From: tppm@rr.ca.com   
      
   On 4/11/2025 7:04 AM, Cryptoengineer wrote:   
   > On 4/6/2025 10:36 AM, Evelyn C. Leeper wrote:   
   >> THE MT VOID   
   >> 04/04/25 -- Vol. 43, No. 40, Whole Number 2374   
   >   
   >> THE ENGLISHMAN WHO WENT UP A HILL BUT CAME DOWN A MOUNTAIN (1999):   
   > [...]   
   >> Of course, the solution in the movie wouldn't work.  Soil has a   
   >> 20-degree angle of repose, hence a 20-foot mound would have a   
   >> radius of about 55 feet, so a volume of about 63,000 cubic feet.   
   >> At 75 pounds per cubic foot (the average for soil), that's 2400   
   >> *tons*.  There were not enough people to move that much soil in   
   >> the time given.  [-ecl]   
   >   
   > It's easy to say that, but I wonder....   
   >   
   >  From Wikipedia:   
   >   
   > "The film is based on a story heard by Christopher Monger from his   
   > grandfather about the real village of Taff's Well, in the old county of   
   > Glamorgan, and its neighbouring Garth Hill. Due to 20th century   
   > urbanisation of the area, it was filmed in the more rural Llanrhaeadr-   
   > ym-Mochnant and Llansilin in Powys."   
   >   
   > So, I looked up Garth Hill on Google Earth. Its at   
   > 51°32'35.72" N   3°17'39.26" W   
   >   
   > Here's the thing. There's a mound on top of the hill, about 120   
   > feet in diameter. Its apparently called 'The Garth'.   
   >   
   > The surrounding land on this gentle hill is around 990 feet high.   
   > However, 'the Garth' tops out at 999 feet.   
   >   
   > I can't find anything about this mound specifically. Theoretically,   
   > it could be a geologic feature, or built by aspirational peasants   
   > for a map.   
   >   
   > Silbury Hill has an angle of about 25 degrees, and has stood for   
   > over 4000 years, but its more engineered than a mere heap of dirt.   
   > Its volume approaches 9 million cubic feet. 'The Garth' would be   
   > a mere 37,000 cf.   
   >   
   > However, the Wikipedia article for Garth Hill notes the presence   
   > of a number of Bronze Age round barrows on the top of the hill. It   
   > seems very likely that 'The Garth' is one of these, and the top   
   > being nearly exactly 1000 feet a coincidence that engendered   
   > a nice local legend.   
   >   
   >   
   > pt   
   >   
   >   
      
   I watched that film, and seem to recall an epilogue that said that while   
   the villagers had achieved their goal of increasing the height of the   
   hill to (barely) qualify as a mountain, in the intervening years till   
   the making of the film, the mound had settled to below the requisite height.   
      
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   Tim Merrigan   
      
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    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)