When
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 
Castle (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 that
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
