A Cannonball in the Thompson River
We have received a cannonball into our collection.
The cannonball, pictured at left , is a 2.5 inch (6.35 cm) iron ball weighing just over 2 pounds (1 kg). The cannonball itself is not remarkable, but where it was found is what gives it significance.
The cannonball was given to us by Kumsheen Rafting Resort, and was found in the Thompson River below the Pitquah Bridge.
We know that there is no record of a battle involving artillery anywhere near Lytton, but there has been a persistent story about cannonballs and the bridge.
This cannonball is consistent with a ball from an English Falcon cannon. This type of cannon was about 6 feet (1.8 meters) long and weighed about 680 pounds (300 kg). This type of gun would have been used on the decks of the British navy ships that frequented the coast of British Columbia in the late 1800s.
The bridge, pictured below, is a beautiful example of the Scottish stonemason's art from the late 1800s. Unfortunately, it cannot be seen except from the river below or from the Canadian National Railway tracks on the opposite shore.
Over the years, many people have heard that cannonballs were used in the construction of this bridge, but we have had trouble confirming this until now.
The Pitquah Bridge carries weights well beyond what was expected when it was built - at a time when the locomotives weighed less than some freight cars do now. Billions of tons of freight travel over the bridge each year, and it has never had to be closed for repair.
The secret is the cannonball. The stones used in the bridge are not cemented in place, but are "dry fitted" and the cannonballs act as "keys" to keep them from moving.
From the "Rocky Mountaineer":
"... each block of granite (some weighing over a ton) has a small half circle carved out of the middle and an old cannonball is placed in the hole with another block carved the same way placed over it."
This allows the bridge to withstand the vibration of the trains travelling over it and it does not suffer from the eventual deterioration of the mortar that might have been used.
Click here to read the "Copper Kettle" article.