Why and when did they stop the Tornado Warning Siren after TD's?
- Thread starter Dixon4Heisman
- Start date
I would get excited about touchdowns until I heard that siren. Absolutely killed any enthusiasm I might have had during a Croom game.
I loved it and I think most everyone else did too. Does anyone have a credible link proving as to why they did away with it?
Back in the day, the cannon was awesome. It rocked the stadium.ckDOG said:
Then they cut back on gunpowder to save money. Isn't the penny-pinching era at MSU over? Not that we can be wasteful. But if we can afford FREE Little Dooey in the junction, we can afford some gunpowder. Bring back the canon and make it loud!
And fire the damn thing across the field to the other endzone!!! Safety? Had there EVER been a cannon accident at a football game? Don't think so! Should something go amiss, we have an architecture school right across the street from whatever building would be hit by a cannon ball. So we're covered!
Ummm. The cannon shoots a 12 guage shotgun shell blank, always has. It is inserted into a carrier, placed in the cannon and fired.
The reason the cannon doesn't sound as loud is the direction it is facing and location it is placed. Probably doesn't hurt that there are 50,000+ fans screaming and clanging cowbells now too.
The reason the cannon doesn't sound as loud is the direction it is facing and location it is placed. Probably doesn't hurt that there are 50,000+ fans screaming and clanging cowbells now too.
was front-loaded and sounded like, well, like a canon going off. It wasn't some damn 12 gauge shotgun shell. If that's all it is why not get some redneck in full camo to just shoot a 12 gauge shotgun? Seems like a waste of time and effort to do the whole "fake canon" thing.
I shot the cannons for the Governor's inauguration several years ago. We collected all of the cannons in the state for the event. There are actually 6 or 8 (can't remember) of those cannons located throughout the state and they all belong to the Mississippi National Guard.
The adapter is a brass carrier, into which a standard 12 gauge shotgun shell is inserted and the adapter is cocked. Then the adapter is put into the breech of the cannon, when the lanyard is pulled a firing pin strikes the primer of the shell and fires it. Some schools will put baby powder or flour into the barrel to produce what looks like smoke coming out of the cannon.
The cannon and ROTC used to set up in the North endzone, and was in a more prominent position to echo throughout the stadium. When they moved to the south corner, outside the fence, we lost a lot of the sound.
Now you know.
The adapter is a brass carrier, into which a standard 12 gauge shotgun shell is inserted and the adapter is cocked. Then the adapter is put into the breech of the cannon, when the lanyard is pulled a firing pin strikes the primer of the shell and fires it. Some schools will put baby powder or flour into the barrel to produce what looks like smoke coming out of the cannon.
The cannon and ROTC used to set up in the North endzone, and was in a more prominent position to echo throughout the stadium. When they moved to the south corner, outside the fence, we lost a lot of the sound.
Now you know.
Dude, I've shot these cannons, multiple times. What you hear is a shotgun shell. The sound coming out of the tube of the cannon amplifies it. Trust me.
Even if it weren't a shotgun shell, these are not front loading civil war cannons. They are designed to be breech (the rear for you non-artillery types) loaded. The shell that would be fired is basically a giant cartridge, similar in design to what you would shoot from a rifle. There is no loading of powder, even if I was to fire standard ammo and take out the visiting band.
You want to believe that it is not as loud as it used to be because of some urban legend about less powder, be my guest. I'm telling you that the positioning of the cannon is the culprit, plain and simple. Maybe you heard it better when you were sitting in the student section and right next to the damn thing. Maybe it's a case of fond memories outweighing simple facts. Dunno. But I'm telling you how the thing works and has always worked. Not conjecture, not speculation, but actual first hand knowledge.
Even if it weren't a shotgun shell, these are not front loading civil war cannons. They are designed to be breech (the rear for you non-artillery types) loaded. The shell that would be fired is basically a giant cartridge, similar in design to what you would shoot from a rifle. There is no loading of powder, even if I was to fire standard ammo and take out the visiting band.
You want to believe that it is not as loud as it used to be because of some urban legend about less powder, be my guest. I'm telling you that the positioning of the cannon is the culprit, plain and simple. Maybe you heard it better when you were sitting in the student section and right next to the damn thing. Maybe it's a case of fond memories outweighing simple facts. Dunno. But I'm telling you how the thing works and has always worked. Not conjecture, not speculation, but actual first hand knowledge.
Back in the late 80's when I was at MSU the canon was located in the corner where the band sits now. We didn't have the erector set in the end zone and the canon was in plain view of everyone. You could see them reloading it. Also, my best friend in college was in AF ROTC which shares (still?) a building with the Army ROTC and the canon was kept out front and used for lots of things. I spent a lot of time over there playing ping pong in the det instead of going to class and the Army guys were out front working on that thing all the time.
I realize that canon has been replaced by the pea shooter they are using now since the one now is much smaller but when people talk about the canon being louder we are remembering a time when the stadium was very open and that thing would rock the stands.
Just curious how old you are? I can still remember stories of the KA's having a front-load canon before some penny shooting incident, but that could be urban legend.
I realize that canon has been replaced by the pea shooter they are using now since the one now is much smaller but when people talk about the canon being louder we are remembering a time when the stadium was very open and that thing would rock the stands.
Just curious how old you are? I can still remember stories of the KA's having a front-load canon before some penny shooting incident, but that could be urban legend.
I'm 39. I can't say for sure if they changed cannon's or not, but I can say for sure how the current one operates. And that it has been working that way since the early 90's.
I was wrong on one thing. It uses 10 gauge blanks, not 12 gauge.
There are some cannon's that use a 75mm blank cartridge, but I don't know of any around here. All of the ones in use by the Mississippi Universities (and a few high schools) use the adapter with a shotgun blank. It's a helluva lot cheaper.
Never heard the KA story, but I was definitely in Starkville in the late 80's.
I was wrong on one thing. It uses 10 gauge blanks, not 12 gauge.
There are some cannon's that use a 75mm blank cartridge, but I don't know of any around here. All of the ones in use by the Mississippi Universities (and a few high schools) use the adapter with a shotgun blank. It's a helluva lot cheaper.
Never heard the KA story, but I was definitely in Starkville in the late 80's.