Cannon hurts kids at school

Im sick of seeing this one today and tonight, for those that missed it , a small red home made cannon let its breech go in the end zone of a (belive ) high school football game last night hurting some of the kids ( dont know how bad) but the whole back end is gone and the right wheel? Must have had some power in that little thing,they sure didnt n know how how to make a loud boom vs a big blast :shake: Fred :hatsoff: Excuse if trhis is up here and I missed it , its been about 20 something hours so thought Id put it up. :bow:

From The Olympian Online:
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Ceremonial cannon explodes; 5 hurt
The Associated Press

SNOHOMISH - A ceremonial cannon at Snohomish High School exploded before a homecoming football game Friday night, injuring five students, police said.

One young man was taken to a nearby hospital, while four other students were treated at the scene for minor injuries.

The school's Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps for years has ignited the small metal cannon at the start of home football games and to celebrate home team touchdowns. A loud boom is typically followed by rings of smoke.

This time, when the smoke cleared, "you could see that someone was lying on the ground," said senior Chris Freeburg, 17.

The injured students, ages 15 to 18, were all members of the JROTC club, The Herald of Everett reported.

During a halftime announcement, school officials described the one boy's trip to Providence Everett Medical Center Colby campus as "cautionary." The four other students were released to their parents after being examined by fire department medics.

Bill and Joan Crawford came to the game to pick up their son, Zachary, after getting a call from paramedics. "It was just a scratch, luckily," Bill Crawford said.

Snohomish police detectives will try to determine why the cannon exploded, police Sgt. Fred Havener said.

Published: Saturday, October 7, 2006

Cannon accident injures students at football game
Five Snohomish High School students are hurt, and one of them is hospitalized.

By Melissa Slager
Herald Writer

SNOHOMISH - One Snohomish High School boy was taken to the hospital and four others suffered minor injuries Friday after a ceremonial cannon blew apart at the start of the homecoming football game.

The school's Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps for years has ignited the small metal cannon at the start of home football games and for Snohomish High School touchdowns.

A loud boom typically gives way to rings of smoke that waft across the yard lines.

This time, something went wrong.

Spectators didn't notice anything wrong at first, said senior Chris Freeburg, 17, who was dressed in a tuxedo as an escort on the homecoming court.

"But then, when the smoke cleared, you could see that someone was laying on the ground," he said.

The injured students were all members of the JROTC club. The sophomores, juniors and seniors range in age from 15 to 18.

"Our primary concern right now is for the students who were injured, especially the one in the hospital," said Shannon Parthemer, the district's spokeswoman.

The school will investigate how the incident happened, she said.

During a halftime announcement at the game, school officials described the boy's trip to Providence Everett Medical Center Colby campus as "cautionary."

The four other students were released to their parents after being examined by medics with the Snohomish Fire Department.

Bill and Joan Crawford came to the game to pick up their son, Zachary, after getting a call from paramedics.

"It was just a scratch, luckily," Bill Crawford said.

Zachary, 15, is a sophomore and has participated in the school's Marine Corps JROTC since he was a freshman.

"He really enjoys being in ROTC and I'll be surprised if this changes his perception of that," his father said.

The cannon was placed on the running track behind the end zone on the "home" side of the field. Police measured the distance of debris from the cannon. It appeared as though some pieces scattered more than 20 feet away.

One of the cannon's wheels was shorn off by the blast.

"I've never seen anything like that in my life," said Colin Michael, 18, a senior.

Some students said they noticed something unusual when the cannon was let off earlier in the school day during the annual Serpentine parade.

Instead of smoke rings there was a cloud of smoke at both the parade and game, Freeburg said.

For now, the cannon will remain at the Snohomish Police Department, where detectives will try to determine what happened, police Sgt. Fred Havener said.

The football game and homecoming activities continued as usual.

"This won't be a homecoming they'll forget anytime soon," Bill Crawford said.

From the Seattle Times Online:
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Cannon injures 5 Snohomish students at homecoming celebration
By Jennifer Sullivan
Seattle Times staff reporter

Five students were hurt when they were struck by the Snohomish High School touchdown cannon at the start of Friday's homecoming game.

Shannon Parthemer, spokeswoman for the Snohomish School District, said the students were standing on the sidelines, near the track at Veterans Memorial Stadium. One student was taken to Providence Everett Medical Center; the other four were released to their parents.

