Strange how I lose track of time. Haven't written anything for 8 days. Not for lack of trying because I've been busy with some other historical research running in the Rockford Independent newspaper about its founding father Smith Lapham. His descendants suddenly appeared mysteriously all seeking my info on lost family members. Little distractions can elevate one's perspective of pioneer days. I reveled in the fact they weren't just seeking the genealogy, but rather info about their lives. This is the most rewarding aspect of history - the stories of their lives, the trials and tribulations. Haiti suffered a disastrous earthquake Jan.12. 2010. It's bad - authorities believe up to 500,000 people from the poorest nation on earth may have been killed. Millions of dreams extinguished this day. Don't dwell on this fact!
Bob Alcumbrack dared to dig up his wildest dream. He acted upon his dream. Once he started he didn't quit no matter what the roadblock. He did stumble around blind on several occasions, but only because he got engrossed in problems for which he didn't have answers. It took his crew and I to overcome his shortcomings and we all worked collectively as team players. Would you let a surgeon operate on you without a help? A surgeon is only as good as his team of skilled professionals. Treasure hunters need the expertise of their group.
Bob Alcumbrack wasn't a treasure hunter, but rather a cannon hunter, but many treasure hunters still lump him inside their world, for cannon hunting is considered by most archaeologists to be the ultimate treasure. Cannon with engravements intact is a rare find on American soil - the Cannonsburg cannon vs. Texas' Twin Sister cannons. Three mystery cannons of American heritage that disappeared because of man's ignorance to preserve historical artifacts in their own time period.
The world has a wide assortment of mysteries. Some were created by mortal man, but perhaps millions of others were created by God and it'll be a long time before man unravels all the complexities and mysteries that surround us. The bad and ugly treasure hunters unfortunately will be with us to eternity. Historical significance means nothing. Case in point is Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Many seaside marinas have many cannons littering - I mean loosely - their flower gardens. Most are reproductions of the originals minus the coat-of-arms, crests and decorations of the original makers. The original ancient cannons were recycled into larger cannons for two world wars. None were sketched or photographed as to shape, size, date and under which flag the cannon was manufactured. The cannons heritage was lost. The only exception were brass plaques on carriages.
Gone are many cannons of English Wars of Britian and Ireland from 1373-1885, the American Revolutionary War 1775-1783, the War of 1812 from 1812-1818 between America and England, and the American Civil War 1861-1865. Cannons from all these wars were ancient and many were made of recycled cannons themselves, but the legends were engraved upon them. This what two world wars erased. After the Civil War there existed a time period when many four to six pound cannons were made of iron. These were the deadly cannons killing so many Americans at Fourth of July celebrations. The ancients were made of iron, too, but many were made of brass - cannons less likely to prematurely explode.
All the cannons at Disney World or Mackinaw Island, in Michigan, are predominantly reproduction cannons - smooth cannons, without ancient engravements. They lack all authenticity, the engravings of past history. The 32-pound cannon at rest in the park below the fort, the gateway entrance to the majestic Grand Hotel complex is Admiral Perry's only real cannon. After the Rush-Bagot Treaty of 1818 was signed between America and Canada, the remainder of Admiral Perry's fleet was sunk into the depths of Lake Huron.
It is this treaty which prohibits warships from America or Canada from operating on the Great Lakes, but with the exception of Coast Guard vessels. Live war-like-simulation excercises are prohibited, but warship building is excluded. Once all vessels are launched they must leave the Great Lakes for sea trials. This is why you'll never see missile boats, battleships or submarines sailing beneath the Mighty Mac bridge. After 911 Coast Guard officials entertained the thought of mounting guns on vessels to protect us from terrorists by conducting live-fire exercises, but without the concensus of both countries, the plan was dropped. They may from time to time be forced to employ such weapons to protect shipping or prohibit illegal entry and counter drug smugglers.
Well I'm nearing my cutoff time on posting. Both countries have produced some fine warships on the Great Lakes. In fact, the first aircraft carriers were built out of old Great Lakes steamers and river boats. In 1942, the Naval Corp. taught inexperienced navy pilots in wouthern Lake Michigan to take off from small carriers, but they had to land at the Naval Air Station in Chicago. They couldn't return for fear of doing a nose dive off the bow.
Lake Michigan did present itself with a problem for navigators. This fresh water sea has a triangle of mystery and superstition just like the Bermuda Triangle has off Florida. Small squadrons of planes flew into it and disappeared off radar. Boats sail into both, the compasses go crazy and zip they disappear. Did Atlantis swallow them? Are these demon places on earth?
Eels from American and Europe all migrate to spawn in the Bermuda Triangles - City of Atlantis. Some scientists don't believe Atlantis exists despite underwater archaeology photography that shows ruins of a lost civilization in hundreds of feet of sea water.
Was it a sea monster as Christoper Columbus wrote in his diaries that pulls boats down or are there underwater aliens from outer space living on the bottom, then reaching up to pull or zap them down with electromagnetic ray technology? Why the yellow sky? Why the calm waters for months? Why so much sea weed? Why do sea grapes collect in the triangle of death? What's your explanation for these strange disappearances? Are these manfestations from our own subconcious minds that recorded too much sci-fi movie data? Is watching Captain Jack's ghost and "Pirate's of the Carribean" bad for our psyche? Search for Secrets of A Sunken Cannon does rival unexplained mysteries.
"Oops, see how easy it is to go off course with mysteries of earth."
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