Stonehenge 181
Image by texlahoma
Stonehenge

Stone shifting 5

nigelswift N
nigelswift Sep 17, 2003 08:36:08
Replying to Steve Gray

Naah, Pickfords could do it!
It only means you have a gap between rowers of a metre or two and I suppose you could angle the oars and sort of fiddle it through.

You had me worried for a moment, I thought you'd disproved stone rowing right there and then!

S Steve Gray
Steve Gray Sep 17, 2003 08:46:34
Replying to nigelswift

I said difficult, not impossible. Given that the rowers have to move their levers fore and aft as well as up and down, the gap in the rowers needs to be quite large. We have a 32 foot stone being rowed by 40 people (20 each side). So for normal rowing each person will have 1.6 feet in which to operate. Leaving a sizeable gap may produce some congestion. I suppose we could always use only 10 levers per side and 2 people per lever to solve the congestion problem. Or alternatively set the fulcrum logs closer so that fewer people are needed, and accept a slower rate of progress for a short while.

© 2026 Head Heritage.

Unless otherwise stated, the copyright in each work is the property of the respective contributor. For usage or questions, contact [email protected].