Courtesy of Barbara CarrowAdministrators at the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences noticed last week that someone had broken into a display case at the entrance to Jolley Hall. Missing was a more than 100-year-old miniature model cannon, estimated to be worth $3,000.
The display case was home to numerous original miniature working models of nineteenth century machines patented in the United States at that time. All remaining models have been removed from the case until it is made more secure.
“It’s a little unclear as to whether the cabinet…was secure or insecure,” said Don Strom, Director of Campus Police, noting that police are also unsure of how someone might have broken into the display case.
Most of the investigation into this theft remains engulfed in mystery, since there is uncertainty regarding what exactly is missing, who stole the item(s), and when the crime took place.
“We’re not sure what else was stolen besides the cannon…we never really took an inventory of exactly what we had,” said Michael Moll, vice dean for business affairs of the engineering school.
Moll also noted that the University Archives didn’t have a complete record of the items in the display case either, although they did have a photocopy of a photograph of the missing cannon. No one seems quite sure why there was no complete record of the items in the display case. But according to Moll, the ten models remaining in the display case have all been photographed and documented.
Since the discovery of the missing cannon took place at the beginning of the school year, it is possible the theft occurred sometime during the summer months when fewer people were around.
“The range of time [in which the cannon] could have been taken spanned several months,” Strom stated. “There are no specific leads at this time.”
The cannon and other models in the display case were donated to the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences in 1978 and were kept in the office of James M. McKelvey, former Dean of the School of Engineering, until he retired from that position in 1991. The models were then moved to the display case at the entrance to Jolley Hall.
Historically, the models are significant as relics of a bygone era. Until 1880, everyone applying for a U.S. patent was required to submit a miniature working model (no larger than one cubic foot) of his or her invention. Even after that time, however, some inventors continued producing the tiny models.
The historical significance of these models means they cannot be replaced. Thus the School of Engineering is imploring anyone with any information about the theft or the cannon’s whereabouts to come forward.
“We just want it back, no questions asked,” Moll said.