Re: Hines- Fool Or Fraud?

Apparently on date Mon, 12 Sep 2005 11:47:36 -0400, Horace LaBadie
<hwlabadiejr@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> said:

>In article <pq5bi1dd32tfil23okmduuacbekhribhd0@xxxxxxx>,
> nospam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
>
>> Apparently on date Mon, 12 Sep 2005 09:06:00 -0400, Horace LaBadie
>> <hwlabadiejr@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> said:
>>
>> >In article <piiai15gao333eao6cpav10s98pgpnj2ji@xxxxxxx>,
>> > nospam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
>> >
>> >
>> >SNIP
>> >
>> >>
>> >> I got this off a website so it may not be an accurate translation. But
>> >> this
>> >> section is XVI and about the wonders of Greenland:
>> >>
>> >> -----------------
>> >> As soon as one has passed over the deepest part of the ocean, he will
>> >> encounter
>> >> such masses of ice in the sea, that I know no equal of it anywhere else in
>> >> all
>> >> the earth. Sometimes these ice fields are as flat as if they were frozen
>> >> on
>> >> the
>> >> sea itself. They are about four or five ells thick* and extend so far out
>> >> from
>> >> the land that it may mean a journey of four days or more to travel across
>> >> them.
>> >> There is more ice to the northeast and north of the land than to the
>> >> south,
>> >> southwest, and west; con-sequently, whoever wishes to make the land should
>> >> sail
>> >> around it to the southwest and west, till he has come past all those
>> >> places
>> >> where ice may be looked for, and approach the land on that side. It has
>> >> (...)
>> >> ------------
>> >>
>> >> (* - I think this would translate to about three or four feet thick)
>> >
>> >
>> >No. An English ell is 45 inches. Four to five ells equals 15-19 feet.
>> >(Other ells may vary, but still more than three feet to an ell.)
>>
>> Blimey, so when they describe the Greenland Shark as being up to 30 ells
>> long,
>> they were catching sharks 110 feet long.
>>
>> Amazing. These days we only find 15 foot long ones, with the record at 21
>> foot.
>> And they report they caught a "rorqual" whale that measured 500 foot long.
>> And
>> even the seals weighed in at between 15 for the smallest species, to 60 feet
>> long for the bearded seal. I never knew the animals of the Arctic were so
>> large. But it must be so if that's how long an ell was.
>>
>
>Ells vary, but none is one foot. All are two feet or more, most greater
>than three.

Whatever you may think about ells, the ones in this translation are definitely
not as large as you want them to be. You are wrong to correct the 3 - 4 foot
thickness of the ice, that's what it boils down to.

Just give up and move on.
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Hines- Fool Or Fraud?
    ... Sometimes these ice fields are as flat as if they were ... >>> There is more ice to the northeast and north of the land than to the ... Four to five ells equals 15-19 feet. ...
    (sci.archaeology)
  • Re: Hines- Fool Or Fraud?
    ... Sometimes these ice fields are as flat as if they were frozen ... so when they describe the Greenland Shark as being up to 30 ells ... > they were catching sharks 110 feet long. ... These days we only find 15 foot long ones, ...
    (sci.archaeology)
  • Re: Hines- Fool Or Fraud?
    ... Sometimes these ice fields are as flat as if they were frozen on ... Four to five ells equals 15-19 feet. ... These days we only find 15 foot long ones, with the record at 21 foot. ...
    (sci.archaeology)
  • Re: Hines- Fool Or Fraud?
    ... so when they describe the Greenland Shark as being up to 30 ells ... >>> they were catching sharks 110 feet long. ... >>Ells vary, ...
    (sci.archaeology)
  • Re: Hines- Fool Or Fraud?
    ... > Including the specific item you are disputing, the thickness of the ice. ... > Skis are described as 7 or 8 ells long. ... > If you want the Ice in question to be 20 foot thick, ...
    (sci.archaeology)