Cannonballs found at old civil war arsenal in Pittsburgh

[mountaineer]

Cannonballs found at old civil war arsenal in Pittsburgh
Posted: Mar 27, 2017 4:20 PM EST

PITTSBURGH (AP via WTRF) - Authorities in western Pennsylvania say a construction crew found a cache of buried cannonballs at the site of an old civil war arsenal in Pittsburgh.
   
Public safety officials say the crew found about 20 cannonballs Monday at the site in the Lawrenceville neighborhood.
   
The police bomb squad responded to the scene but decided to allow the construction company's subcontractor to remove the cannonballs.
   
Spokeswoman Sonya Toler told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the subcontractor is "specifically trained" for such work and the cannonballs "are stable, when left alone." An officer will be posted to ensure that no one disturbs the site.
   
The Allegheny Arsenal in Lawrenceville was a key supplier of munitions to the Union Army during the Civil War. An 1862 explosion there killed 78 people, mostly women and girls.

[mountaineer]

I love these stories. Maybe someone under the age of 50 will realize there was such an event in U.S. history as the War Between the States.

Cannonballs Found At Construction Site In Lawrenceville, Bomb Squad Called
March 27, 2017 1:34 PM


PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — An unusual, and potentially dangerous, find at a construction site in Lawrenceville. Crews accidentally unearthed several Civil War-era cannonballs.

The construction site, located near the intersection of 39th and Butler Streets, is near the old Allegheny Arsenal location. It was used as a manufacturing plant during the war.

As a precaution, police and the bomb squad were called out to the scene.

“We believe that [the cannonballs] contain gun powder, so they are explosive,” said Sonya Toler, a Spokesperson for Pittsburgh Police. “But the way these objects were built, they’re pretty secure, so no one here is in any danger.

Toler went on to say that discovering the cannonballs was no surprise.

“Because of the location of this site being so close to the Arsenal, they were already aware that they may come across some old relics from the Civil War,” said Toler. “Sure enough, when they checked the dirt, they did find several.”

A specialized company will now dispose of the cannonballs properly.

“We don’t know the exact number [of cannonballs],” said Toler. “But it’s far greater than what our bomb squad is able to take care of at one time.”