Cannon Accident Fort St George Madras, 1870 Print

This is a page from The Illustrated London News of Jan 8, 1870. It shows a fatal cannon accident at Fort St Gorge, Madras, now Chennai. The deadly incident took place on November 22, 1869. A unit of the Royal Artillery stationed at Fort St George, Madras, practicing cannon artillery firing was when it happened.

The firing took place on the sea face of the fort. On the sixth round of firing one of the cannons exploded disastrously. A large portion was blown to a great height, falling around seventy-five feet behind. The remaining part of the heavy artillery and its carriage fell to the right, killing George Chapman a gunner. The gun was made in England in 1856.

But curiously a day before the firing the gun was examined and pronounced fit for use. The charge used was 7 kg of gun powder, and a 31 kg cannon ball. Despite the explosion, the ball almost hit its floating target which was two and a half km away at sea. The fort is located off the Marina Promenade in Chennai. The famous Marina Beach is on the other side. Click on the photo for better view.

See older post Fort St George Madras In 1872 – Earliest Photo Rare

Did you know- Fort St George was the first British fortification in India.

From the collection- 1964 M. Suriyamoorthy Charcoal On Paper Lovers (#5)., Aerial View Of Bombay – Rare Panoramic Postcard 1905., Mumbai Railway Suburban Services – Old Print 1955