Parthemer didn't know who was operating the cannon and did not know if the students were struck by cannon fire or by some sort of flying debris caused by a possible cannon malfunction.

"The district is going to do a full investigation. Our primary concern is for the students," Parthemer said.

A cannon has been used for years at the Snohomish County high school, Parthemer said.

"Its a tradition in Snohomish," Parthemer said. "When there is a touchdown they sound the cannon."

The 7 p.m. game resumed after the accident, Parthemer said. The Snohomish Panthers lost to the Everett Seagulls 16-14.

Not a lot on what went wrong huh? The breech was gone up to wheel as one wheel was gone, and to split that wheel apart like that it looed like the breech tookoff that way...> good hunting folks. Fred :hatsoff:

Well at least no serious injuries (I hope). I am surprised that in todays school environment that they would allow cannon at a high school game. Hey at my kid's grade school you can't even play Dodge Ball because it is too violent.

From the HERALDNET Online.
Published: Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Student remains in hospital after cannon mishap

SNOHOMISH - A Snohomish High School student remains hospitalized after being injured when a cannon exploded at the school's homecoming football game Friday.

The boy has a serious leg injury and has undergone multiple surgeries, said Shannon Parthemer, a spokeswoman for the Snohomish School District.

Four other students received minor injuries in the blast and were released at the game to their parents.

Students have been given counseling at the school.

Snohomish police have sent the cannon to a lab for analysis to determine how the explosion occurred.

From Heraldnet Online:

Future of school cannon unclear
The Snohomish High School cannon blew up during a game last week.
By Melissa Slager
Herald Writer

It remains to be seen if a 36-year-old tradition will go by the wayside next week when Snohomish High School holds its next football game.

A smoke-blowing, booming cannon that marked the start of each home game and Panther touchdown since 1970 blew up at the homecoming game Oct. 6, seriously injuring one student and causing minor injuries to four others.

"At this point we have not determined anything with the cannon," said Shannon Parthemer, a spokeswoman for the district. "The school district's primary concern remains the welfare of the students involved."

A sophomore boy remains hospitalized at Providence Everett Medical Center's Colby campus after being injured by the blast.

He has had multiple surgeries on his leg, according to school staff. The family requested his name not be released.

Four other students received minor injuries and were released at the game to their parents.

The school district is working with a risk management group to have the cannon analyzed to find out how the accident occurred.

Students in the school's popular Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program are in charge of the ceremonial cannon, which they roll out behind the end zone near the track at each home game.

When working properly, the 40-millimeter cannon lets off a loud "boom" and smoke rings.

Senior Marine Instructor Col. John Mack, a retired Marine, has been a Junior ROTC instructor at SHS for 12 years. He said students followed all the usual safety precautions with the cannon on game night.

Students wear safety glasses and gloves as they stuff two nylon bags, each filled with about 1.7 ounces of gunpowder, into the cannon's barrel. An adult adds the lid.

"To fire it, it's like flipping a light switch. There's nothing to it," Mack said. "It's very simple."

Junior ROTC students had shot the cannon about five hours before the game at the annual Serpentine homecoming parade. Although some students in the crowd told The Herald that the smoke had appeared more cloud-like than usual, Mack said everything went fine.

Mack and other school staff have visited the injured boy in the hospital.

"He seemed upbeat, was talkative and alert," Mack said. The boy's hospital room is decorated with "Get Well" cards. "He thinks the hospital food is great."

Photo of the cannon from this incident.

Does anyone recognize this piece as being from a commercial manufacture?

CP

The wheels look to be cast iron off of something that would requir a weight on one side ( counter ballance). The barrel looks to have a large bore for the OD if it is made from cast iron which seems to be the case by the way it is mounted to the frame, also appears to be lathe turned. 3.4 ounces of powder would be a little on the heavy side for this barrel. Something as simple as going from 1F to 3F might have caused the problem, students noticed that the smoke was different. Be interesting to know if this was made in a shop class at the school.
Thanks for all the info Claypipe. Please keep us updated when you get more info.

From[url] Oregonlive.com[/url]

The Oregonian
Friday, December 22, 2006

Injured teen in cannon incident threatened Tradition
- Brett Karch had to be moved to another hospital room after angry calls and visits

SNOHOMISH, Wash. -- A teenager who was seriously injured during the ceremonial firing of a small cannon before a Snohomish High School football game is getting threats from cannon fans.

