Let's solve a 40 year old unsolved treasure hunt!

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Nesetril: Sep 7, 2005

LargeHadron posted:

I walked all around this park, as well as Harvard, today and found nothing of interest.

Much appreciated. Did you go inside any of the churches or buildings? I don't know if you are supposed to, but I figure there could be things that are better seen from the inside like stained glass and that could be what we are missing in the information obtainable from the web.

# ? Jun 16, 2013 02:06

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# ? Jun 3, 2024 10:19

Invicta{HOG}, M.D.: Jan 16, 2002

I have a feeling that names above libraries are common. I was thinking about this and know that the Little Rock library has it as well. I can find that Thucydides is indeed above it. Suspect that Xenophon is not but cannot confirm this. What other libraries might have the same thing?

# ? Jun 16, 2013 02:10

bonestructure: Sep 25, 2008; by Ralp

Cask 2 - Charleston, SC

My theory is that the cask is buried in White Point Gardens, aka the Battery.

Evidence I think supports this in the illustration:

Lion - "King of the jungle" - King St. It is one of the main streets in downtown Charleston and it runs directly into WPG. The hairpin shape on the Charleston peninsula on the African mask appears to parallel King and Meeting Sts. The spouting lion heads on the Hunley memorial also resemble the lion.
The cross shape in the lion's mane could indicate Church St, which dead-ends at the Battery.
The round shapes in the fairy's wings resemble the sealed mouths of the cannons along the Battery, and the piles of welded-together cannonballs next to some of them.
The bottom African mask is shaped like Fort Sumter, which is visible from this spot on the Battery. There is also a memorial plaque set in the Battery just as it changes from High Battery to Low Battery that points the way to Fort Sumter. The star on the mask looks like the carved stars in the retaining wall around the Fort Sumter monument.

I believe Verse 6 belongs with the Charleston image, and that it demarcates the area in WPG where the cask is buried.

Of all the romance retold
Men of tales and tunes
Cruel and bold
Seen here
By eyes of old - This refers to the pirate marker with the account of famous pirates who were hanged at WPG.

Stand and listen to the birds - The bandstand in the park

Hear the cool, clear song of water - The splashing of the twin fountains on the Hunley memorial

Harken to the words: - the William Gilmore Simms monument (he was a famous writer and speaker)

Freedom at the birth of a century - the Sgt Jasper monument commemorating a battle of the Revolution

Or May 1913 - This refers to the capstan of the USS Maine, which was given to Charleston on May 1913. It has been removed but a statue of William Moultrie now stands on that exact site, so it can still be oriented by.

Edwin and Edwina named after him - this is taken from Abroad in America by Marc Pachter. It's a quote about enthusiasm for colonizing Liberia. The Azor, a ship full of Charleston colonists, sailed from Charleston harbor. At that spot on the Battery one is looking out over the harbor.

Here is where it starts to get iffy.

Or on the eighth a scene
Where law defended - the best I could come up with is the Sgt Jasper monument. It has eight sides to its setting. The lower four sides of the monument have brass plaques with scenes on them. If you count from the top as you stand facing the statue and go clockwise, the eighth plaque shows a woman (the idealized City of Charleston) guarding the harbor, along with the motto of the city of Charleston, Aedes mores juraque curat (Latin: "She guards her buildings, customs, and laws.")

Between two arms extended - I think the "arms" here are on separate statues. The Sgt Jasper statue points out towards Fort Moultrie. The Fort Sumter statue points along High Battery towards Fort Sumter. I think the cask is buried in the area marked off by the directions of the two pointing arms.

Below the bar that binds - could be the Battery itself. It is a bar that keeps out the sea and binds the tip of the peninsula.

Beside the long palm's shadow - Unlike other parts of the Battery, there is only one palmetto tree in the area marked off by the pointing arms. It's a tall one, and at 4pm this afternoon it threw a very clear shadow.

Embedded in the sand - either buried in a sandy spot, or possibly along the Battery wall on the street side, in the long planting beds that run alongside. Most of the soil in those beds is sand.

Waits the Fair remuneration - the treasure

White house close at hand. - When it comes to white houses downtown you're spoiled for choice, but there are three along South Battery St in the area marked out by the poem. None are really "close at hand" to the spot I think might have the treasure, though.

Here is a map showing the locations of the different landmarks.

The map is taken from an old article in the Charleston News and Courier about White Point Gardens. It has a lot of useful information. http://tinyurl.com/kauygd6

An album of pictures I took this afternoon, I photographed everything I saw that looked like it could be used as a landmark in the area I decided to limit myself to. http://imgur.com/a/qGC6C I brought a metal pole probe with me, and the areas I tried probing were the sandy spot next to the "long palm's shadow" and one of the planting beds alongside High Battery. For the palm, I managed to poke it about a foot and half deep in several places, but it's such a vague location that I was more or less probing at random. I also probed the sand planting bed near the steps up to High Battery as those steps are right in line with the pirate memorial and very close to the "White house." The sand was surprisingly hard-packed considering that plants are growing in it. I tested four or five different spots and managed to get the probe in almost two feet deep at a couple of spots close to the wall, but I didn't feel anything that was hard like a buried box and again, I was going pretty much at random.

