AFTER decades of rivalry between America’s geekiest colleges, a group of undergraduates from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has pulled off one of the most audacious student pranks in history: they have stolen a 130-year-old, two-ton cannon from the grounds of the California Institute of Technology, and shipped it 3,000 miles (4,800km) to their campus on the East Coast.

The stunt was all the more impressive given that Caltech is literally a school for rocket scientists, thanks to its famous Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

As of yesterday, the antique Fleming Cannon was still in Cambridge, Massachusetts, adorned with a large Massachusetts MIT “school ring”.

Next to it was a plaque that referred to the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) as “its previous owners”. The plaque explains that the cannon was moved using bogus documentation to get it past the Caltech security guards.

The theft was perfectly timed for maximum gloating value: this is the week when prospective students visit college campuses across America.

It is thought to be retaliation for last year’s prank by Caltech, which involved distributing official-looking, shrink-wrapped MIT-branded shirts to students visiting the Cambridge campus. The front of the shirts said ‘MIT’. On the back was written: “Because not everyone can go to Caltech.”

Tom Mannion, assistant vice-president of student affairs at Caltech, said that a retaliatory stunt was inevitable. “It validates what we did last year,” he told the Pasadena Star-News, Caltech’s local newspaper. “It was worthy of a great response.”

Caltech’s security chief, meanwhile, said that his staff had initially stopped a flat-bed lorry carrying the gun. The men in the vehicle said that they had been hired to move it across campus. “The people that stopped them were presented with some very valid-looking documentation,” said Gregg Henderson. “The person who was the spokesperson or foreman of the job was very convincing.”

The security staff watched the young men unload the cannon and leave. When the guards returned, however, it was gone. Caltech reported the theft to the Pasadena Police Department. “Their initial reaction, to be quite honest, was that it was a prank,” said Mr Henderson. “I mean, Caltech is known for pranks.” Previous stunts have included changing the Hollywood sign to read “Caltech”.

In an online press release touting their “victory”, the MIT pranksters said: “How & Ser Moving Company has completed its latest job: moving a Spanish-American War cannon from the pits of Pasadena, California, to sunny Cambridge, Massachusetts.”

The cannon has been stolen before, almost 20 years ago to the day. In 1986, a group of students from Harvey Mudd — a rival college in Claremont, California — rented a forklift truck and a flatbed lorry and dressed in blue overalls as part of their plan. A website commemorates the stunt. It claims that the cannon was originally stolen by Caltech from a boys’ prep school, which was happy to lose its military image.

Harvey Mudd returned the cannon to Caltech in an 18ft gift box, decorated with streamers and balloons.

It is thought that students and staff at MIT are already planning to return the cannon, which is usually positioned in front of Caltech’s Fleming undergraduate house. It is fired with blanks several times a year to mark important dates in the college calendar.

“It’s all in good spirit,” said Mr Henderson, “but it did cause me some sleepless nights.”

JOLLY JAPES

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