According to records of Brett Karch's two-week hospital stay, security guards alerted police after disturbing phone calls and visits from parents and students. Some threatened to "break his other leg" or worse if he didn't keep quiet about the accident. Hospital staff moved him to a secure room where visitors could be monitored.

The alleged threats and the accident remain under investigation by Everett police. Authorities declined to comment.

Karch, now 16, was injured as he and other members of the Junior ROTC, in keeping with a 30-year school tradition, fired the cannon at the start of the Panthers' Oct. 6 game against Everett. He nearly lost his left leg and faces more than a year of physical rehabilitation.

"Football is a huge part of the community," said Paula McVey, mother of a Snohomish student. "When there's a game on, you can hear it going from anywhere in town."

The cannon was built by students in the school's metal shop after a previous version gave out in the 1980s. Karch was injured when the device exploded in a deafening roar, debris flying as far as 30 feet.

The accident -- and the need for a new cannon -- could put the tradition in jeopardy.

No decision has been made yet, said Snohomish High School Principal Diana Plumis. "We're certainly not getting that one back," she said of the ruined cannon. "It was obliterated."

Cannon firing at football games has gone out of style, making the Snohomish tradition even more cherished. "This one was grandfathered in," said retired Marine Corps. Col. John Mack, who heads the Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officer Training unit at Snohomish High School and is in charge of the squad that fires the cannon. "We're the only school allowed to do it."

Karch had helped roll the cannon to the field. He and two other cadets packed the barrel with about 5 ounces of gunpowder.

Cadet Alex Brown, 18 and in charge of the firing team, began the 10-second countdown to game time. The cadets stood at attention -- except for Karch, who leaned in to fire the device.

"Fire," Brown commanded. Karch pulled the trigger.

"My leg went flying, and I fell on my right side," Karch said. "Kids were staggering around. I looked at my leg and felt it burning."

Karch has since undergone three surgeries for skin grafts and to implant a titanium rod the length of his shin, replacing decimated bone. Doctors plan to graft bone from his hip in February to help his leg heal.

Rumors circulated that Karch must have packed the cannon incorrectly. Karch said he didn't do anything different that night.

The cannon squad followed military protocols for loading and firing the cannon, said Mack, who had the cannon X-rayed earlier this year. Fred Langer, an attorney representing the family, said the X-rays showed a stress fracture, though it's not clear that contributed to the accident.

After the accident, callers and visitors told Karch that they'd "make sure his other leg got blown off" and that there would be retaliation if the family cooperated in an investigation that could end the tradition, said his mother, Mary Bissell. She's been warned not to talk to lawyers or reporters.

Since his discharge from the hospital Oct. 23, Karch has had just three visitors, including Mack and Brown. And despite invitations to school friends, only family attended his 16th birthday celebration in November, Bissell said.

Boy hurt by cannon blast feels twice wounded
Accident in football town elicited threats, not get-well wishes
By CAROL SMITH
P-I REPORTER
From[url] seattlepi.com[/url]

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Andy Rogers / P-IWendy Vick, clinic nursing supervisor at Providence Everett Medical Center, takes pictures of Brett Karch's wounds. Karch, a member of the Snohomish High School ROTC team that was manning a cannon at a football game, nearly lost his leg when the cannon accidentally blew up. In the back is Karch's mom, Mary Bissel.

SNOHOMISH -- The cannon shot that ripped into Brett Karch's leg, causing a gaping combat-style wound, has also torn a hole in his hometown community of Snohomish.

· Don't judge Snohomish by actions of a few: The mayor and superintendent of schools for Snohomish respond to criticism of the community prompted by this article.
Karch, whose leg was nearly amputated and who faces more than a year of physical rehabilitation with an uncertain outcome, has been the target of physical threats because of fears his injury will jeopardize the community's tradition of firing the ceremonial cannon before each high school football game and after touchdowns.

For more than 30 years, the blast of the cherry-red cannon has ignited the roars of fans whenever the home team scored in this football-proud town. With its tree-lined streets, gingerbread-trimmed Victorian houses and hills crested with historic churches, the town is devoted to its traditions, including its beloved cannon, which students in the school's metal shop built after a previous cannon gave out in the mid-1980s.