I can't help but feel that there are more clues in both the image and the verse that I'm not getting. There are some things that almost seem to fit, but I can't quite pin it down; for instance, the relief carvings on the pedestal of the Fort Sumter statue have a lot of weird-shaped negative space that I think could possibly match up to the shapes on the lion's forehead or the white shapes in the fairy's wings. I'm still looking through the photos hoping to find something that is a really persuasive match. Until then, this is just a theory, but I think it has a fair amount of reasonable supposition in it.

So, if anyone wants to take a crack at this too, please feel free. To help out, here is a link to Google street view of WPG, it's pretty thoroughly covered with a lot of detail: http://goo.gl/maps/13F2p

If nothing else, the dog and I got a nice day in the park out of it. :v:

bonestructure fucked around with this message at 02:54 on Jun 16, 2013

# ? Jun 16, 2013 02:17

xie: Jul 29, 2004; I GET UPSET WHEN PEOPLE SPEND THEIR MONEY ON WASTEFUL THINGS THAT I DONT APPROVE OF

If it's not Boston, it has to be St Louis, unless another image is wrong, or you believe the "Louis Armstrong" theory.

The first line in the poem seems to give you a starting location with which to work from - at least in the ones we know, so it's not going to be vague.

I'm sure when 11 is solved it'll be a lot of "ohhh" type of moments, but the amount of photorealistic stuff just isn't up to snuff with the solved ones, both of which have barely hidden stone replicas, etc.

There's no building silhouette or anything apparent in the negative space, and even the outline of her hair is a smaller clue than most have been. Though I do see a potential "3" in her hair.

What are the established things in this photo anyway? We've heard about an Italian connection, but I'm not sure why, there's no obvious "greek" connection like in Cleveland, etc.

# ? Jun 16, 2013 02:45

Ialdabaoth: Nov 3, 2006; _{East side, west side,

All around the block,

The Bootlegger's

rushin' bizness

At all hours

of the clock.}

Dr. Gitmo Moneyson posted:

Well that settles it, then! Anybody got a silver ring and a copy of The Lesser Key of Solomon?

ACtually I found a helpful passage not in Lemegeton but in the Key of Solomon itself. Chapter XIV: How to Render Thyself Master of a Treasure Possessed by the Spirits. I will visit the site in late July with my Sword of Magical Art. One issue: I need to mingle the oil of the lamp with the fat of a man who died in July, and I don't have ready access to that so I will need someone to either step forward themselvs or make a suitable recommendation.

# ? Jun 16, 2013 03:00

Nesetril: Sep 7, 2005

xie posted:

What are the established things in this photo anyway?

Visual elements in the painting:

Globe with frame; frame has a pattern of 7 and 8 bands alternating
Globe and frame makes an 8 for August
two soap bubbles
one of the spheres rests on a stand
42 on the cuff, 112 near the flower (and other numbers difficult to make out)
Hair outline changes from angular to smooth in one spot
lower most symbols on the sleeves: 'M' on the left, ~~'7' on the right~~ triangle on the right (use scans from OP to see)
'N' also on the left sleeve, disguised as a pair of triangles (nearest the bird)
"Pandora's box": lid could be an arrow like a 'V'
thick wavy crack in the stones
Pattern on the dress: vines cover a row of three large squares
exaggerated shadow under woman's chin
Cloverleaf on fairy wing
Shadows on sleeve look like "BOS"

Edited after the discussion below.

Those things got mentioned more than once. Personally, I would also add that there are some kind of weird desks or something in the foreground. Combined with the globe, this evokes a schoolteacher image.

Nesetril fucked around with this message at 04:23 on Jun 16, 2013

# ? Jun 16, 2013 03:01

xie: Jul 29, 2004; I GET UPSET WHEN PEOPLE SPEND THEIR MONEY ON WASTEFUL THINGS THAT I DONT APPROVE OF

I don't see the M/7 thing on the sleeve/pillar - the bottom one looks most like an upside down triangle on the newer/better scans.

# ? Jun 16, 2013 03:10

Nesetril: Sep 7, 2005

here is the seven

here is the M

Nesetril fucked around with this message at 03:25 on Jun 16, 2013

# ? Jun 16, 2013 03:20

xie: Jul 29, 2004; I GET UPSET WHEN PEOPLE SPEND THEIR MONEY ON WASTEFUL THINGS THAT I DONT APPROVE OF

It's very clearly a triangle in the new high res scans. http://www.flickr.com/photos/46823115@N02/8965260966/sizes/k/ I also own the book. Even in the lower res OP image you can see the \ line going into the shadow.

# ? Jun 16, 2013 03:24

TotalHell: Feb 22, 2005; _{Roman Reigns fights CM Punk in fantasy warld. Lotsa violins, so littl kids cant red it.}

bonestructure posted:

Cask 2 - Charleston, SC

My theory is that the cask is buried in White Point Gardens, aka the Battery.

Evidence I think supports this in the illustration:

Lion - "King of the jungle" - King St. It is one of the main streets in downtown Charleston and it runs directly into WPG. The hairpin shape on the Charleston peninsula on the African mask appears to parallel King and Meeting Sts. The spouting lion heads on the Hunley memorial also resemble the lion.

The cross shape in the lion's mane could indicate Church St, which dead-ends at the Battery.

The round shapes in the fairy's wings resemble the sealed mouths of the cannons along the Battery, and the piles of welded-together cannonballs next to some of them.

The bottom African mask is shaped like Fort Sumter, which is visible from this spot on the Battery. There is also a memorial plaque set in the Battery just as it changes from High Battery to Low Battery that points the way to Fort Sumter. The star on the mask looks like the carved stars in the retaining wall around the Fort Sumter monument.

I believe Verse 6 belongs with the Charleston image, and that it demarcates the area in WPG where the cask is buried.

Of all the romance retold
Men of tales and tunes
Cruel and bold
Seen here
By eyes of old - This refers to the pirate marker with the account of famous pirates who were hanged at WPG.

Stand and listen to the birds - The bandstand in the park

Hear the cool, clear song of water - The splashing of the twin fountains on the Hunley memorial

Harken to the words: - the William Gilmore Simms monument (he was a famous writer and speaker)

Freedom at the birth of a century - the Sgt Jasper monument commemorating a battle of the Revolution

Or May 1913 - This refers to the capstan of the USS Maine, which was given to Charleston on May 1913. It has been removed but a statue of William Moultrie now stands on that exact site, so it can still be oriented by.

Edwin and Edwina named after him - this is taken from Abroad in America by Marc Pachter. It's a quote about enthusiasm for colonizing Liberia. The Azor, a ship full of Charleston colonists, sailed from Charleston harbor. At that spot on the Battery one is looking out over the harbor.

Here is where it starts to get iffy.

Or on the eighth a scene
Where law defended - the best I could come up with is the Sgt Jasper monument. It has eight sides to its setting. The lower four sides of the monument have brass plaques with scenes on them. If you count from the top as you stand facing the statue and go clockwise, the eighth plaque shows a woman (the idealized City of Charleston) guarding the harbor, along with the motto of the city of Charleston, Aedes mores juraque curat (Latin: "She guards her buildings, customs, and laws.")

Between two arms extended - I think the "arms" here are on separate statues. The Sgt Jasper statue points out towards Fort Moultrie. The Fort Sumter statue points along High Battery towards Fort Sumter. I think the cask is buried in the area marked off by the directions of the two pointing arms.

Below the bar that binds - could be the Battery itself. It is a bar that keeps out the sea and binds the tip of the peninsula.

Beside the long palm's shadow - Unlike other parts of the Battery, there is only one palmetto tree in the area marked off by the pointing arms. It's a tall one, and at 4pm this afternoon it threw a very clear shadow.

Embedded in the sand - either buried in a sandy spot, or possibly along the Battery wall on the street side, in the long planting beds that run alongside. Most of the soil in those beds is sand.

Waits the Fair remuneration - the treasure

White house close at hand. - When it comes to white houses downtown you're spoiled for choice, but there are three along South Battery St in the area marked out by the poem. None are really "close at hand" to the spot I think might have the treasure, though.

Here is a map showing the locations of the different landmarks.

The map is taken from an old article in the Charleston News and Courier about White Point Gardens. It has a lot of useful information. http://tinyurl.com/kauygd6

An album of pictures I took this afternoon, I photographed everything I saw that looked like it could be used as a landmark in the area I decided to limit myself to. http://imgur.com/a/qGC6C I brought a metal pole probe with me, and the areas I tried probing were the sandy spot next to the "long palm's shadow" and one of the planting beds alongside High Battery. For the palm, I managed to poke it about a foot and half deep in several places, but it's such a vague location that I was more or less probing at random. I also probed the sand planting bed near the steps up to High Battery as those steps are right in line with the pirate memorial and very close to the "White house." The sand was surprisingly hard-packed considering that plants are growing in it. I tested four or five different spots and managed to get the probe in almost two feet deep at a couple of spots close to the wall, but I didn't feel anything that was hard like a buried box and again, I was going pretty much at random.

I can't help but feel that there are more clues in both the image and the verse that I'm not getting. There are some things that almost seem to fit, but I can't quite pin it down; for instance, the relief carvings on the pedestal of the Fort Sumter statue have a lot of weird-shaped negative space that I think could possibly match up to the shapes on the lion's forehead or the white shapes in the fairy's wings. I'm still looking through the photos hoping to find something that is a really persuasive match. Until then, this is just a theory, but I think it has a fair amount of reasonable supposition in it.

So, if anyone wants to take a crack at this too, please feel free. To help out, here is a link to Google street view of WPG, it's pretty thoroughly covered with a lot of detail: http://goo.gl/maps/13F2p

If nothing else, the dog and I got a nice day in the park out of it.

