I'm not going to blame any of the school's authorities for this, because it's very possible that their maintenance workers dumped the cannons like this and they didn't know anything about it, but I do like the fact that the student reporters for the schools paper brought this situation to everyone's attention.
After reading the article I was thinking that maybe it would be wiser if they decided to mount the guns on two wrought iron Marsilly carriages, and thereby avoid the need of having to either replace or refurbish two wooden Marsilly carriages in another few years. It wouldn't be the historically accurate way that the cannons were mounted on the U.S.S. Hartford, but the reasons for doing so could be explained on a commemorative plaque placed by the guns.
http://media.www.trinitytripod.com/media/storage/paper520/news/2006/04/04/News/Historic.Cannons.To.Be.Fixed-1782144.shtmlThis is the article that came from the above link.
The Trinity Tripod
Online Edition
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Historic Cannons to Be Fixed?
Bill Cosgrove
Issue date: 4/4/06 Section: News
Restoration work on the main quad's two historic war cannons is in its infancy stage and major work is scheduled to begin later this spring, according to Director of Facilities Sally Katz.
"Our hope is that they will be back before the fall, but like everything else that schedule may slide if more pressing work arises," said Katz. "We want to get them repaired and back out on the campus, but we have to fit the work into the schedule of other projects."
As of now, Katz stated the cannons are being stored in the Buildings and Grounds holding area and "are behind a fence and bounded by barriers and palettes."
Upon further investigation by Tripod reporters, however, it was discovered that the cannons are lying outside in the Facilities lot surrounded by dumpsters and tires. There was no fence or barrier surrounding the cannons to prevent anyone from vandalizing them.
The cannons, which were used during the Civil War aboard the U.S.S. Hartford, were removed from their spot along the Lower Long Walk overlooking the athletic fields last spring because the wooden bases that held them in place were beginning to disintegrate. When the Navy League of the United States borrowed the cannons in 1994 for display during commissioning ceremonies for the second U.S.S. Hartford, they replaced the bases with new ones whose design was drawn from original plans in the Smithsonian Institution. "Unfortunately, the wood used was not properly cured and the [bases] proceeded to deteriorate more rapidly than their predecessors," explained College Archivist Peter Knapp '65. "Since each cannon weighs about 9,000 pounds, it was prudent to remove them from public display for reasons of safety." The bases need to be completely rebuilt from scratch.
Michael Roraback of Buildings and Grounds, who oversees the skilled trades team, is heading the restoration project and has ordered several different wood types that will be able to withstand exposure to New England's harsh elements. Roraback will be able to rebuild the bases because he has been able to get blueprints detailing the original bases. Katz noted that the skilled trades team is very busy right now preparing for graduation ceremonies and Reunion Weekend. Once Reunion Weekend (June 8-11) is over, Roraback and his team hope to be able to spend a lot of time reconstructing the bases for the cannons.
In regards to funding, Katz does not have final pricing on the project yet. However, President Jimmy Jones said, "On the money front, the cost to refurbish them and to remount them is quite modest and was included in the Buildings and Grounds budget for 2005 (this fiscal year ends on June 30, 2006)."
Where the cannons came from and how they ended up at Trinity is an interesting story, one which Knapp wrote about in the September 1995 issue of the trinity Reporter. In the article, Knapp recounts the role of the U.S.S. Hartford in the Civil War. Commanded by Admiral David Farragut, the Hartford, along with other Union naval forces, captured New Orleans in April of 1862. later, Farragut focused on capturing Mobile, Ala., an important industrial center, during the Battle of Mobile Bay. Knapp writes, "On August 5, 1864 occured the battle with which Farragut and the Hartford became synonymous for their heroic achievements and which gave rise to Farragut's immortal utterance, "Damn the torpedoes [i.e., mines], full speed ahead!"
After the war, the Hartford served overseas before having its armament removed in 1894. The ship was decommissioned in 1926, and declared a relic in 1945 before being sunk in 1956.
The city of Hartford received four of the Hartford's cannons in 1898 and they were originally situated at each corner of the State Capitol grounds. In 1949, Keith Funston, Trinity's president, learned that two of the cannons were in the city's storage yard and asked whether they could be loaned to Trinity as a memorial for students who fought in the Civil War. Of the 105 Trinity men in the war, 81 fought for the Union and 24 for the Confederacy, and 16 died. In 1950, the cannons were brought to the campus.
In the Reporter, Knapp describes the cannons as "a symbol of supreme heroism and selflessness."
Students that the Tripod spoke with seem to miss the cannons and hope they come back soon. "They made me feel really safe when I was walking on the lower Long Walk. If I saw a menacing figure approaching me at night, I would think "No problem! If he tries anything, I've got these big cannons. Nothing can touch me!" said Claire Haley '08. Summer Cannon '08 hopes the cannons are returned soon "because they are part of the history of the school. I'm sure the tour guides miss them."
Some students wonder how safe Trinity is from rival schools now that the cannons are gone. "We're far less safe from a sneak attack from guerrilla fighters from Wesleyan," noted Haley. Similarly, Isaac Oransky '08 asked, "How will we defend ourselves from Yale if not for the cannons?"
Ultimately, members of the Trinity community are confident that the cannons will be appropriately restored and do not mind any extra time that it has taken to fix them. "Considering that care must be taken to do the job right this time, a few additional months or so is not of major consequence," commented Knapp. "Situated once again on the quad looking out over the playing fields, the cannons will remain a fitting memorial to the Trinity men who served in the Civil War."
http://articles.courant.com/2006-11-15/features/0611150074_1_cannons-mobile-bay-big-guns [read pp. 1-2]
