Back in January [of 1993], Hugh Curtis from Ukiah asked if we would be interested in taking possession of a cannon he had found back in 1959 while snorkeling for abalone in Buckhorn Cove, south of Little River. “Well OF COURSE we would,” said I. It appears that it was not actually a cannon, but a Lyle Gun made in the 1880s or ’90s.
Lyle Gun on display in one of the upstairs bedrooms at the Kelley House. (Photo: Carol Dominy)
From the Revolutionary War period onward, many U.S. ocean-going vessels have carried some sort of line-throwing guns designed to fire a projectile attached to a rope at a boat or victim in distress. The gun shoots a line about 400 yards that is then pulled in until victims can reach it and be towed to safety. Towards the end of the 19th century, there were a number of companies manufacturing the devices, mostly following the general specifications made in 1877 by Captain David A. Lyle, a graduate of both West Point and MIT. Manufacturer David Kahnweiler of New York made many of the guns, as well as lifeboats and other safety equipment.
When Curtis and his friend, Jack Hubbard, were diving, they spotted what looked like a bronze cannon about 20 feet from shore. After some heavy lifting (the cannon weighs 99 pounds), they brought it home. Curtis then corresponded with the Smithsonian Institute in Washington and was informed that he had found a line-throwing cannon that dated back to the 19th century.
Upon acquiring the gun, we contacted local historian Oliver Seeler, who turned out to be a font of knowledge about Lyle Guns; he brought us a copy of a treatise about them written by world expert J.P. Barnett. After examining our gun, it was Oliver’s strong feeling that it was built by Kahnweiler because it fit the general specifications and it looked exactly like a picture of one of his bronze Lyle Guns.
To try to nail this down further, I went to see Leigh Newcomb, at the Maritime Museum collection storage facility at Fort Mason. Leigh is very knowledgeable about many local historic marine artifacts. We looked over his Lyle Guns (as well as many other fascinating objects stored there), and he agreed that our cannon was likely made by Kahnweiler.
But why was this cannon in Buckhorn Cove? We’ve reviewed all of our wreck records and those at the Maritime Museum Library, and find nothing that fits, although of course a Lyle Gun could have fallen overboard from any number of ships during storms [they were mounted on wooden carriages with wheels]. Dean Creath, who lived for many years nearby, remembers that there was a small mill at Buckhorn Cove (earlier called Stillwell Cove) built by Silas Coombs of Little River, and schooners did come in there to load up with lumber.
The cannon may have been used by the mill to send a line out to incoming ships after they moored. That line would then have been used to convey a heavier line or cable on which the lumber bundles were transported to the ship. These guns were also used at shore-based life-saving stations, but it would have been highly unlikely that there was such a station at Buckhorn Cove.
Bill Wagner, our photo-archivist, is going to build an oak carriage for it as the carriage that originally held the cannon long since deteriorated in the water. It will then be on display in the museum.
— Reprinted from the March 25, 1993 Mendocino Beacon.
The Kelley House Museum is open from 11AM to 3PM Thursday through Monday. Walking Tours of Mendocino are available throughout the week. Visit the Kelley House Event Calendar for a Walking Tour schedule.