[Public-List] Gord's history lesson

[Jock McClees]

For your amusement
A friend who was a history major got a job with the museum in Sackett's 
Harbor in the summer of 1976. As part of the bicentennial celebrations they 
staged a big reenactment of the battle of Sackett's Harbor including period 
ships. My friend's job was to coordinate the entire reenactment. He said it 
bothered him that although he was dressed in period clothing, he had a radio 
with a big whip antenna in he backpack so he could communicate with 
everyone. Apparently in the original battle one of the British ships was hit 
and started burning so they planned to create a lot of smoke for the 
reenactment. At the right time the smoke started billowing from the ship. 
After a bit my friend radios them to tell them to douse the flames. A 
panicked response came back saying they were desperately trying. To create 
the smoke they had used a phosphorus grenade in a bucket. There was supposed 
to be sand in the bottom of the bucket but that had been neglected. The 
phosphorus grenade promptly burned through the bottom of the bucket and was 
proceeding to burn through the deck. Somehow they got the fire out.

The second thing that happened was another panicked call that the ship was 
being fired on. After some quick checking my friend approached one of the 
volunteers who was the captain of one of the cannon crew. He also happened 
to be the mayor of the town. My friend pointed out that the grapefruit the 
mayor and his gun crew had loaded in the cannon could have killed someone at 
the speed it was moving even though it was soft. The mayor tried to deny it 
which is when my friend told him they had it on camera. Second, because the 
grapefruit was soft, it could have changed shape, plugged the barrel of the 
cannon and caused the cannon to explode. At this point the mayor was looking 
sheepish, frightened and humbled all at the same time.
It was an interesting summer.
Jock McClees


----- Original Message ----- 
From: <milleype at kingston.net>
To: "Alberg 30 Public List -- open to all" <public-list at lists.alberg30.org>
Sent: Tuesday, August 05, 2008 4:38 PM
Subject: Re: [Public-List] Gord's history lesson


> Gord and Rod,
>
> Further to your history lesson here's the words to the song we sing on the
> deck of Privateer.
>
> Loyal She Remains
>
>
> we came overland from Albany, Yankee rebels on our heels
> we stole a boat in Sackett's Harbour and we headed for Presqu'il
> settled hard by Kingston, safe from revolution's flames
> and it's loyal she began boys, loyal she remains
>
>
> loyal she began boys, loyal she remains
> content to live our lives in peace beneath a monarch's reins
> let the rebels rot with all of their ill-gotten gains
> but it's loyal she began boys, loyal she remains
>
>
> we saw the writing on the wall right after Valley Forge
> when the rebels stood for Washington, we held for old King George
> kin folk turned on kin, blood like water in the veins
> but it's loyal she began boys, loyal she remains
>
>
> we lost our farms, we lost our friends, but we never lost our pride
> no amount of traitor gold could lure us to a traitor's side
> a people's honour blemished once will never lose the stain
> so it's loyal she began boys, loyal she remains
>
>
> Following the American Revolution, many citizens who remained loyal to
> Britain (and those who liked the idea of the free land being offered north
> of the border) emigrated to Canada. These United Empire Loyalists formed 
> the
> basis of early Ontario, the motto of which was to become Loyal She Began,
> and Loyal She Remains. These are our roots!
>
>>
>> We should make more of our heros...
>>
>> Gord #426
>>
>>
>> I agree !
>>
>> I used to think that we Canadians only had boring history.
>> It took me half a lifetime for my reading habits to broaden enough to
>> realize that the fault lies with boring teachers and the boring text 
>> books
>> that were used.
>> North American history is filled with amazing people and equally amazing
>> deeds.
>>
>> And how many of our American cousins know that at one point in their 
>> early
>> history, they were at war with France ???
>> I didn't.
>>
>> Cheers,    Rod
>>
>> ~~~~ _/)~~~ _/)_/) ~~~~
>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>>    ~~    ~~~~~    ~~~~
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>
>
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