Henry Ernest Dudeney/Puzzles and Curious Problems/236 - The Pedestal Puzzle/Solution

by : $236$

 * The Pedestal Puzzle

Solution
The obvious answer is that he dunked it into a bath full of water and measured the runoff.

s' answer is similar but more unwieldy:
 * The man made a box $3$ feet by $1$ foot by $1$ foot inside,
 * and into this he placed the pedestal.
 * Then he filled the box with fine dry sand, shaking it down and levelling the top.
 * Then he took out the pedestal, and the sand was shaken down and levelled,
 * when the surface was found to be exactly $2$ feet from the top of the box.

And so on.