Apr 11, 11:04 AM EDT
Caltech Students Rescue Icon Swiped by MIT
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) -- Caltech students now have their prized
campus icon back - a 3-ton cannon that was swiped by pranksters from
MIT.
Students from the California Institute of Technology flew to
Massachusetts and conducted the rescue on Monday, using ropes and a
handmade dolly to haul the wood-wheeled cannon to a flatbed truck.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology students had swiped the cannon
last month as payback for pranks that Caltech played last year -
including handing out T-shirts to hundreds of incoming MIT freshmen
that said "MIT" on the front and ".... because not everyone can go to
Caltech" on the back.
Caltech students headed to Massachusetts over the weekend and
planned to quietly truck off the 111-year-old cannon in the early
morning hours while the MIT campus slumbered.
But the Monday morning rescue mission didn't unfold as planned. They
were delayed by MIT campus police, who demanded to see "proof of
ownership" of the cannon.
Ultimately the Caltech effort was a success, but the pranks between the two schools are expected to continue.
"I really like the rivalry," said MIT freshman Jon Spaulding. "I'm looking forward to the future and what new pranks come up."
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