Referee Shot with Cannon During Maine Maritime Football Game
A Maine Maritime Academy alumnus could be facing criminal charges for accidentally shooting a referee with a cannon during a MMA football game.
The incident took place Saturday, September 21, during MMA’s homecoming game against rival Massachusetts Maritime.
Black powder plus wad sounds like the definition of a blank to me. And it should be news to nobody, certainly not a cannon owner, that wads are dangerous within their range.
I had heard Maine had some of the loosest cannon control laws in the country. But cannon balls don’t hurt people, people do.
What about a (possibly drunken) Mainer cannon owner?
Ah yes, dat old debbil alcohol, makes you invincible and always right. Funny how the universe gangs up on you sometimes. I remember once a long time ago being extremely irritated with a car that seemed to be deliberately trying to thwart me in terms of going down the road and not hitting things. I woke up in terror the next morning but there was fortunately no blood on the bumper.
The only thing better then a Florida man story is a Maine man story.
If cannons are outlawed only outlaws will have cannons.
Surprised to learn of the loose cannon in Maine.
Many years and lifetimes ago I worked a season on a day sail schooner on northern Lake Michigan. It was a long standing tradition on this boat to fire off a small cannon at sunset. As the season wore on, boredom and youthful inexperience combined to gradually increase the powder load we put in the cannon. Eventually, Mr. Murphy had his day. After lighting the fuse and stepping clear, an unexpected gust of wind heeled us over, causing the cannon barrel to tilt upward, thus changing its point of aim. The wadding in the charge took out a chunk of the main boom the size of a man’s fist from 12 feet away. That was the end of the evening sunset salute for the rest of the season.
Were you using the special cast iron wadding, or just the regular stuff?
Just the regular wadding.
This was the start gun for the free sail races at the 100th Anniversary celebration of the Christchurch Model Yacht Club (NZ) in 1998. When they fired that sucker I think half the birds on South Island went airborne.
Here’s what free sailing looks like. Poling around on the tack.
Cheers,
Earl
Just found this on Wikipedia under “Wadding”:
“The father of Robert Morris, “Financier of the American Revolution,” died as the result of being wounded by flying wadding from a ship’s gun that was fired in his honor.[2]”
So a single loose cannon in Maine fired off and got some referee’s panties in a wad?
Blanks aren’t harmless. Actor Jon-Erik Hexum died on the set of a TV show he was filming after shooting himself in the head, as a joke, with a 44 mag pistol loaded with blanks. Ironically, his character was supposed to be a weapons expert.
