Michael Baugh wrote:
In one of the sites I looked at, a person talked about
securing chains to the stump with a railroad spike,
wrapping the chain around the stump, and then the
chains being pulled, causing the stump to be rotated
and the roots sheared or removed from the dirt so
that the stump was able to be removed.

Sounds like Excedrin headache #712,if the spike lets go )