Very nice, I'm glad there's more stuff that matches up! I'm still iffy on the verse, but at least we're both onboard with White Point Gardens. The problem, I think, will be that the verse + image point to a specific place in or by the Gardens and we still don't have a specific spot yet.

# ? Jun 16, 2013 03:28

I. M. Gei: Jun 26, 2005; CHIEFS

BITCH

Boston(???)

Nesetril posted:

Visual elements in the painting:

Globe with frame; frame has a pattern of 7 and 8 bands alternating

Globe and frame makes an 8 for August

two soap bubbles

one of the spheres rests on a stand

42 on the cuff, 112 near the flower

Hair outline changes from angular to smooth in one spot

lower most symbols on the sleeves: 'M' on the left, '7' on the right (use scans from OP to see)

"Pandora's box": lid could be an arrow like a 'V'

thick wavy crack in the stones

Pattern on the dress: vines cover a row of three large squares

exaggerated shadow under woman's chin

Cloverleaf on fairy wing

Shadows on sleeve look like "BOS"

Those things got mentioned more than once. Personally, I would also add that there are some kind of weird desks or something in the foreground. Combined with the globe, this evokes a schoolteacher image.

There's a capital 'N' in one of the squares to the right of the bird.

I don't see a '2' in the lady's cuff. I see a '4', but not a '2'.

Just below the '112' I'm seeing another '2'. Look at the area toward the bottom-right of the '112'.

I'm surprised to not have seen this pointed out yet but the outline of the window behind the woman is shaped like a keyhole.

# ? Jun 16, 2013 03:31

xie: Jul 29, 2004; I GET UPSET WHEN PEOPLE SPEND THEIR MONEY ON WASTEFUL THINGS THAT I DONT APPROVE OF

The 2 is pretty visible below the 4, it's slightly scripty, but it's there.

I think the N is just as dubious, those look like pretty hard to make out details in the original printing. We're also unsure whether the opening behind her is keyhole shaped, or if it's round with 2 'pillars' or drapes in front of it.

The shape is what led me directly to Longfellow Park, but the imagery wasn't working there.

# ? Jun 16, 2013 03:35

Nesetril: Sep 7, 2005

'N' or 'M'? See my previous post. These scanning artifacts are nasty.

2 is right under the 4 on the cuff

I'm only for sure counting 112, because the whole area around the flowers is weird. There are definitely some other numbers there, though.

The keyhole is interesting... are you counting the sleeves to complete the shape?

# ? Jun 16, 2013 03:37

I. M. Gei: Jun 26, 2005; CHIEFS

BITCH

Ialdabaoth posted:

ACtually I found a helpful passage not in Lemegeton but in the Key of Solomon itself. Chapter XIV: How to Render Thyself Master of a Treasure Possessed by the Spirits. I will visit the site in late July with my Sword of Magical Art. One issue: I need to mingle the oil of the lamp with the fat of a man who died in July, and I don't have ready access to that so I will need someone to either step forward themselvs or make a suitable recommendation.

Well there are a bunch of hospitals adjacent to, and in, the Hermann Park area. Maybe you could ask one of them for some dead guy fat?

# ? Jun 16, 2013 03:38

Nesetril: Sep 7, 2005

How do you guys feel about Appian way (the street) being "in the area of his direction", since Appian was a Greek historian?

# ? Jun 16, 2013 03:39

I. M. Gei: Jun 26, 2005; CHIEFS

BITCH

Nesetril posted:

'N' or 'M'? See my previous post. These scanning artifacts are nasty.

Definitely an 'N'. Look at the square on the hanging part of the lady's right (read: "YOUR left") sleeve, between the bird and the little bubble thing that's right next to it (on the right).

Nesetril posted:

I'm only for sure counting 112, because the whole area around the flowers is weird. There are definitely some other numbers there, though.

It for sure looks like it's either a '2' or an upside-down '7'.

Nesetril posted:

The keyhole is interesting... are you counting the sleeves to complete the shape?

... actually I was. Because I mistook the blue glowing around the lady for being part of the sky. :negative:

# ? Jun 16, 2013 03:52

Nesetril: Sep 7, 2005

The three of us are talking about slightly different things. Look:

The M has serifs even, come on:

# ? Jun 16, 2013 04:09

I. M. Gei: Jun 26, 2005; CHIEFS

BITCH

Nesetril posted:

The three of us are talking about slightly different things. Look:

The M has serifs even, come on:

Okay so you already saw the 'N' I was referring to. That's good.

I see the 'M' you're talking about, although I'm not seeing enough seriffing to know whether it's an 'M' or a sideways '3'. Or an upside-down 'W'.

Also the bird's talon looks like it's making the shape of a '9'. Or an upside-down '6' I guess.

# ? Jun 16, 2013 04:15

LargeHadron: May 19, 2009; They say, "you mean it's just sounds?" thinking that for something to just be a sound is to be useless, whereas I love sounds just as they are, and I have no need for them to be anything more than what they are.

