The cannon was constructed of Galvanized Pipe with a plug screwed on to one end.  A spark plug was added to the capped end as an igniter and a small hole just in front of that in order to put in the “blasting agent.”  The whole device was no longer than 30 inches in length and was built with one purpose in mind – to have some fun!

How it worked

The fuel was acetylene which in a controlled environment packed a punch.  After lighting the acetylene torch and getting the gas and air mixture just right, my father would extinguish the flame and fill the lower end of the cannon with the mixture.  The more you put in the bigger the bang, too much and the cannon would self destruct.  As for the ammunition, a plastic bottle or tennis ball worked perfectly.  Other items were tried and even more were considered.  Once the correct amount of “blasting agent” was added the cannon was fired.  First, the spark plug firing mechanism was utilized; later it was determined that a lit flame to the hole where the gas was added worked just fine.

Initial Firings

From the open door of the garage the cannon could be safely aimed out into Peapke Park.  Empty water bottles were fired and went a good distance with little effort.  Other items such as cans of beer or glass bottles were considered but deemed too dangerous for obvious reasons

The Ultimate Test – a “not so good idea”

Years later, the cannon was taken out of retirement.  By this time my father ran his business out of a shop under the Castle Creek Bridge down by the City Street Department shops.  This was an ideal location as it provided plenty of parking, was not in a residential neighborhood and provided better coverage for the antics of my father and his friends. 

Now one rule reigned supreme and that was never to leave my dad’s friends unsupervised.  One unfortunate day my father broke that rule.  Having left the shop for only a minute or two his friends concocted a plan to shoot cans and bottles at the bridge to see if they could hit the underside of it.  As more beer was consumed their creativity expanded and soon they were trying to shoot items over the bridge.  Let’s not forget that this bridge was the main entrance into town from the west and there was always plenty of traffic over it.  As an unsuspecting driver you can imagine what went through their minds as cans of beer flew over their heads and back off the other side.  In fact, these projectiles were going far enough to clear the bridge and land on the metal roof of the City Shops on the other side, a good 200 yards away.

Upon my father’s return, the cannon was promptly put away and never pulled out again.  He still has the cannon stored somewhere in his garage.  I am sure his plans were to destroy the thing someday, but he has not gotten around to it yet.

Should I resurrect the cannon?  Probably not!