Three capitalists have bought of Mr. Newell, (who has declined
probably over one hundred offers,) a three-fourths interest in
the enterprise. The tour partners will determine what course to
pursue.
We subjoin several reports of the Press for a few days succeeding
the discovery of his Giantship.
From the Syracuse Daily Standard Oct. 18th, 1869.
The valley of Onondaga has a romance of beauty in its wild scenery,
and as the home of the famous tribe of the red men of the forest--
the Onondagas--around whose council fires the chiefs and young
warriors of the Six Nations assembled to consult on matters of
great moment. It commences at the head of Onondaga Lake, having
a broad surface where the main part of our city stands, and moderate
hill-side boundaries, until we pass two miles south of the city
bounds, where the bed of the basin begins to narrow away and the
hills on either side to be more abrupt and higher. It continues
to decrease in width, until it terminates against Tully Hill, a
distance of fourteen miles from the lake. Its beauty of wild
scenery is perhaps in greatest perfection in that part known as the
Indian Reservation--still held by the Onondaga tribe--somewhat
south of the centre of the valley. Two main roads lead up the
valley, one at the base of the hills on either side; and riding
along either of them in a pleasant day, an admirer of nature's
wild grandeur has ample occasion of admiration. The gentle slope,
rising way back and up as if touching the clouds, and the more
abrupt and ragged, shrub-covered, not less high hills, miniature
mountains, with every now and then a ravine down which the water
leaps playfully along till it reaches the plateau below and into
the little creek on its way to the ocean--is a landscape of beauty
not easily described.
Just now this valley is the scene of an excitement, in the finding
of a supposed petrifaction of a human being--a giant. The point
of interest is on the south side of the valley, opposite and just
beyond the little village of Cardiff, in the town of Lafayette--
twelve miles from this city, on a farm belonging to Mr. William
C. Newell.
On Saturday last Mr. Newell thought to dig a well some six or seven
rods east of his house, and a trifle south-east of his barn. The
spot is probably thirty feet below the house, and the surface soil
is a loose, half sand, half dark muck, the natural washing from
the hills above. It is not more than twenty rods from the creek,
the channel of which is thought to have been at or very near this
spot many years ago. Mr. Newell and a hired man, in digging, had
gone down but two and a half feet when something hard was struck,
which was believed to be a stone. They thought but little of it
at first, expecting to have to break it loose and pry it out. But
throwing out a few more shovels of earth from its side, the feet
of a man appeared. A few minutes more of labor exposed the legs
to the calf; and now their interest being excited, they began to
dig carefully around it, until the whole form of a man--petrified
giant--was brought to view. The neighbors began to hear of what
was found, and of course went at once to see.
Mr. Silas Forbes, who resides a mile and a-half distant, came to
the city Saturday evening and apprised us of the new found wonder,
and Sunday we went to see it. The story was a big one, and not
liking "Silver Lake Snaiks," we wanted to see before telling our
readers. And here is what we saw:--
The form of a man lying on his back, head and shoulders naturally
flat at hip a trifle over on right side; the right hand spread
on the lower part of the abdomen, with fingers apart; the left
arm half behind, and its hand against the back opposite the other;
the left leg and foot thrown over the right, the feet and toes
projecting at a natural angle. The figure was of apparent lime
stone, a mixture of the gray and blue, common in most parts of the
county, and seemed perfect in every particular. The muscles are
well developed; the ribs might be counted; the nostrils are
perforated so as to admit a large sized finger up near two inches;
the lines of toe and finger nails are plainly marked; the left
ear is partially gone, but the right one is perfect and in proportion
to the other parts; the nose finely shaped; the forehead high;
and the "Adams' apple"' at the throat just projecting out, is as most
common with men. The appearance of the "countenance" marks the
Giant of the Caucasian race, and not the Indian. If a work of art,
the artist has failed in any effort at hair on the head.
We have said that the whole was perfect. And so it appeared, except
a few flakes dropped off while the work of exhumation was going on;
and perhaps others yesterday. If any well proportioned man will
make measurement of himself as above, he will see a striking agreement
of ratio.
Though the figure has all the appearance of stone, nevertheless the
outer surface shaves off with a knife without materially dulling
the blade. This was tried, but of course was not allowed to proceed
to disfigure Mr. Giant. A scale that fell from the bottom of one
of the feet, looks much like gold quartz, but still is softish and
crumbles readily, with a sort of soft sand stone result. It rests
on half sand, half clay bottom, the earth above being, as we have
already said, of a lighter character.
