Back on the subject of plaques, I think that if we’re looking for one, it won’t be like that one from the oven vault. There’s a better
common plaque style
that we can look for. But who’s to say how many of these plaques have been removed due to changes in an area or replaced with one of the more modern styles due to damage? And how close to the dig site would we assume it to be? In the absence of NOLA landmarks in the image, a common sight (plaques) and an iconic location name (Preservation Hall) may just be replacements.
That said, I noticed one across the street from Louis Armstrong Park while I was there last month. And there’s one at the Confederate Museum near
Lee
Circle
. And one at the Gallier House (not Gallier Hall) on Royal St. and Gov. Nicholls.
Royal St. is starting to look like a nice spot. It has a plaque like on the clock face, and down the street a bit is the Hotel Monteleone that has their famous grandfather clock in the lobby. And Royal turns into St. Charles on the other side of Canal St. to lead us by the old St. Charles Hotel. Before we got there, we’d be within throwing distance of Preservation Hall and would pass across St. Louis St., former home of the Saint Louis hotel. Lots of palaces for sovereign people on Royal St.

I noticed there were some questions as to the bubble on the boy’s butt in Image 7. Obviously, the boy himself is from the McDonough statue. I will post my idea on why there is a bubble there, which I posted quite some time ago, but I cannot find my post now. I think it is part of the Mississippi River:

Seems possible–not perfect, but it’s as much a match as some of the other location indicators, and the butt would be the key part, since that is where the bulk of NOLA is as it corresponds to that map. But I still think it looks like “21”. Maybe it’s both.
As for clock boy being “obviously” the McDonogh statue…I’m torn. It matches up well with my own theories as well as some established ones, but I looked at the McDonogh statue at length in person last month, and it didn’t strike me as nearly the match that Hermes is, especially with the clock hands being a fairly good match for his caduceus. That alone wouldn’t have convinced me much if there weren’t also a Krewe of Hermes in New Orleans–throwers of one of the oldest Mardi Gras parades.
Suffice to say that I am considering both as equally likely at this point.

I wonder if the reason for the gryphon is a middle name hint to Bill W., Griffith. It would be no more a stretch than some of the rebus encountered for Milwaukee.  Name origin information gives the meaning of the name as Rufus or “red”.  Rufus = Roofs?
I like the idea of the “toast” where the Whitbread mask of Louis Armstrong is held like a glass being raised.  The pattern of the short hand on the clock accurately resembles the markers and layout of the Bread Lady monument.  Most fascinating is the historical documentation on how pivotal the 1955 St. Louis convention was for the A.A. organization.  It was dubbed the “Coming of Age” event.  I think that relates to why Preiss said “st.louid is right”.
New Orleans > alcohol > toast
Preservation > saving > 12 step recovery
Belladonna > used as a cure for alcoholism before Bill W.
Not as direct or comfortable as a process, but there may be a good parallel connecting the clues to A.A.

erexere

Citizen’s may apply for permits to plant new trees in neutral ground areas.  Four additional trees have recently been added to this spot as seen in this street view pic.

Great apply for a permit to plant a tree there and dig a big hole.

what the heck is a “Recollect Monk”?
was musing about the “memory” “grandfather” stuff, and thinking about the “Great Spirit, Wakan Tanka”  and thought of the Indian with Bienville statue.  this was the first time i read about the Monk beside bienville….look:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wallyg/2488706814/
RECOLLECT———————-REMEMBER———–MEMORY
and with the grandfather clock such a big part of the picture

The knight move is basically a move from the corner of rectangle to it’s opposite corner. My current thought is that a 2×8 rectangle can be mapped with a crescent shape at each corner. I believe this has the application of describing the pacing towards the casque. 8 paces in one direction, two in the other. Connecting this to my theory about Morazan on Basin street and the Weeper statue on top of Tomb No.12, I learned yesterday that the length of one side of rectangle connecting these two figures is exactly 20 feet. 20 feet is 240 inches. If you consider a pace approx. 30 inches, then 20 feet is 8 paces.

The grass plots along Basin Street have a similar rectangle.

Mr. Seabass, would you care to elaborate on your systematic approach?

That seems to be all you do around here. 30-something posts in a year and most of them devoted to erexere.
I hear there’s also a treasure hunt going on.

forest_blight

Anyone else see what I see? Look very closely…

I see the two different colors.

Anyone else see what I see? Look very closely…

i’m not sure what you’re seeing forest, my eyes hurt too bad, since i had to read all of this thread to see where everyone’s thoughts were:
here’s the mask tho, lol :
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nerboo/213 … 564639462/
even has the stick
that same site has a wolf and castle and gnomes

Look closely, slaps. The upper left halves of these 5 squares are purple, and the lower right are bluer. It’s very subtle, and true only for those 5 squares. I had to use a large magnifying glass with underlighting (my favorite Christmas gift!) to see it.

That took SOME study to see that.  WOW!  I haven’t read enough of this hunt, so excuse me for being out of place…  Do you have a theory on that particular pattern of triangles?

EDITED:
I’ve been researching the correlation between starting points of the puzzles and major tourist hotel locations like Hilton or Hyatt, perhaps where he stayed.
San francisco puzzle may be Union square area where there’s a concentration of these hotels.
Now, the V sign. It may be a way of obscuring an otherwise obvious V sign, i.e. fleur de lis.
That’s a very unique and specific way of positioning fingers.
If you make a peace sign yourself and then bring down the V fingers you’ll notice perfect match for hand and fingers.
Hilton logo of the period may be in the clock hand too.

Not trying to be an ass and force everyone to Armstrong Park(I know writing can make it sound worse than I mean it) but if the boy in the picture is close enough for the statue, Armstrong’s hand in the statue is pretty close to the same shape as the hand in the picture. I always discounted this because Armstrong is using his right and the image is using his left but it is definitely the same shape.

Why do I keep finding myself thinking that Dambala and Josh are the same person. The writing styles are similar. They both speak incessantly about making a documentary. They both claim that they are POSITIVE they have solved these things. They both always describe how excited they got with that aha moment. They both are always saying how brilliant this puzzle is or how amazing BP was in creating these masterpieces. The similarities go on ad nauseum. I just enjoyed the hell out of the argument he had with himself and the bet was priceless.

fox

Why do I keep finding myself thinking that Dambala and Josh are the same person. The writing styles are similar. They both speak incessantly about making a documentary. They both claim that they are POSITIVE they have solved these things. They both always describe how excited they got with that aha moment. They both are always saying how brilliant this puzzle is or how amazing BP was in creating these masterpieces. The similarities go on ad nauseum. I just enjoyed the hell out of the argument he had with himself and the bet was priceless.

I think they are two different people. Dambala actually seems to care.

pokerfacegsh

I have not read through all 117 pages of post on this image, but has anyone noticed or mentioned that an aerial view of Jackson Square looks like a clock.
The circular dimensions are almost identical to the layout of the circles on the clock.
If someone photoshopped an overlay of Jackson square on that clock face it would be really close.

The thread has been digested into a summary that hopefully will only take someone about 45 minutes to read:
viewtopic.php?f=32&t=7220
Hope this helps!

maltedfalcon

and yet they still look like columns…
I dont see the steeple at all.

Okay so you haven’t looked closely at the columns yet to see the variation.  Yes, they both look like columns, but the point raised was about the distinction of something being exact verses being only similar, which is probably only artistic license.
I didn’t like the steeple comparison that much either.  Here’s a larger view of the perspective from where I think the casque is buried on Basin St.  I feel that it just makes sense.  It is a distinctive church and I especially like the theme of “helping children” in it’s association with the St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.  McDonogh helped children with Education.  Haughery helped children with Food and Shelter.  St. Jude’s helps children with medical needs.  Using that logic causes me to look more closely for some kind of confirmation that this is the right idea.  Clockboy is the child in Image7, it seems fitting that his torso bears a resemblance to the backside of the St. Jude Church.
So it looks like it’s not the steeple as I originally thought.

I’m comparing the clockboy torso with the current look of the St. Jude clock tower next to it’s old tower.
Below I’m looking at the slight changes in texture and minute shape changes to the columns for image4.  The platform relief has less edging and column is smooth compared to scalloped.

and yet they still look like columns…
I dont see the steeple at all.

Some observations:
I looked at this entire thread, and there has been some good work done.  A few things for consideration:  the checkerboard in the background may not be a wall.  My thought is that it is fabric and thus the warping (furling) of the boards.  The thing in my mind does not look like any kind of horse I’ve seen.  To me it is a bird of some sort (eagle or hawk) or a crude dragon.  I couldn’t really tie a flag into my theory, though.
Also, there are marks in the three colored tiles above the creature in the tile.  The ‘L’ is pretty obvious, but the other two I’m having a hard time with.  One looks like a lower case ‘d’ and the third one I have no idea.
I spent a considerable amount of time on the mask.  It looks so much like Louis Armstrong in his younger days, it’s uncanny.  Look at
www.time.com/time/time100/artists/profi … trong.html
But the thing is, this mask is SO plain.  Why?  Most masks, especially for Mardi Gras, are decorated.  But this is plain.  My first thought was  “it looks like a death mask.”    But Armstrong is buried in NY.  However, one famous death mask is in New Orleans:  Napoleon.  It at the Cabildo on 701 Chartres.  Could this be a possible tie-in?
Finally, the guy in the clock.  I originally thought he was a jockey, but after looking at pictures, it doesn’t make any sense.  He doesn’t have the boots.  However, he is somewhat like the old time baseball players, who used to wear similar stockings and even ties.  Baseball hall of fame is quite an interesting web site, BTW.  More interesting, though is that his ‘rear’ is quite pronounced.  Doesn’t make sense until you look at the outline:  it is just like the arch above ‘preservation’.  Don’t know what to make of that.
ABQRAM

fox

Ladies and Gentlemen, I do believe that Trohn has gotten to johann…

It is only a matter of time – we all lose sanity.

Shecrab– I do believe it resembles a jockey.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I do believe that Trohn has gotten to johann…

maybe right between those 2 large flowers eliayo! great pictures!

eljayo

If you think that miss muffet’s dress seems like the sleeve in P7…
I think this mask seems like a shovel…
Perhaps the casque spot is in front of Miss Muffet???? Verse isn´t clear…

Still convinced there is a good place to dig… (some inches beyond miss mufet’s feet)

JoshCornell1

its 100% in my spot. dont listen to mf, he doesnt know what hes talking about.
also dont dig my spot cause you didnt figure it out.
im sending complete solution to publisher. you can still get jewel and not dig.

Just being clear the solution for New Orleans, does not lead to and the casque is not buried at St Antoine’s (Anthony’s) Garden.
Besides all the excavation proving it is not there.
Byron’s rules state, The following places do
not
hold any treasure:
snip
(b) any cemetary
(c) any public or private flower bed
snip
the garden is both.

JoshCornell1

a) its not a cemetary…the burials are inside the cathedral. i went and looked at them. and not all of it is in a flower bed…its a garden generally…and keep in mind where they found cleveland…in a planter…lol

see map of garden with tombs identified below, I don’t doubt there are also burials in the cathedral…

Unknown

Unknown:
I think that I can excavate with minimal damage if I can leave the box in the ground, auger into it and extract the casque with my arm or a grabbing tool.

This is not an episode of “Mission; Impossible”. We are talking about retrieving a 6″ square plexiglass box and its contents from a shallow grave. If the PTB at the place that you are digging object to a 1′ square hole 3′ deep for archeological or safety reasons, then more than likely, you are digging in the wrong place IMO.

BP has too much respect to dig in the garden cemetery if one of the oldest cathedral’s in US. Once again IT WAS TOTALLY EXCAVATED TO FIND ALL MAN MADE ARTEFACTS IN A 2 YR LONG ANTROPOLOGICAL DIG.

The one thing Josh is proving is the we should openly share our ideas to peer review. Josh you have gained some respect by putting boots on the ground. I’m a bit jealous of the adventure your on and wish you luck. However if you would have been more open with your Ideas you could have more dial in dig sites.

Unknown

Unknown:
What you will need to do is contact them and explain your solve in detail, If they believe you they will come dig up the casque and keep it

There is absolutely no evidence that the above statement is true. As a matter of fact, I seriously doubt John Colby (or anyone at iBooks) has any interest in going around the country doing other people’s digging for them. Most likely, he will just pass the information along to someone who is willing to go and dig. Like Renner (if they are still working together), or Josh Gates.

JoshCornell1

i think that preiss left a solution with the publisher. they wont dig up casque, buut i do believe he knows location, so if you provide a correct solution that he will honour it….never know.

We know that Preiss himself didn’t remember where he’d put the solutions before he died, so I’m curious as to how you think he gave them to the publisher (which is now a different publisher than the one Preiss was affiliated with before his death).

Unknown

Unknown:
i think that preiss left a solution with the publisher.

Almost everyone wants the above to be so, but to date, there is no evidence that it is even remotely true. I corresponded with John Colby briefly when the book was re-issued and asked him specifically about submitting a “solve” using the back page of the book, but he never responded, and I never followed up. Besides, if he were in a position to validate “solves” don’t you think he would make that known? It would make purchasing the book more appealing, especially if proof of purchase was one of the new conditions for submitting the page at the back of the book (or a copy for those that buy the Kindle version).

JoshCornell1

@malted…thing is…i think my best bet to dig up a casque without getting arrested is in the north around boston or montreal…and i cant fathom they actually survived this long in the cold weather…the expanding and contracting from the winter to summer would have destroyed it completely id think.

The worst case scenario was cleveland in an above ground cement planter.
it would have frozen much worse than anything planted actually in the ground especially at a depth of 2-3 feet
but cleveland showed us that much of the casque should still be intact regardless.
after testing casque 13 I believe that 1/4 acrylic plexigas was a very good choice to hold up to the weather.
if the glue holds the plexiglas will protect the porceleain well. and if it doesnt it will contain the pieces.
I actually believe now that clevleand was broken by gardners, not weather. that a large piece of the plexiglass was missing is quite telling.

why would publisher say that in reprint? /quote]
Because it’s literally a reprint. Not an updated edition with new information.

Euhirudinea

Almost everyone wants the above to be so, but to date, there is no evidence that it is even remotely true. I corresponded with John Colby briefly when the book was re-issued and asked him specifically about submitting a “solve” using the back page of the book, but he never responded, and I never followed up. Besides, if he were in a position to validate “solves” don’t you think he would make that known? It would make purchasing the book more appealing, especially if proof of purchase was one of the new conditions for submitting the page at the back of the book (or a copy for those that buy the Kindle version).

I got a response back from the kindle version publisher, and it was un-equivocally – no one has the solutions to the locations.

Euhirudinea

There is absolutely no evidence that the above statement is true. As a matter of fact, I seriously doubt John Colby (or anyone at iBooks) has any interest in going around the country doing other people’s digging for them. Most likely, he will just pass the information along to someone who is willing to go and dig. Like Renner (if they are still working together), or Josh Gates.

Only repeating what the publisher themselves put out there. I agree, the odds on them believing a solve are very low. specifically they never said they would personally go get it. Only that it would be dug up and they would keep the casque and key.

travistshuler

I just thought of one thing that can help us get this thing out fast. Are all the boxes the same size? I think that I can excavate with minimal damage if I can leave the box in the ground, auger into it and extract the casque with my arm or a grabbing tool. If we know the measurement then that will help me prove that I can do this without disruption to the site.

the measurements are in the Meet Casque 13 thread.

DecibalyNYC has a snake camera with light that fits down a probe hole
If you really have it you could send a camera down the hole and verify it. – The box is plexiglass so if you sent a light down one probe hole and a camera down the other
you would illuminate the interior of the box.
It would be an interesting experiment. I will test this out on casque 13

