OMG...I THINK I FOUND A wagon wheel skein!!!

[romeo-1]

I had the whole day to detect so I took a page out of the Iron Bros. book and decided to hit some sites that I've labeled as "beat". This is a site that Patriot and I hunted and is an old French site. I've hunted it many times and have a few decent targets to show for but it is awfully quiet. It's in an area that saw a lot of military activity in the early 1700s with several documented land and sea battles between the French and English. This piece was found on the river bank of one of those engagements.

I really do think that it is the business end of a small cannon...maybe a signal cannon. I would appreciate any input here. The back end is "blown out" and there are no trunnions but nonetheless...

I was just cleaning a little more corrosion off and found a hole which goes into the bore. Fuse hole?

Comments please!

 

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[CRUSADER]

Re: OMG...I THINK I FOUND A CANNON!!!

Romeo-1 wrote:
> Ok...where is "the cannonball guy"...this seems right up his alley.

I very rarely post in the Today's Finds forum, because some people have made it clear to me that they very much dislike hearing that their find is not a valuable Military relic. I myself prefer to learn the true Facts about my finds, instead of "cherishing" an object which actually isn't what I want to believe it is. However, other people disagree with that choice.

So, that having been said, I want the Today's Finds forum's readers to know that in this case, I am responding to Romeo-1's PM'ed request to me to identify the object.

> I'm still holding out hope based on the possible fuse hole.

On a cannon, the "fuse hole" you mentioned was called the touch-hole in the Colonial era, and called the vent-hole in the Civil War era. The location of that hole is the number-one clue that your find is definitely not any kind of cannon. The vent-hole is ALWAYS located at the rear end of the cannon ...because that is where the cannon's propellant-powdercharge is always located. The hole on your find is located in the middle of the object. Therefore, it is definitely not any kind of cannon, even though it does "look like" one in other ways.

There are some other clues on your object showing that it isn't a cannon. But, the location of your find's hole (it is a axle lubricant-hole) means there's no need for me to bore the forum's readers with lengthy explanations of the other not-a-cannon clues.

The only type of actual cannon which your find resembles was called a Thunder Mug ...because its short stubby body, often (but not always) having a handle, resembles a drinking-mug. A Thunder Mug's purpose was for testing gunpowder, but it could also be used as a Signal-Cannon.

Here are some photos showing an actual original Colonial era Thunder Mug. Note the location of the touch-hole/fuse-hole/vent-hole. I'll also include a photo of a modernday reproduction Thunder Mug, which shows a firecracker-fuze in the touch-hole/vent-hole at the mug's base.

case closed

 

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[creskol]

Re: OMG...I THINK I FOUND A CANNON!!!

Thanks C-ball Guy! I didn't want to spoil all the fun by myself. Glad you popped in!

 

[N.J.THer]

Re: OMG...I THINK I FOUND A CANNON!!!

Cool cannon...j/k.

Better luck next time...your cannon is out there waiting fro you somewhere...now go find it.

NJ

P.S. I always love seeing what you have dug up...I seem to learn something from your threads each time I read one.

 

[High Plains Digger]

Re: OMG...I THINK I FOUND A CANNON!!!

Truth and reality is always better than hope and change. oops.

I am honored anytime The Cannonball Guy makes a comment on my post, even if my dreams are dashed. Sorta like taking a bag of fools gold in to sell. You really only need to do that once.

 

[romeo-1]

Re: OMG...I THINK I FOUND A CANNON!!!

Thanks Creskol and Cannonball Guy. I was hoping for the best but expecting otherwise...hence the title and tone of my 1st post. I always prefer to KNOW what I have as opposed to not knowing...and learn something along the way!

 

[Iron Patch]

Re: OMG...I THINK I FOUND A CANNON!!!

hence the title and tone of my 1st post.

Banner!

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Re: OMG...I THINK I FOUND A CANNON!!!

Creskol wrote:
> Glad you popped in!

Well... as mentioned, I "popped in" due to the personal invitation I received (by PM) from the object's finder, Romeo-1.

I'm writing this to publicly give Romeo-1 applause and Respect, for seeking out the object's actual identity ...especially, after he received cheers here at TN for finding a cannon. The choice he made (to continue to seek verification of the object's actual ID) required significant courage. It would have been much easier to choose to hang onto a pleasant illusion. So, here's a public bow of Respect from me ...along with my sincere wish that he be "cosmically" rewarded with an extra-special (and valuable) find in the future.

Edit: I wrote that before Romeo-1's most recent post showed up. What he says in it confirms my opinion of him.

 

[rjs123]

Great thread. Sorry your hopes were dashed. Good luck on finding that cannon.

I had a similar thing happen when I found the entire iron band off of what I had hoped was a cannon wheel in a federal CW camp. It turned out to be off a wagon. I gave it to a local museum.

 

[High Plains Digger]

Finest wagon skein I have seen in many a year. I wish more were found in this condition. Very early from what I can tell.

 

[romeo-1]

Thanks again all...to quote a friend and fellow detectorist..."It is what is is".