The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1880-04-15
STRONGEST MAN In THE WORLD
Some Marvellous Feats Of Strength as ki1.
hMbited by a Man in Reno, Nevada.

STRONGEST MAN In The WOhliU
Some Marvellous Feats Of Strength as Iix-
hHbited by a Man in Reno, Nevada.
The strongest man in the world at
the present time, so far as is known,
now lives in Reno, Washoe county,
New. A San Francisco Chronicle re-
porter witnessed the astonishing feats OF
this remarkable man, and was fully
satisfied by what he saw that he is
really all that has been claimed for him.
His name is Angelo Cardela, ~ Italian,
aged thirty-eight years; stature, five
feet ten inches; weight, 100 pounds;
occupation, laborer; habits, temperate.
In personal appearance he is not re-
marhable; merely good-natured look
ing son of Italia. with broad, heavy
face; noble development of chest and
shoulders, and large, feshy hands. His
strength was born with him, for he has
had no athletic training. When
stripped to the buff" however, a
marked peculiarity in his spinal column
is at once apparent. His backbone is
we might say, double-jointed, with the
veltebral articulations unusually kSrge
and prominent. Though he is not a
man of unusual size, his spinal column
is double the ordinary width, and his
other bones and joints seem made Oh a
similar large and generous scale. After
some solicitation, he finally consented
to favor the reporter with an exhibition
of strength, which proved to be sucnan
astonishing exhibition of lifting power
as scarcely to be believed. The re-
porter, whose weight is $50 pounds,
stood with one foot on the floor and
arms outstretching, his hands being
lightly grasped by two friends, one on
each side, to preserve the balance of bis
body. This slight assistance, however,
had no tendency to raise his body, being
merely to keep him from topping over.
Cardela then stopped down aud placed
the third finger of his right hand under
the hollow of the reporters foot. upon
which he was balancing, and, with no
perceptible effort, raised the reporter to
height of four feet and deposited him
standing, on table near at hand. This
feat he repeated, and then grasped the
reporters ankles with both hands,
raised him above his head, snd gently
lowered him to the table in a sitting
posture. Cardela had a pipe in his
mouth while lifting, and continued
smoking, as much as to say, "Per Bac-
cho, it's nothing; way we have in our
country!''1 On a former occasion he
raised Mr.. Lawson, a gentleman con-
nected with, the editorial staff of the
Reno Gtazsse, in a similar way, with one
finger, carried him across the room and
left him standing on q, table. He has
also lifted by the same plan, using only
his third finger (Which seems to be- his
most reliable one) several Reno heavy
weights, one weighing over 200 pounds.
He can strike a blow with his fist with
power of 500 pounds, measured on a
register. 1t is said that two Irishmen.
near Verdi, started in to whip him one
night, but concluded to give up the con-
tract. as he grasped one in each hand
and beat them together until the life
was nearly hammered out of them.
Many other tales are told of his extra
ordinary strength. and there can be no
doubt that, in his particular specially,
he is unrivaled, and, indeed, a lusus
nature, when the peculiarities of his
physical makeup" and his almost
limitless power are considered. He
states that his father could strike blow
equal in power to 1000 pounds, so that
/ the strength seems direct inheritance.
Cardela has not much education, and
an imperfect knowledge of English. He
dislikes to show his strength and fails
to realize his own value. If he were
to give public exhibitions of his Won
derful power he would doubtless be
recognized and acknowledged to be the
most powerful man in the world in cer-
tain lines of strength.