huzzah to the Raccoon.

If Disney Movies have taught us nothing, its that braindead morons will ALWAYS, without fail, be outdone, but furry woodland critters....

:lol:

- 10 Fathoms Deep on the Road to Hell... Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rum...

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