Football and the cannon were entwined, like popcorn at the movies. And football and Snohomish were even more so.

"Football is a huge part of the community," said Paula McVey, mother of a Snohomish student. "When there's a game on, you can hear it going from anywhere in town."

Shooting off the cannon was the town's salute to the game that launched many notable football careers and entertained generations.

But the shot that nearly took off Brett Karch's leg now leaves the fate of that tradition in the air, and that has upset some in the community.

According to Karch's medical records, security guards notified police after Karch received disturbing phone calls and visits from parents and students, some of whom threatened to "break his other leg" or worse, if he didn't keep quiet about the accident. Hospital staff had to move him to a secure room where they monitored visitors.



Callers and visitors told Karch they would "make sure his other leg got blown off," and that "there would be retaliation" if the family cooperated in an investigation that could end the cannon tradition, said Mary Bissel, Karch's mother. "That's when I kind of got a little upset," Karch said.

The threats also included mention the family would be "banned from the town," Bissell said. She's been warned not to talk to a lawyer, or reporters.

The allegations of threats, as well as the cause of the accident, remain under investigation. Hospital security reported the threats to the Everett Police Department, but police, who came to the hospital to interview Karch and his mother, won't release the incident report, citing the open investigation into the cause of the accident.


Tradition all but gone

The tradition of firing a cannon at football games has all but disappeared in most school districts, which makes this one that much more endearing to its community.

"This one was grandfathered in," said retired Marine Corps. Col. John Mack, who heads the Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officer Training unit at Snohomish High School and is in charge of the squad that fires the cannon. "We're the only school allowed to do it."

Being on the cannon-firing squad was a source of pride for Karch, who joined the ROTC unit last year to help him toward his longtime goal of becoming a Marine. Karch, a lanky, personable 16-year-old, had hoped to do Special Forces reconnaissance work one day.

"Brett wanted to serve his country," said Bissel. "Now we're just hoping he will be able to use his leg. I never imagined this would happen on a football field."

On Oct. 6 -- the night of the Snohomish Panthers big homecoming game against rival Everett High School -- Karch prepared as usual for the firing of the cannon.

He helped roll the coffee table-sized artillery piece to the field where he and two other cadets packed the barrel with about 5 ounces of gunpowder.

With 10 seconds to go before the game, Cadet Alex Brown, 18, the officer in charge of the firing team, began the countdown.

The other cadets stood at attention except Karch, who leaned in, finger at the ready.

"Fire," Brown commanded. Karch pulled the trigger.

The boom, which normally rattled the bleachers, was louder than usual, witnesses said.

The concussion temporarily deafened Brown, who couldn't see through the smoke for several seconds. When the smoke cleared, he saw Karch lying on the ground clutching his left leg.

"I almost thought he was joking, and I going to yell at him, 'It's not funny,' " said Brown. Then he heard Karch's screams.

The cannon was blown apart. Pieces of it landed 30 feet away, some even touching down in the end zone.

"My leg went flying, and I fell on my right side," said Karch. "Kids were staggering around. I looked at my leg and felt it burning."

"Did it blow my leg off, is my leg still attached?" he recalled asking the closest cadet to him. But the deafened student couldn't hear him.

Within seconds, medics and senior officers sprinted to his side. The team of emergency medical technicians standing by in the event of a football injury rushed Karch into a waiting ambulance.

The priority on the playing field, however, was the game, which didn't stop as Karch was carried off the sidelines to an ambulance, witnesses said.

Not much can stop football in this town, where the pride runs deep. The two-time state champions have generated many notable players and coaches over the years. Dick Armstrong was known as the "winningest coach in Washington state high school football history" by the time he retired in 1994. In his 32 seasons as head coach at Snohomish, Armstrong, who died in 1999, racked up 243 wins and won or shared 16 league titles, including 13 in a row.

As play continued, Karch was taken to Providence Everett's Colby Campus, where doctors initially told his stunned mother they weren't sure they could save his leg. Karch has since undergone three surgeries to implant a titanium rod the length of his shin to replace the decimated bone and to graft skin over the shredded tissue. In February, doctors plan to graft bone from his hip into his leg to help it heal.

"My leg was in so many pieces, it was like a jigsaw puzzle," said Karch.

