K-kid; Unfortunately, this type of cannon accident isn't as rare as I, and others would wish they were. The reason being that many of these incidents happen when a gunner is ramming the charge into the chamber of the bore of a piece that has already been fired, but then hasn't been serviced correctly, so when the powder charge touches a live ember with the rammer still in the bore, the powder ignites, and sends the rammer sailing.
I had almost suggeted that was the case. But then there was no report of anyone else being injured (part or all of a hand taken off). On something like this I'm fairly sure that it would have been mentioned too.
It was never my intention in the first post I made on this thread to offer up any opinion as to the real chain of events that led to the rammer being the cause of this man's fractured leg, and his wife's bruised back. The simple truth is that I didn't know then, what exact circumstances led to the rammer flying through the air like a projectile, anymore than I now know. The arms expert from the West point Museum offers an explanation that seems reasonable, but it isn't necessarily factual. The only thing I was trying to do was inform Kitchawan Kid that this type (rammers being fired out of cannons) of muzzleloading artillery accident isn't as uncommon as we would like it to be, and that the most common cause is a smoldering remnant from the previous charge that has been left in the gun's bore, which causes the new charge being rammed in the barrel to ignite.
To me there is something that is now even more interesting than the artillery accident that occurred at this privately funded historical reenactment fort located in New York State. I’ll say here that I’ve never had the opportunity to fire a full size muzzleloading cannon before, so my understanding of safety procedures comes from reading different sources that recommend/require the procedures that should be followed , and the equipment that should be used, and also from observing different groups live firing cannons in person, and on video. There are members here that are obviously of the opinion that if a premature discharge occurs while a man is in the process of seating that charge, that it is a foregone conclusion that the gunner handling the rammer is going to sustain some severe bodily injury. I was of the opinion (perhaps mistakenly) that if certain precautions were taken when loading the cannon, that the odds of walking away from this type of accident ( albeit with a bruised hand, charred gloves, and shaky legs) would be in the gunners favor.
Now, I’m doing this off the top of my head, and I’m not claiming that these required/recommended procedures come from one organization, or group, but these are some of the ML cannon safety steps that I recall reading.
The design of the rammer itself: The rammer should be made out of a solid piece of wood, and the head fashioned so there are no sharp transitions from the head to the shaft, just a smooth surface that decreases in diameter as the head blends into the shaft. The reason for this design should be obvious; if the rammer is sent flying there will be no sharp angles, or edges that will grab at, break, or dismember parts of the artilleryman’s hand. In theory this rammer head design is supposed to force open the grasp of the gunners hand on the shaft, without causing severe trauma to the hand.
Heavy duty fire retardant welders gloves should be worn by all gunners servicing the gun at the muzzle. These are gauntlet gloves with a piece that extends above the wrist, providing protection to the forearms.
I have even read where some reenacting groups require the gunners servicing the cannon at the muzzle to wear 100% wool jackets, because the wool will (supposedly) only burn so long as a direct flame is in contact with the material, and will extinguish itself when the source of the flame has ceased.
The positioning of the artilleryman’s body, and head in relation to the muzzle of the gun when he is ramming the charge home, so that in case of an accidental discharge, as much of his upper body and face (head) as is possible, will not be subjected to the flame from the muzzle blast.
I’m really anxious to hear what others will have to say about this.