Hey everybody, another update. sorry it’s late, I had to crash.
I’m super exhausted from another tough day of hard work. I only tossed my cookies twice today instead of all day like last time. I had one family member with me to help, yesterday I had a handful of folks. Dambala is not kidding. This is tough stuff and February over here is still high heat and humidity. It’s like breathing through a wet sock. Long story short, I had to fix a big mistake and am still digging. Do yourself a favor and ask before you probe. There are often utilities buried in the ground and you have a high chance of hitting a buried electrical or plumbing line. If you bust through a PVC pipe with an aluminum rod and short a 220 line, it will fire off like a projectile or can blow your toes off. Pressurized water pipes are usually pretty shallow, but some places also have deep drain lines which usually have no indication of existence.
Thanks to those who sent me encouraging messages and made positive posts. I scanned through the thread and am a little surprised at the bitterness and vitriol of some of yall. I understand this is frustrating and difficult, but unless you are trying to display your own insecurities, there’s really no reason to mock other searchers efforts. Maybe trying to cheat by actively discouraging someone from their real clues? This type of communication might be a big part of why this has gone on so long. The game is about communication and teamwork, not false superiority. That’s actually sort of a filter I think to actually get to the prize through communication, perserverance and hard work. Hubris is the mind killer. Working alone and not bouncing your (initially completed) clues off of other perspectives will trap you in this forever.
I am working on this with my closest friends and family. Sorry not sorry I chose that over working with a board. This has also given me a deeper appreciation for my people and their abilities. Don’t be afraid to use their expertise! I learned a hard lesson yesterday about being stubborn and not listening to my friends, when I figured out what had gone wrong, I literally wept when I realized how shitty I had been to the people that went out of their way to help me because of my hot take. My friends and some new friends gave me the info for the final clue. Which just for fun and a minor hint, I will say involved some 6th grade math and genuinely works out in a very satisfying scene when you get to the site.
I know everyone is sure of their opinions, and that’s cool. It’s really, really frustrating to have this Secret and not be able to give anything away. Some of you are close enough that if I gave away the methodology or one key clue, then everything might fall into place for someone and then I have a conflict at the site. This is in no ones advantage.. I wanted to give the whole thing to Dambala and his kid today because he was the one that turned me on to this, but I had a scheduling conflict with an authority I needed to speak with to do so and couldn’t give the reveal until we get that sorted. It was really. really difficult to not give up the ghost, especially since Dambala has sharp interview and tactics
He’s a guy I respected much by reputation IRL before I heard of this and has personally contributed to the betterment of Louisiana in a big way (don’t worry, no more hints as to your ID).
Obviously, Preiss did not want people to guess at the answer and he made this very, very difficult. I believe every puzzle comes with an “Ask Permission” because Preiss wanted folks to be respectful and good citizens. He also wanted them to be able to prove their case to someone convincingly enough to allow the dig. Also, when you consider your solution. Consider legal liability.
here’s a bold claim:
I can state that I have pinpointed the casque to the exact location with a positive probe and my final location has been verified. If the possibility still exists to solve this without a dig, someone please connect me to the official channels as to how that is done. I will reveal nothing to anyone but the deciding authority. It will be in the community and the location’s best benefit and I will be happy to do so to quell everyone’s curiosity as quickly as possible. There is a specific window that I will be able to dig which I am trying to negotiate to everyone’s best benefit. It is not a matter of If, but When. The puzzle ends with an exact unmistakable location.
Just one more thing for the negativos. I didn’t get where I did with this because I’m smarter or better and I’m not trying to hurt anyone’s feelings on this board. There’s a reason I used my real name here. There is nothing in my solve that is ambiguous. I worked on this non-stop Feb 8-20 doing physical research during the day and online at night. I would crash and wake up every couple of hours, mind racing with connections! It was horrible and maddening and the greatest impetus for me to finish this was to end my obsession. I would say I’m sorry my search didn’t last longer but it honestly might have ruined my mind!
I have lived in New Orleans for over 20 years. I grew up on Kodiak Island before I moved down here and New Orleans was the first genuine city I got to know. After Katrina, I developed a much deeper appreciation for the history of my city and that gave me a big advantage. Some of the history I had to use to solve this ain’t written down. Funny anecdote, I was chatting with my octogenarian neighbor today and he remembers it from back in the day, rumored to be hidden under a snowball stand! (not true?)
Besides my familiarity with N.O. I also have a bunch of weird coincidences in my favor. I happen to have a bunch of interests that suit this almost creepily and really didn’t have to study much to get the background info needed. I was trained by the DoD to be a QA specialist for NASA (we built the orange fuel tank at Michoud) and continued that career into software development after a stint working all sorts of random DoD contracts. For the last decade, I have contrasted the “actual thing” against its blueprints, standards or requirements looking for discrepancies from the abstract to specific (sound familiar?). I went to school doing research through the methods of the pre-internet era, was obsessed with werewolves Fantasy novels and always in libraries. I’ve have been writing song lyrics for 25 years (pretty handy for interpreting verses for ambiguity),etc etc.
Even without all the Buckaroo Bonzai BS, this was still an amazing confluence of events and there’s no way I would have solved it by myself when I got to the “final boss”. My team includes my band (who I have a extremely tight communicative rapport with), a retired Federal Investigator, a student Astrophysicist, a marathon runner, a costume creator, a professional Jazz drummer, a very close friend that works in satellite communications who got me going on this, a super supportive mom, a botanist, a landscaper. The list goes on. I will credit everyone who contributed who wants to be named and the specific pbworks researchers since I started at that wiki when I can explain everything.
Cheers, you won’t hear from me again until I have some solid news. This has been mentally and physically taxing and I need a break. It’s ok to believe in this if you want and if you don’t, I don’t mind the doubt. . it wouldn’t be the phenomenon it is if it wasn’t so damn difficult.
Neon Travis – Werewolf Hunter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzgaX6S_XkY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOyHhyNfnXE

JoshCornell1

. just learn to read. all of you…

cem·e·ter·y
ˈseməˌterē/
noun
noun: cemetery; plural noun: cemeteries
a burial ground;
a graveyard
.
synonyms: graveyard,
churchyard
, burial ground, burying ground,
necropolis
,
memorial park/garden
;
informal boneyard; historical potter’s field; archaic God’s acre
______________________________________________________
The following places do not hold any treasure:
snip
(b) any cemetery
(c) any public or private flower bed
snip

travistshuler

I can state that I have pinpointed the casque to the exact location with a positive probe and my final location has been verified. If the possibility still exists to solve this without a dig, someone please connect me to the official channels as to how that is done.

I am thrilled for you that you are so confident! Sounds like you put in a lot of work!
What you are asking for is information in the new reprint, not the original and not the kindle edition
Its basically a publishing company that picked up the rights.
Now they do not have the answers to where the casques are, Only Byron Priess had them and they are now gone.
So no the possibility to complete the hunt without getting the casque is gone.
What you will need to do is contact them and explain your solve in detail, If they believe you they will come dig up the casque and keep it
you would get the gem.
Personally I would skip the gem and keep the casque myself, which means you have to dig it up.

JoshCornell1

you would have been telling cleveland guys…its not there…thats a planter…a planter is a flower bed guys… lolololol
really man….really….get a clue.

LOL anybody can see the difference between a flower and a shrub.
what part of this don’t you get ?

JoshCornell1

you posted the tombs inside st louis as if they are in the garden..they f’ing arent.

The whole fucking area is a garden. Both Jackson Square and St. Anthony’s. I don’t know why you think it isn’t. The whole are is meticulously landscaped and was in 1980 as well.

JoshCornell1

by all means if you think im wrong then go dig some random holes somewhere else…just stay outta my garden bitches!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTwWDNifIdY

I just thought of one thing that can help us get this thing out fast. Are all the boxes the same size? I think that I can excavate with minimal damage if I can leave the box in the ground, auger into it and extract the casque with my arm or a grabbing tool. If we know the measurement then that will help me prove that I can do this without disruption to the site.

JoshCornell1

every connection to the cbd relates to louis armstrong…nothing relates to him in the fq, other than the start.

Armstong Park isn’t in the French Quarter. It’s in Treme’, on the edge of what was Storyville.

Unknown

Unknown:
Does anybody have an idea about the gryphon (?) head and the fact that the checkerboard pattern is distorted at the bottom?

What if the checkerboard is a chessboard? Could the horse be a chess knight?

The mask may not be Louie Armstrong. It is all together possible that the mask was used solely as a city identifier. If that is the case then City Park is likely the park. My best guess would be the images that tend to point to Storyland may be right or they may be another clue to City Park. I would say city park looks like the most likely place this casque would be.
Another way to look at the mask is that it could be the face of whoever the namesake is. The correct location of the casque could have a statue or bust that looks like the mask near by.
I know many took this idea to mean Armstrong Park and the statue in that park. However a brief look at maps online did not show anything that looked as though it matched or could have matched the verse.
Another clue could be the word preservation on the clock. As far as can tell Armstrong never played at Preservation Hall. Look at all the parts of City Park named after somebody if they played at Preservation Hall this could be the srea.

Well, Preservation Jazz Hall is just that– a Jazz Hall.  What Louis Armstrong played was the Blues.  Even literally, it’s too far from being a match.  However, I said that the mask looks like Ray Charles.  Even the top part looks just like his hairline…

No clue.  He was born in Albany, Georgia.

My understanding is that the French Quarter was not heavily damaged, owing to its slightly higher elevation. Most of the ground there is in its original position, and adding or subtracting a few inches of soil here and there likely won’t affect a casque buried 3 ft. deep. Hopefully it was buried in the French Quarter.

