It was a custom tamping rod that Phineas had asked a blacksmith to make for him: "The end which entered \[Gage's cheek\] first is pointed; the taper being \[eleven inches (28 cm) long, ending in a 1⁄4-inch (6 mm) point\] ... circumstances to which the patient perhaps owes his life. The iron is unlike any other, and was made by a neighbouring blacksmith to please the fancy of the owner."
Basically, that's about half of 6' breaker bar.
Sept. 22, 2022, 12:35 p.m. - Mike Ferrentino
It was a custom tamping rod that Phineas had asked a blacksmith to make for him: "The end which entered \[Gage's cheek\] first is pointed; the taper being \[eleven inches (28 cm) long, ending in a 1⁄4-inch (6 mm) point\] ... circumstances to which the patient perhaps owes his life. The iron is unlike any other, and was made by a neighbouring blacksmith to please the fancy of the owner." Basically, that's about half of 6' breaker bar.