Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1869-12-02
The Cardiff Giant, or "FOssii Man
Of OnOndaga, NY.


; 0f Onondaga, Ny
The savans are still discussing th
curious statue, or petriication, as som
maintain, found last month near Cardiff
in Onondaga Co., N. Y. The fullest ant
most reliable description we have seen o
this curiosity is by Mr. John I. Boynton
geologist. who writes as follows
On Saturday last, some laborers engaged
in digging a well on the farm OF W. 9
Newell, near tho village of Cardiff abou
10 miles south of this city, discovered
lying about three feet below the surface
Of the earth, what they supposed to b.
the "petrified body" of a human being o
colossal size. It's length is ten feet anc
three inches, and the rest of the body i
proportionately large.
| spent most of yesterday aud to-day, a
the location of the so.called fossil man,
and made a survey of the surroundings o
the place where this wonderful curiosity
was found. On careful examination,
am convinced that 1t is MT fossil, bnt
was cut from a piece Of -tratiiied sulplIat,
lime, known as the Onondaga GypTunJ
Ii it were pulverized or ground, farmer
wonld call it plaster. 1t was quarri, d
probably, somewhere ia this country, from
our Gypsum beds. The luyrsa trr ol
different colOrs dark aud light Th9
statue was evidently designed lo tioon ~.
back, or partially 80, aud repr -ntr a
dead person III position he would n'ttr'
ally assume when dying The body lier
nearly upon the back, th. tight side a
little lower the head L. ming Iil'la Ia
! he right Tho legs lie nearly 1u" above
the other tho frot partially eroer "nr
another The tgs ~ the right foot llttlr
lower, showing plainly that shs .tstat paA
never designed 10 stand rreet upon itA tHyt.
I Tho left arm lies down by the lott aide oi
1 the body, the foro arm and hand being
partially covered by tho body. The right
hand rests short distance below. the
umbilicus, the little finger spreading from
tho Others reaching nearly to the pubcs.
The whole atatn9 evidently represents tho
position that IA body wpul,. naturally take
ut the departure Of life.
There il perfect harmony in the pro-
portions Of the different parts Of thestatue
The features are strictly Caucasian, hav-
ing not the high cheek bones OF the Indian
type, neither the outlines of the negro race
and being entirely unlike any stntuary
YET uistpstftu VI aEbtC bi iidah.l ~ u III.
The chin Is magnificent and generous tho
eyebrow, or superciliary ridge, j. well
arched the mouth is pleasant; the brow
and forehead are noble and the Adams
apple" has full development.
The -latae being colossal ana massive,
strikes the lehoidcT ~ith feeling OF awe.
Some portions of the features you'd re-
mind one of the bust of Dewitt Clinton,
and others Of the Napoleonic type. My
opinion Is that this piece OF statuary Was
made 10 represent some person of CntIcas-
sian origin. md designed by thu artist 10
perpetuqte the memory Of great mind
and noble deeds II would -erya 10 i'm
press inferior minds or races with the
great aud noble, and - this p',sP - =. y
was seuIptured OF colo--s.l dimensions.
The block Of gypsum is stratihed, aua q
dark s,fat..r.! passes just below tie ontrr
portion of the lei, eyebrow, appears igsin
on the LETT breast having Gsea eli-sei-4
out between the eyebrow ma etr-t a,!
makes It's appearance again II q PHtl3u
of the left hip Some portion u tie strata
are desolyed more than other. rs the
actio. &c cater leaving q bolder outcrop
ping along inc aGsccIt Of the br"3st to-
ward the neck the same II. y. ess dis
ltifliH Dtf rttli OIi tlIt sue - Ai' l''' M
head. think that this piece ai u Ginning
statu4ry il not 800 years old but j. the
work of the early Jesuit Father. III this
country, Who are known u have fre-
tiueptcd the Ouondagu Valley from 220
to go ytt.s ago; tl.at il would probably
bear a date in history ,rre-ponains with
the monumental stone which tSas found
at Pornpey Hill in this county, nd now
deposited III the Academy u Aiblny.
There are no marks OF violence upon The .
work lad it been on in,se or dol
by the Indians, it could have
been easily destroyed OF rnuulated With a
slight blow by a small stone. anl the toes
and fingers could have b' en- easily broken
off. 1t lay in quicksaud, which, In turn
rested upon compact clay
1t is positively absurd to consider this
4 g fossil man" 1t has none of the indi-
cations that would designate it az such,
when examined by a practical chemist,
geologist or naturalist.
This last conclusion j. ~ =. ...aams
fully acquiesoed in by all who have opin-
ions to express Thus, DR.. Westo0tt of
Syracuse writes as follows To the Scientific
american:
hardly need state, as it is already a
matter Of such public notorety, that the
State authorities have undertaken the in
sending here the Regents of
the University, together with the State
Ieologist, Prof James Hall While these
gentlemen have not $50 far as we know
been enabled to come to any definite con-
fusion as to its origin or exact antiquity,
H., ~, ln1 ,oraya1 hIrb
ire OF great Importance, as connected
with this subject The composition of
.he giant is declared to be sulphate of
lime or gypsum. On the snpposition that
It is hewn from rock, where did it come
from Could it have been made here, or
iereabouts Prof. Hall, after a most
.areful examination of all Of she gypsum
or beds in this county and there
ire none near alsewhere), has decided
hat no gypsum, either III kind or quality, ,
stone giant could by any possibility have Z!
oeen taken. If, then, his giantship be a
carving, or the production of the art
SITS chisel, he is a foreigner. This is fur
her shown from the fact, that from the
If evidence tending TO show that the
NOTk was uOuc any WAtIc ucoI Wits He
was found. The figure is wholly unique s
n design, and in the surface left in every
part of the body and limbs where they I
ire not corroded by water. The figure is
hat of male, entirely nude, with every {
part fully shown, but without any at :
empt ut representing hair or whiskers. !
L is made neither to stand up or lie
lown, having neither pedestal or tablet !
it. It is carved ~ as per- :
ectly upon the back as upon the front i
ide, and was found lying upon clay :
bed, which underlies the surface of the :
whole valley, which is alluvial and vege- /
able mold, to depth varying from one \
o five feet throughout the valley. 1t was q
ound lying upon its back, almost exactly /
and in the direction CORES !
,onding to that of the stream, as it is /
supposed to have run at some former !