Hopefully…  Incidentally, I have heard some contend that the mask looks like Louis Armstrong… While this may be true, I think his face is too fat (even when he’s NOT blowing his trumpet mightily); an early picture of ray Charles seems to be closer, and the ‘eyeless’ mask could be correlated to his blindness.  Just a thought.

that is an interesting idea. are there any statues of ray charles around?

Apologies for the boner earlier…these shots are from the Jackson Square in NEW ORLEANS, courtesy of the National Park Service’s Open Parks Network. They’re all undated, but listed as 35mm slides so possibly the 80s or 90s.

And a couple more undated photos of Gallier Hall, again from the NPS’ Open Parks Network. Best of luck to anyone who’s working this one!

Possible match for arrows on clock. Fence around JS
Arrows by preservation
https://imgur.com/gallery/MFFu6

I see your emphasis on constructive input. I’ve outlined several ideas of my own recently. You haven’t responded to them with any interest, so I’m inviting you to talk about your own ideas. Again, I’ll be happy to give you some constructive criticism.

Egbert

Most people – especially newcomers – would not know how to block someone

I’ve been on here for 10+ years and didn’t know I could block people. As a matter of fact, I don’t check in on this hunt nearly as often as I used to because of the ‘clutter’. That does clean things up nicely. Thanks, Egbert!

Jambone, does that mean you’re joining the the inner circle of trolls now? You’ve shared great thoughts in the past and it would be nice to see some of your constructive input. It would be a shame if you’re last contribution is to express how happy you are about censorship.

Hey, E… it would be nicer to see some constructive input from you. I’ll make you a deal: you provide some constructive (key word constructive) input, and I’ll stop trolling. Promise.

F21, I’d be happy to provide some criticism if only you would provide something to the forum. Tell us more how your ideas work.

erexere

Jambone, does that mean you’re joining the the inner circle of trolls now? You’ve shared great thoughts in the past and it would be nice to see some of your constructive input. It would be a shame if you’re last contribution is to express how happy you are about censorship.

Glossiphoniidae

Hey, E… it would be nicer to see some constructive input from you. I’ll make you a deal: you provide some constructive (key word constructive) input, and I’ll stop trolling. Promise.

erexere

F21, I’d be happy to provide some criticism if only you would provide something to the forum. Tell us more how your ideas work.

I didn’t ask for you to constructively criticize my ideas, I asked for constructive input from you.

At the top is the cathedral (“High posts are three”)
At the bottom is Artillery Park (“Sounds from the sky near ace is high” – XXI = 21)
Bacchus is at the top left. One down, three to go.
(There’s a cute 360deg panorama at
www.jackson-square.com
. “Contact us if you have any questions about Jackson Square”, they say. Did they have any idea about Semele? Nope.)

OK thats the first Ace is high alternative to Highway 1 in California, that actually makes total sense to me.

Choice, here is my dig spot for NOLA. The lamp post just short of 3 o’clock is my target. Henry Clay (down to the ground) statue is the center of the clock.
Only three stand watch is the 3 men on the “Flood Control” bas relief (not in the photo).

Hey that’s a good interpretation MrB.
To confirm Lafayette as the location here are a few thoughts:
• Tan colored clock area looks similar to a cloth shopping bag.
• The white pedestal where McDonogh is on looks like a chess piece. This may explain the chess board area and knight piece/Louisiana map.
• It’s unusual that the word PRESERVATION is spelled out fully unless it’s a clue itself. One could read PRESERVATION as PRESERV-AT-10-N or 10 blocks north is Preservation hall. Lafayette Square is 10 blocks south.

Fenix

I have reached out to Sean in an attempt to get him to at least chat with me

I’d be interested to know if you hear from him, even if it’s just to say that he doesn’t know anything, or won’t say anything. I’ve never heard of any reported comment from him whatsoever. (Tried emailing once but no reply.)
I wonder if the other illustrators like John Pierard and Overton Loyd even know that people are still working on this.

Hey Josh, I just started looking at this one today. Do you have the Gnomes figured out or namesakes?
MrBackstop

Josh, I promise you, you do not have the right location. If you start digging anywhere in Jackson Square let me get you the names of some lawyers down here first because you’re going to end up in OPP. It is not in Jackson Square.
I’m editing a video right now that explains the clues and where it is. I’ve been at ground zero for the past 5 days prodding but I have come to the conclusion it’s not going to be found without the use of GPR because the area is littered with bricks and concrete under the ground and the tree growth since 1982 is significant causing some major issues in prodding.
I am pretty sure I have the exact location but it’s difficult to prod.

You want to bet? I will bet you any amount of money you are wrong.

JoshCornell

I solved this
its not Armstrong park.
that just grounds you generally in the French quarter. (this is what keeps messing people up on all of them…)

You got a casque?

Then don’t say you have solved it.
You haven’t solved anything until you have a casque.
And all these posts aren’t going to win you much love.

I like where you are going with this.
however I will say this, in Chicago and Cleveland,
once the picture got you to the city,  you could basically disregard it.
and then use the verse to show you exactly where to start looking and then take you directly to the spot.
after the fact, there were found some specific site confirmers in the pictures, but they weren’t needed to solve the location.
If the picture were actually part of the path to the casque site. (a visual treasure map) that would be totally different than the other two found casques…

Was it by design that we would invest so much in Verse 7 for NOLA?

Probably not, considering Verse 2 contains a real-life link to this painting. I think it’s important to take a step back and see these puzzles as the flawed workings of someone who doesn’t design puzzles for a living, and not over diefy Byron Preiss. A lot of things in this hunt are just bad, or at least sub-optimal. Its existence (and people’s inability to solve it) is not a testement to Preiss’ genius.
Usual disclaimer: Until a casque is pulled from the ground nothing is certain, but if Verse 2 contains a quote about a hotel in New Orleans but is somehow supposed to be linked to another painting then just eff it, that’s not a solvable clue 30 years later. It’s very likely to be V2/I7 and any time spent on V7/I7 was just ignoring the obvious.

Just another random and arbitrary thought:
I previously mentioned that PRESERVATION may be broken up to PRESERV AT 10 N. Using this theory, and assuming that top of the image is the arched iron-gate at the hall, then 10 blocks down (squares) lines up with my spot (purple circle).

JoshCornell

yea i dont see how you ended up there at all…but i guess digging random holes is fun…shouldve at least interviewed travis, as he worlds ahead of pretty much everyone when it comes to the tough clue solves. if you dont start off in denmark, you arent doing it right…

As I recall, this is how he wound up there…?
http://quest4treasure.co.uk/phpbb3/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=7248&start=135#p137995
http://quest4treasure.co.uk/phpbb3/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=7248&start=150
Not correct….but, not entirely random, either.

Oops

Unknown

Unknown:
part of the NOLA casque is on the right.

I don’t think that’s right. What you are identifying as the NO casque AP is actually a piece of the Cleveland casque. The pieces they recovered in NO are much more generic.

You are probably right, renovator…I removed the photo.

it was old plaster and not the casque according to my sources. dug in lafayette, which isnt even a plausible location imo.

Unknown

Unknown:
dug in lafayette, which isnt even a plausible location imo.

Across the street actually, in the small greenspace to the south of the stairs of Gallier Hall.

Euhirudinea

Across the street actually, in the small greenspace to the south of the stairs of Gallier Hall.

Yes.
Here is the general area.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vatO3Zz … e=youtu.be

yea i dont see how you ended up there at all…but i guess digging random holes is fun…shouldve at least interviewed travis, as he worlds ahead of pretty much everyone when it comes to the tough clue solves. if you dont start off in denmark, you arent doing it right…

Unknown

Unknown:
but i guess digging random holes is fun

Sorry, but until more is known about the endgame, every single hole dug is random. Some are just more random than others.

i dunno that seems pretty random when no explanation is put forward and youre right by the guys spot who had an article in the paper…

Euhirudinea

Sorry, but until more is known about the endgame, every single hole dug is random. Some are just more random than others.

Oh yeah.

If you look at historical photos of the area. It looks to me like the manhole that is shown in atdreamer2112’s photo below was put in during the first quarter of 2016
at that time it looks like the lawn was torn up also.
but the pictures are very grainy so I could be wrong.

Euhirudinea

Assuming this isn’t another attempt at humor, you should be happy about what George found. If that it is the casque and case (or what’s left of them), I’m sure there are more pieces just waiting to be dug up by anyone willing to spend the time and effort to do so.

