Pics Of The Day #867

Posted on September 1, 2019 | 10 Comments

One shot of the Compo Beach cannons … (Photo/Tim Woodruff)

,,, and another (Photo/Larry Untermeyer)

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10 responses to “Pics Of The Day #867”

  1. A.D. Galy | September 1, 2019 at 9:25 pm |

    🤔👍👍

  2. Eve Potts | September 1, 2019 at 10:19 pm |

    Smokin’ cannons.

  3. Jay Tormey '66 | September 1, 2019 at 10:22 pm |

    They still look good after all these years.

  4. Jay Tormey "66 | September 1, 2019 at 10:42 pm |

    Where are the cannonballs?

    • Dan Woog | September 2, 2019 at 7:03 am |

      Good question. For those who don’t know, Jay is referring to a few cannonballs that used to be embedded in grass just west of the cannons, by the jetty.

  5. Bonnie Bradley | September 2, 2019 at 9:46 am |

    I believe that only one cannon is the real thing, original from the day. Once they were a perfect pair but sometime in the very early 1950s (Morley or Dave Eason or some other savvy old-timer will know the date) in the dark middle of the night we were jolted awake by the sound of a tremendous explosion at the Beach… it literally blasted you awake instantly, no doubt that something enormous had occurred….. I can still feel the enveloping compression of the sound.
    We lived in Owenoke then and I remember my father (J. Kenneth Bradley) coming into my brother’s and my rooms, getting us out of bed and into our car, still in our pajamas, and driving to the Beach, the pretty clear location of of the sound. We drove around for a few minutes but saw nothing in the dark of course, and didn’t see that one cannon was gone, and went home. The next day there was great excitement at the beach. People wandered around looking at the big chunks of metal lying around, some half buried, in the sand. No one could imagine that happening.
    Compo was quite primitive in those days, except for the bath houses and the cannons. For weeks people talked about the event and “who did it” but nothing ever came of that. Still a mystery as far as I know. But someone still knows, I’m sure.
    I remember the half buried cannon balls too…. Wonder where they went.

  6. Bonnie Bradley | September 2, 2019 at 10:19 am |

    Should have added a couple of things re the cannons: it was concluded that someone stuffed the barrel of one cannon with dynamite and lit the fuse.
    A replica was made as a replacement. I think that maybe the pieces of the original, destroyed cannon were reassembled and now are installed at the
    Veteran’s building in Saugatuck. Not sure of that. But no motive ever emerged and the event came to be considered a prank.

  7. Bettina Gangi | September 2, 2019 at 12:21 pm |

    That poof of smoke from cannon on right…amazing😉

  8. Bonnie Bradley | September 2, 2019 at 1:37 pm |

    Thanks for the photo, Dan. It really happened the way I told the story and am sure other old-time Westporters remember it; just not sure of the exact date. So great that the original cannon was honored by saving the pieces and reconstructing it, and placing it on their property for all to enjoy and remember.I’m sure the Westport Vets were a big part of that restoration and placement.They did a super job. I think the restored cannon was determined to be too fragile to go back to Compo. I don’t know who arranged or paid for the new copy, now at the Beach… Maybe the Vets themselves. Hurray!
    If I’m wrong on any particulars I’ll be glad to be corrected. Viva Westport!