Over the weekend, a Port Authority Bus Driver lost control of the bus she was driving. She turned the bus but for some unknown reason was unable to straighten the wheels.

The Howitzer is actually not the original WWI cannon.

The present-day Cannon is actually the second rendition of the monument. The granite memorial itself is also a replacement. The original cannon was a surplus World War I American field artillery piece. It’s official designation was 4.7 inch Gun M1906

The original howitzer, dedicated in 1934, stood for eight years, until another global conflict called it back into service. This time, the cannon was not headed for the front lines in Europe. It was, instead, heading to Jones and Laughlin Steel. The World War I artillery piece was donated by the American Legion to the J&L Mill in Hazelwood to be melted down during a scrap metal drive for World War II.

After World War II, an Army surplus howitzer was obtained as a replacement for the original cannon. The current model 1917 Schneider 155mm Howitzer was installed and the park re-dedicated in 1946.

The bus crashed through the monument and took the howitzer with it.