I would be
thrilled
if it weren’t one of the first three spots I’ve taken seriously in NOLA. Don’t get me wrong, it’s exciting and it would give me some verification, confidence, and incentive if that turns out to be it.

E… did you abandon this conversation?
Whether yes or no, know that my intent is not to set you up in any way. I have no “solution” I am trying to push on you, nor am I trying to tell you your solution (for this I/V, or for any IV) is incorrect.
My sole intent of this conversation is to get you to ask yourself some questions, realize there is only one answer to those questions, and then leave you be to reconcile how you want to move forward.
That being said, others may enjoy paying attention as well.

It would be great if this “conversation” could be moved to a new thread entitled, “Conversations which should be private messages,” instead of clogging up a thread for Image 7 which makes it even more unreadable for newbies to catch up.

Unknown

Unknown:
That being said, others may enjoy paying attention as well.

Most of the “others” have Eric on ignore, so they are missing half the conversation. Hopefully, some of them have come to the conclusion that the ongoing dialog has some value, and have edited their settings accordingly.

No, I havent abandoned. I assumed you and others were transparently aware of your goals in the dialogue. Ive not bothered to counter in some instances because I have recently made a discovery.

Egbert

It would be great if this “conversation” could be moved to a new thread entitled, “Conversations which should be private messages,” instead of clogging up a thread for Image 7 which makes it even more unreadable for newbies to catch up.

Well, when we stop talking about Image 7 and New Orleans solutions and how they work, that would be a good idea.

erexere

No, I havent abandoned. I assumed you and others were transparently aware of your goals in the dialogue. Ive not bothered to counter in some instances because I have recently made a discovery.

Again, I’m not looking to argue (point/counterpoint), I am looking to discuss. Your discoveries shouldn’t change the ability to answer questions or ask some of your own.

My discovery is shockingly good, but not specifically related to P7V2.
I might suggest more consideration be given to the jewel placement in the image. Notice how the distance measure in terms of the count of fifteen rows within the checkered background might vertically relate two points which are offset horizontally.
I think the Chicago and Cleveland images offered similar evidence that jewel position is important to recognizing some visual element that plays a key role in the casque position.

Someone please confirm or deny my sanity here. Look at the 19 on the clock and tilt your head to the left just a little. Does 83 pop out of the flower under the 19?

I’m animatedgeoff’s brother-in-law. It looks like the newer parking barriers were placed in the same spots that the old ones once sat. On the Gallier Hall side, there are 21 of them – 11 on one side, 10 on the other – and right in the middle of them is the statue of John McDonogh that features the boy who is depicted on the face of the clock in image 7. It’s a very distinctive pose and I’m certain it has to be what Mr. Priess had in mind.
The path that the statue sits on stretches from one end of the park to the other and features three statues: McDonogh, Henry Clay, and Ben Franklin. All three of those statues have been in place since 1926. And while there are two children depicted on the McDonogh statue, they are looking up at the bust of McDonogh, not out towards the rest of the park like McDonogh himself, Clay, and Franklin, making those three the only statues watching over the treasure. Hence, the lines in verse 2:
“In the middle of twenty one
From end to end
Only three stand watch”
In addition, the boy on the clock’s face is not the only Lafayette Square landmark I believe to be depicted in the painting. As four21thrasher pointed out, the sleeve on the arm looks like a match for Ben Franklin’s sleeve on his statue. Likewise, while the face of the clock matches the one residing in the Hotel Monteleone on Royal Street, the base does not. The base of the clock in the painting is a match for the base of the Henry Clay statue in the Square. That would mean all three major landmark statues in Lafayette Square are represented in the painting, and since those are the only three major permanent fixtures in that particular park, it would explain why image 7 is relatively sparse compared to the other paintings. I have a few other little theories bouncing around in my head, but these are the points of which I am very, very certain.
Also, hi everyone. Nice to meet you.

Okay, finished dabbling in some Morphy research.  He lived at 417 Royal St. across from the courthouse and past Louis and Toulouse streets (if coming from Jackson Square)…reminds me of the stick and mask (Louis Armstrong and the Toulouse styled clothing).
I’m compelled to look for Beauregard links, and it was reported that Morphy may have applied to the General’s staff and may have been used in some capacity during the Civil War.
The home is now the location of Brennan’s restaurant.

Thought I’d take a crack at this today.  Allowing a rotation of 90 degrees on the image I found some basic shape and name elements to put things into a perspective that might help someone out there.
A is the Superdome, which looks similar in both upper and lower images
B is a “berm” the lower image and is Behrman Memorial Park in the upper image
C is freeway and bridge over the canal
D is the Bread Lady of New Orleans which compares closely to the center of the clock’s short hand
The “jewel” and center of the clock seem to me the most location inspired spot and is associated with the Bread Lady near it’s hub and the jockey who is poised to “slam dunk” something off in what would be the southward direction.  South of the Bread Lady is Coliseum Square Park.  It has an interesting clock gear shaped pattern actually.
Don’t know how reliable this source is, but Wikimapia has this to say which connects with the jockey:
Looking at google earth’s street view of Coliseum Park I see this one strange tree towering over the rest, is it a palm?  This may be a silly notion but it sure seems like BP found ways to cross reference ideas in the other images, ref. palm in Image 6.
On another note, and I’m drifting from any Morphy chess playing references, the single hand holding up the stick and mask resembles raising a glass in “toast”.  This gels with the Bread Lady clue.  Also, “preservation” may be thought of something we do to avoid spoilage from mold or “yeast”.  The lower right hand area that I’ve labeled as a “berm” is much in the shape of a risen loaf of bread.

Here’s a wild, contrary idea for what it’s worth.
St. Louis has the largest Mardi Gras outside of New Orleans.  It happens in Soulard, originally the French neighborhood and the oldest neighborhood in St. Louis (SE side, near the river).  It even has its own “Preservation Hall.”  The Mardi Gras features the Mystic Crewe of Barkus parade in which people dress up their dogs.  (There is the barking dog/wolf in the pic.)  Far away from the vicinity is Fairview Park on N Grand Blvd where horse-racing formerly happened until outlawed.  (There is the jockey on the clock face.
Yet, I explored Soulard and Fairview Park today and found nothing special in relation to any details of the pic.
I am now skeptical about my idea.  Yet, I posted this so that all possibilities are considered.  Who is near New Orleans?  Anyone?
–Johann

Where are your dig plans focused?

Might have to be sneaky. Finding people in NO is like pulling teeth. Thanks for the advice. Will probably be digging second week in July if we can. I will keep you up to date.

maltedfalcon

would you then consider the ground the street or the sidewalk or the level of the dirt plot?

It’s whatever level you can’t go down from further as part of the stairwell.

Check out the Bavarian Coat of Arms flag. Very similar to backdrop on image 7.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coat_of_arms_of_Bavaria

maltedfalcon

I was told that top step was added during ADA retrofits
never been there so I really do not know.

Wouldn’t matter. The ground level is considered a step, too, so there would have been 16 then, and 17 now.
But, that’s not well-known, so the question is, did BP know, and if so, did he apply it?

So if there is a single step that counts as two?
Mind blown… Does NASA know this? This is history changing.
“That’s two step for man, two giant leaps for mankind.”

Guardian

Wouldn’t matter. The ground level is considered a step, too, so there would have been 16 then, and 17 now.
But, that’s not well-known, so the question is, did BP know, and if so, did he apply it?

would you then consider the ground the street or the sidewalk or the level of the dirt plot?

Unknown

Unknown:
I think someone mentioned it before but I was wondering if any of the wierd shaped blocks match outlines of any city blocks….

yeah falcon, I had commented on the fact that most of the city blocks in the area are pretty much square as in the P except for the park, which is a little a skew like the horse-square in P.

The most consistent interpretation seems to involve street names.  I didn’t know there was a Race St. until you pointed it out, WR.  Shecrab’s visual confirmer of the Stick and Mask matching up with the Fair Grounds might only mean “Race” street.  Similarly, the Mask isn’t a pointer to Louis Armstrong Park, but an instruction to travel or pass St. Louis street.  WR, I’m compelled by your St. Peters street reasoning and I am beginning to catch on to the LAS
T
letter method.
What are all the options now for ‘high posts are three’?

erexere

I didn’t realise we had muse names for streets…how can we know those were named that in 1980?

These are very old names for those streets. I looked up some 19th century maps online.

