Oct 13th, 2016: Old Balls

[xoxoxoBruce]

Hurricane Mathew beat the southern coastline pretty good. In some places it destroyed things and in others it uncovered things. In Folly Beach South Carolina it uncovered a stash of Civil War Cannon balls.



Great souvenirs, eh? Nope, they blew them up.

A cluster of Civil-War era artillery churned up from the sands of Folly Beach in South Carolina by Hurricane Matthew was safely detonated on Sunday evening. The 16 corroded cannonballs were found Sunday morning on the beach at East Ashley Avenue by former Folly Beach mayor Richard Beck who was walking the shoreline taking pictures of the wreckage Matthew left behind.

The Charleston County Sheriff’s Office and Charleston police bomb squad were on the scene by 12:30, but couldn’t do anything until the tide was out. At around 7:00 PM, with the help of the United States Air Force Explosive Ordnance Team, authorities were able to safely detonate the cannonballs. While it’s unlikely the black powder inside of them would have ignited given their age, condition and sodden environment, as a matter of public safety, the policy is to avoid all risks and destroy the ordnance.

Spoilsports.

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