Whenimage-07 asked about it Ed would simply say that he used the same leverage methods that were used to build the pyramids. Just to give you an idea of what he was working with, I have to tell you that Coral weighs approximately 125 pounds per cubic foot. Each section of wall is 8 ft tall, 4 ft wide and 3 ft thick, and weigh approximately 13,000 pounds. We have to remember that Ed's formal education only went to the 4th grade. It was not like he was a trained engineer. Everything he did he figured out himself. A room at the top of the castle was his bedroom. It was a very simple room and allowed for very few creature comforts by today's standards. There are many things in the castle which are considered engineering marvels to this day. There is a 9 ton gate that swings open with just a simple push of the hand. It fits within a quarter of an inch of the walls on both sides of it. Today's engineers and scientists have tried to figure out how Ed managed this with his crude tools and have not been able to, to this day. All around the Castle there are buttons you can push that offer an audio explanation for what you are seeing. The amazing thing about these is, they are in Ed's own voice. Ed had such a penchant for privacy that during one period in WWII he actually covered the top of the working area with a net, causing people to speculate that he was "working with the enemy." We were told that the United States government sent someone out to investigate him, but found that he was doing nothing subversive. Ed (as you can well imagine) had other foibles, such as; he would allow visitors to the image-03Castle (cost 25¢) so he put a sign on the gate that said "ring bell". However, an additional sign on the wall said "ring twice". Well, if you rang more or less than twice he wouldn't answer you. But if you were smart enough to follow both instructions, and he wasn't busy, Ed would open the gate and give you a tour. Inside the Castle, there are astronomical marvels that are mind boggling. He had his Polaris (North Star) telescope that was simply a hole with cross hairs in two aligned rocks. If you looked through it, and the crossed wires are aligned you will always see Polaris. In addition to this he had a Sun Dial which reflects the correct time to this day. He did mention thatimage-01 it didn't take into account Day Light Savings Time. Again people wonder how did he accomplish this? I could go on and on about the various things that are in the Castle, but you really need to see this marvel for yourself. Ed's last act in his beloved Castle was to hang a sign on the door, stating "Going to the hospital". That was in December of 1951. He took a bus to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. Three days later he died in his sleep. He had cancer of the stomach. He was 64. After his death, a nephew inherited the Castle. As I reclined in the Castle, on one of the various pieces of furniture carved out of coral, I could only wonder what this man might have been able to accomplish in the sciences had he not limited himself to the task at hand. He was a truly incredible man. If you would like to find out more about Ed or his Castle drop by the website at: http://www.coralcastle.com.

*** THE END ***

Good Luck! Have Fun! and Stay Safe!

Laura

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