BACKYARD CANOPIES

Taken in Fort Taiaroa, Otago Peninsula, New Zealand. This 6-inch gun, the first successful breechloader, is mounted on a hydro-pneumatic carriage, which represented the latest in technology in 1886.

Sited in an underground circular gun pit, it was aimed while below ground, then raised, fired and returned back into the pit by the recoil for reloading. Maximum range was 8,800 yards. But there were complications.

First, the lighthouse was already in place, just forward and below the gun pit. Warning horns had to be sounded around the harbour mouth before firing to allow the lighthouse keepers and householders to open windows and place displayed china in safer places. But a blind arc had to be included in the gun's traverse, to avoid firing too close to the lighthouse! And to crown this, two rows of electrically-fired sea mines were laid across the harbour mouth for operation when necessary - but there was no electricity in all of New Zealand at this time! And the local community, mainly ex-pat Scots, didn't like the idea of losing good barges or boats as targets every time there was a firing - so anything within 20° of bearing of the target was deemed a hit!!

To top all that, the air pressure required to operate the system was 1250 psi. This was achieved by brute manpower on two one-man crank handles. It took the 9-man gun crew 10 hours to charge the system, so no quick response to smoke on the horizon. In practice, the system was kept charged all the time, topped up daily because of leakage and every month, after planned maintenance, had to be fully recharged. Hard work!

This photo is a merge of a couple of frames and is not the best I've done, hence the rather bendy barrel....

We sail tonight for Singapore,
We're all as mad as hatters here
I've fallen for a tawny Moor,
Took off to the land of Nod
Drank with all the Chinamen,
Walked the sewers of Paris
I danced along a colored wind,
Dangled from a rope of sand
You must say goodbye to me

We sail tonight for Singapore,
Don't fall asleep while you're ashore
Cross your heart and hope to die
When you hear the children cry
Let marrow bone and cleaver choose
While making feet for children shoes
Through the alley, back from hell,
When you hear that steeple bell
You must say goodbye to me

Wipe him down with gasoline
'til his arms are hard and mean
From now on boys this iron boat's your home
So heave away, boys

We sail tonight for Singapore,
Take your blankets from the floor
Wash your mouth out by the door,
The whole town's made of iron ore
Every witness turns to steam,
They all become Italian dreams
Fill your pockets up with earth,
Get yourself a dollar's worth
Away boys, away boys, heave away

The captain is a one-armed dwarf,
He's throwing dice along the wharf
In the land of the blind
The one-eyed man is king, so take this ring

We sail tonight for Singapore,
We're all as mad as hatters here
I've fallen for a tawny Moor,
Took off to the land of Nod
Drank with all the Chinamen,
Walked the sewers of Paris
I drank along a colored wind,
I dangled from a rope of sand
You must say goodbye to me

Tom Waits