Posted on 05/02/2008 8:39:16 PM PDT by fishhound
CHESTER, Va. (May 2) - Like many boys in the South, Sam White got hooked on the Civil War early, digging up rusting bullets and military buttons in the battle-scarred earth of his hometown As an adult, he crisscrossed the Virginia countryside in search of wartime relics -- weapons, battle flags, even artillery shells buried in the red clay. He sometimes put on diving gear to feel for treasures hidden in the black muck of river bottoms.
But in February, White's hobby cost him his life: A cannonball he was restoring exploded, killing him in his driveway.
More than 140 years after Lee surrendered to Grant, the cannonball was still powerful enough to send a chunk of shrapnel through the front porch of a house a quarter-mile from White's home in this leafy Richmond suburb.
White's death shook the close-knit fraternity of relic collectors and raised concerns about the dangers of other Civil War munitions that lay buried beneath old battlefields. Explosives experts said the fatal blast defied extraordinary odds.
"You can't drop these things on the ground and make them go off," said retired Col. John F. Biemeck, formerly of the Army Ordnance Corps.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.aol.com ...
One thing I learned shooting old time black powder guns over the years is that unlike smokeless powder, black powder has a very long shelf life.
Hope to build a traditions soon.
Trying to find a civil war history ping list do you know who might have one?
Color me ignorant, but I didn’t know that old cannonballs explode. I honestly thought that the explosion was in the cannon, which propelled the ball as a projectile and the resulting damage was from impact, not explosion.
How are those things constructed?
What did these cannonballs use for a detonator? Was there some kind of primer/fuse that went off on impact?
Might have been:
Light fuse
Drop cannonball in cannon
Light cannon fuse
I could be wrong though.
Don’t know but I do know some where explosive.
Trying to find and ping the civil war or guys in the know on FR.
“Now, son, gunpowder is very safe, and i’m a trained profeessional. Hand me that blowtorch so I can get started.”
Holy delayed-reaction, Batman!
Great picture.
Fuses...they’re whats for dinner. lol
indcons...Ping Mil History
On the other hand I could see a few names!
Names I wouldn’t loose sleep over!
thanks
did they have special wrencheds for these like deck plate wrenches?
LOL.
Hence the "Star Spangled Banner" lyrics: "And the rockets' red glare; the bombs bursting in air"...
Trying to find a civil war history ping list do you know who might have one?
It is a blast (pun intended) to shoot black powder arms. I've had 'em, all single shot flintlocks, percussion riles, pistols and revolvers. Build it and have a blast. If you need helpful hints about their firing and care, send me a FreepMail. Although I had three great-grandfathers in the conflict, I don't know of a Civil War ping list. Does anyone else?
Thanks. I will.
Did you do the match lock at all? A guy posted a deer kill on youtube with one, gun looked 5 feet long.
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