WhiteRabbit

At stone wall’s door
The air smells sweet
Sign at the main entrance to Jackson…
…which matches the clock.
Not far away
High posts are three
Education and justice for all to see
(Cathedral spires and adjacent Presbytere, once a courthouse)
Sounds from the sky
Near ace is high
Running north,
Aces high / Artillery Park, just behind you at this point.

…I see that as a Jackson thing…

The google earth image is NOT under any rotation, just zoomed enough to match the curve.  P7 is rotated 90 deg counter clockwise:
Fountain in Coliseum Square

I’m thinking of using V7 for this after all, starting at Jackson and ending at Coliseum. You can get from one to the other with only two or three streets, passing near most of the landmarks along the way. The trek would be based around Peter and Race.
The object of Twain’s attention would be St Peter’s (where Joan was canonised), which he describes in
Innocents Abroad
.
http://www.romeartlover.it/Twain.html#Pietro
St Peter…Peters St…
It’s confusing. There’s St Peter St, which runs east-west alongside Jackson. Preservation Hall is on St Peter St.
Then there’s nearby Peters St, which runs north-south.
At stone wall’s door
The air smells sweet
Not far away
High posts are three
Education and Justice
For all to see
Jackson Square, sign with castle and flowers, Café du monde, St Louis cathedral etc.
Sounds from the sky
Near ace is high
Artillery Park. “Near ace” perhaps foreshadowing “near Race”
Running north, but first across
In jewel’s direction
Is an object
Of Twain’s attention
From Coliseum Park, you can go east along Race St., then north along Peters St until you’re nearly at Jackson. At this point, the road seems to become Decatur…though Peters St continues again once you’re past it. It’s a bit of a mess frankly. But I’m thinking of this section as describing Race St and Peters St.
Peters St, the object of Twain’s attention, runs north, reached via
Race
St which
runs
across eastwards, in jewel’s direction (turquois
E
). You traverse these between Jackson and Coliseum. It’s a bit back-to-front, but no one said it was going to be easy.
Giant pole
Giant step
To the place
The casque is kept
The giant pole would be the “high post” of St Louis at the beginning, and the giant step would be the “turquoise” area of Coliseum Park at the end after a giant trek south. Although it’s quite a long way, the route is actually quite simple, and passes near various landmarks including the Jackson sign, Joan of Arc, Lafayette Square and Memorial Hall. Preservation Hall and racing also feature.
(It might seem perverse to wander in such V2-friendly territory without using V2, but I think BP deliberately mixes things up and drops obscure clues into other verses and images. Like I’ve said before, it’s a
very
obscure clue. So obscure as to be a pretty unreasonable basis for the puzzle imho. I’d prefer to give it an additional, more face-value interpretation elsewhere.)

There is something about this image that bothers me. The mask is a clear giveaway for New Orleans. Its to easy. I know sounds silly. When I was looking into something else I came across the Daughters of the American Revolution. The word “Preservation” came up many times. Their colors are that off light blue and red. Its just a thought.

Medieval bestiaries expressed the folk belief (science to them) that the mother pelican fed her young that way, dripping blood and all.  This was allegorically applied to Christ and the Eucharistic doctrine.  (Christ as the mother pelican, of course.)
This post probably does not help the hunt any (as far as I can see).
–Johann

Oh, and here is alittle tibit on clocks I came across.
Like many
public clocks, the Roman numerals “IIII” are used instead of the usual “IV”, a tradition that
dates back to early cathedrals in England.

Does anyone have an insight regarding the position of the moon?  Those grandfather clocks rotate the sun and the moon on a dial over the clock face.
–Johann

frishkie, dont forget about “Preservation” on the clock probably pointing to Preservation Hall in the French Quarter.
The masque (especially held by the handle) is most likley a mardi gras masque.
The hand in purple is most likely that of the mardi gras King Rex who dresses in purple.
I think the arched/crescent shape between the night sky and the tourquoise represents The Crescent City – N.O.
I like falcons find of the head = state outline.
I have also fealt that it is indeed a horse/rook on the squared background-chessboard… which may point to Paul Morphy, one of the all time best chess players.
http://www.academicchess.com/Focus/Morp … ybio.shtml
johann, I never even thought of that.  I have one of those watches which has the sun/moon circle over the dial.  So, with the hands on 12 and the sky showing the moon, it would be midnight instead of afternoon.  Now, how does midnight tie into anything?

it’s a stretch, but there is an old Jazz song called New Orleans Midnight.
wilhouse

So, any anybody been workin’ this Image or Verse lately? Any one still stuck on V2 being the link?
…I’ve scoured the internet for pictures of Storyland Park lately in relatioin to the Verse and have found that the park seems to have a fence surrounding it. I can’t get any good overhead images though of just
how
the fence envelopes it (Storyland Park exclusively). The arrows on the clock could represent such a fence “From end to end” with “twenty-one” being the number of fencing sections.
From all the photos that show a fence in Storyland park, there are 15 posts within each section – “Fifteen rows down to the ground.” In the middle of those sections, exacltly between sections 10 and 11 and post 7 and 8, could be a casque. Any thoughts?
I’ve also been able to clearly count the fencing at Armstrong Park (14 posts) and LaFayette Square (16 posts), neither of which fit the criteria for even acknowledging section amounts.
Strange to me still, is the fact that “only three stand watch” relates so closely to LayFayette Square, and the clock face has two interior black squares in line with the center of the clock hands… marking the placement of the three statues? The exterior has
circle
connected to the arrow only has one filled-black square, and it’s aligned with the two interior and the clock center… in a line right through the III. ————- Any body here still? Any thoughts?

So, any anybody been workin’ this Image or Verse lately? Any one still stuck on V2 being the link?
…I’ve scoured the internet for pictures of Storyland Park lately in relatioin to the Verse and have found that the park seems to have a fence surrounding it. I can’t get any good overhead images though of just
how
the fence envelopes it (Storyland Park exclusively). The arrows on the clock could represent such a fence “From end to end” with “twenty-one” being the number of fencing sections.
From all the photos that show a fence in Storyland park, there are 15 posts within each section – “Fifteen rows down to the ground.” In the middle of those sections, exacltly between sections 10 and 11 and post 7 and 8, could be a casque. Any thoughts?
I’ve also been able to clearly count the fencing at Armstrong Park (14 posts) and LaFayette Square (16 posts), neither of which fit the criteria for even acknowledging section amounts.
Strange to me still, is the fact that “only three stand watch” relates so closely to LayFayette Square, and the clock face has two interior black squares in line with the center of the clock hands… marking the placement of the three statues? The exterior has circle connected to the arrow only has one filled-black square, and it’s aligned with the two interior and the clock center… in a line right through the III. ————- Any body here still? Any thoughts?

