The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1877-10-18
Ii 1T A CARDIFF GIANTa
4 Stone Giant gnenrthcd in Color ado---Tbe
Singular Figure Described.


Singular Figure Described.
A few months since, says q late mum.
ber of the Pueblo (Col.) Chietfain, Mr..
w. A. Oonant, who has been travelling
in the region lying southwest Of Pueblo,
between this city and Mace's Hole, dis
covered variety of fossils, among others
a sea turtle in an excellent state of pre-
servation. Mr.. Conant called the atten-
tion of the newspaper press OF the State
to his discovery, and considerable COM
ment was elected. The matter gradually
passed from the attention of the public,
though Mr.. Conant determined to search
further in the same locality with the
hope of making additional discover
les. On Tuesday he arrived in the
city, bringing with him large stone
figure of man which he had unearthed
at the head of a long, dry arroyo about
six miles north of the residence of p. K.
Dotson, Esq, about twenty-five miles
from the city. The figure was found inn
bedded in very hard clay, requiring
vigorous use of a pick to loosen it. A
cedar tree grew near by, one of the
roots of which had grown between the
arm and the body of the figure, making
it necessary to cut the root before re-
moving the statue from the bed in which
it had doubtless reposed for centuries.
Mr.. Conant states that while sitting on
the ground eating his lunch in the local
ity above mentioned, his attention was
attracted to curious looking tone pro-
truding from the ground. He removed
the earth from around it and found q
resemblance to a human. He then pro-
ceeded to dig away the clay about foot
in depth and soon uncovered the entire
brought it to this city. Unfortunately, in
removing the figure from its bed wood
en- lever wes placed under the neck and
the head broken off. 1t has, however,
been neatly replaced. At first the dis
covery was supposed to be the petritied
body of a human being Of gigantic stat
ure, but closer examination proves it to
be piece of sculpture, but by whom
executed or to what age it belongs no
one seems to know. II is composed Of a
sort of slate rock colored dirty yellow
on the outside, possibly from contact
with the surrounding clay, and repre-
sents G. man reclining, one arm being
crossed over his breast, and the other
lying along his side with the hand rest
ing on his leg. The position is easy and
natural. The entire length of the statue
is seven feet six inches, length of arm
four feet one inch, breadth across the
shoulders two feet, length, of hand
twelve and one-half inches, length of
foot thirteen inches. The weight Of the
figure is about four hundred and fifty
pounds. The type of the human race
represented is strange one. The head,
which is turned slightly to one side, as
is natural in a reclining position, is of
the Asiatic type, a sort of cross be-
tween an ancient Egyptian and an
American Indian, the cheek bones being
remarkably prominent. The figure is
spare and thin, much like the men in
ancient Egyptian pictures, while the
whole body is covered with indentations.
One remarkable feature which strikes
the observer is the great lengths of the
arms and the ape-bke appearance of the
hands and feet. The haud which rests
on the leg, if the arm were Strengthened,
would reach to the knee, while the feet are
long, flat and slim, and the great toes
about two inches shorter than those in
the middle of the feet. At the end of
the backbone is tail about two or three
inches long, strongly suggestive of the
truth of the Darwinian theory. The
figure was at Nyb .rg & Rickers' stables
all day on Tuesday, and visited by hun
dreds of our citizens. There is con-
siderable excitement here over the dis
covery, and a general desire on the part
of all to hear the opinion of some scien-
tist with regard to the origin of this
curious work of art. There can be no
question about the genuineness Of this
piece of statuary. The stone shows the
effects of time, and the circumstances of
the discovery are such rs to preclude
anything like 4 repetition of the clumsy
Cardiff Giant fraud. =