The stone was broken up in 1811 by a German miller named Schwartz from the Bardehnen (Bardinai) village to make a millstone. As he could not find local help, he had to hire three German workers from Tilsit (Sovetsk). According to local legends, the workers were injured and the miller soon died. The circumstances of his demise vary: he lost his mill in a storm in 1818 and died in an accident working in another mill; he lost his business and became an alcoholic; he was found crushed and strangled by the millstone.