One man built this Stonehenge-like castle of rock alone, during the nights. We still don't know how exactly he was able to achive this.


http://www.coralcastle.com/pictures.asp

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Story?id=4225517&page=2

"Coral Castle, in Homestead, Fla., just south of Miami, is an intricate rock garden made of enormous pieces of coral, many of them weighing several tons.
But more amazingly, Coral Castle was built entirely by one man — Latvian immigrant Ed Leedskalnin, who stood just 5 feet tall and weighed 100 pounds. To this day, no one knows how he did it.

Leedskalnin was jilted by his 16-year-old fiancee Agnes Scuffs in Latvia just days before the wedding. Heartbroken and hoping to win Scuffs back, Leedskalnin traveled to the United States in 1923 and dedicated his life to building a monument to her, which he called Rock Gate Park. It was a project that he continued to work on until his death in 1951."

This 9 ton gate is so well balanced, that one can open it by using only a finger:

http://a.abcnews.com/images/GMA/ht_gate_080130_ssh.jpg

And the reason why I posted this under the Physics section:

"There are various theories that hold that Leedskalnin constructed the Castle using some unknown form of science. For example, one website claims that "Ed Leedskalnin left behind the blueprints of nature, a Secret Knowledge of the Ancients" [17] Such theories seem to discount evidence such as photographs which exist showing Leedskalnin working apparently using traditional methods like block and tackle [18].

There is, however, skepticism as to the success of the traditional methods of tripods equipped with pulleys and chains that are in the photographs of Leedskalnin working. Skeptics point out that the Tripods appear to only rise about 20 feet while the largest stones are 25 feet long and stand vertical. The tripods are made from wooden telephone poles and could not support the larger stones. There are not enough pulleys to lessen the weight of the stones enough that a 100-pound man could exert enough force to lift the stones. Too many pulleys will actually be counterproductive because of increased friction. The 3/8" thick chains that can still be found in the Tool Room of the Castle Tower and which are seen in the photographs are only rated with a 3.5 ton workload and would not be able to support the weight of the stones.[19]"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coral_Castle

Interesting work, but sounds like a myth rather than fact.

Here is an explanation how to move large objects with relative ease:

http://www.theforgottentechnology.com/newpage1

Interesting work, but sounds like a myth rather than fact.

What do you mean myth? You can see it in a Billy Idol video! :)

I don't think that this is ``forgotten technology''---they're just using simple machines like fulcrums and levers and stuff. Many people forget that ancient engineers were just as intelligent as engineers today.

As an aside, I think I hate Apple Computers now, especially iTunes and QuickTime, which have hijacked my computer.

It has been proven that he used block and tackle and other mechanical devices when he built this. He wouldn't let anyone take photographs of him at work, ever wonder why not?

It has been proven that he used block and tackle and other mechanical devices when he built this. He wouldn't let anyone take photographs of him at work,

You do realize that your second sentence contradicts your first one? Nothing was ever proven, since we don't have photographs or eyewitnesses.
We can guess that more people could have been used for the work.

He did move the castle 10 miles at one point and I assume it was done by using more people and trucks, but this was like 70 years ago in a not very populous part of Florida.
The link to the guy who is rebulding Stonehenge is pretty interesting and it shows how it could be done....

Originally Posted by cosmictraveler
It has been proven that he used block and tackle and other mechanical devices when he built this. He wouldn't let anyone take photographs of him at work, ”

You do realize that your second sentence contradicts your first one? Nothing was ever proven, since we don't have photographs or eyewitnesses.


There were many people that saw him at work but none were allowed to take any photos. Is that a better way to word what I said?

what a pitty he used coral:(

What a waste of a reef

what a pitty he used coral:(

What a waste of a reef

Actually he used the coarl that was a part of South Florida. It was already made into land. All he did was quarry it from a place in his own yard to another place. The entire Southern Florida is made from coral.

oh sorry my messtake, though it ment he was digging up a coral reef

There were many people that saw him at work ...

According to folklore, he did it by night, so noone saw him. If people had seen him, we wouldn't be asking, how he did it...

I have always been fascinated by Coral Castle. I winter only about thirty five miles from where it is located so I will be going to visit it in the near future.

According to folklore, he did it by night, so noone saw him. If people had seen him, we wouldn't be asking, how he did it...

That's what folklore means, a made up, ficticous story about someone.

I have always been fascinated by Coral Castle. I winter only about thirty five miles from where it is located so I will be going to visit it in the near future.

You might be disappointed. In real life it is nothing like in the pictures. But still probably worth checking it out if you are nearby....

That's what folklore means, a made up, ficticous story about someone.

As contrary to second or thirdhand eyewitnesses??? Quote with a link someone, who actually saw him doing it and able to describe the method of building.

There were many people that saw him at work but none were allowed to take any photos. Is that a better way to word what I said?

This sounds like anecdotal evidence. And second or third hand.

http://www.sciforums.com/showthread.php?t=65028

In particular - read the .txt file in that thread. Very interesting, even if you think it's bullshit.

Please watch and consider http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCvx5gSnfW4

At my house about halfway down the block I have 3 large granite rocks aprox 2 by 1.5 by 1 meters in size, just over 8 metric tonne. I thought that it would be cool to stand them up on there ends. Being impossible to lift by hand my method though slow is working. I have a long steel bar that I use as a lever. I can move the rock only a few millimetres at a time but every time I move it I shovel dirt under it. I have raised the end of one about one third of a meter via this method by just doing a little bit every weekend, in a few years I should have all three on there ends making a spectacular centre piece for that part of the garden. No magic needed.:D

I build rock walls by hand and manual labor alone for a hobby. Only machines I use is a 6 foot crowbar and various rocks as a lever and fulcrum. I've been able to move and manipulate 4 to 5 ton rocks in a manner similar, if not identical to the one Blindman uses (although I usually throw cobbles under the larger rock, not dirt.)

I have an immense appreciation of all the hard work that New England farmers did to create the thousands of miles of stone walls in the northeast. And they used horses and sledges!

Being a programmer by trade I had never done any hard labour, but when I moved into my new house about a year ago I decided to give dry wall construction a go. First of its a great way to keep fit, I have constructed about 20 meters of dry retaining wall around half to a meter high and around 30m^2 paving all from granite I have found on the block. Though now I have run out of good quality lose granite i have started to quarry out a large rock outcrop at the back of the block. The outcrop is conveniently fractured to produce some very good sized and shaped rocks, that I then roll down to where they are needed. Apart from nearly losing a finger when a block slipped I get great satisfaction from finding a fracture, working it open with steel wedges and finally breaking it lose. Working with the natural fractures provides a beautiful surface to the rock.

I to have great appreciation for those that create dry stone walls and the like but look on with dismay as people waist good stone when they use concrete to hold their wall together. Gravity is more the adequate to do that.