Tragic incident

[Zahnada]

Please check equipment and have a safe summer. This poor family.

 

_________________________________________________________

Cannon explosion kills teenage boy at Boy Scout camp

 

08/06/03

 

PATRICK O'NEILL

 

A 16-year-old Aumsville boy died Tuesday of head injuries he received when a ceremonial cannon exploded at a Boy Scout camp on Friday.

 

 

Christopher Kroker was injured when a muzzle-loading cannon blew apart after a flag ceremony at Camp Meriwether near Tillamook on the Oregon Coast.

 

He died at Legacy Emanuel Hospital & Health Center at 2:45 p.m.

 

Boy Scout officials are trying to figure out what caused the cannon to malfunction.

 

Don Cornell, director of field services for the Cascade Pacific Council of the Boy Scouts of America, which runs the camp, said the cannon has been used for four years to fire a salute to the flag in the evenings.

 

The cannon, about 21/2-feet long, has a bore of 11/4 to 11/2 inches in diameter. The device is loaded with black powder tamped into place and held with a cloth wad. Cornell said the powder is ignited with a burning stick placed over the cannon's touch-hole at the rear of the device.

 

Kroker attempted to fire the cannon during an evening flag ceremony but for some reason the powder failed to ignite.

 

After the ceremony, the Scout tried again to ignite the powder. Cornell said that is standard procedure. Simply leaving the powder in the barrel would have created a hazardous condition, he said.

 

Several witnesses said Kroker apparently used proper procedures in both loading and firing the cannon, Cornell said, adding that an adult was supervising Kroker at the time of the explosion.

 

"We're just at a loss as to why it happened this time," Cornell said. "It appears he followed all the procedures. Others on the scene say it looked like he did everything properly."

 

Cornell said Kroker was one of four or five staff members at the camp who have been trained in the use of muzzle-loading weapons and who supervise instruction of other Scouts.

 

The camp is operated on a frontier theme and features classes in blacksmithing and black powder riflery.

 

This was Kroker's second year as a staff member who trained others how to use black powder rifles.

 

The camp won't replace the cannon, Cornell said. But after a weekend review of safety procedures, the organization has resumed its black powder rifle program.

 

Cornell described Kroker as "a very fine example of a young man and a Scout. Adult leaders would praise him for how well he worked with Scouts."

 

Detective William Hakim, a bomb technician with the Oregon State Police, said a wide range of factors might have played into the accident. He isn't involved in the investigation of the Boy Scout cannon, but he has extensive knowledge of the characteristics and behavior of black powder.

 

Black powder is a fast-burning substance that rapidly produces gas when ignited. A small pile of black powder will produce a kind of "whoosh," when ignited in the open, he said. The tighter it's packed the faster the resulting gas expands.

 

Hakim said it's conceivable that temperature or moisture affected the wadding material holding the powder in the cannon's barrel, making it seal too tightly or that the barrel was obstructed by some other object. Or there might have been some structural weakness in the cannon, he said, or a combination of those or other factors.

 

Christopher Kroker was the son of Roy and Donna Kroker of Aumsville. He is survived by a sister, Kim, and brother, Michael. No funeral arrangements were announced.

 

 

[eisely]

I could probably look this up myself, but does anyone know if there are special procedures in G2SS for using black powder?

 

We sometimes used a salute gun at our camp when I was a scout. It was smaller than the piece that is described in the story and fired blank shot gun cartridges.

 

Blanks can injure. Never fire a blank cartridge towards someone and make sure the target area is clear of people just like for using real bullets.

[saltheart]

The G2SS only contains reference to black powder in regards to muzzleloaders and the Riflery Merit Badge. There does not seem to be any reference to 'cannons'.

 

Then again, why would there be?(This message has been edited by saltheart)

[Fat Old Guy]

Now they'll ban cannons at scout camps.

[Scoutmaster Ron]

They probably should, I'm not convinced they have a place at a Scout camp.

[Fat Old Guy]

"They probably should, I'm not convinced they have a place at a Scout camp."

 

While we're at it ban bows, arrows, rifles, shotguns, knives, and fire.