Nesetril posted:

Much appreciated. Did you go inside any of the churches or buildings? I don't know if you are supposed to, but I figure there could be things that are better seen from the inside like stained glass and that could be what we are missing in the information obtainable from the web.

Nah, but I did look all around the perimeter of the Episcopalian church on Waterhouse street (the one that kind of matches the spires on the box castle). It has a lot of ornate windows, but nothing matching the illustration.

# ? Jun 16, 2013 04:56

Fistgrrl: Dec 30, 2000; Queen of Cuddlenaps

Were the coordinates ever decided for Boston? The 42 is good, but 70 is a bit off.

Only registered members can see post attachments!

# ? Jun 16, 2013 05:32

I. M. Gei: Jun 26, 2005; CHIEFS

BITCH

Fistgrrl posted:

Were the coordinates ever decided for Boston? The 42 is good, but 70 is a bit off.

Maybe the 'N' stands for Nantucket? :shrug:

# ? Jun 16, 2013 06:29

Nesetril: Sep 7, 2005

It's retarded that the image with the globe in it is the one to leave out the longitude.

Also, I know the centaur in the Cleveland image wasn't a literal representation of anything, but what if the woman in the Boston image is? After all, people say the NYC image has either the statue of liberty or that statue from the Smithsonian. Then, we basically have some kind of educator who opens a box containing either treasure or knowledge. Maybe 'N' 'M' is Anne Radcliffe Moulson who played a major role in founding Radcliffe College. That would make the puzzle Radcliffe-centered instead of Harvard-centered, which is almost the same thing due to the Soldier's field location ('going to the Coliseum').

The thick wavy scratch on the window is not unlike Radcliffe coat of arms.

Nesetril fucked around with this message at 06:47 on Jun 16, 2013

# ? Jun 16, 2013 06:33

Chilled Cactus: Nov 15, 2011; College Slice

Nevermind, I see it now.

Chilled Cactus fucked around with this message at 07:32 on Jun 16, 2013

# ? Jun 16, 2013 07:27

Guuse: May 11, 2009

Nesetril posted:

It's retarded that the image with the globe in it is the one to leave out the longitude.

Also, I know the centaur in the Cleveland image wasn't a literal representation of anything, but what if the woman in the Boston image is? After all, people say the NYC image has either the statue of liberty or that statue from the Smithsonian. Then, we basically have some kind of educator who opens a box containing either treasure or knowledge. Maybe 'N' 'M' is Anne Radcliffe Moulson who played a major role in founding Radcliffe College. That would make the puzzle Radcliffe-centered instead of Harvard-centered, which is almost the same thing due to the Soldier's field location ('going to the Coliseum').

The thick wavy scratch on the window is not unlike Radcliffe coat of arms.

Two out of twelve isn't a very large sample size. Additionally, if you go back and actually look at the matches, I don't know that you could say that the micro clues are 1:1 accurate. Things like the horse rider, wall and fountain are just close enough to enable a match, but they certainly aren't exact. Also, clues involving 3d objects require that they be presented from the right perspective.

# ? Jun 16, 2013 08:18

I. M. Gei: Jun 26, 2005; CHIEFS

BITCH

Why does the box she's holding have numbers on it?

I see what looks like a '0' and a '9' or an '8'.

# ? Jun 16, 2013 08:30

Invicta{HOG}, M.D.: Jan 16, 2002

Fistgrrl posted:

Were the coordinates ever decided for Boston? The 42 is good, but 70 is a bit off.

Again, I'd love to have someone go through each of the other images and pull out the longitude and latitude and present each of them here. It is really such a consistent thing?

Most pictures are from Charlesgate but there's the Longfellow mosaic at BPL and ironwork from the Commons.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/54212365@N00/sets/72157634156313634/

# ? Jun 16, 2013 12:20

BJG: Jun 4, 2013

Invicta{HOG}, M.D. posted:

Went to Charlesgate this morning and took a ton of pictures that I will dump at some point on Flickr. Nothing really matches and you can't see any green tower

"A green tower of lights"

# ? Jun 16, 2013 12:26

xie: Jul 29, 2004; I GET UPSET WHEN PEOPLE SPEND THEIR MONEY ON WASTEFUL THINGS THAT I DONT APPROVE OF

Fistgrrl posted:

Were the coordinates ever decided for Boston? The 42 is good, but 70 is a bit off.

Agree about the 70, but I also can't unsee BOS on the other sleeve, so I'm probably too far down the rabbit hole there.

The area by her hair is really weird, it's going to be a tough match to anything, because her hair kinda looks like a skyline on both sides, it only really gets weird for sure where it makes the 3 shape, but either could be a clue. Docks? A skyline? Something else? It's smaller than almost everything else we've seen.

BJG posted:

"A green tower of lights"

That's literally the only thing that matches, we all saw that light pole yesterday. 3 different people were on the ground and confirmed no other matches at all.

xie fucked around with this message at 12:36 on Jun 16, 2013

# ? Jun 16, 2013 12:32

Douginc: Mar 25, 2009

Fistgrrl posted:

Were the coordinates ever decided for Boston? The 42 is good, but 70 is a bit off.

