silverhearted maggie Posted October 12, 2005 Share Posted October 12, 2005 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! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gentleman of Fortune Posted October 12, 2005 Share Posted October 12, 2005 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! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarborMaster Posted October 12, 2005 Share Posted October 12, 2005 I am not Lost .,I am Exploring. "If you give a man a fire, he will be warm for a night, if you set a man on fire, he will be warm for the rest of his life!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Brand Posted October 12, 2005 Share Posted October 12, 2005 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pirate Petee Posted October 12, 2005 Share Posted October 12, 2005 I just saw this on Myth Busters. They Made a Cannon out of a tree trunk. I guess Hungarian tribes used to build them. It worked to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshuaRed Posted October 12, 2005 Share Posted October 12, 2005 Argh ya beat me to it Petee...I was gonna refer to the same Mythbusters ep....I LOVE that show. That cannon they made was damn tough too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pirate Petee Posted October 12, 2005 Share Posted October 12, 2005 yeah it was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killian Posted October 12, 2005 Share Posted October 12, 2005 And don't forget the cannon ball was made from a rock on that Myth Busters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadMike Posted October 12, 2005 Share Posted October 12, 2005 Why waste time building a tree stump cannon when they coulda made improvised hand grenadoes? 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Story Posted October 13, 2005 Share Posted October 13, 2005 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshuaRed Posted October 13, 2005 Share Posted October 13, 2005 Heck a straw with a spitball counts as a primitive cannon! Damn fun too! 'Specially when ya shoot someone with glasses and manage to get it lodged between the frame and their face. NEVER gets old! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverhearted maggie Posted October 16, 2005 Author Share Posted October 16, 2005 Yes... I am pretty sure that the cannon was developed from someone pouring gas on a treestump and lighting it. GoF Smartass! You know that's not what I meant! Long Live the crew of the CrimsonPermanent Assurance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverhearted maggie Posted October 16, 2005 Author Share Posted October 16, 2005 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! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capnwilliam Posted October 16, 2005 Share Posted October 16, 2005 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. Capt. William "The fight's not over while there's a shot in the locker!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Story Posted October 17, 2005 Share Posted October 17, 2005 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? Dances for nickels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tishsparrow Posted October 18, 2005 Share Posted October 18, 2005 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: "dude, that was cool..." "DO IT AGAIN! DO IT AGAIN!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deadeye Posted October 18, 2005 Share Posted October 18, 2005 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.... - 10 Fathoms Deep on the Road to Hell... Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rum... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Hand Posted October 19, 2005 Share Posted October 19, 2005 "Things that go BOOM..... it's a guy thing......" Interestingly enough, my gilrfriend who didn't like guns at all ..... now is getting interested in things that go Boom........ Cool.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capn_Enigma Posted October 19, 2005 Share Posted October 19, 2005 That'd make me very wary! "The floggings will continue until morale improves!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Jim Posted October 19, 2005 Share Posted October 19, 2005 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. My occupational hazard bein' my occupation's just not around... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deadeye Posted October 19, 2005 Share Posted October 19, 2005 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.... - 10 Fathoms Deep on the Road to Hell... Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rum... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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