The Cardiff Giant

The world maat oonfoss that it was in vi r liumbuggcd so brilliantly as it was r ago last BUmmer by tlio discovcry of tho petrified man near fracuse, N. Y. The Cardiff Üiant was thu work of no ordinary gunius. Tho man that could COnoeive and successfully carry out surh a masterpieoe af jugglery is u character for history. A slioi"t account of tho individual ;uil his mysterieus enterprise cannot bo uninteresting. The fact is estublished that Ocorge Huil, of Binghamton, N. Y., is tht: sole originator of this humbug. Mr. Huil was bom at Sydney's Ford, on tlie Counecticut Itivcr, botwecn Hartford aad Springfleld. Here he lived on a farra till he tras 28. Ho tlien lcft his homo to luakft his fortune in tho world. Chance guided liis footsteM to Binghamton. Charmed with the Cheuango valley, ho songht out ii few fertile acroa two niilcs north of the village, and transplanted there his old Connecticut occupation of tobáceo raising. At the cul of 15 yeavs h" found himself in posse?sion of a - for a farmer - oomfortable little fortune, beiire: worth, w1il.ii tho important crisis in his lit'i; oame, gay ■í-j.ooü. TIOW IHE PÜOJECT OniGIXATED. 3Ir. Hull's párente wero Puritans of the sturdy old Counecticut order, but he o.trly in lito launohed Luto free thinking, and became a confirmed infidol. He chanced orie storm y winters night in 1863 tobo at tbe bedside of a dyiug ïaan in Aekloy, Hardiu Cuuiity, Iowa. The village pastor had been oalled in, and he too was a watchcr in the siuk room. True to liis instincts Mr. llull cullcd out the aged divine in vindication ot' his belief. From a measured and slow conversation they advancüd to a heated disoussion, which prolonged itsclt' into an argument, and continued until naarly morning. Debating upon the veracity of the Old Testament bistoiy, the skeptic stated his couviction that the fint two chapters of Genesis, giying the history of the Creation, win: ftilsc. This the venerable clergyman stoutly oontested, expressmg the most implicit faith in tho narrativa of the Creation, and in the faet thatour first parents wciv more nearly perfect than their doseeudants liavü proved to bo. " There were giante in those days, you know" said toe elergyman. "What evidenoe1 have you that there were ginntsi'" demanded hú antagonist. "Wliy, souie havo been found, sir," replied tho zcalous bul imprudent clergyman. ltctiring to bed about daybreak, the heated brain of the skeptical debater retlected long upon what seemed to him the Wgotry of ivligious zealots. " They are to believe anything," he argued wilh hiinsrlf. "No matter how impossible, they teke stock in anything that af fords them an argument. I verlly believe the old gentleman would believe that a sack. of hard salt was Lot's wife, if it were properly shown him. Hundreds of people would believe in a stone image of ono of the sons of Anak if they should And it already manafaotured and couldn't discover itj origin." Then flashed on him tlie full conceptiou of John Henry Cardift", tin; Onondaga üiant. It syjrang up in liis brain m full panoply. Every det til was there ; the stono image, its burial and discovery, and. tho fortunes to be made out of showing it to thousands of the orediilous at fit'ty cents a head ! Nofchjng was lacking of the Cardiff üiant Laitstint oonception: the exact form of tho image resusoitated from antiquity ; aliar posture, unliko that of statuos of goda and men, proving it conclusively to bo not an imago but a petrification ; the vn-y pores of the skin, showiug that tho vevy stone onoo had fl-:sh and blood and a vascular systein - all had their place in that first conception of genius. Then thero was tho complete solióme of the fortune to be made from selling out half and (marter and lijrlith interests. In only one single respect did the first idea differ from the final roalization. That waa in reepeot to size. Thesons of Anak, to be like thomsolvcs, must surely be 1Ü feet in height ; and of that stature it wa petermined that tho fossil man should be made, to the uttermost cubit. The diffi.culty of finding a stone suftïciontly largo, however, caused the giant to abate in his final actual lcngth t-o 10 foet 11 inchi i. LOOKIXG FOR A PARTNER. From that night