News of this remarkable discovery rapidly spread, and yesterday
when we were there, people were coming and going, from a circuit
of four or five miles around, in farm wagons, carriages and buggies,
and on foot, to see it.
John A. Clarke, Esq., being at Cardiff, Saturday evening to speak
on temperance, took occasion for a lamp-light view. Returning to
the city near midnight, he told the story; and was telling it all
day yesterday. Not one in fifty of his hearers would believe the
counselor, generally esteemed reliable though he is. Still,
before the day was over a dozen or more went out to satisfy their
curiosity, and returned with full confirmation--and more too, and
the "petrified Giant" is now the absorbing topic.
Mr. Newell has stumbled upon an "elephant" in this Giant. His
neighbors say it is a fortune to him. It is averred that he was
offered $5,000, $10,000 and even $20,000 for it; that a clergyman
offered his farm in exchange for the monster--but these offers
were all declined. We talked freely with Mr. N. He was quiet and
modest, and we doubt if he has received any such proposals, except
perhaps jokingly. He indicated no such thing. Yet he seemed
anxious to have the "thing" brought out all right if possible, be
it what it may, and therefore guards it by day and by night.
During Saturday night the surface water had settled in the pit so
as to cover the image. The wise men of Cardiff were consulted. One
said, bail out the water--exposure to the air will do no harm. The
other said, leave it thus until some scientific man comes to decide
as to the prospects of destructability. And the latter's advice
was adopted. Yet, when the water was undisturbed and clear, the
whole could be seen perfectly plain. Later in the day Dr. J.F.
Boynton, the geologist, drove out with Mr. John Geenway, the water
was bailed out, and Dr. B. made a thorough inspection of his Giantship,
put his arms under the neck, and fairly hugged the monster. The
general impression is, that it is a petrifaction of one of those large
human beings of which all of us have heard so much in our youthful days,
and have read accounts of in maturer years--not here, but somewhere
else. A book lies before us, having account of several, varying from
eight to eleven feet; but we stop not to extract therefrom. Prof.
Boynton, from a hasty examination, is of opinion that it is a work
of art--a sculpture from stone. If this theory be correct, it would be
scarcely less interesting than if a petrifaction. In the one case
arises the speculation as to a gigantic race of beings that may
have inhabited portions of this "new world" hundreds of years before
Columbus discovered it; the other as to how long ago the artist
did the work, and where came he, or his ancestors, from? Men nigh
on to a hundred years, and who have resided in the county seventy
of them, have never heard allusion to such a thing; the Indian
traditions speak not of it. The record of the first white man in
this region--Catholic Jesuits--is of something over two hundred years.
That record preserves matters of less interest than this would be,
but not this. Then again we say it would have scarcely less
interest as a work of the chisel, than a petrifaction.
Our city is talking about the Giant. The story has passed from
one to another till very many, probably ten thousand, of our
citizens have already heard it. The interest is great in it,
insomuch that it has been almost impossible for us to thus
disjointedly write about the great wonder, because of the constant
interruption by visitors who are anxious to hear from one who has
actually seen.
From the Syracuse Courier, Oct 18th, 1869.
On Saturday morning last the quiet little village of Cardiff, which
lies in the valley about twelve miles south of Syracuse, was thrown
into an excitement without precedent, by the report that a human
body had been exhumed in a petrified state, the colossal dimensions
of which had never been the fortune of the inhabitants of the little
village to behold, and the magnitude of which was positively beyond
the comprehension or the understanding of the wise men of the valley.
We are told that there were giants on the earth once; and, if the
reports of those who have investigated this discovery are true, and
that they are we have no doubt, this stony man--who for hundreds
of years may have slept untouched and undisturbed, had it not been
for the rude hand of a Cardiff farmer--must have been one of them.
The excitement in and around Cardiff extended until it reached the
City of Salt, and all day yesterday the discovery was the chief
topic of conversation at the hotels and public places in the city.
Of course, the most extravagant stories were told, and greedily
devoured up by gaping listeners. Some would have it that the body
exhumed was twenty-five feet high, and proportionately large. All
day yesterday crowds visited the scene of the discovery, and returned
to tell the tale of the wonderful discovery to their eager friends.
From the Standard, October 23d.
LETTER FROM REV. MR. CALTHROP.
