Live Explosive Cannonball? (photo)

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You call the EOD right now...
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MLeake's situation is being dealt with, but for future reference, it would be better to contact LE first, for several reasons. First, EOD may not respond directly to a single citizen's complaint. When that happens, they typically notify local LE to confirm the situation. That equals lost time.

Also, when a UXO is discovered, EOD usually works closely with local LE and FD's, who will usually set up a safe perimeter while EOD does their thing.
 
Capt. Charlie, B.Lahey's situation is being dealt with. This one isn't mine, I'm but one of many saying "Call EOD."

But B.Lahey indicated he's already called his local LE.
 
Depending on the size of the local LE department, they may have their own 'bomb squad' that can take care of things locally. OR, if that particular local LE doesn't have a bomb squad, perhaps a neighboring LE dept. does and will dispose of it properly.

At any rate, I'd say whomever takes care of the thing, the owner may as well take pictures of it as he most likely won't see it anymore.
 
I suppose another way to take care of the situation would be to VERY carefully take it out to a very large field and shoot it from about 100 yards with an AP round.
 
With Ebay just changing it's rules related to weapons and accesories maybe you can put that beast on Ebay. Just be sure to note that it is highly dangerous and may lead to serious injury or death if mishandled, you wouldn't want negative feedback...:D

But seriously, I think calling the local PD was a good idea. Let us know what happens.
 
B. Lathey:

If I were you I would put a stop to this discussion of whether this cannon ball is safe or not and call the police and report it. No piece of ordnance, still fused, is safe. Do the right thing and make that call.

Semper Fi.

Gunnery sergeaant
Clifford L. Hughes
USMC Retired
 
Gotta love it when nobody bothers to read the thread before offering advice. :)

I have no more info at this point. I'll update you fine folks if some comes along.
 
"Black powder is highly UNstable.

Over time the total power will degrade, yeah, but some will turn into something a lot like "primer". Drop that thing off a shelf and it very well might kill multiple people."

Black powder is VERY stable long-term.

It is a mechanical mixture of three items. It is their proximity that permits them to function. Time will not make black powder less stable, but water contamination can make black powder even MORE stable by dissolving the potassium or sodium nitrate and moving it out of proximity with the sulfur and the charcoal, but that requires long soaking and simply cannot be counted on.

Potassium nitrate, even if it forms crystals, is completely inert. In black powder it is the oxidizer, providing oxygen to the burning mixture.

One historic (for several hundred years) use for potassium nitrate is as a food additive for cured meats. It is a very potent bactericide and is especially effective at preventing the growth of the bacteria that can result in botulism poisoning.

Because of known health issues, including those sensitive to nitrites, it's being used less and less as a food additive.

Time fuses of the civil war era were either mechanical (clock) or train fire in which the flame wash from the main charge started the powder train (very finely ground and very densely packed black powder) burning.

These fuses can remain viable indefinitely, although the clock fuses were generally a lot less reliable and not as widely used.

Percussion fuses, used on shells (never on round balls) used a large percussion cap and a sliding hammer inside the fuse to detonate. These can also be viable for extremely long periods of time. If the hammer as rusted into place it makes it something more inert, but certainly doesn't make it safe.
 
I suppose another way to take care of the situation would be to VERY carefully take it out to a very large field and shoot it from about 100 yards with an AP round.
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If it doesn't go off, then maybe it isn't a threat (or maybe it still is) and if it does go off then you are guilty of detonating explosives for which you don't have permits. Maybe not a good idea.

I am not sure that 100 yards is sufficient either. Reports from various stories have fragments hitting from about 1/4 mile and even much further. 100 yards would be a very bad idea.
 
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Dangerously incorrect.
Black powder is about as stable as anything can be. It is not a compound, it is a chemical mixture and will be usable, as far as we know, indefinitely. It does not crystalize with time, it stays exactly the same unless it gets wet or contaminated. Even wet bp when dried is still good to go.
Lot of myths about bp. Those who use it (as I have for 40+ years) know differently.
Treat with respect.
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True, people are still getting killed with civil war ordnance. Just google it and you will find accounts, like this one:

http://deathby1000papercuts.blogspot.com/2008/05/civil-war-cannonball-kills-collector.html

I cut an account out of the newspaper from the 70's (in the time before the internet!), a Gettsyburg dealer was working on one in his shop. It killed him and a customer in the store.

Just finished reading a book called “Texas Cowboy”. There was a civil war battle and a neighbor found an un exploded cannon ball. The author, as a nine year old, saw his neighbor take out the fuse, pour some powder out (I think), and put a ember in the fuse hole, claiming that all what would happen is that there would be a gush of gas out the fuse hole. Instead there was a big explosion. Neighbor died of his wounds, took most of a foot off for example, and they later found a shell fragment in a house a mile away!

Locally, in modern times, an EOD fellow I know was called to a house to investigate a little old lady’s cannon balls. She had two fused and loaded cannon balls sitting on either side of her fireplace! If one ember had gotten down the fuse hole there would have been a big kaboom!
 
It would be ashamed to see such a rare device destroyed, but sometimes this is necessary. I was wondering if perhaps letting it soak in a pail or tub of motor oil for a month or two....would this suffice in rendering the fuse and powder within inert?
 
"I was wondering if perhaps letting it soak in a pail or tub of motor oil for a month or two....would this suffice in rendering the fuse and powder within inert?"

There's simply no way of guaranteeing that that would be effective.
 
Mr. Lahey, I hear YOU have gunpowder AND primers at YOUR home. There are probably excessive amounts and they are definitely not stored ideally. I think everyone should make it their business and call the authorities and report you, too...
 
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