uneasy resteel the head that gave birth to that marv.l.ms conception. The secret was kopt locked tightly there, liowover, for 18 months. Nothing was ad'led to or aubtraoted from tho original (tanga, and tho only thing deyelqped was the money and the pluck neoe88ary to oarry the thing througn. At length, in tho suiumerof 1867, be beoami ar.piaiut' d with a Mr. F, from Morrison 111. F. was then engaged 'vu tho patont right business. He was a Buocessful man. He appeared to be a man who could keep e keotet. So he was pioked out fox a partner. Gradually, but fully, tho scheme was developcd to the attentive F. Tho successful patent right vender replied at onc&thafhe was ready to "go in." Ho would put in capital, but could not spare the time. Dut the timo and personal aid i just whut was needed most of' all; and so, after exposing the secret, the offer must be PBJected and no good como of it. Vit one good did oome t it. F. tbld au acquaintanco living in Ghioago, ono B., who had more time and wouldalso "go in." ïhough B. was never mado a part nor, yet it was in bis barn in Chicago that John Henry Oftrdiffs noble image was aftiiwnrils Boolptured. Sloreover, the ooaliili'ii.:,' shared by the inoneycd but busy F. was never betrayod. DIFFICULT c.uil'AOB. Failing of gettinga partner, the pluoky giant maker set out alono. Hu lieard of vast gypsuui deposita noar Fort Dodgo, Iowa. At'ti-i' viaiting and surveying the gypsum, lic determined that the materia) w:is cxactly that of petrifled giants, and so ho bought an acre of the quarry land, boing three miles below Fort Dodge, m the east aide ef the river, paying $100 for it. Four men woro hired to help quarry out tho stono. They wero compelled to excávate to a di'pth of 15 feet beforo any piecos of stono sufficiontly largo were found. ilvcn then the layen soeined too thin for a prime giaiit ; 30 work was suspended for a Lbw days, and further prospecting for a botter auarry was dono. Tho giant buildcv heara by report, tlint at a spot a milo to tho east the Dubuque & Sioux City Ilailroad Company was cngaged in constructing a oulvert, and was quarrying large piecos of gypsum for tlie arch. Going there, he fouud somc beautiful large sections that seemed especially made for ombodying tho fossil remains of 1 giaiit. Quarrymen were hirod to get out as large piooes as possiblo. By sucleeaful "féathering," a hugo fragment of lypsiun, 12 feet long, 3 1-5 feot wide and 2 feet thiok, was separated from tho rock. ■That fiiigmont to-day is the Cardiff Giant. Tho stono thus producid was 45 miles from tho nearest railroad station. A contract was thercfore made with a teamster to carry it this45 milos for $125. He hitched 011 all tho horsos ho could get, and tugged at it three days, getting it ilong two milos, and then abandoncd the ob. The genorous giaut killer paid the lischargod teamster 20 and let him go. filen a now contract was made with anothcr man to complete the the job for M50. It was agroeel that tho stono should ie at Boonsboro' in three days. Instead t' that the journey ocuupiod threo weeks. 3ut the railroad iiuallv reached, John rlonry started on the first of liis numerous railroad jounu-ys. marked in blauk aint, " (i: Huil, Chicago, 111." MAKING TUE GIAXT. Bcfore the stone reached Chicago, Mr. Huil, going on bafore, luid consultod with Mr. l's fiiond B., and rented of him bis barn. This barn is situated on the north sida oí' tho city, beyond Lincoln park. The stone was thon taken intD.tho barn. B. also know men who were hsndy with a stonu ohisel. Two of them - both Gernians - werë ijHgagod tu apply tlieir art to John Hcnry s physiognotDy. Tho liead workman had done considerable ornamental stono work in Chicago, and perhups possc-siil some slifht Buspiolons of tho sculptor's art. He of courso must bc initiated into the secret, and that of courso raiscd lus wages. ! I ■ was paid 10 por day, and was a lazy v, that. The remarkable ymius who h;il conceived the work after all, was obliged to supply tho botter part of the lmndicr.it't. for tho work of sculpture. First, si'ViM-nl cluy images were mulo. Every effort was put forth fco avoid any li' to a statue. The peculiar position in whioh tliü giant has boon seen by so m.my mitors is the