Hey all,
This post covers multiple verses (1, 3, 7, 12) and multiple pictures (5, 6, 7, 8 ).  There doesn’t seem to be just one thread that was appropriate for this kind of post so I just posted it in all 8 threads.  So if you have read this post once you don’t have to read the other 7 as they are all the same.
Socrates, Pindar, Apelles
Free speech, couplet, birch
To find casque’s destination
(Verse 4) (Lines 10, 11, 12)
The word birch rhymes with verse so I think the line is supposed to read FREE VERSE, COUPLET.  Now separate the initial letters of each couplet that rhymes from the initial letters of the free verse(i.e. the lines that don’t rhyme).  You can do this for all the verses(although some of them are all free verse with no lines that rhyme), however, for reasons that I will make clear below I think the only verses that matter here are Verses 1, 3, 7, and 12.  In all the verses below I have highlighted the lines that rhyme.
I will start with Verse 12 as we already know the answer for that one.
Where M and B are set in stone
And to Congress, R is known
L sits and left
Beyond his shoulder
Is the Fair Folks’
Treasure holder
The end of ten by thirteen
Is your clue
Fence and fixture
Central too
For finding jewel casque
Seek the sounds
Of rumble
Brush and music
Hush.
So you end up with: WABTICBH which when you rearrange the letters and use the B’s as blank spaces between the words you get: CHI B WA B T or filling in the letters left out of the abbreviations and removing the B’s – Chicago Water Tower.  As we all know this is the tower in Picture 5.  This also explains the use of the word Hush in the verse, BP needed a word that started with H and rhymed with Brush.
On to Verse 1
Fortress north
Cold as glass
Friendship south
Take your task
To the number
Nine eight two
Through the wood
No lion fears
In the sky the water veers
Small of scale
Step across
Perspective should not be lost
In the center of four alike
Small, split,
Three winged and slight
What we take to be
Our strongest tower of delight
Falls gently
In December night
Looking back from treasure ground
There’s the spout!
A whistle sounds.
So you end up with: NISPOILA which when you rearrange the letters and use the I’s as blank spaces between the words you get: NO I S I PLA or filling in the letters left out of the abbreviations and removing the I’s – New Orleans Spanish Plaza.  And there is a
Spanish Plaza in New Orleans.
On to Verse 3
If Thucydides is
North of Xenophon
Take five steps
In the area of his direction
A green tower of lights
In the middle section
Near those
Who pass the coliseum
With metal walls
Face the water
Your back to the stairs
Feel at home
All the letters
Are here to see
Eighteenth day
Twelfth hour
Lit by lamplight
In truth, be free.
This time use the letters that begin the free verse lines: INTANWWFYFAETL which when you rearrange the letters and use the extra WFA as blank spaces between the words you get: FT W WAYNE F LIN A T or filling in the letters left out of the abbreviations and removing the WFA – Ft. Wayne Lincoln Tower.  And there is a Lincoln Tower in Ft. Wayne Indiana built in 1929.
And finally Verse 7
At stone wall’s door
The air smells sweet
Not far away
High posts are three
Education and Justice
For all to see
Sounds from the sky
Near ace is high
Running north, but first across
In jewel’s direction
Is an object
Of Twain’s attention
Giant Pole
Giant step
To the place
The casque is kept.
I first started anagramming this one using the same method of separating the letters that I used above and ended up with some wrong answers that wilhouse pointed out.  So I think for this one you anagram all the letters together: ATNHEFSNRIIOGGTT which when you rearrange the letters and use the G’s as blank spaces between the words you get
HST G NATION G FRET or filling in the letters left out of the abbreviations and removing the G’s – Houston National Forest.  This one didn’t anagram to my satisfaction as you end up with an extra I but there is a Sam Houston National Forest in Houston.
Now as cool as all that was this is the really cool part and the reason that I think that this particular solution only deals with the above 4 verses.  Going back to verse 4 and using the words Socrates, Pindar, Apelles, birch along with information that we already have from the pictures(i.e. the latitudes and longitudes) you can as BP put it, “wed one picture with one verse.”
Birch = 5 letters, picture 5 we know is Chicago goes with verse 12 which gives us Chicago Water Tower.
Apelles = 7 letters, picture 7 we are pretty sure from the longitude and latitude is New Orleans and verse 1 gives us New Orleans Spanish Plaza.
Socrates = 8 letters, picture 8 we are pretty sure from the longitude and latitude is Houston and verse 7 gives us Sam Houston National Forest. (sort of)
Pindar = 6 letters, by process of elimination picture 6 goes with verse 3 which gives us Ft. Wayne Lincoln Tower.
So to sum up.
Verse 1 goes with Picture 7 and give us a starting location of Spanish Plaza in New Orleans
Verse 3 goes with Picture 6 and gives us a starting location of Lincoln Tower in Ft. Wayne
Verse 7 goes with Picture 8 and gives us a starting location of Sam Houston National Forest in Houston.
Verse 12 goes with Picture 5 and gives us a starting location of the Water Tower in Chicago.
Just some further thoughts that might not lead to anything but are rattling around in my head so I will throw them out for your consideration.  Two of the verses (9 and 11) are all free verse, nothing rhymes but there are two additional verses that do follow the free verse, couplet pattern. The first comes right before the pictures and second right after the pictures.  It is possible that some information is hidden in these two extra verses.
Also if you like the idea of the number of the letters in a word indicating a picture(or a verse) then you might find this interesting.  There is only on significant instance of a one letter word in all of the verses(I know that there are various A’s in the verses but I said significant) and that is the v in verse 10.  In addition there is only one 12-letter word in all of the verses, remuneration.  I know that wonderstone’s is also 12 letters but I don’t count that one because you need to add the possessive s in order to get to 12.
digger7

WR, you’re fountain pic has what looks like a drinking fountain off to the side that looks very unusual to me.  Perhaps it’s a common design in that area, but it did remind me of the jockey’s funky hand and funky buttock…that’s right I said buttock.  My brother in law calls that a ‘bubble butt’.
Look at this slight manipulation of the fountain in segments and how it resembles the jockey’s buttock and legs.
some kind of alignment with this fountain fixture might be what is needed.
I thought the fountain base looked a lot like a black chess pawn, btw.

erexere

Something of interest might be the King Louis IX of France is best known as “Saint Louis”. He was born in 1215, though the time on the clock is almost 12:00:15. From what I’ve gathered so far, he was a very good king, crowned king at age 12, his mother Blanche was regent til his adulthood. He was also a great builder of cathedrals, churches, and libraries.

Correction: Saint Louis was born on April 25th, 1214, and so if we agree that the third hand off the clock center is a seconds hand, then 12:00:14 is our confirmer for Saint Louis.
His mother was
Blanche of Castile
Given the strong resemblence of the boy/jockey’s hand to a mitten, it’s possible his posture is meant to nudge along this connection to Mr. Bingles of the Maison Blanche department store, thus giving us a name connection to King Louis IX, since Blanche was regent during his kinghood.

MrSeabass

I saw that and didn’t really want to make a response, but… honestly I don’t see anything there when you remove the lines. And you didn’t show anything that it is supposed to represent?
I do not see it match any part of the coast; please show on a map where it lines up.
Where? Unless it matches a part of the river itself, then that connection is spurious at best. The ‘squiggle’ does not follow anything when the line is removed; you just drew arbitrary connections that you wanted to see. I can find similar squiggles in the other 11 images, and the Mississippi River isn’t the only river that meanders by a long shot.
That’s a slight shading gradient change at best; I do not see how that can be a image of a river. Again, very spurious, and also you did not provide a map for comparison.
Where?
Every state except for Hawaii has a straight line border with another state.
I’m sorry, but there are several significant problems with you observations; namely that once the lines you drew are removed, you observations are practically invisible or nonexistent. Please go over this again and provide some sort of supporting evidence/reasoning behind these.

I took a map of Louisiana districts or parishes as they are known as in this state, primarily to find outlines of parts of a state. I have been successful in finding these in other images, particularly Milwaukee, Chicago, Houston.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Un … quivalents
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_pa … _Louisiana
For Louisiana, I rotated one like the following map 180 degrees
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/maps/l … a_map.html
The outline of the coast around flying boy does seems to vary among various maps of Louisiana.
(15540)

MrSeabass

I rotated a map of Louisiana and tried to find what you were seeing; absolutely nothing lines up or is even remotely close to some outline of Louisiana.

I don’t come to the conclusion that this map idea works here.

I admit, I’m very new to all this, and just wildly speculating…
New Orleans Louisiana =
19
letters
It doesn’t help with a dig site, but do we know if this kind of connection exists with any of the other locations?

b_sketchy

I admit, I’m very new to all this, and just wildly speculating…
New Orleans Louisiana =
19
letters
It doesn’t help with a dig site, but do we know if this kind of connection exists with any of the other locations?

Don’t know lets check
Chicago Illinois 15
Cleveland Ohio 13
What exactly are we looking at?
BTW welcome to the hunt!

A conclusion that is really working for me begins with a focus on the grandfather clock’s XII as a hint for Louis XII of France, the grandson of Louis I, Duke of Orléans. The hour and minute hands point to the XII, and the seconds hand points to a spot just before the III. If you consider the military time of just before 15-hundred hours (3 o’clock), then you have 1499, a year in which France invaded Lombardy and siezed Milan in Italy.
I’ve used this French-Italian conflict as the basis for looking for a link in the St. Louis Cemetery No.1. I’ve found the Bergamini tomb No. 12 to fit best, since Bergamo is very close to Milan. I also consider the No. 12 as the reversal of 21. In the middle of twenty-one is a dyslexic clue.

This is a match for the arched tops of the grandfather clock. This stone bridge is literally a stones throw from the sundial. Seems to be popular location for taking your photo. There are more good pictures online.

Interesting ideas Lafitte….but…that looks like a good 3-5 miles from Lafayette Square and not even in a straight shot.  If the casque is in Armstrong Park {which it very well could be} then our starting point has to be Lafayette Sq.  The statue there is just toooooo much of a match to our ‘clock boy’.  Can we reverse engineer the V & P to find a route to Armstrong Park?

