“If an ordinary man touches the ground with his feet over an area of about 50 square inches,” this writer explains, “our Martian would stand on 3x3x50 equals 450 square inches. If, then, we figure out the number of pounds borne by each square inch, we find for the ordinary man on earth 150 divided by 50 equals 3 pounds. For the Martian 17 feet 6 inches high we find 1350 divided by 450 equals 3 pounds, just the same. We see, therefore, that the Martian could be built on three times the scale in height, breadth, and depth as an ordinary man; and though he would on earth weigh more than two tons, this would not put any greater tax on his feet on Mars than that which is normal for us on earth. Yet this Martian giant, though in no way encumbered by his own weight, would be 27 times as powerful as an earth-man. In certain special operations where the work consists in overcoming gravity, such as digging canals, he could accomplish 3×27 equal to 81 times as much as an earth-man on earth, since Martian gravity is only one-third that of Earth.” Excerpt from the Burlington Weekly Free Press, Burlington, VT, December 11, 1919
