Regarding the query re "Rock Cannons" at Parys Mountain --
could these be anything like the ones on Gibraltar?
I remember that when I was in the Royal Engineers, tunnelling
in Gibraltar in 1953-54, I was shown some holes in the Rock above
the harbour.
These were about 4 to 5 inches in diameter, drilled into the limestone
at a downward angle of about (from memory) 45 degrees. They went
in about three to four feet, and served as mortars. They were said to
have been made during the time of the Great Siege ( June 1779 to
February 1783 ) when the British garrison was blockaded in by the
combined Spanish and French fleets.
To use them, gunpowder was poured into the bottom of the hole,
and then a red-hot cannon-ball dropped in on top of the gunpowder.
This ignited the powder, and the cannon ball was projected out,
hopefully falling onto the decks of some of the blockading ships.
Some were, indeed, said to have been set on fire by this means.
If there is any similarity, maybe the Rock Cannons near Parys
Mountain are actually near the port of Amlwch rather than near
the mine. It was, after all, a more important port than Cardiff in its
day, shipping out some 40,000 tons a year of copper ore, so maybe
some "Rock Cannons" were installed to help defend it, should the
need arise. This, however, is just my wild speculation.
Tony Brewis
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|