Originally posted by Flux8
Byrd,

So Ed Leedskalnin's big secret of how he built Rock Gate Park, (so big of a secret he would only work at night after scouring his property to make sure he wasn't being spied on) was the use of block and tackle, a couple of timber tripods, and some cables and chains, using common engineering techniques? Wow... what a secret.

According to the site and photos, etc.

Yet he was willing to publish an outline of his experimental observations with electromagnetism after the park was built (Magnetic Current, 1945)? And in this manuscript he talks about how to make perpetual motion holders for a perpetual motion machine, which he claimed he applied for a patent on it.

He was quite interested in it; a lifelong quest, but never actually achieved it.

Seems like a much bigger secret to keep under your hat than common engineering techniques. It doesn't make sense why he'd vehemently guard the constuction and basic building techniques but not how to build perpetual motion machines.

I think he had worked out some theories that he liked but never got such a machine going... or we'd see it in Coral Castle, y'know?

(bbcode)

[edit on Mon May 25 2009 by Jbird]

Byrd,

What site are you refering to? I've never read that he was a railroad worker. He was a logger in Canada for a short time and eventually made his way down to California, after which he relocated to Florida when he was diagnosed with TB. But I get your over all point, it is possible that he picked up useful info how to move logs and such. So then he must have put practical knowledge to work using 3-5 ton rated chains, a lumber tripod (by the way, what weight are those rated at?), block and tackle, and started moving the average 10 ton blocks, including his largest 30 ton block, (not to intuit, that's 60,000 lbs, half the weight of an M1A1 Abrams tank).

The only references to a friend helping him out was when he moved his park/castle from the original site to where it is today. Lets put this into context... A neighbor allowed Ed to use his large truck to move the stones/blocks up north. The neighbor would drive his truck to the original site and leave it over night for Ed to load up. In the morning the neighbor would drive the loaded truck to the new location (because Ed did not drive, he road a bicycle everywhere), and leave it over night for Ed to unload. Wash, rinse, repeat.

The friend did offer to help Ed tear down and reconstruct the castle, but Ed refused. He would not allow the friend to see how he moved the blocks. Ed wouldn't begin moving them until his friend had left.

It's interesting you should reference his friend's help. According to the friend, one morning after he had dropped off the emptied truck he realised he had left his lunch pail in the cab. When he returned roughly 20-30 minutes later to get it he'd discovered that the truck was loaded and ready to go for that night.

Sorry, I didn't want to detract/derail from the topic.

Happy Memorial Day!

Originally posted by Flux8
What site are you refering to? I've never read that he was a railroad worker. He was a logger in Canada for a short time and eventually made his way down to California, after which he relocated to Florida when he was diagnosed with TB.

I have probably misremembered. I was running without checking references and now I can't find the page which says what his profession was. I did remember that he worked with and around people who moved heavy loads on a regular basis. Logging would make more sense, since they have to lift and transport heavy and awkward loads.

So then he must have put practical knowledge to work using 3-5 ton rated chains, a lumber tripod (by the way, what weight are those rated at?), block and tackle, and started moving the average 10 ton blocks, including his largest 30 ton block, (not to intuit, that's 60,000 lbs, half the weight of an M1A1 Abrams tank).

We don't know where that was quarried (at least, I sure don't). It may have been cut from a quarry face, loaded onto a flat-bedded vehicle and simply hauled. Ramps of any sort would make moving the stone into place a fairly simple proposition, and a brace bar with a counterweight would have made it go up the ramp even faster. I'm sure there's geological ways to determine where the stone came from, but that would take some research and some time.

I realize the Florida landscape is pretty flat. However, unless you own a property, nobody's going to let you go carving huge holes into their land to quarry limestone. So it would be interesting to go see the original quarry and see what traces were left there.

The only references to a friend helping him out was when he moved his park/castle from the original site to where it is today.

I found some contradictory notes on this, so I'm not sure what to think.