I know the treasure isn't in Rhode Island there, but that location you posted would be a bad rear end place to bury a treasure.

# ? Jun 16, 2013 13:12

PunkNickel: Oct 29, 2011

Fistgrrl posted:

Were the coordinates ever decided for Boston? The 42 is good, but 70 is a bit off.

Someone like 30 pages back mentioned her neck looking really off compared to how apportioned the head was drawn. Every time I see this picture I notice that the neck really looks "huge", it just looks really weird. It could be an "m" or a river, street, building outline, landscape outline. That neck should look much slimmer, the artist could draw things in correct proportions so there was a reason this was one wasn't drawn correctly. I'm just not sure what it's supposed to represent.

# ? Jun 16, 2013 14:49

bonestructure: Sep 25, 2008; by Ralp

TotalHell posted:

Very nice, I'm glad there's more stuff that matches up! I'm still iffy on the verse, but at least we're both onboard with White Point Gardens. The problem, I think, will be that the verse + image point to a specific place in or by the Gardens and we still don't have a specific spot yet.

I agree with you. Those planting beds alongside High Battery are my current favorite, because they are more than wide and deep enough to hide something the size of the cask plus its box, and because digging in those beds is less conspicuous and also safer than the Gardens themselves in terms of any major renovations or landscaping operations that might disturb the box. Those beds are planted with hardy, salt-tolerant bushes and have no grass, they are pretty much exactly the same now as when I was a kid, I have pictures of me from the early 1970s with High Battery in the background and those beds have barely changed at all. But Preiss wouldn't have buried it in there without providing clues to narrow it down to a specific spot, and if there are clues like that I'm not finding them.

TotalHell, do you have any theories about the WPG location? I will probably go back out there again in the next week or so, sooner if I have a brainwave about any new clues, so let me know if you want photos of anything or want me to check something out.

# ? Jun 16, 2013 15:08

TotalHell: Feb 22, 2005; _{Roman Reigns fights CM Punk in fantasy warld. Lotsa violins, so littl kids cant red it.}

bonestructure posted:

I agree with you. Those planting beds alongside High Battery are my current favorite, because they are more than wide and deep enough to hide something the size of the cask plus its box, and because digging in those beds is less conspicuous and also safer than the Gardens themselves in terms of any major renovations or landscaping operations that might disturb the box. Those beds are planted with hardy, salt-tolerant bushes and have no grass, they are pretty much exactly the same now as when I was a kid, I have pictures of me from the early 1970s with High Battery in the background and those beds have barely changed at all. But Preiss wouldn't have buried it in there without providing clues to narrow it down to a specific spot, and if there are clues like that I'm not finding them.

TotalHell, do you have any theories about the WPG location? I will probably go back out there again in the next week or so, sooner if I have a brainwave about any new clues, so let me know if you want photos of anything or want me to check something out.

I'm going to spend some time today thinking about that and seeing if I can narrow down any kind of specific spot. If I have any good thoughts I'll post them and request photos. Thanks for being out in the field on this, I wish I could be down there!

# ? Jun 16, 2013 16:03

Fistgrrl: Dec 30, 2000; Queen of Cuddlenaps

Invicta{HOG}, M.D. posted:

Again, I'd love to have someone go through each of the other images and pull out the longitude and latitude and present each of them here. It is really such a consistent thing?

http://thesecret.pbworks.com/w/page/22148559/FrontPage#Status <--not totally complete/accurate, but pretty much what you're asking for.

# ? Jun 16, 2013 16:31

Luminous: May 19, 2004; ~~Girls~~
Games
~~Gains~~

PunkNickel posted:

Someone like 30 pages back mentioned her neck looking really off compared to how apportioned the head was drawn. Every time I see this picture I notice that the neck really looks "huge", it just looks really weird. It could be an "m" or a river, street, building outline, landscape outline. That neck should look much slimmer, the artist could draw things in correct proportions so there was a reason this was one wasn't drawn correctly. I'm just not sure what it's supposed to represent.

It's actually a pretty normal sized neck. I suppose part of the issue is that (at least in America) we're pretty bombarded with a certain woman figure that drastically skews our perception of what is normal. If you look around at both pictures and artwork (especially older), you'll find the neck is really not noteworthy in terms of proportions.

# ? Jun 16, 2013 16:45

bonestructure: Sep 25, 2008; by Ralp

Fistgrrl posted:

http://thesecret.pbworks.com/w/page/22148559/FrontPage#Status <--not totally complete/accurate, but pretty much what you're asking for.

Interesting... one set of latitude\longitude for Charleston on that page is 32 and 79. Those are the exact coordinates for one of the geo markers I photographed yesterday on High Battery.

http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMB1XW_BATTERY_3_East_Battery_Charleston_SC

This is a shot of the sand planting bed (embedded in the sand) immediately below the location of the marker.