"If this had happened to a football player, you can be sure he would have been airlifted to Harborview," said one parent of a ROTC member, who asked not to be named for fear of reprisals.

Brown, too, was shocked and later angered by the apparent lack of concern for the seriousness of Karch's injury.

Rumors circulated almost immediately among students that Karch must have packed the cannon incorrectly, and some of the cards and comments have suggested that he deserved what happened to him.

Karch said he didn't do anything different that night, a view shared by his ROTC leader Mack, the retired Marine Corps colonel, who said the team follows military protocols for loading and firing the cannon.

Mack had the cannon X-rayed earlier this year. Fred Langer, an attorney representing the family, said those results showed a stress fracture in the metal, although it's not clear yet whether that had any bearing on the explosion.

No decision has been made yet about whether to acquire a new cannon to ensure the tradition continues, said Snohomish High School Principal Diana Plumis.

"We're certainly not getting that one back," she said. "It was obliterated."


No friends at party

That's what seems to worry many of those who have contacted Karch, who has gotten cards indicating the tradition of the cannon is too important to lose.

"Football wouldn't be the same without the big boom at kickoff," wrote one student in a get-well card.

The reaction of some community members has taken the family and its supporters aback.

"Snohomish is usually a pretty tight community," Brown said. "Usually when something like this happens, groups come together. But that didn't happen this time."

Since his discharge from the hospital on Oct. 23, Karch has had only three visitors -- two of them Mack and Brown. And despite invitations to school friends, not a single person other than family attended his 16th birthday celebration in November, Bissell said.

Bissel suspects some of the reaction may be because she retained a lawyer to help her understand legal forms the school district asked her to sign after the accident. She has not filed any legal claims against the school or the district. According to Langer, the school district has been cooperative and has said it plans to establish a fund to pay for Karch's medical expenses.

What Bissel wants for her son, though, is the emotional support of the community they've lived in for a decade.

On a recent school day afternoon, Karch, who has not been able to attend regular classes since the accident, rode past his old school in a cabulance on his way to an Everett clinic for a weekly changing of the thick dressings that wrap his wounds. Kids had spilled out of the school, and he tried to wave to Brown, who drove by.

Karch said later he wondered whether the kids milling around even realized that he was in the ambulance van going by.

The persistent hostility, and loss of friendships, make him sad, but he's trying not to dwell on it.

He's working hard during weekly physical and occupational therapy sessions, hoping to regain enough function to qualify for the military.

McVey has tried rallying support for Karch's family by raising money for dinners. Her initial attempts raised $200, nearly all of it coming from schools other than Karch's own.

The lack of response still puzzles her.

"You have a kid here who's lost part of his leg, who may always have a rod in it," she said. "Where's the compassion? How would these guys feel if it were their son? Would the cannon really matter?"

P-I reporter Carol Smith can be reached at 206-448-8070 or [email protected].

Here's a follow-up editorial by the Seattle PI:

Link

This is a repost of the same incident in my "One for the cannon disasters page" post above.

Or maybe mine was a repost of this one...

Anyway, it was the same kid and the same cannon.

gees, I feel like I should wrie that poor kid or something

Anybody stop to sample what kind of powder they were using? Maybe somebody got things mixed up. Also, if not smokeless, were they using BP or a substitute? I understand that some, like 777, require lighter equivalent charges.

I liked the part about the "new" cannon replacing the "old" one that had been worn out. How did they know it was worn out? Guess this one wore out, as well.

The rumor mill now has it that the kid double loaded the cannon for a bigger bang. See this link:

New accusations fly in cannon case

CP

Looks like the only ones that will come out OK on this is the lawyers. If the kid did over load it to get a bigger bang then there is the answer why it came apart. Looks like everyone involved is throwing stones.
I thought about making them a new canon out of steel but with lawyers involved I think I will stay away from the whole thing.

John Taylor said:

Looks like the only ones that will come out OK on this is the lawyers. If the kid did over load it to get a bigger bang then there is the answer why it came apart. Looks like everyone involved is throwing stones.
I thought about making them a new canon out of steel but with lawyers involved I think I will stay away from the whole thing.

Click to expand...

The fact still remains that the tube was inspected, found faulty and it was still in use. No one is coming out of this with out some form of fecal smear.

CP

Maybe they should use a carbide cannon from now on :surrender: