The-

Artilleryman...dedicated to the advancement of safety and skill in the exhibition and competition

shooting of muzzleloading cannon and mortar.

Vol. 7, No.3 Summer 1986 $3.00

Thunder Mug ....A NoisemakerThat Looks Like A Beer Mug

by John Morris\ \l1at looks like a beer mug and

sounds like a howitzer?The answer, of course, is a "thunder

mug," also known as a "boite" (inFrance), a "servadore" (in Spain), anda "chamber" (the term we'll use in thisarticle) in England.

These specialized noise-making mor-tars evolved from the removable mug-like chambers .use d by light,breechloading cannon in the 15thcentury.

I've collected several of theseunusual cannon (see photograph) overthe years, and have found informationon them very scarce. But I finally ac-cumulated enough facts to piece thehistory of these "artillery oddities"together, for the benefit of others whomay have been similarly bewildered.

"Chambers" were used from the 16th

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through the 19th centuries to rendersalutes and celebrate military victories.They were the instrument of choice forcreating a resonant "boom" whichwould carry a good distance.

Proportioned to maximize muzzleblast, chambers greatly decreased thecost of manpower, artillery, andespecially precious powder required fornoisemaking in military ceremonies.

The Royal Navy was apparently lessenthusiastic about these devices, as wecan see from John Smith's definition inhis 1627 edition of The Seaman'sGrammar:

"Chambers is a charge made ofbra sse or iron which we use to putin at the britch of a sling or Mur-therer, containing just so muchpowder as will drive away the caseof stones or shot, or any thing inher. In a great Peece we call thather Chamber as far as the powder

B

doth reach when she is laded.For Morters, or such chambers asare only used for triumphs, thereis no use for them in this service."We can get some idea of what kinds

of chambers were used for militarysalute-firing from various official inven-tories of the ordnance material in theTower of London. The 1568 inventorylists, under "Caste Iron Ordenaunce"twelve "Chambers for triumphes.' andunder "fforged iron ordinaunce" 221"Chambers for triumphes."

The 1688 inventory shows, under"brass ordnance," a total of 24 "triumphguns (Unmounted)" and under "car-riages ... rr a total of 24 "Beds ... fortriumph guns."

ote that chamber metal went fromiron to bronze during the time span ofthese inventories, reflecting the generaltrend in ordnance manufacture. Also ofinterest is the "Ordnance return of

c D

A. American iron signal cannon; B. Spanish "mug" chamber, bronze, 1869; C. Filipino chamber, bronze; D. Fine Euro-pean "inclined" chamber, ca. 18th century.

The ArtillerymanPage 6

Tower of London: David McLain Magazine, six Storehouses and(Master Gunner), 1824." Quarters, also the Ordnance (46

"In charge of 32 pieces of Chambers) used for firing salutes,"mounted Ordnance with 50 To digress slightly, the "32 pieces"rounds of Ammunition for each included both a medium and a lightpiece, the small stores, and one "brass" 12 pdr., twenty 24 pdr. car-

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The frontispiece of George Plimpton's recent book, "Fireworks," is a 17th. cen-tury French print imaginatively depicting a "firemaster ." On the cobblestones, notethe long string of chambers being fired in rapid succession by a burning powdertrain. Chambers also form the firemaster's forearms. The narrowed, beveledmuzzles of these early chambers clearly link them to the removable breeches oflight cannon, then known as slings or murderers, His legs could be large chamberswith typical French military cannon markings.

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ronades, and ten 12 pdr. carronades.These were ready-use cannon for thedefense of the Tower.

Chambers were also used to add theexciting concussion of artillery tofireworks exhibitions. Contemporaryaccounts give interesting descriptions.

In 1591, the Earl of Hertford gave afireworks exhibition for the Queen inHampshire, England, which was"Heralded by a peale of one hundredchambers from the Snail Mount, and alike peale from Ship Isle.. ."

A 1613 account, The Manner of the

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Fire-vvorkes shewed upon the Thames,includes

"First, for a welcome to thebeholders a peale of Ordnance likeunto a terrible thunder ratled inthe ayre ... another ratling soundof Cannons, almost covering theayre with fire and smoke ... Andstill the Chambers and Culverinesplaide upon the earth, the fireworkes danced in the ayre, to thegreat delight of his Highnes andthe Princes."During the 18th century, chambers

were gradually replaced by "maroons"(loud "salute" pyrotechnics and aerialbombs) in fireworks displays. Themaroons were lighter, cheaper, andeasier to use than chambers.

Safety was also a consideration, asindicated by the fact that police inCopenhagen prohibited the use ofchambers in the late 18th centurybecause they had "caused accidents."

o details of the alleged accidentsare given. But we suspect they relate tothe fact that the firer's head, duringloading or misfires, can all too easily getinto a dangerous position over the muz-zle. The suicidal temptation to pourpowder directly into a chamber from acontainer may also have claimedvictims.

Most of the chambers extant todayare bronze. They usually appear in oneof two basic variations. These are thefamiliar "mug" design, and an inclined(rather than vertical) type with nohandle.

The mug type seems to have been in

use in southern Europe, particularlyFrance and Spain. The inclined,handleless variety was predominant fur-ther north, notably in England andGermany.

The use of thunder mugs, orchambers, did not seem to have caughton in the United States. The Americansubstitute was usually a locally-made,very plain, trunnionless iron salute can-non. The barrel was mounted horizon-tally by bolting it into a trough in ablock of wood.

Figure 1A is one of these primitivebut perfectly functional American signalcannon, made of iron, c. 19th century.I first thought it was a thunder mug,since it was standing on end in the anti-que shop where I bought it.

Closer inspection revealed clearevidence of horizontal mounting: tworust lines where U-bolts held it into ablock, the countersunk vent, and thepitted upper surface. The barrelmeasures 15 inches by 4-118 inches(maximum diameter), has a 1% inchbore, and weighs 48 pounds.

Figure 1B is a large Spanishchamber, the only marked piece in thegroup. One side is marked" -X" and"f',g ." and the other, "P" and "Ano de1869."

Since the piece was brought backfrom the Philippines (in 1901) the mark-ings probably mean that this was ser-vadore number 10, cast at the Manilaarsenal, in the year 1869.

Measurements are: Length 11 inches,bore 2 inches (at muzzle) tapered to 1

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inch (at vent), weight 50 lbs. The ventis bouched with iron.

Figure 1C shows a typical bronzechamber from the Philippines.Somewhat crude, it measures 6 inchesin height, has a 1% inch bore, andweights 9 pounds.

Figure 1D shows a finely-cast bronzechamber from Europe (probablyEngland). The barrel is inclined awayfrom the vent pan (fixed 65 degree eleva-tion) to protect the firer somewhat.

The muzzle and breech are heavilyreinforced. It has a 11/2inch bore, is 51/2inches tall, and weighs 12 pounds. Therectangular base is cast integral with thebarrel.

This rather obscure, ancient form ofartillery is still in limited use. J.P.Barnett, of South Bend Replicas, Inc..sets up one of his large replica thundermugs in the gun battery he fires in per-formances of the 1812 Overture.

'His unique catalog contains picturesof this, in addition to pictures of allkinds of cannon, old and new, includingchambers. And if you are an aspiring"thunder mugger," Mr. Barnett can pro-vide you with mugs you can fire, or aspecial, lightweight model suitable for"artillery punch" or other liquids.

If you do decide to fire these devices,be extraordinarily careful to practicekeeping all parts of your body awayfrom the muzzle. Use a reliable fuze -do not "touch-fire" them. The noise candamage your hearing, and make yourears ring forever if you don't protectthem.

(About the author: John Morris, acannon and mortar collector, wroteabout an unusual Whitworth gun in thelast issue.)

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