This location is also right in front of the Fort Sumter monument.

# ? Jun 16, 2013 17:09

Emacs Headroom: Aug 2, 2003

bonestructure posted:

Interesting... one set of latitude\longitude for Charleston on that page is 32 and 79. Those are the exact coordinates for one of the geo markers I photographed yesterday on High Battery.

Just a note with latidude and longitude -- a degree averages like 50 miles across (both the latitude and longitude degrees) in North America, so the coordinates should be thought of as pretty rough approximations of what city to look in.

# ? Jun 16, 2013 17:23

bonestructure: Sep 25, 2008; by Ralp

Emacs Headroom posted:

Just a note with latidude and longitude -- a degree averages like 50 miles across (both the latitude and longitude degrees) in North America, so the coordinates should be thought of as pretty rough approximations of what city to look in.

Definitely so, but there are two possible sets of coordinates in the Charleston picture. The 32-79 might be a hint to orient by the marker itself, since it is registered with the US Geological Survey using those coordinates.

If you are standing on the Battery at the spot of the marker and turn to face White Point Gardens, this is what you see. The Fort Sumter monument is to the left, the "white house" is to the right. I wonder if "between two arms extended" refers not to physical arms, but "arms" as in weapons, as in the cannons.

Edit: Trying to imagine the park as Preiss would have seen it in the early 1980s. This is a picture of the USS Maine memorial which was replaced in 2006 by the Moultrie statue. I don't see anything about the Maine monument that appears to be reproduced in the image or mentioned in the verse, though.

bonestructure fucked around with this message at 18:07 on Jun 16, 2013

# ? Jun 16, 2013 17:56

Urban Smurf: Jun 12, 2013; Take this avatar, rotate it 180 degrees, mirror it, mark a point from the tip of the dogs noses and you will see it will line up to this image of the centaurs tail "exactly."

Edit: Fountain of Youth theory makes the most sense.

Urban Smurf fucked around with this message at 05:11 on Jul 19, 2014

# ? Jun 16, 2013 19:14

Invicta{HOG}, M.D.: Jan 16, 2002

Fistgrrl posted:

http://thesecret.pbworks.com/w/page/22148559/FrontPage#Status <--not totally complete/accurate, but pretty much what you're asking for.

So it seems that other images are also not well defined (9, 10, 12) so maybe it isn't ironclad. At least there is a 42 on image 11 (and maybe a 41 above the window though that would complicate things). 71 would be nice and maybe it's actually in the triangles to her right.

I went back and read the Longfellow poem. Certainly midnight would be the 0th/24th hour so I was always suspicious about the connection but the poem does use the 12th hour as midnight. What is interesting is that the poem specifically states that Revere was in Medford, MA at the 12th hour.

Seeing as how that's where I live (hence there's obvious bias), I'm going to scout around and just make sure there's nothing here that fits. Going to try and line up the Unitarian Church with its ramparts (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Unitarian_Universalist_Church_and_Parsonage,_Medford_MA.jpg) with some of the other church towers, etc. around here and see if I can recreate the box. There's a spot with latitude 42.42 (double her wrist band) and longitude 71.112 (71 you can imagine with the triangles to her right and the 112 visible above the flower) here in Medford that you can probably see it from and there are a couple of small parks in that area. A few other spurious connections are that the shadow on her neck could be an M and the docks/wharves of the North End/Charlestown that could be said to be in her hair are in a fair relationship to the three-lined crack that others have seen as a possible representation of the Mystic River, etc. which runs through town. It's also interesting that Paul Revere was apparently a Unitarian and that their symbol is a lamp.

Is it all far-fetched? Of course and it likely is dumb to even think about but since it's only a few blocks away it shouldn't take much time to investigate.

# ? Jun 16, 2013 19:32

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# ? Jun 3, 2024 10:19

crashdome: Jun 28, 2011

lolcat lady posted:

Milwaukee

This thread is amazing amd mesmerizing. I want to share my thoughts about the first few phrases of the verse for Milwaukee, although not a mother-tonguer and 4400 miles away...so please be gentle and forgiving if it's nonsense.

I am a native Milwaukeean and none of my theories are coming together as well as I'd hoped so I'll be glad to examine someone else's if I can. I can't promise anything but, I'll try to get out another day next week and ride around the area.

lolcat lady posted:

As someone still had doubts about the picture relating to Milwaukee or Milwaukie, I think the juggling theme relates to the round gear in the flag of Milwaukee.

Btw, there are red balls that totally look like the ones in the picture at the golf course in Lake Park and the blue shade around the ladies' head looks for me like an outline of Lake Park.

I don't think anyone thought to look at the flag for clues so, that's a good thing to check. Juggling and gear are a bit of a stretch but :shrug:

I've golfed a few places around here and most have two red balls to denote a specific tee off point for certain difficulty. I think it's a standard for golf? idk? but, if the other shoes fit the other clues then, it makes sense.

