Rensselaer Union, Volume 2, Number 10, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 December 1869 — The Cardiff Giant. [ARTICLE]

The Cardiff Giant.

Tine Syracuse Courier of November 17 publishes the’ following letter written by Dr. J’. T. Boynton to Spencer F. Baird, Professor of the Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D. C. The letter is dated November 12: • Dear 8m- Your communication. of November 6 is received. The absurdity of the existenoe of petrified human flesh, or giants of stone that once lived, is such that I would not speak of it to men of jfatir experience if the. community were not agitated to its core, and all kinds of opinions expressed, and false reports put in circulation, to keep up excitement, mystify and deceive the public, I am going to make out a full : report of the entire history, proceedings, discovery, resurrection, and jqprncy of the giant to its present resting place. I have accurate,ipapa thade ffom actual surveys, photographs, &e., of ’alt the matter.teat could be obtained. It IS simply a reclining statue, carved tain that Tine block was quarried 1 fhthis country, but think I have the means Of knowing where-it came from. When I first saw it lying in.its mucky grave and nearly covered with water, I. hoped it was a monument that would throw some light on the shadowed history oFthe German,’ Spanish and Fsemeh settlements in the Onondaga Valley, between the years 1530 and 1760. But I tear, that weare not to be enlightened much, for my vederalien for. the high antiquity of the Onondaga Giant is fast waning to a taper. I have been making experiments on the solubility of various kinds of gypsum under different circumstances; and, although it is' laid dqwn in the text books of the quantity of gypsum that will dissolve in a given quantity of water, yet I know I 'Of no statement of experiments showing theqapidity with which it dissolves, As there has been no occasion for investigation in that direction, to my knowledge, I Was somfewbat startled aftej making experiments, to find results as I will now describe. I first took a piece of light-colored gypsum furnished me by Mr. Alvord from his quarry near Fayetteville, in this county, about four inches wide, five long, and two and a half thick; in the centre being of irregular fores, thin attbo edges, and weighingonemsd one-sixteenth pounds, and suspended it from the sportt qf a rainwater cistern pump tad subjected it to the action of running water, such as would bo produced it ordinary use in it family of four, taking ro extra pains more than occaslowdly giving the nuiap a MrfHse «r iWtefOWP ih« Mrßtt

apd one ouiape wasdlssol'vedi'nforty-elAt hdhrs, dr one-Myentessßh of tha SrhSte. This water Wasfrom* rout of Whltani»e< shingles, I took another piece, about lhe same shape, weighing thirteen MSfea, and suspended it. & tfe Mt P n the stove, where it remained for fortyeight hours, when It was taken oat and ’ found to have: lost is trifle over One ounce. Thia lias induced me to repeat my experiments in the moat careful namfim' ‘Tou epn aee that- by aeodrtaialngrAhp.supwfi qal surface of the- piece's experimented upop and the Quantity ffiteolVdl froth tftm in a given length of time, we: ifeve a basis of calculation. What lathe superficial surface of 4 giant ten fetet-fn height and -’other dimensions in proportton* Aayou are . well known, so bo verged. in mathematics, I leave you to make your ■Awn calculations as to how tohfc thrgiant would have remained in watery grove had not the dissolving process beetfarfeffletfby hfe'earrf reentvectibn. '»ihave stated that I Origin pould not carry ns back over three hundred year*.” but I am not'cejtaintbtaiithe known principles, of chemistry wjlljugtiiy me in ,asserting that the period between fafebtmal and resurrection Wil* overlhree years, r Its antiquated/ appearanap{ ; bas been produced, not by abrasion, as many have said, but by the dissoWifigaeUbn of water, which I think coukAbavebeen accomplished in a few months A more earenifand ucdiratc calculation, admitting the possible chanoe of some, unffiteoypred error creeping -into the calculation, may sboW ihbbarikl td have tskten fifedb about 870 or 871 days age, aait dm hats happened. between two, days, However, investigations ire constantly beiftg ‘made, and I hope I may be able" to .*? report progress” weekly, I.hope this m<m u!nen t will hot he ailowpd to enter into history clandestinely, hr with any falsehoods attached/ One author has stated thathistorians sometimes tell the (rqth/’and I hope the giant will hot bfe/actubed‘fidsely, •but may present a^tniq,.aqd , “plean record.” I am, respectfully yoUrK J ‘F: Bdvwtoir.