well we got it all 440lbs of it :)

[don in mass]

They say the thrid time is the charm .Thanks to randy and his cherry picker we had it out and in the truck in 20 min.It's not often a group of good buddies can get together to pull a 440lbs 15 inch rodman cannon ball out of the ground.After it was tied down we tossed the coil around for a while and randy found his first reale a 1773 1R with a inverted (or backwards) M F after the 1R .hh don
<img src=http://www.thetreasuredepot.com/photos/bb.JPG>
<img src=http://www.thetreasuredepot.com/photos/bb1.JPG>
<img src=http://www.thetreasuredepot.com/photos/bb2.JPG>
<img src=http://www.thetreasuredepot.com/photos/bb3.JPG>

 

[Bill Henderson]

Hi Don,Thanks again,You made Tims season with that coin

 

[Dig'n in Va.]

First off, congratulations on a great find, that thing is coool...I was just wondering how far from the truck was the "hole" and how did you get it there? I learned the hard way that while a cherry picker is great for lifting objects out of the hole, unless you have concrete, blacktop or some smooth hard surface under those little wheels, it's almost impossible to move it..With all that weight and those little wheels sunk in the soft dirt it's like trying to push an oak tree with all it's roots still stuck in the ground.. In open field areas you can take two sheets of 3/4 inch plywood and alternate them under the wheels so the cherry picker never touches the dirt. It's time consuming but it will work.. In tighter areas where plywood is not feasible, a modified wheel barrow with steel pipes for handles and a good size tire with plenty air pressure will move it after you've raised it out of the hole with the cherry picker.. Then just pray your trip back is downhill.. (;^)... Pushing uphill, especially thru woods ain't no fun... But the load gets lighter once the truck is in site...Just wondering how you moved yours?..... Dave

 

[ThatCannonballGuy]

Again, congratulations on a VERY rare find!

And as I mentioned in a previous reply to you, 440 pounds would mean it's definitely a solid-shot, not a shell. So you won't need to be concerned about getting it deactivated. : )

On that note, I've got a relic "combat story" you'll probably enjoy. First, a historical preface to the story:
After the fall of Richmond in April 1865, the yankee photographer Matthew Brady took some very intersting photos at the huge stacks of Confederate cannon projectiles at Tredegar Iron Works (which was known as "the Arsenal of the Confederacy").

Some years ago, earthmoving construction was going on at the Tredegar Iron Works site. The folks there got all excited when a bulldozer unearthed a really big cannonball. (But not big to you, Don, because it was only a 10-incher.) The site-archeologist urgently called in the police - and an Army EOD squad. Everybody was too scared to try to move the cannonball, so they put shaped-charges on it to detonate it "in place." Booom!!! But it just hopped up about 20 feet into the air ...and came down fully intact. Turns out that what they were trying to detonate wasn't an explosive (hollow) shell - it was a solid-shot.

Footnote:
I really wish they'd called me first. I've deactivated several shells over the years for the National Park Service, when they've accidentally found one during park-construction.

And one of those was a Federal 12-pounder Bormann shell, found during repair of the attic of the Mary Washington mansion (she was George Washington's mother). That shell had landed there during the famous 1862 yankee bombardment of the civilian houses of Fredericksburg VA. But that shell is another story. This post is already kinda long. ;-)

Regards,
TheCannonballGuy (Pete George)

 

[puddlejumper]

n/t

 

[don in mass]

hello dave how are you doing.in the second picture the hole is about 4 feet behind roger in the yellow jacket.dave for about 4 to 5 years of detecting this place i saw the crown of this monster just sticking out of the ground and was thinking to big to be a cannon ball .i was thinking more like boat mooring :lol . boy i could not picture trying to get this thing threw the woods it would be like draging a small moose threw the prickers to get out after you shot him.hh don

 

[Dig'n in Va.]

Why nobody looks ready to drop over from exhaustion in the picture...;^)...That was pretty cool that it stayed there all that time without anybody bothering it..I've been lucky enough to be able to get fairly close to most of my "heavy" finds with a 4x4. But there have been a few that were a good hike off. But none of mine were near as heavy as yours..... Good hunting and may your next one be close to the road also..... Dave

 

[PULLTABBY]

n/t

 

[gcollins]

super find don!!! Going to be hard to beat that one! Thanks for sharing your find with us.
Greg

 

[Mike(NC)]

n/t

 

[Anonymous]

What a find! Looks like a US Navy 15" solid shot. You should give me a call. I have some info for you. Good hunting, David@Dixie

 

[Bebo]

n/t

 

["DOC" in the C.S.A.]

congrats on a FANTASTIC find. Makes my little 12 lb'ers look like golf balls !.............HH..."Doc"

 

[jbow]

butt ugliest looking fellow i've ever seen...

I hope he didn't really look that bad.

J