Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1869-11-16
The Stone Giant.

If the stone giant of Syracuse is a hum
bug, he or it is certainly getting to be quite
an interesting one 1t was discovered on
the 10Th ult, and has already occasioned
the greatest diversity Of Judgment among
educated and trustworthy observers. The
idea that it is q petrifactiOn IS very gener-
ally discarded, although DIR. Westcott, who
has charge of the figure, afirms that he
saw, by the aid of strong light, "perfor-
atoms on the flesh like the sockets of hogs
bristles close together on the surface. -
Prof Hall, the State Geologist of New
York, however, after remarking that the
soft parts of animals are never petritied,
says: "The object Is statue, wrought by
the hand of man" DIR. Woolworth, Sec
rotary of the Board of Regents of the Uni
versity of New York, concurs in the same
opinion. The material is gypsum. A cor
respondent of the Worcester Spy, who has
examined the statue, says: "The substance
appeared to me more like calcined gypsum
than native gypsum of gray white color,
and smouched and discolored rs by the
vegetable mold of the sides of the pit, and
it has fresh appearance" The dimen-
sions of the statue are ten feet three inch
es in length and would give eleven feet if
the legs were extended J three feet across
the shoulders, and twenty one inches from
the top of the head to the chin. The above
correspondent gives the following descrip-
ton:
"The whole figure is plump and feshy.
The head is massive, but not majestic, like
the heads of classic statues of Jupiter and
the head of Webster | think the phren-
ologist would call it well balanced The
chin is large and would be described as
strong. The mouth is handsome, with
well cut but projecting lips. The nose is
straight, or perhaps slanting up on the line
of the bottom of the nostrils, and it is
straight from the tip to the forehead The
left eye is sunk in its cavity, the only mark
of decomposition that l observed l saw
no appearance of death in the face, and
there was little expression of intelligence
or emotion. The general form of the face
is Caucasian, and not Indian
OF its artistic merits there are different
opinions, though most observers speak
highly of them. Messrs. Hall and Wool
worth say: "When it passed from the
hands of the artist it must have been ex-
pressiye and beautiful" The former pro-
nOunces it of a far higher order and Of en-
tlrely Inherent character imam the smaller
works of rude sculpture found in Mexico
and Central America or in the Mississippi
Valley. Prof. Olmstead, a leading archaic
ologist, and well acquainted with Europe
an statuary says: AS work of art the
Cardiff statue is perhaps better embodi-
ment of the intellectual and physical pow
er of a rock-hurling and mountaineering
old Titan than Italy possesses" The point
of interest, however, is, where did this
statue come from? Prof. Olmstead thinks
that it is not of great antiquity" Prof
Hall believes that it had lain long time
in the position where it was discovered
because there was not only deep alluvial
deposit above it, which had no appearance
of having been disturbed, but parts of the
statue had been dissolved and worn away
by running water, which could only have
happened before the alluvial deposit began
to FORM On the whole, then, the Syracuse
giant is entitled to a suspension of opinion
until the learned and acute shall have done
something more to clear up his interesting
| case - BostO3 ,fogtrnnI