reeult of this stivnuoua en leavor. Fixially, a day image was made satisfaotory to aïl requirements, and tho work of reproducing it in tho block of gypsnm cotnmencea. The Qerman head employé frequently bolted, Qg mote p iy, so that JIull hiinself was bliged to do u lavg part oï the work. Jut the statue gradually advanoed tovard completion. At thu end ot' three nonths, thcro stood John Henry, nakod, ald, and pioturosquo. But nature herelf requires more tban a seulptor's chisel ör her imitation. Tin: very pores of the km must bo representad on John II -nry's ody. Tothis end the following device was resorted to : A circular pieoe of oardjoard, the sizo of a watch crystal, was cut out. Tho hand was pressed on this, caving prints of the skin's pores. Darnng needles were pressed through the card-board at the points inarked by these irints. Then tho needlcs were Bxed in ilace by piaster Ltf-Paxis ; and into the laster of Paris was poured melted load, hos forming a handle. The tooi so made vas ia faot a heavy hammw, with tho Iftminf needie points pTOJeoting trom its 'ace. Then thu whole body of the myserious giant was jarefully peoked over. Especial care was usedto make the marks )lain and deop undor John Henry's nose, n the place whoro modern giants weai ;hoir moustaohee, Finally, the whole Kulv had three separate batha of sulphurc aeid, giving it a rnsty, dingy appeartnoe, and oarrying tho dato ot' its origin jack at least 2,000 years. 6EEKIXG A GRAVE. Ñow, that tho giant was flnished, carne he hardest work of all - that ot' getting ïim into market - if we may apply a modern phraso to so ancieut a subject, l'liis petniied man weighod 2,'JOO pounds, and even to move it was a great taak : jut to move it out of the city and away n secresy - there was the ruo. But the same indomitable genius triumphed here is averywhere previously. The giant was aeasored, and a mainmoth box of twonch plank was constructcd tor him. Late at night it was taken into the barn, a derrick made, tho image raised asd placed in the hugo coilln ; the lid was spike. 1 lown, and the wholo box was strapped irO'ind and around with sturdy iron strips ODe-éighth inch thick and 1 l-'2 inches wide. The next day John Henry Cardiff ftgurod on the wny-bills ut the Eceighi depot under tho direotion, " G-eorge Olds, Qnion, Broome Oountyi New York." Union is tli' nel railroad station west of Binghamton. Mr. Huil himself eame to Binghamton and rejoined his family, afl.T m absence of nine months dl exclusively to his mysterious project. The problem now was where to bury the giaftt. It was then the summev of 1868. At this point it oocurred to the unfailiug genius of our giant builder that he had an acquuintanco, ono Newell, withal a shrewd fellow, living near Syracuse, N. Y. Ilis residence was in the middle of that famed 'Onondaga IIollow," where geology places an ancieut inland soa, and where rumor speaks of wonderl'ul fo88Íl discovcrics, To Onoudaga, therefore, went tho father of giitnts. He found Newell, gently broaohed the subjeot to him, and discovered that liarkis was willing, and not only willing Imt anxious, to get a share in the proprietorship ui' the forthcoming wonder. After gome bargaining it was stipuluted that Newell should reoeiye oneeighth interest for his services in the ait'air. On looking over Nfiwell's farm, Mr. Huil discovered a spot QÍ aunkI on ground near the barn, whioh apto be the looatioQ of an abandonad well. "Newell, there's our spot," Baid Aaak, the father of giante; "you commenco a well there, draw stone for eurbing, teil all yOUI neiglibors that you are gniii;; to open a well there for oattle next suinmcr, and thcro's our game." Newell roplied that he could play that. -'Well, you want to study on that one point, and not toll anybody, not oven your wife." " But, aftor uil, I believe Newell blowod on ine," said Huil, in dosoribing the result. THE BUIÍ1AI, AXD TIIË RESURRECTIOX. Huil now returnod home, and waitod a week tor the airival of the giant at Uniuii. At the end of tbat time ha sent two men and i'our horsea lor lln: big Imx eonsignud to "Goorgo ülds." Thoy loaded tlia box on the wagon and Btarted for tff, 80me 70 unies distant. The drivers of tliis wagon were relativas of Mr. Huil, and -.ver.! good, trusty fellows. It wan so arranged that they should arrivo at Cardiff iu the night. So, stopping at Newell'a house about midnight, they un1 taded the vast box and oovered it up in a nms of chaffat the barn door. In this jgnobK: condition lay thewonderful giant for three or foor weoka. At the end oí that time a derrick was Bnished and shipped by railroad to Cardiif. That nighl Huil and Newell rumoved tho aleeping giant t'roni his bed of straw to the " wcll," and buiied him. Home at last in mother earth. John Htnry now uwaits thu trump of the Harvard Colloge professors to wake him into tho famous antediluvian man. Ho waited just onc year. During the winter, Newell drew stono for building his " wüII." When ourións neighbora made inquines Ik; explaincd something as ioüows : " Waal, you s?e, them oattle of mine have a derned hard time of gittin' through tho mud to the creek to drink, and I'm goin to have a well for 'cm kern at tho barn." Then Mr. Newell proceeded in the summer to open his well. WIhti thoy dog down a few feet tho giant was discovorod lying on liis side, just as he had lain for 2,000 years, by tho very marks of tlic earth surrounding. Curious neighboia returned to L;:ize. Euinor spread the report. Citizens of Syraeuse cauie up iu floeks to soo the wonder. Crowds on orowda now carne to soe. Newell swore that In: wouldn't havo his grass trodden dowu any way, and covorod up the holo again. 'i'hi.s was too mucli for human euriosity. The crowd doinanded a sight at the mysterious giaat, and oflercd to raisê money to pay for the destruotion of erops. So it finaliy, natorally, wholly unexpeetedly, you know, oamc about that 50 cents was charged as an admittanco fee. At this prioo over 0,000 porsons visitod the giant daily. A special excursión train was run trom Eochester. Seieutific men pricked ui) thcir ears from afar, and carne in crowds, examinod, saw the poros in the skin, saw the very similitude ot nartme and pronounced the discovery a fossil. A egation f rom Harvard Colloge finally settled ït for the country that John Henry Cardiff was no lcss than a preadamito man, who completely oveithrew the Old Testament. Of all the savaiis who drew near in awe only ono venturod to doubt. Thia was ii young sandy-haired professor f'rom Yale, who pretended to discover straws and bits of chaff in the dirt, and to see evidences of recent digging. But he was speedily suppressed, and soience triumphed '. The giant was now well on the market - a faot of more interest to Mr. Huil than even the vietory of science. Imiacnso offers for sharos in the concern wero made by showttien. ïho projector and ownor of the jxiaul oame on the gfound ■'■ i thom. The raen who bought out the original shares were Messrs. Wesoott, Iliggins and Gillett, of Syraeuse, Spencer, of Utica, and Hinnuni, of Bomer, N. V. Afterward, Messrs. l'it.h, and Ellia k Co., bankers, in Syracnso, bought another eighth at 115,000: The final eighth was still ownèd by the mannfaoturer, Mr. Huil. Heretained thia share till April; 1871, w!ien he sold it out in ] ■ When asked how much money ho had made out of the enterprise, he r thathodid not care to give the precise figures, "but that he had made enough so that ho wasn't pinchad. Tlic expense," said he' "of getting up the thing till the final day of planting it at Cardiff was just $2,600; v,!i:it I have rooeivod abora thit is clear gam." When I inquired as to the presoni whereabouts of the giant, ilr. Huil replied that he did nol know iust where it was on exhibition now ; ao I heaving a dgh at the asony caused liim at partmg wi.h his pet, he desoribod the last occasion when he siw it. This was at New Haven, last Bpring. His hotel landlord urged him to o down town to see the greatest wonder of the ii'j;c. " And go this morning," said ho, " for the prores80rs are just now pone down to examine it." So he went down. The exhibitor, Gotts, espied the towering form of the giant's father, and pointed him out to u gray-haired professor, who was engaged in examüxing John Henry beneath a microscope. " That man made this image !" exclaimed the indignani profi isor. " - er, that is unlesa ne ia more than 1,200 yearaold!" So it seems the giant still has his bolievers.