As for the outline, I think I see what you are saying. If I can match it up in GIMP later, I'll post it. Very good observation because I've been trying to find where it fits and this seems highly plausible just by eyeballing it.

lolcat lady posted:

View the three stories of Mitchell
As you walk the beating of the world

Mitchell Hall is very plausible. The beating of the world is however strange. Maybe it was meant to interprete the motto of University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee "numen lumen", which seems to be a pretty nonsensual, non-classical latin phrase. One translation tries something like "the divine within the universe, however manifested, is my light." So it somehow relates to a devine spark in the world, a heart beat.

So the translation would be: Walk by the university, look at Mitchell Hall, so that would be Kenwood Blv heading east.

Definitely all plausible.

lolcat lady posted:

At a distance in time
From three who lived there

Someone at one of the old forums (not Q4T, I have not seen what they did) marked Downer, Summit and Shephard Ave, as the streets to be crossed. Downer was a judge who lived in Milwaukee. I couldnt' find a confirmation for people named Shephard and Summit, but there's a book about the street names in Milwaukee...if someone has access to it, it may be confirmed.

Translation would be, Cross the streets named after three guys who formerly lived in Milwaukee.

The problem I have with those streets are that there are a LOT of streets named after former residents. I strongly lean to the idea it is the three founding fathers of Milwaukee. It is just to definitive. Juneau, Kilbourn, and Walker. It could just be a coincidence and he picked three "other" people but, I'd need to see pretty good fit in other clues to start believing it.

lolcat lady posted:

At a distance in space
From woman, with harpsichord
Silently playing

The most plausible (for me) regarding this is Marietta Ave. Marietta was a painter and the only painting clearly attributed to her is the self-portrait with harpsichord. She lived at a distance in space, though far way, and as it is a painting, the playing is silent.

I'm following similar thoughts about your interpretation but, there were other paintings of women with harpsichords that were pretty famous. A Jan Steen painting and one of Marie Antoinette by a German fellow. Problem is all those paintings are in and have been in London or France.

lolcat lady posted:

Step on nature
Cast in copper

I like the Lincolm Memorial solution for the cast in copper. If you follow the path, Kenwood Blv ends at Lincoln Memorial Drive. Step on nature 1: It's the entry for Lake Park. Step on nature 2: Oak Tree Trail (although I'm not sure it was named this way in 1982). Cast in copper is placed after the step in nature. So i believe this could be a hint not to follow the Lincoln Memorial Drive itself (as you should stay in nature), but the Trail close to it.

Ascend the 92 steps
After climbing the grand 200

This is a very controversial part. Someone pointed out the Grand Staircase doesn't match the numbers. If you follow my thought above, you will have to pass stairs on the trail, close to Ravine Road, well before you reach the grand staircase. This can be seen on streetview, but unluckily not much more. Can somebody follow this way and see, if it is a better match or where it goes that might resemble anything matching with the grand 200?

I was the one pretty adamant that it wasn't the Grand Staircase. Although I did so simply because 200 doesn't fit at all. Not in address, not in number of steps, and not in any other measurement. There was, however, a Grand Avenue. The 200 could refer to block/address or some other measurement but, "climb" becomes difficult to prove. The term "climb" and "grand" are the only words that fit the staircase and I feel 200 is important for some reason we either haven't figured out OR because it's NOT the Grand Staircase and we are wasting our time casting it in stone as a definitive clue when it could easily just be other things

lolcat lady posted:

Pass the compass and reach
The foot of the culvert
Below the bridge

For me, no real convincing compasses have been revealed yet. The lighthouse seems not right. If on the alternative path I proposed nothing shows up, maybe there was still a NATO symbol or flag at the former Nike station?! The NATO symbol looks a compass. If this is correct, the next bridge would be the first lion bridge. Or it goes in the area close to the Nike station, where there seems to be a waterfall. This is much further north than it was proposed.

The other things have to sorted out in the park. The letter can relate to something that looks like a rune, maybe (Wonderstone-->vulcanic-->often found in iceland-->There's LIfe the Explorer Monument farther south with runes?

I agree the Lighthouse is a stretch but, I will say that right below the nearby two bridges (Google "Milwaukee bridges Lions" for better details) have paths underneath made up of soil and rock with smaller wooden walkway bridges. It actually was one of those moments I thought to myself "Yes! Yes! That fits perfectly" once I saw them.

That said, I also visited Leif the Explorer and my heart skipped a beat when I went to the side with the Runes and I saw a small area that looked depressed and dug out and thought "poo poo someone already was here" until I got my bearings and realized the depression I was staring at was on the East side and not the south :sweatdrop:

The other fitting monument in Milwaukee is clear across the city. Google "Milwaukee, Goethe-Schiller Monument" and you will see one is carrying a scroll or letter and there's German written all over it. Problem is it is clear across the city and probably no other clues fit the area.

Tl;dr Yeah, I'll take a look at that area again for you when I can!

# ? Jun 16, 2013 19:36

The Something Awful Forums > Main > General Bullshit > Let's solve a 40 year old unsolved treasure hunt!

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