Stolen cannons potentially explosive

CLEARWATER - Clearwater's Ye Mystic Krewe of Santa Margarita was the target of vandals last week, and its members are worried about what might happen next.

"The damage, some doors and windows, maybe a thousand dollars or so," Krewe Captain Mark Dauck guesses. "But the biggest thing was that we lost some black powder cannons."

Four little cannons and a miniature mortar (a cannon with a short, wide muzzle) are now with persons unknown. All five devices are capable of firing with black powder.

The firepower was plundered by whomever vandalized the Krewe's two Gasparilla floats as they sat in storage in Largo.

Dauck suspects teenagers by looking at what was and was not stolen or damaged. He worries that they might try shooting one of the cannon.

"They're not designed to shoot projectiles, they're more like yard ornaments," Dauck explains. "If you were to put a golf ball or wedge too much gun powder into them, they could subsequently explode."

A black powder expert at Bill Jackson's Adventure Shop agreed.

"Possessor beware: you mess up with these and you can hurt yourself real bad," Mark Rutan said.

The theft and vandalism were discovered Sunday and Monday. Dauck distributed fliers in nearby residential neighborhoods. The flier offers a reward for information leading to the return of the cannons and the apprehension of the vandals.