Randy Winland. Marion Steam Shovel produced 12 long range cannons in 1919. Each weighed 100 tons with a specially-designed rail car adding another 160 tons. Manufactured to a tolerance of .001 of an inch, the weapons used a charge of 420 pounds of powder to shoot a projectile weighing 800 pounds a distance of 29 miles. Aero-plane observers reported the accuracy of the shots.