Here at Seacoast Artillery we have always believed in putting all the information out on the table and then standing back and letting all the interested parties discuss it and then make up their own minds where the truth lies.
Is that a dichotomy, or is it a paradox?
Hmmm...
Neither, this statement simply means that we have no preconceived notions. It merely belies our state of mind, that of complete and utter openness.
T&M
Oh. In that case, you might should become "open" to the possibility that you forgot to load the ball, or maybe it rolled up the bbl and fell out before the charge went off. 
After all, nobody seen it in the air...
Victor, your astuteness is absolutely astounding! Even though I hit you over the head with one of those laughable caveman clubs seen in cartoons, everyone else with similarly hit too, and no one got it. You did! That fairly heavy hint that I gave out about the fact that not one of the 49 or so people present actually saw the projectile depart terra firma, should have caused some comment, but, incredibly, it didn't, until now.
The question, most certainly, is, "WHY?" We are open to all reasons except that we may have forgot to load the ball. When you stare down into that giant maw of the Monster Mortar and see the big, shiny cartridge of black powder staring right back at you, you're not likely to forget that experience, especially as you lower that 16 pounder down on top of it and roll the ball around so the finger holes are DOWN. The only thing worse, that I can imagine, would be loading a shell into the 8-Inch Seige and Garrison Howitzer, the one shaped like one of General Grant's cigar stubs. I bet that Artilleryman could tell all of us why THAT is so Spooky!
As for the ball rolling up the barrel and falling out before the charge went off, all I can say is this: "We ain't in Canada you know. We are nowhere near Moncton and the "Magnetic Hill" where my father drove the ole '49 Plymouth to the bottom of the hill when I was seven years old, turned off the engine, took his foot off the brakes and we rolled backward all the way back to the top of the hill!" Anyway, with the tube at 60 degs.,the ball did not roll out.
The really big question is still WHY did no one see that ball fly skyward??? Come on now, if you have ever bowled, even once in your life, you know how Big and Heavy those balls are!! It was a dark colored ball with orange highlights, one of those swirly designs, but mostly dark. Against the bright blue Montana sky it should have been simple to pick up and track. Not one person was able to do that. Why??
Tracy & Mike
Proof the ball was loaded. I just bought the quicktime everything software package so this flick better show. Please double click on the image.
