Dave the plumber wrote:
> No safety device on the fuze, looks dangerous for transport and handling. [...]
> Like John says, it would be dangerous ramming\setting the shell down in a barrel.
> They must have had a specific rammer with a hole cut out for the fuze so no contact would be made [...]
I think the fuze's "safety device" was the thickness of the brass fuze's face. As shown in Emike's photo (below), the fuze's face was approximately 3/16"-thick brass. That is NOT thin, easily-dented sheetmetal. Considerable impact-force would be needed to crush the 3/16"-thick brass down onto the anvil-plug's wafer primer. Also, as the Patent diagram and D&G book's diagram show, there was a space between the iron anvil-plug and fuze's brass top -- it did not fit "flush" against the plug and primer. Major (and "straight down") impact was needed for crushing the 3/16th-thick brass fuze-top inward to strike the anvil-plug. I do not think the cannon's rammer (which was WOOD-tipped) was capable of that much force. Nor, even dropping the fuzed shell on the ground.
I've owned several Sawyer Percussion fuzecaps, and you can tell from handling one that you'd need a harsh "straight-on" strike from a steel hammer to crush it downward enough to contact the iron anvil-post. I doubt the cannon's wood-tipped rammer could do that. Note, the reason that the 3/16"-thick brass fuzecap in Emike's photo is in contact with the iron anvil-post is because it is a fired. impacted shell.
Regards,
Pete