Elements of the Canon

Summer at Berkeley Series - Lecture 4

"Elements of the Canon"

“The cannon will not suffer any other sound to be heard for miles and for years around it.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Cannon Puzzle by John Berkeley for Donay

The history of warfare, and the development of weapons capable of increasingly greater destruction and loss of life, is a gruesome tale indeed. The cannon, along with the fire-lance, was invented in twelfth century China, and featured prominently in battle since the thirteenth century. Of course there have been toy cannons around for centuries as well. Versions made from wood and brass could be found in the Victorian era, nicely detailed and resting on carved trundles. These would have been ideal objects to re-imagine into puzzles of the day, with their many sections and pieces. Hoffman describes three distinct puzzle cannons in his work, Puzzles Old and New, 1893. Enthusiasts of mechanical puzzles, and their histories, may be familiar with at least the concept of the puzzle cannon, if not with all of the specifics and styles. But they remain a fairly obscure niche. And, they are not to be confused with puzzle canons, another obscure niche in the world of musical composition. A puzzle canon is a musical riddle, where the missing part of a composition can be deduced from hints provided in notational or textual clues. There are numerous examples from famous to lesser known composers throughout history. If there were a competition, I have no idea which puzzle can(n)on would be considered more obscure to the general population.

The Cannon and Ball

John Berkeley produced all three versions of the Hoffman era puzzle cannon, most often using his favorite for hand chased threads, African Blackwood, which he considers the “King of Woods”. He also produced a few of these in the rare miniature sets he made for Donay, at approximately 100mm size. The "Cannon and Ball" version can be identified by the sound of the small ball trapped inside the cannon muzzle which rolls back and forth freely, and can be seen by tipping the muzzle down so it rolls to the opening (which is of course too small to allow the ball to come out). A classic Cannon and Ball puzzle will have an oval shaped opening in the muzzle, rather than a perfect circle. The puzzle features a very clever misdirection which has found its way into countless threaded puzzles ever since. John recalls that this was a tricky puzzle to perfect, discreetly hiding one of the main mechanisms while ensuring that it would still function properly.

The Cannon and Cord

Another variation on the theme is the Cannon and Cord puzzle. Classically, as found in Hoffman, this was a fairly simple disentanglement puzzle. The cannon in this case has a slot that runs its length, from muzzle tip to base. A cord resides in the slot, tied with a large ball on the end. The cord is held in place by a loose ring which slips over the muzzle, and the ring is in turn held in place by a pair of trunnions on the sides of the cannon. The goal, to remove the cord with the ball, can be achieved with a few manipulations of the cord through the ring. But you will find that this doesn’t exactly work on the Berkeley version – the cannon muzzle is closed off and cord has been trapped inside the slot. John decided to make the puzzle more challenging, and incorporated elements of the Cannon and Ball puzzle into his version of the Cannon and Cord, turning it into an excellent puzzle. John recalls that making this puzzle – in fact, any puzzle which required carving a slot into it – was anxiety provoking. That would be the last step, and any mistake would ruin the puzzle and mean starting over. He found that cutting a perfect slot in the cannon was difficult to do satisfactorily, and as a result he did not make many of these. 

The Arabi Gun

The final variation is also the most complicated. The Arabi Gun has approximately ten or so pieces involved in its construction and execution, and the solution requires a few extra steps and discoveries compared to the others in the cannon canon. The Arabi Gun can be identified easily by the prominent ball protruding from the muzzle, held in place by something springy. Push on the ball and it retracts slightly into the muzzle, but springs back again right away. Removing the ball is the tricky goal. 

Are you outgunned?

John describes this as one of the most complex puzzles that he made, “a veritable tour de force of thread chasing.” It was also his favorite of the three, especially in miniature. He encouraged budding wood turners not to be put off by the apparent difficulty of making this puzzle, as it can be broken down into manageable parts and the end result is an exceptional puzzle well worth the effort. He mentions in his wood turning book that there was one component of the cannon puzzles he disliked - making the little wood trucks that support the cannons. They look handsome and provide an elegant display stand, but they did not involve much actual wood turning (aside from the wheels and tiny pins), which is what he really loved.

The Canon Cocktail by Jamie Boudreau

To celebrate this beautiful battery we turn to a storied bar in Seattle known appropriately enough as “Canon”. Home to “America’s largest spirit collection”, at four thousand bottles and counting, “Canon Whiskey and Bitters Emporium” literally wraps you up in a warm embrace of bottle-lined walls. Jamie Boudreau, Canon’s owner and visionary, has one of the most extensive collections of vintage spirits and whiskeys in the world, including an original Mt. Vernon rye from 1895. His bar has also racked up the official accolades, earning “World’s Best Spirits Selection” at Tales of the Cocktail in 2017 and the #6 spot on the “World’s 50 Best Bars” list in 2014.

A drink that will blow you away

When Boudreau opened his bar in 2011 he created a signature cocktail to epitomize the oeuvre he was creating. The full name of the bar includes both whiskey and bitters, and the signature cocktail had to reflect that faithfully. While the menu has changed many times over the years, and other favorites like the “Truffle Old Fashioned” have gained popularity, the original remains a modern classic. The “Canon Cocktail”, if served at the bar, even features a stencil of the bar’s logo, a cannon (how clever and confusing), sprayed with Angostura bitters onto the special foam that sits above the liquid. The foam is made from Cointreau, the French orange aperitif liqueur similar to triple sec and well known in a Margarita. The basic drink, with rye, sweet vermouth, and amaro, is a lovely take on the Manhattan, and quite tasty on its own. The special foam elevates it to legendary status, and makes it so much more perfect to accompany these special puzzles. Class dismissed – cheers!

If boxes and booze had house rules, these follow the canon

The Canon Cocktail by Jamie Boudreau

1 oz rye whiskey

½ oz sweet vermouth

½ oz Ramazotti amaro

Cointreau foam (ideally made w Cointreau, lemon, egg white and sugar in a siphon, I whipped up a tolerable version using the blender on high speed)

Aromatic bitters (such as Angostura)

Stir the liquid ingredients well with ice to chill and dilute, then strain into a favorite glass. Top with foam and spray with aromatic bitters.

Batteries included

For prior lectures from the Summer at Berkeley series: