All of the following can be found here in the .pdf book:
http://birdini.com/C...rol A. Lake.pdf
Page 15
Where he dug out his first block of coral rock, he widened that hole as succeeding big blocks were removed. He did not go deeper than the single layer – although later on he did.
He would carefully remove the thin soil from on top, level off the stone underneath, then cut his block the size, shape and weight he wanted.
Just how he cut his blocks has never been completely revealed, from those who profess to know such work, it is believed he bored holes for the corners of the block the size and shape he wanted, to the depth or width, then he would insert some sort of tools of his own design and manufacture which were connected with a wire. He apparently would saw away with this wire until he got to the depth desired and repeat the process for the sides, and then for the bottom or underside of the block. After the block was cut, he would raise it through the use of flat chisels and jacks until he could get chains or cables around the block.
He would lift the block or rock out of the hole by a simple home-made hoist of logs set in the form of a tripod with many pulleys and chains. His lifting was done so smoothly and gently, he never chipped the edges – a feat of marvelous accuracy.
After the big block swung free of the hole, he would settle it onto rolls, and with a complicated system set of chains, pulleys and levers, he would move the stone to the spot he wanted.
The hoisting into position took another series of blocks and hoists, with more chains, pulleys and levers.
It was all done quietly without fuss or seemingly great effort – but it was done. No one ever found out how he got the chains under the blocks, especially without chipping or marring the edges; how he actually lifted the rocks out; how he moved them into position, or how he fitted them together, nor exactly how he cut the blocks. That also is still a mystery and always will be – now. The results are there to prove he did.
Page 24
Nearly all of these visitors tried to draw him out on how he did his amazing work, what tools he used, and how he developed his uncanny leverage and where he learned his engineering skills.
When his inquirers got insistent, as they often did, on how he accomplished his wonders in stone, he would say simply, with his constant smile, “It’s very simple. A wheel, a man and a pry.” But he would refuse to go into more detail by starting to talk on something else, or, if the inquirer got too insistent, as happened occasionally, he would turn away to speak to someone else.
Page 34
Ed walked briskly around the truck, stood for a second looking around but said nothing. He started untangling his maze of ropes, pulleys and cables. He straightened them out, ran some of the cable through the pulleys, and went across the road to attach one end of the cable to a tree. He ran the cable around the rear axle at an angle, facing toward the front. He tightened the cable until it was taunt.
By this time quite a crowd was beginning to gather – silently watching. Usually in such situations a lot of loud and free advice is given by many individuals, all trying to vie with the others in giving free and unwanted advice. Everyone in this group, however, was much more interested in seeing Ed at work – all for the first time – than in trying to tell him what to do. His business-like approach was readily recognized by all. Many of the men present realized the technique Ed was using – and silently approved.
“Start up,” Ed told Biggers. “Go slowly and watch my signals.” Ed held one end of the taint cables.
Biggers swing up into the cab, and started the motor. Slowly he eased in his clutch – as Ed tightened the tauntness on his cable. Gently but surely – as if he were pulling the big truck like an invisible giant – the truck started to edge back on the pavement.
“Keep going,” Ed called to Biggers. He spoke sharply, “Now cut in toward the center of the road.”
Almost effortlessly the truck, loaded with many tons of stone, slide back onto the road.
Ed loosened his hole on the cable, and called to Biggers, “That’ll do. You’re out of the sand.”
One of the men who had watch the entire procedure said so nearly all could hear, “That’ s the slickest job I’ve ever seen. Twenty men couldn’t have done that work so easily as Ed did it – all by himself.”
“Oh, boy,” another exclaimed excitedly, “I’ll believe now everything I ever hear about Ed.”
Silently Neafsey helped Ed load the big tangle of equipment they had brought into the cab beside Biggers, then he climbed in to ride back to Ed’s new home. Ed jumped on his bike and was off, without a word – to anyone.
“My first load of furniture,” grinned Ed, hurrying forward to meet them, mentioning to Biggers where to stop, at the same time.
“Well, Ed, here you are – at last,” called the burley Bob behind the wheel.
As Neafsey climbed down from the cab, Biggers said to him, “I see you’ll like to see Ed unload?”
“Yes, that I would like to see.” Both men laughed, for they knew Ed would find some excuse so no one could see him move a single block of rock and certainly not this load of sculptured pieces.
Page 41
As a follow up to his “big potato,” as he always referred to it, Ed included his “potato cooker” in his prepared talk to visitors. He’s show his “stove” – which was a curious outdoor fireplace. It looked like an old-fashioned “old oaken bucket” sort of well for water – with a peak roof, circular, with the open part of the “well” about waist high.
Suspended in this “well” was a curious arrangement that looked like the rear axle of an automobile – and that is what it was. It was divided in the middle and held in place with chains on either end. A slight lift of the hand, and the axle came apart. It was fitted together so perfectly that when in place it could not be pried open. It proved a most efficient “pressure cooker.”
Ed would build a fire under his cooker, put in his potatoes, and by the time the axle-box was hot but before his food could possibly burn, his cooking was finished – under pressure.
Page 48
He loved little children, and encouraged in every way he could their coming to his park. He’d even allow small children to watch him work, but never grown ups. He said children were not cruel or critical of “someone who is different.”
Page 50
The World War II years brought out three incidents which did much for Ed and helped to spread his fame still further.
The first involved his being investigated by the F.B.I.
Ed was delving deeply into electronics and the study of cosmic rays and magnetic currents. His cosmic theory was published in the Miami papers more than a year before Einstein came out with his Theory of Unity – and the two theories are amazingly similar. In the process of Ed’s experiments, he had copper wires strung from his Coral Castle to trees. There were many of these wires, going in various directions from his upstairs windows. His electrical devices were quite obvious, especially in his lower-floor room, to all who visited the park.
Page 57
He wrote a great deal. He had several pamphlets published, a book, and even a long write-up that was printed in the Miami Daily News as an advertisement.
In this ad, he explained the research work he was doing in electricity – and advertised the fact he had an 8000-word pamphlet for sale – at one dollar – on “Magnetic Current” – along with which he would give another booklet on “Mineral, Vegetable and Animal Life.”
Credit is given to the Historical Museum of Southern Florida as the source of this material.