Cannon in Central Park, NYC still loaded after 230+ years!

[Lancer]

That's awesome from a historic & scientific standpoint, and also happens to be funny as hell!

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — A dangerous and historic discovery was made in Central Park on Friday afternoon.

Parks workers came upon a live cannon ball, loaded in a cannon that is getting refurbished, CBS 2’s Lou Young reported exclusively.

The loaded artillery piece was one of two Revolutionary War-era cannons being stored at the park’s Ramble shed near the 79th Street transverse. Preservation workers for the Central Park Conservancy called police about mid-day after opening up the capped cannon for cleaning.

The NYPD released a picture of what its officers found: more than 800 grams of black powder still capable of firing, along with cotton wadding and a cannonball CBS 2’s Young spotted being carried in a white cloth by a Conservancy employee.

For John Moore, who is working on a book called “The Secrets of Central Park,” this is a new one.

“This is an amazing surprise. It was there for so many years and people were sitting on it when it was a loaded cannon,” Moore said.

That’s right: the loaded cannon was on public display from the 1860s until 1996 when the Conservancy decided to bring it indoors to protect it from vandalism. It was donated to the park about the time of the Civil War.

The finding was a shock to everyone involved, including tourists using the park Friday afternoon.

“Something like that, it’s surprising to be overlooked,” Denise Night said.

“It seems like some people are pretty incompetent not to notice after all these years,” Steve Night added.

In fairness, it never occurred to anyone that the cannon, which is said to be at least 233 years old, would still pose a threat. The field piece was already more than 90 years old when it was donated to the park, apparently by someone who’d salvaged it from a sunken British frigate in the East River. It was put on display at the park, and capped with concrete. No one even considered the possibility that British sailors had loaded and sealed it before their ship went down.

In the end, police removed the powder, but left the cannonball, all the while taking a lighthearted approach to the incident.

“We silenced British cannon fire in 1776 and we don’t want to hear it again in Central Park,” the NYPD said in a statement.

It’s probably safe to say, that’s the last one in Central Park.

[Dominus Atheos]

There's no way that black powder is still capable of exploding. Even ignoring the fact that it was taken off a sunken ship, the New York weather would have ruined it after the first night.

Still a damn cool discovery.

[That NOS Guy]

“We silenced British cannon fire in 1776 and we don’t want to hear it again in Central Park,” the NYPD said in a statement.

I had no idea the same year New York was occupied by a foreign army and remained so for 7 years was the year Revolution ended. Fancy that.

[xthetenth]

Well we did silence British cannon fire in NYC... by losing the city.

[Slacker]

With the NYPD, it's all about the technicalities.

[Zaune]

Just as well nobody ever had the bright idea of dropping a match down the touch-hole on a lark, isn't it?

[The Duchess of Zeon]

Well we did silence British cannon fire in NYC... by losing the city.

*snickers*

This is the best response I could even imagine.

[Irbis]

What about British cannon fire in 1814? Too inconvenient to remember?

[Aaron MkII]

Just as well nobody ever had the bright idea of dropping a match down the touch-hole on a lark, isn't it?

Wouldn't have worked. Black powder absorbs water, it would have been ruined in days.

[LaCroix]

Well, during a long, warm summer, it might have dried up. Given that it is within a metal "jar", and thus no run-off of material, it would still be viable.
Many people make this mistake when finding old guns - blackpowder can be dried and reused. Being a mess instead of proper grains, it would burn erratic, but it would burn.

[Aaron MkII]

Learn something new everday, thanks man.

[LaCroix]

Drying blackpowder is an old tradition that is around since the invention of guns. The usual method was taking a piece of metal, heat it near a fire until it's almost too hot to touch, REMOVE IT FROM THE FIRE TO A SAFE DISTANCE, and then pour the damp powder on it (only small batches, jsut to be sure). Repeat until all powder is dried.

Even when immersed in salt water, the powder will still ignite, but leave more gunk in the barrel. Only moving water will destroy blackpowder, over time.

Anectote: Many American Indians made the mistake of not removing the metal from the fire in the period they were copying the white man's way of handling guns...

[His Divine Shadow]

Wetting black powder and extruding the sludge through a plate filled with a certain sized holes is how you get the various grains of black power (1,2,3,4FG) as well. A lot like making macaronis.

[The Guid]

Dar ECBers,

The Eagle has spotted the frogspwan, REPEAT, the EAGLE HAS SPOTTED THE FROGSPAWN!

Abort plan Delta! Abort plan Delta!

[LaCroix]

The best thing, like always, are the comments. People raging about liberals must have been in charge of that cannon (for they forgot to check it), yada yada.

They conveniently forget that the guns were there from the 1860s on, and not checked upon ever since... A time where about everyone knew how to handle a gun. Everyone simply assumed tho others already had checked it.

[xthetenth]

What about British cannon fire in 1814? Too inconvenient to remember?

I thought that was all Canadians to hear them tell it. Also, we're talking about NYC which I don't believe saw any exchanges.

[Losonti Tokash]

Even if you don't count the Battle of New York as an exchange, there was certainly the last cannon fired at the crowds on Evacuation Day.

[Irbis]

Wetting black powder and extruding the sludge through a plate filled with a certain sized holes is how you get the various grains of black power (1,2,3,4FG) as well. A lot like making macaronis.

Correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't old gunpowder tend to separate into components over time? And that through mixing and pressing into shape that keeps them mixed is relatively modern invention? Or was it known back then already?

Well, during a long, warm summer, it might have dried up. Given that it is within a metal "jar", and thus no run-off of material, it would still be viable.

Unless, of course, water penetrated into gunpowder area while it was submerged, then the ball, cotton wadding and the barrel cap kept the water from escaping. Granted, there was a lot of time for it dry even very slowly, though.

I thought that was all Canadians to hear them tell it. Also, we're talking about NYC which I don't believe saw any exchanges.

Discounting stopped invasion of New York state, wasn't NYC under English blockade from 1814? Gun exchanges next to the city wouldn't be that unlikely then.

[His Divine Shadow]

Wetting black powder and extruding the sludge through a plate filled with a certain sized holes is how you get the various grains of black power (1,2,3,4FG) as well. A lot like making macaronis.

Correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't old gunpowder tend to separate into components over time? And that through mixing and pressing into shape that keeps them mixed is relatively modern invention? Or was it known back then already?

I don't think black powder degrades like that, it's not a chemical compound that can degrade, it's just three ingredients that are mixed together mechanically. As long as it's dry and undisturbed it should last for a very long time.

And making BP into granules started in the 14th century, it was a different less precise method then ofcourse.

[Irbis]

I don't think black powder degrades like that, it's not a chemical compound that can degrade, it's just three ingredients that are mixed together mechanically. As long as it's dry and undisturbed it should last for a very long time.

IIRC, saltpetre is heavier that sulphur or charcoal, and any movement at all causes it to rapidly sink toward bottom of container if not properly mixed.

And making BP into granules started in the 14th century, it was a different less precise method then ofcourse.

Yes, but as it turns out, I looked and granules they made back then were susceptible to water. Wet the powder, saltpetre will come to the surface of granules, crystallize, then separate as above.

[His Divine Shadow]

IIRC, saltpetre is heavier that sulphur or charcoal, and any movement at all causes it to rapidly sink toward bottom of container if not properly mixed.

That is part of the reason for making it into granules, the other being able to control burn rates.

Yes, but as it turns out, I looked and granules they made back then were susceptible to water. Wet the powder, saltpetre will come to the surface of granules, crystallize, then separate as above.

Hence I qualified my statement with the key words dry and undisturbed.