THE WORLD’S TALLEST MEN AND WOMEN.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3229, 27 May 1911, Page 3

THE WORLD’S TALLEST MEN AND WOMEN.

■ ■-» . RECORDS IN GIANTLAND

Q The distinction of being the tallest v man in the British Army belongs to Private 1 H. Barter, who has just joined g the Ist Battalion Grenadier Guards, t Barter, who is only 18 years of age, t stands 6ft BJin in his stockings, and is y still growing. Barter thus beats Major a Oswald Ames, of the 2nd Life Guards, r who reaches the height of 6ft 7-Jin, and who formerly held the record for the . British Army, by fin , They are both dwarfs, however, comt pared with Loushkin, the Russian i giant, who was no less than Bft sin in 1 height, arid who at time,.was a 1 drum-major of the Imperial Regiment i of the Russian Guards, and served in ; the wars of Circassia with such distincl tion as to obtain three medals. A model of Louslikin was exhibited for a ' number of years at Mme. Tussaud 7 s Exhibition. LOVE AMONG THE GIANTS. But even Loushkin's record was surpassed by that of Machnow, who appeared at the London Hippodrome six years ago, who- was 9ft Sin in height, and who weighed over 32st. Some idea of the inconvenience of being such a tall man may lie gathered from the fact that he was obliged to travel in a spe-cially-constructed van, while the cloth used for one suit of clothes for him was sufficient to have made suits for six ordinary individuals. Mention of Machnow recalls Miss Mariedl, the Tyrolese giantess, who appeared at, the Hippodrome in 1907, and who stood Bft 3in high. She was 23 years of age, and her physical attractions were such that while appearing at the Hippodrome she received a proposal of marriage from a Mr. DarraJ, the son of a wealthy Australian farmer, who stood no less than Bft Sin high in his boots, and was broad in proportion. Mr. Darral was reported to have two sisters in Australia, each of whom was 7ft 6in in height, while his father, one ! of the tallest men in Australia, stood ! Bft- 3in in, his socks. j BIG APPETITES. i Another giant whom London had an . opportunity of seeing a few years ago - was Constantin the Greap a giant ! standing Bft lin in his stockings, with ; a chest girth of 53in. “Nineteen years ! of age- and still growing” was the re- J markable information supplied to the writer regarding Constantin, who, to satisfy the needs of the inner man, par- a took of five or six meals a day on an r average, consisting chiefly of stewed fruit, apples, prunes, and milk, except at lunch-time, when the menu consisted of about ljlb of roast meat and a couple of pints of beer.

Another giant from the Land of the Crescent was Hassan Ali, who stood 7ft llin in his socks, and was capable of consuming 21b of beef or mutton for dinner with perfect ease; five or six cups of tea, together with fifteen or sixteen slices of bread and butter, were needed to satisfy his hunger at breakfast, and a similar amount at tea-time.

A few years ago the American giant, Lewis Wilkins, who stood Bft 2in in height, went 66in round the chest, weighed 26st, wore 21in collars, and could span two octaves on the piano, was to be seen in London, while in 1907 Marie Fassnauer, who stood Sft high,

arrived in the Metropolis. Chang, the Chinese giant who ended his days at Bournemouth not manv years ago, was a man of enormous size, standing over Bft in his socks and turning the scale at 26st. But, lie used to declare That he had a si.s+er at home in China who could easily look over his head. This remarkable lady was Bft -fin in height, weighed 23st, and had a hand with a soan of 2ft.