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| "The Railsplitter" by Lloyd Ostendorf (1974) |
Abraham Lincoln’s wit, kindness, and legendary feats of strength were the talk of New Salem. Sometimes, all three showed up in the same moment.
When Lincoln was a young man clerking in Sangamon County, a friend found himself trapped by a gambling debt he couldn't pay. Seeing his friend in a corner, Lincoln stepped in with a "double or nothing" wager for the creditor. The bet? Lincoln claimed he could lift a full barrel of whiskey and drink from the bung hole—the small opening on the side—without using a cup.
The Gravity of the Feat
According to those who witnessed the scene, Lincoln squatted low, gripped the barrel by its "chimes" (the wooden rims at the top and bottom), and hoisted the massive weight onto his knees. From there, he didn't just tip it; he wrestled the awkward container upward, tilting it until the whiskey flowed directly into his mouth. [1]
Being a lifelong teetotaler, Lincoln didn't swallow a drop. Once he proved the feat was accomplished, he spit out the whiskey, set the barrel down, and considered the debt settled.
The Math of the Muscle
To understand why this became a local legend, you have to look at the physics. A standard empty whiskey barrel weighs roughly 110 pounds. When filled with 40 to 50 gallons of liquid, the weight jumps significantly. Assuming whiskey weighs roughly the same as water—about 8 pounds per gallon—Lincoln was hoisting and balancing an awkward, shifting mass that weighed anywhere from 400 to 430 pounds. [1]
It wasn't just a display of raw power; it was a textbook display of using leverage and balance.
The Man, Not the Marble
Before he was the Great Emancipator, Lincoln was simply a man who used his strength for others. Not for glory. Not for a drink. But for a friend in a tight spot. It was a trait he never lost.
Another story from the archives of Abraham Lincoln, Storyteller.
Mac
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