DEAR SIR--As everyone is deeply interested in the Onondaga Giant,
perhaps it may be as well for each of us to add his mite towards
guessing at the solution of the problem he has silently set us all.
It is no wonder that so many are of opinion that he is a gigantic
petrifaction. His proportions are so perfect, and his appearance
is so life like. I will add, that every one wants to think so.
If he proved to be a petrifaction, what a realm of awe and mysterious
conjecture would he open to us. But I, for one, feel convinced
that he will prove to be statue, and for these reasons:--
First, I think there are evident marks of stratification in the
stone. The left eyebrow and the top of the nose are the parts
most elevated. These correspond exactly, both being composed of
a white layer. On the chest is a squarish layer of a dark tinge;
around, and slightly below this, is another layer corresponding
exactly with the ins and outs of the first. Beyond, and below this,
another and another all alike, seeming to be simply lines of
stratification. The level seems exactly kept. Follow with your eye
any two adjacent lines, and you will see that where they are close
to each other the surface has an abrupt change of level; where
they are further apart the surface is nearly horizontal. Where
the surface approaches the perpendicular, as on the sides, the dark
line showing the separation of the strata is thin, because it has
been cut through nearly at right angles. Where the surface is more
horizontal the dark line is broader, because it has been cut
through obliquely, the breadth varying steadily with the angle of
inclination. The same can be plainly seen along the right leg.
Another strong reason for its being a statue lies in the fact that
not a single limb is detached. The right arm is not merely glued
to the body throughout, as well as the hand, but it has the
appearance of only being cut into the stone to a depth sufficient
to give due relief. This is equally true of the left arm, and of
the two legs, which are joined to each other throughout. The
sculptor has not wasted a stroke of the chisel. I would add here,
that between the third and fourth fingers of the right hand, the
slit is carried too far toward the wrist, seemingly by a slip of
the chisel.
Who did it? A trained sculptor; one who had seen, studied and
probably reproduced many a work of art; one who was thoroughly
acquainted with human anatomy. One, too, who had noble original
powers; for none but such could have formed and wrought out the
conception of that stately head, with its calm, grand smile, so
full of mingled sweetness and strength.
He appears, however, to have worked under certain disadvantages.
He had not such command of materials as a civilized country could
have afforded him. He had to put up with the best stone he could
find. I think that the peculiar posture of the statue can be
fairly explained by supposing that the original block tapered away
toward the feet, and was only just about the breadth of the statue
as we now see it. This seems fairly to explain the curious position
of the left arm. The artist had to put it there because there was
not breadth enough to put it in any other position. So of the
position of the feet--one over the other. The stone may not have
been wide enough to have admitted of any other position. Who was he?
Let us analyze a little.
In the ancient world, only the Greek School of Art was capable of
such a perfect reproduction of the human form. I have seen no
Egyptian or Assyrian sculpture which approached this in anatomical
accuracy.
Throughout the middle ages till the great Art Revival, no one in
Europe had skill enough for the purpose. It appears, therefore,
that unless we adopt the somewhat strained hypothesis that a highly
civilized society, now utterly extinct, once existed on this
continent, we are forced to search for our sculptor among the
European adventurers who have sought homes in North America during
the last three centuries, as no one, I presume, is prepared to
maintain a that the statue has a Greek or Roman origin, unless, indeed, it
was brought over as an antique by some forgotten amateur of art.
Was it not then as Dr. Boynton suggests, some one from that French
colony, which occupied Salina and Pompey Hill, and Lafayette? Some
one with an artist's soul, sighing over the lost civilization of
Europe, weary of swamp and forests, and fort, finding this block
by the side of the stream solaced the weary days of exile with
pouring out his thought upon the stone. The only other hypothesis
remaining is that of a gross fraud. One need only say with regard
to this that such a fraud would require the genius of a sculptor
joined to the skill and audacity of a Jack Sheppard.
But lastly, what did he intend it to represent? Had he known of
the discovery of America by the northmen, he might have had in his
thoughts some gigantic Brown, or Erio, or Harold. The old northman
is shot through with an Indian's poisoned arrow; his body is dying,
as the tight pressed limbs express; but the strong soul still
rules the face, which smiles grandly in death. If you had objected
that there was too much mind shining through the features, the
sculptor might have answered that the closed eyes saw in prophetic
vision that men of his race would one day rule where he had lain
down to die. But this is rather too high flown, so I had better
conclude.
Yours,
S.R. CALTHROP.