More Pioneer Pyrotechnics
A description of anvil firing:
Shooting the anvil is just plain old-fashioned fun and exciting, as evidenced by this eyewitness description of the simultaneous firing of three anvils, approximately 15 feet apart.
"Thunder-- smoke-- airborne! The two outside anvils went up in a harmonious tandem (way up) while the middle anvil, a split second behind, climbed skyward like a rocket, passing between the two outside anvils. Then, suspended weightless against the heavens for a moment, they plummeted earthward at last. The synchronization, the flight pattern and the phenomenal distance all made for a super show, best ever!"
A reader sent these pictures of an anvil firing. Boy, those pioneers really knew how to celebrate 4th of July, didn't they? I must put in this warning: I've not done this personally and don't try it based on the tiny amount of information provided here. While the pictures may indeed show some experienced anvilists(?) I'm a still a bit circumspect. It looks as if the anvils are aligned base to base, and the internal cavity in the base is filled with black powder. Hmmm. That seems like a lot of powder, maybe too much? If things go wrong, the possibility of shrapnel exists, not to mention the danger of an anvil falling on you.
So is this where the Looney Tunes falling-anvil meme came from?
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