The Coral Castle - Fri 05 May 2006 04:27:AM
Ed Leedskalnin was a man of slight-build who worked alone using only simple tools to quarry and cut over 3 million pounds of dense coral blocks on his Florida property in the early 1900's. He single-handedly assembled these stoney blocks (weighing several tons each) so precisely they needed no mortar, into a castle and various amazing monuments.<br /><br />Whenever Ed was asked how he built his caslte, he would say that it was not really difficult and that the secret is in the knowing how. His promotional pamphlets stated,I" have discovered the secrets of the pyramids, and have found out how the Egyptians and the ancient builders in Peru, Yucatan and Asia, with only primitive tools, raised and set in place blocks of stone weighing many tons!" However, he was a very private and reclusive person that somewhat secretive about his methods.<br /><br />Some of Ed's most incredible works includess a 40 foot tall obelisk weighing nearly 30 tons, twice the weight of any stone in the Great pyramid, and a 3-ton rocking chair that could be rocked with a finger.<br /><br />Perhaps the most spectacular of his creations is a giant, 9-ton, coral turnstile gate through which he drilled an 8-foot vertical hole that was precisely aligned with the stone’s center of gravity, so when he fitted a simple shaft and gear from an automobile, it worked as a hinge pin. The door fits within a quarter of an inch of the walls on either side and is so perfectly balanced that it can be pushed open with a finger. Here is a picture of this 9-ton gate:<br /><br /> []http://www.metawake.info/images/coral_gate.jpg [/] <br /><br />Clickable Link: Coral Castle Photo Gallery
