The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-10-19
GIANT OF OTHER DAYS.
Body of Man Nine Feet High Dug III
In California.

Measured by Prof. Wilson of the Smith
sonian Institution-Presumabl Pre-
historic Indian-How He Compares in
Size with Some Ancient and Modern
Giants.
The corpse of the biggest man that ever
lived has been dug up near San Diego,
Cal. AT all events, there is no satistac-
tory record in ancient or modern history
of any human being nearly SO tall. The
mummy-for in such condition the re-
mains were found is that of person
who must have been about nine feet high
in life. This makes allowance for q
shrinkage which may be pretty closely
calculated, writes the Washington CORES
pondent of the Boston Transcript. AS to
the accuracy in the estimate there can be
no question, inasmuch as the cadaver
has been carefully inspected and meas
ured by Prof. Thomas Wilson, curator of
the department. of prehistoric anthro-
pology in the Smithsonian Institution,
and other scientists. The tape line even
now registers the length from heel to top
of head at eight feet four inches.
The mummy is that of an Indian, and
is almost certainly prehistoric, though its
age cannot be determ ined with any sort
Of accuracy. Historical records of the
part of California where it was found go
back for at least $50 years, and they make
no mention of any man of gigantic stat
ure How much older the body may be
must be left open to conjecture. It's
preservation is no matter for surprise.
In that arid region the atmospheric con-
ditions are such that corpse buried in
the dry season might very we'll become
perfectly dessicated before the arrival of
the rains, and thus be rendered perlna-
fnently proof against decay.
The body was found in cave by a
party of prospectors 1t is in an excellent
state of preservation. The spine has
shrunk considerably, being thus reduced
| in length, by reason of the drying Of the
cartilage between the vertebrae. The
knees are somewhat bent Over the head
are the remnants of a leather hood, which
seems to have been part of garment
used for the purpose of shroud. The
shown by the worn condition Of the
teeth.
1t has been stated that the individual
must have surpassed in. height any giant
of whom there is historical record. This
| is true unquestionably so far as the last
two centuries are concerned, and &C.
counts of older dates are not at all well
authenticated. Indeed, they grow more
] and more apocryphal as distance OF time
increases, until they merge into the fabu-
lons stories of antiquity when there was
no science or exact knowledge and moth
| ing was too incredible to be believed. 1t
| is fact that most races of men have en-
| tertained notion to the effect that their
own ancestors were giants.
| THESE WE'RE PIGMIES.
An Austrian giant measured by Topin-
ard was four and one half inches above
eight feet in height The tallest man OF
whom there is any authentic record was
| Winckelmeyer, who was measured by
| Doubles, and found to be exactly eight
and half feet high The largest woman
| that ever lived was Marianne Wehde, a
German, who was a wonder of the last
century. Not more than four properly
vouched-for eight-footers have dwelt on
the earth in modern times. Unfortu-
nately the exhibited giant is always more
or less Of q fake, a number of inches be-
| ing added to his stature by the show
bills. p. I. Barnum in his memoirs
eayr thot bo reuar co,1l1 find a human
| being that would come up to the eight
fo,t mark, though he searched the world
| for curiosities during his half century of
experience as Snowman. Chang,
known as the Chinese giant, was adver
tised as eight feet high. Therefore he
could not have been so much, and the
fact is that he was only about six in
ches over seven feet. His apparent height
was increased by flowing robe and thick
soled shoes.
Yet Chang was probably the tallest
man ever on exhibition in this country.
Seven feet ia good height for An ordi-
nary show giant. The great Chinaman
had the advantage of being free from
the defornities which mark nearly all
giants, who are apt TO display an over
development of the hauds and feet, and
particularly of the face. DR.. Charles L.
Dana attributes such overgrowth on the
part of occasional human beings to dis
ease. He asserts that ''giantism," as he
calls it, is due to disorder of small
gland that goes by the name of the ''pit-
uitary body" situatedEat the base of the
brain. This gland, about the size of a
pea, seems to have something to do with
nutrition. Injury to it causes emaciation.
In giants it is always found much en-
larged In short giantism is nervous
complaint Happily it is not transmitted
to offspring, and the children of giants
are people of ordinary size.
The giant of nursery tales is strong,
bold, cruel and voracious. But, according
to DR.. Dana, the giant of reality is weak
physically, amiable and stupid. He may
be powerful muscularly in youth, but he
loses his strength by the time he reaches
maturity, As a rule he dies young. One
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