The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-01-01

transported by land to the nearest rail-
road station, Boone, forty-five miles
distant. The removal to the station
occupied three weeks and cost over
5000. 1t was no small job transport
ing this pondereus mass over praire
roads, fords, and weak bridges. Two
men in succession threw up their con-
tracts, and if had not been supervis-
ing the job, 'ided by Jack screws, lev
ers, beams, and windlasses. it would
have remained in the road.
AT Boone I shipped it to Chicago,
where rented a one-story frame build
ing on North Clark street, close to the
lake. Then 1 hired a stone cutter and
cautioned him to secrecy. Wher the
Fort Dodge people had asked me what
I wanted of the stone / had told them
] was going to take it to Washington
as a specimen of the best building
stone in the world. Now I expected
greater trouble in avoiding the inquis-
tive. The stone-cutter was a German,
aud all he wanted was his wages. l
| never told him what was going to do,
| and he never told anybody what he
was doing.
Il first made the model of a man in
clay. 1t lay on it's back and was just
| the shape which the Cardiff giant as
| sumed as the work of cutting it out
| progressed. On the under side of the
| body cut away some places, as did
not wish to have the giant too perfect,
| because there should be some parts of
| his flesh which had not petrified and
| therefore rotted away. l then made a
| tool with bundles of darning needles,
| the handles cast in lead, and with this
! tool went over every inch of the body
| making millions of little holes in the
stone. Scientific men afterward viewed
| them with magnifying glasses and
| thought they were pores of the giants
| skin. In order to give the giant the
| appearance Of age, 1 procured two gal
| Ions of sulphric acid and swabbed the
| figure with 1T. The steam from the acid
| and the stone rose in clouds. The acid
| gave the stone a dingy brown color
| and an appearance OF great antiquity.
| Then / put the giant in an iron-bound
| box and shipped it to Union, N. Y,
| nine miles from Binghamton. 1t
| weighed with its packing 1000 pounds.
| The figure itself weighed 1896 pounds.
THE GIANT EXHUMED.
"Onondaga Hollow is near Tully, q
station thirteen miles from Syracuse.
1t is a marked depression in the ground
and there is hill on each side. Geolo-
| gists say it was at one time lake,
! and many petrified fish and reptiles
have been found there. In this hollow
is situated the crossroads hamlet
called Cardiff, and / had determined
it was just the place to bury my giant
There lived there a relative named
Stub Newell whom / took into my
confidence, first swearing him to Sc
crecy. Union Station was sixteen
miles away. We took the giant in his
big box across country to Cardiff, ar
riving at Newell's arm at midnight in
a pouring rain. We put the box bach
the barn and covered it with hay
ana straw, and two weeks later we
went back and buried it in a grave
five feet deep. The interment tool
place at dead Of night, and we had tC
transport and erect for the purpose
huge derrick Indeed. it was no small
job to remove all trace of the mid
night burial.
81 returned to Binghamton anC
waited one year less two weeks. II
the meantime / manufactured cigars
I had previously given Newell direc
tions how to discover the giant.
came out all right. l didn't go nea
the spot for two or three days afte
II was dug UP, and was first told o
the great find by several people on tn
street. i profesSed to believe 1t was
SELL When did go crowds were flock
ing tc the grave from all parts of tn
country, and Newell was making
small fortune charging so cents a heat
to see the wonder. One day he tool
. in 1920, and in all must have realized
about ST. 900 before the giant was takel
from his grave. The state geologis
and a party of scientific gentlemen
came to view 1t and proclaimed It
petrihed human being, and then cam
} the spectators"
Mr.. Hull recounted the various eff
forts TO buy the prize. Spencer, o
| Utica, and Higgins, Gillett & Wescott
2 Of Syracuse offered Newell $4,000 TO
E ee-fourths interest In the giant
leaving Newell one-fourth. Hull wa
still in the background and very muc
= disgusted. He says that Newell be
a came so puffed up with the fmportanc
( OF the secret that he could not contai
e himself, and told ii to several of hi
. relatives and friends. Hull saw tina
Z the secret would soon leak out, and de
K cided to realize at once and quit. II
| told Newell to close the bargain, an
S Newell paid Hull $4,000 as his shar'
J Just after the bargain had been close