Story Photos
 Two cannons in front of the Chief Factor's residence point across the grounds at Fort Vancouver to the blacksmith shop on the left, and the Indian trade shop and dispensary. Bill Wagner / The Daily News
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Two old cannons may be link with Fort Vancouver
Saturday, October 4, 2008 11:33 PM PDT
By Tom Vogt
The Columbian
Printable version
E-mail this articleVANCOUVER — Two cannons with possible links to Fort Vancouver have had their 15 minutes of fame. Next comes the long, dirty slog of restoration.
Research done on one of the cannons by the “History Detectives” TV series indicates that it most likely came from the USS Shark. The U.S. Navy schooner was wrecked in 1846 near the mouth of the Columbia as it sailed from Fort Vancouver toward the Pacific.
Production of the PBS episode included a visit to the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, where chief ranger and historian Greg Shine provided some background on the Shark, which was launched in 1821 at the Washington, D.C., Navy Yard.
The cannon investigation was one of three segments on the episode aired recently by Oregon Public Broadcasting.
“I was very impressed with what they were able to do within the 15-minute time frame. It can be a challenge to take a story as all-encompassing as the story of the Shark, then hone it into a segment the public can understand,” Shine said.
The show enlisted some impressive research help, including a high-powered X-ray machine that sees through layers of concrete-like crust.
They also brought in Bob Neyland, head of underwater archaeology with the Naval Historical Center, who now is a member of the cannon advisory team. (A few years ago, Neyland helped recover a Confederate submarine that sank during the Civil War).
At the end of the segment, host Gwen Wright told 14-year-old Miranda Petrone that the cannon she found probably had been on the Shark.
“We can’t say 100 percent,” Shine said.
However, the end of the show isn’t the end of the story.
“In a way, it’s just the beginning,” said Chris Havel, with the Oregon Parks and Recreation Commission.
But the TV show certainly moved the project forward, said Havel, coordinator of the cannon conservation project.
“Having Bob Neyland come out and see them firsthand, and looking at the cannon with X-rays — that would not have happened without History Detectives,” Havel said.
There is plenty of work to be done with the short-barrelled cannons known as carronades. A Web page on the Oregon Parks site notes that the gunk-encrusted barrels don’t look much like cannons at all: “More like big, blobby rocks,” it said.
For now, the cannons are sitting in tanks of water, which draws out the salt, protects them from the air and prevents further corrosion. The next step is finding a professional artifact conservator to peel away the rocky concretions, restore the cannons and return them to the Northwest for display.
“We don’t know how long it will take, and not even the people who will bid on the job have a guess,” Havel said. “I’ve heard it can take two, three, four or five years to get them into shape.”
As the crust is removed, the restoration experts might find a serial number, foundry mark or a date that could link the barrel with the Shark. Remnants of the gun carriage could offer more clues.
“Learning the type of wood might help us figure out where it was made,” Havel said. “An Eastern hardwood is different than something from the Gulf Coast.”
For now, the recent focus on the USS Shark and its carronades has helped generate interest in regional history.
“I’ve heard from a lot of people who watched the episode and are interested in the story of the fort’s involvement,” Shine said.
He’s even played host to some of the families that have participated in the cannon saga, and that covers quite a span. The fort held a “Campfires and Candlelight” living history event this month, focusing on the wreck of the Shark. The families of both Oregon girls who found the carronades attended the program, as did a relative of Lt. Neil Howison, the Shark’s commander.
The story illustrates the regional sweep of history. That’s why Shine wouldn’t mind if Fort Vancouver never gets to display a restored cannon.
“We encourage visiting other sites,” Shine said. “We are part of a regional story. We work in partnership with other sites and venues. They send visitors to us, we send visitors to them. It’s a network to provide the complete story.”
Havel acknowledged similar feelings while standing at Arch Cape, where the cannons were recovered in February.
“Before, it was just a beautiful beach with a little history,” Havel said. “Now when I go there, I can draw a line from where I’m standing to the mouth of the Columbia, and from there to Fort Vancouver. It’s part of something bigger.
“The carronades are pulling us into history, rather than just being another cool object.”
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