 

 

 

[OldGreyEagle]

Our Camp fires a cannon, it has what amounts to a sawed off 12 gauge shotgun inside of it that shots blanks, it is fired at the raising and retrieving of colors, it is quite dramatic and memorable. Hate to see it discontinued because of one incident.

[acco40]

When I was in college, a l o n g time ago, a student was killed firing a cannon with black powder (Kappa Alpha frat I believe). Black powder is dangerous stuff.

 

A very, very small cannon can make a very very large noise. These "ceremonial" cannons can be as small as a few inches in length and with an inside bore of one inch or less.

 

Every year at camp, I know that they are going off and I know exactly when but I still instinctively flinch each time.

[dsteele]

First and foremost, this is a real tragedy. While deaths of Scouts, Scouters or staff in BSA camps are very, very rare given the sheer number of people and camps we're talking about, each one is one too many.

 

I know of no current policy prohibiting their use and I know many council camps fire them for raising or lowering or both of the flag. I personally don't like it because, like someone pointed out, even though I know it's coming, I jump.

 

The ones I've seen, however, were fired by pulling a string from a safe distance and not lighting a fuse. Yes, the effect is dramatic, but I'm not sure it's necessary. Silent respect during the salute can be significant as well.

 

It would suprise me if the BSA banned cannons at camp. I think it more likely that we would see regulations as to the type of cannon, lighting mechanism, who can fire it, etc. That's more our style.

 

Scouts have drowned at Scout camps (not many, but a few) and no one has banned swimming. Scouts have died at Philmont, but no one has banned hiking in the mountains . . . standards are set as safeguards sometimes as a result of tragedies.

 

Other times, I think we do a good job of preventing tragedies based on our way of doing things. For example, have you ever wondered why the BSA allows high cope courses with two-wire traverse, etc., yet we ban Bungee jumping? You can have a zip line (as long as it meets the standards) but bungee jumping is out.

 

The reason is (and I'm an old COPE instructor-trained guy) COPE has two safety's -- belay and rabbit ears, usually. Bungee jumping, well, if the bungee cord goes -- splat!

 

DS

[Sparkie]

I have to agree with Scoutmaster Ron. Black Powder is very volital, and unstable. I would think there is another way to do this such as OGE mentioned. I'm no expert, but my husband had bi-lateral hand (2d and 3rd degree) burns and face burns. He was pouring some BP out of a leather civil war case a co-worker was showing him. Someone smoking across the room caused it to ignite. It was frightening to hear the stories in the Loyola Burn unit. One wife was sliding over one of her husbands shoe boxes on a closet shelf, and from the meer friction POOF!

 

I'm not one for knee-jerk reactions, however this one hit's close to home. I think councils should reconsider the use of Black Powder, taking into effect the lack of control one has over it.

 

Sparkie

[troopmom]

This year a camp where my son is on staff used two rifles and it was pleanty loud. Made me jump everytime.

[Fat Old Guy]

Sorry but black powder is anything but volatile. In the world of chemistry volatile means "evaporates easily."

 

 

[OldGreyEagle]

Sparkie, how far from Loyola are you? In another thread, the one on punishments i made reference to having experience at a tertiary care burn unit, it was Loyala that I was talking about, first avenue maywood park. They got the worst cases you could imagine

[captainron14]

Our Troop will be attending Camp Meriwether next week. It is a beautiful camp on 800 acres of undeveloped Oregon Coast. This terrible accident will put a damper on the trip. The staff member that died was in his second year on staff there. Our boys remember him as a very thoughtful and caring young man. He was very good with the Scouts. He will be missed. The camp is building a new Dining Hall and we (along with others) are sugesting they name it after Chris.

The Good Lord has another Scout to help out in Heaven.

God Bless Chris and his family.

 

[keschmahalen]

Hello,

 

At least one of our council camps uses a cannon when we retrieve the colors, and it is quite dramatic. In the meantime, and probably for a long time to come I suspect that the council in question may have a more dramatic and meaningful affect by inserting a moment of silence (is that irony? a moment of silence during a silent ceremony?) in respect for the deceased youth. paul