The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1879-05-03
THERE BE GIANTS IN THESE
DAYS.
And Two Of Them are CHARTERED at the
Palmer House--An Interesting Chat
with an Eight Foot Man


And Two of Them are CHARTERED at the
Palmer House--An Interesting Chat
with an Eight Foot Man.
From the Chicago Inter-0cean.
The main parlor of the Palmer House
was yesterday the centre of curiosity,
for there were quartered in it the biggest
man and woman known on earth. This
Is no idle talk, as any one who called
upon the pair had ocular demonstration
Captain and Mrs NJ. Y. Bates they are
called, and each lacks only half az inch
of being eight feet. They have recently
arrived from Europe, and are en- route
to st. Louis, and will travel with w. w.
Coles great show this season. When
one first enters the room his impression
is that the tales of Jack the Giant
Killer and the adventures of CULVER
quite possibly had some more solid
foundation than mere fancy, for before
you stand two as formidable giants.
physically, as were ever drawn by story
tellers. Yet they are as gentle, as
atfable, as courteous, and as Intelligent
couple as one would care to
meet. Captain Bates is native
of Kentucky, is Z feet III inches
high, weighs 1876 pounds, measures 65
inches around the chest, wears q num-
Der 9 hat, 26 inch collar, fifteen boot,
and is 80 years of age. He dresses neat
ly IN black, wears massive gold chain,
attached 10 what is gigantic watch, a
present from Queen Victoria; wears a
massive diamond in his shirt bosom, and
a fashionable collar and scarf; has a
ruddy, healthy complexion, a pleasant
smile, and is ready talker. Altogether
he Is, as the reader can very well see, an
extraordinary giant, for your mammoth
men are generally slovenly, dull, ignor-
ant fellows. Mrs. Bates is a native of
Novia Scotia, Of Scotch descent. Her
height is exactly lhe same as that of her
husband. Her weight is 400 pounds.
She is well formed, and can hold her own
IN conversation. For the benefit of the
female reader it may he stated that it
takes sixty-fye yards of goods to make
her a dress, The inter Ocean reporter
found her arrayed in fashionably-cut
dress of green silk, and fingers, ears and
neck ornamented with diamonds in
modest quantity.
In course of conversation the captain
expressed his firm conviction that the
race was not degenerating physically,
but men to-day were more robust and
taller than they were several centuries
ago. He had come 10 this conclusion
by observation while abroad. While in
London lie visited the tower, where the
amor of noted soldiers in English his
tory is kept, and he is confident that
not one in ten of the average men of to-
day could get inside of the war-covering
Of these military heroes who figure in
song and story. The captain, while in
England, devoted considerable time to
an investigation Of the legend of English
giants. The gigantic proportions Of Og,
Cog and MagOg, the guardians Of the
tower centuries ago, are matters of his
tory. Og was the tallest Of the trio, and
his suit of armOr lies in that venerable
pile. Og is said to have been eight feet
four inches high, yet Captain Bates tried
10 get into the deceased giants fighting
| costume, bat found it entirely too short,
1t was wide enough, however. The cap
tain, upon investigation, found that the
system OF measurement had been changed
years ago, ten and one-half inches be-
ing the foot Of the period when Og
fourished; although he must have been
a tremendous fellow, he could not have
been more than seven feet three inch
es, according to modern measurement.
Then he visited the British museum,
where the skeleton Of Murphy hangs.
He is said to have been nine feet, but
by Captain Bates calculation could not
have been over seven feet seven. Then
Chang, the Chinese giant, who was on
exhibition at Manchester while Potter
Palmer's guest was in England was Wis
tied. Chang's vanity was taken down
by the captain, who, after divesting him
of thick.soled boots and a high head
dress, measured only seven feet eight
inches. Chang announces that he is
nine feet high. During the converse
ton the captain gave some interesting
facts CLEANED frem his investigations
into the history Of giants and giantesses,
and exploded many of the notions popu-
larly entertained regarding them.