The mysterious Coral Castle

Discussion in 'Physics & Math' started by Syzygys, Feb 2, 2008.

  1. Syzygys As a mother, I am telling you Valued Senior Member

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    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:

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  3. Syzygys As a mother, I am telling you Valued Senior Member

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    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
     
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  5. Reiku Banned Banned

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    Interesting work, but sounds like a myth rather than fact.
     
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  7. Syzygys As a mother, I am telling you Valued Senior Member

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

    http://www.theforgottentechnology.com/newpage1

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

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    Last edited: Feb 2, 2008
  8. BenTheMan Dr. of Physics, Prof. of Love Valued Senior Member

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    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.
     
  9. cosmictraveler Be kind to yourself always. Valued Senior Member

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    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?
     
  10. Syzygys As a mother, I am telling you Valued Senior Member

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    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....
     
  11. cosmictraveler Be kind to yourself always. Valued Senior Member

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    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?
     
  12. Asguard Kiss my dark side Valued Senior Member

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    what a pitty he used coral

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    What a waste of a reef
     
  13. cosmictraveler Be kind to yourself always. Valued Senior Member

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    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.
     
    Last edited: Feb 3, 2008
  14. Asguard Kiss my dark side Valued Senior Member

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    oh sorry my messtake, though it ment he was digging up a coral reef
     
  15. Syzygys As a mother, I am telling you Valued Senior Member

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    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...
     
  16. Till Eulenspiegel Registered Member

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    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.
     
  17. cosmictraveler Be kind to yourself always. Valued Senior Member

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    That's what folklore means, a made up, ficticous story about someone.
     
  18. Syzygys As a mother, I am telling you Valued Senior Member

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    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....

    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.
     
  19. sowhatifit'sdark Valued Senior Member

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    This sounds like anecdotal evidence. And second or third hand.
     
  20. nietzschefan Thread Killer Valued Senior Member

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  21. sly1 Heartless Registered Senior Member

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  22. Blindman Valued Senior Member

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    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.

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  23. Dr_Zinj Registered Senior Member

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    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!
     

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