I don’t agree that the clock boy is our flying waiter. This piece has been bugging me for a while. It reminds me of something from my childhood but I don’t know what! I am getting a general consensus that we no longer are thinking that verse 7 pertains?

fox

Interesting ideas Lafitte….but…that looks like a good 3-5 miles from Lafayette Square and not even in a straight shot.  If the casque is in Armstrong Park {which it very well could be} then our starting point has to be Lafayette Sq.  The statue there is just toooooo much of a match to our ‘clock boy’.

Remember none of the others were straight shots,
they were actually straight shots then you hang a left to get to the treasure ground.
So start at the statue, go straight down st charles. turns into royal but keep going to St Peters
turn Left (pass that silly little preservation hall)
and the street deadends into the southern corner of Congo square and Louis Armstrong park.
Anyway Lafitte I agree with you, I always believed it was there. Always willing to chase down another idea, but I always come back to congo square.

Lafitte

I am getting a general consensus that we no longer are thinking that verse 7 pertains?

well if you want consensus, I always had a hard time with v7 here. But thats cause I think it goes in Montreal

So which verse fits congo square?

Page 136 banner:
Tedium domesticum sounds like “stadium dome”
Then the “Tupperwerewolves” are described as “the Werewolves (of London), the Were-bears (known to the American Indians), the Were-foxes of China and the ready-to-wear wolves of modern “shopping center”.
That may explain the mask, Superdome and the shopping-bag looking clock.
Page 137 has a drawing of a kitchen table covered with a typical checkerboard pattern table cloth (similar to the image 7), a Tupperware bowl with it’s lid lifted up halfway to expose a pair of eyes. Full moon is visible through window.
I’m starting to think that the stories following the images/verses may include clues.

I find it interesting to note the size if city blocks relative to the circular superdome as it compares the squares of the image background to the clock moon. Aso, if you extrapolate where the moon would be if it swapped positions with the sun (rotate the wheel by 12 hours) and it would be precisely where the boy’s hand is reaching near the 9 oclock hour. Maybe there is sime kind of relative map overlay for general orientation purposes, either to suggest where we need to begin a search…or end it.

MaltedFalcon,
I’m also operating on your observation that in the Chicago and Cleveland solves that you can line up the dig area up with a building in the painting (I believe it was you that made that observation on the podcast). In this case it’s the gate to Louis Armstrong Park. I suggest that the stick that terminates into the “spoon” in the zombies sleeve is St. Ann St. At night if you stand on the spot we believe it is at (where the middle planter was) you get a very brilliant view of the brightly illuminated gate against the background of the dimly lit French Quarter. Also a striking visual during the day as well.
Also voodoo museum and zombie shop on either side of St. Ann in the approx place where the zombie hand is if it were a map feature.
Who dug it? I’d like to pick their brain. I’m hopeful that the probe and endoscope method will be useful in confirming if it is there.

FYI, there’s someone on the 12Keys subreddit who has posted a seemingly new hypothesis about the New Orleans casque. I’m not necessarily convinced about the specifics of the hypothesis–it’s an even more unusual location than my Garden District musings–but it might not be a bad idea for someone with a Reddit account to reach out. (I just lurk there without an account.) The poster has mentioned frustrations trying to contact the Wiki, seems to be looking for other NO searchers, but doesn’t appear to know about this forum.

Hi All,
I have decided that a trip to NOLA is not in the cards. So, in the hopes of finding this casque, I am publishing my solution. While I don’t know if this is correct, I believe it will be close. I believe the treasure is buried in Storyland at City Park. The secret to the picture is that there are references to the different fairytales. I am attaching my solution in hopes that someone can take it to the next step.
Cheers!
Toasty
PS. For some reason I can’t figure out how to actually post the pictures here. Please follow the links to see my work.
City Specific –
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0lVJfcuPdQwelpBbXltZEtTWGs&authuser=0
Park Specific –
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0lVJfcuPdQwcnNBaXVFdzM1bDQ&authuser=0
Verse –
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0lVJfcuPdQwemx2Sy0tWWlkUFU&authuser=0
Location –
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0lVJfcuPdQwY2w1WFhkQ0VNeG8&authuser=0

Toasty

Hi All,
I have decided that a trip to NOLA is not in the cards. So, in the hopes of finding this casque, I am publishing my solution. While I don’t know if this is correct, I believe it will be close. I believe the treasure is buried in Storyland at City Park. The secret to the picture is that there are references to the different fairytales. I am attaching my solution in hopes that someone can take it to the next step.
Cheers!
Toasty
PS. For some reason I can’t figure out how to actually post the pictures here. Please follow the links to see my work.
City Specific –
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0lVJfcuPdQwelpBbXltZEtTWGs&authuser=0
Park Specific –
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0lVJfcuPdQwcnNBaXVFdzM1bDQ&authuser=0
Verse –
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0lVJfcuPdQwemx2Sy0tWWlkUFU&authuser=0
Location –
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0lVJfcuPdQwY2w1WFhkQ0VNeG8&authuser=0

Toasty-I like it. I agree on your location. I never noticed that your shape in the lower right was an oval. Very nice!
I think the “fifteen rows” is the defining piece in this verse. We can assume the center of 21, but the spot cannot be narrowed without whatever “fifteen” is. I’d love someone to count the stair steps in King Cole’s castle (the blue one), or the steps on the Puff slide.

Thanks Toasty. I’m just not sure how you would use it to narrow it down to a specific dig spot.

Twain

“The mouse is missing: the question to be decided is, where is it?”

I like Hickory Dickory Dock for the clock – don’t remember seeing that before. Was this there at the time, or something similar…?
http://pijournal.blogspot.co.uk/2008/08 … -park.html
It’s running north, you gotta admit.

Here’s another photo of Toasty’s proposed spot from Storyland’s website:
:
http://neworleanscitypark.com/images/content/cache/made/images/content/galleries/storyland_august_2006_002_1200_900.jpg
.

That is tied in 100%.  It’s too close not to be.  My theory is it’s being used just like some of the objects in Image 5, Chicago.  It helps define a path connection relating to a specific Krewe parade route.  Researching that is somewhat difficult, since much has changed in the Krewe lineup including some street changes since the early 80’s.  There’s a subtlety behind a clock at 12’oclock, as it is the only time that can be related to both the END of the day and the START of the day.  In terms of parade tradition, the first Krewe is Zulu, the last is Comus.
There’s much to be explored in that.  Lots of road names can be plucked out of the image and then the verse concludes with St. Louis.  I see a strong thematic suggestion of racial contrast with White and Black.  Zulu and Comus are a great choice when it comes to illustrating that.  The events related to McDonough schools and the Three makes a good case for a racial motif as well.  See the small line pointing to the III.  The verse mentioning “only three stand watch” fold around the idea that we must find 3 somethings.  My theory concludes with the three historic and distinctive statues of men along Basin St, ending at the spot where St. Louis Cemetary meets St. Louis street.
Why can’t clock boy be more than one thing?  A boy, a posture, a jockey (rider of something: to imply a horse, a race, a route, a float, etc.?), a costume, a hidden shape turned at 90 degrees, a direction (facing eastward?)…hard to say if it’s to represent a single thing or a multiple thing.  It looks like Preiss chose a subject of rich implications.
OR you can simply avoid all that historical basis and maintain the simple assessment that a random object is indicative of the immediate site of the casque or an iconic path leading one from point A to B.  Either way, it’s a persuasive image.  Thanks for bringing us back to that, fox.

Mr. Bingles?
Uh.. What ever happened to:

forest_blight

Let me preface this by saying that I DO NOT believe a casque is in Nashville. However, I was driving through downtown Nashville today, looked up, and saw this:
So I’m wondering if our “jockey” could be mimicking the pose of another Mercury statue somewhere.

In my sabbatical from searching Boston, I’ve been looking into New Orleans. I’ve learned quite a bit (why I love hunting
) and found a lot that I think is worth sharing… my fingers are just so tired after work nowadays.
Anyhow, this just hit me… The equestrian statue is the first of the first three standing-horse sculpture in the United states as you probably know – so popular, it was triplicated (three stand watch) by the sculptor shortly after its birth. It was an incredible architectural feat.
Without going into details as to why, I’ve thought the “clock boy” might be Jackson, a jockey holding his hat up. Anyhow, one of the other two replicas is is Nashville.

Glossiphoniidae

Without going into details as to why, I’ve thought the “clock boy” might be Jackson, a jockey holding his hat up.

Comme ca…?
None of them are exact. The general curvature of McDonough is hard to beat though.

my earliest thougths on the hand was its similarity to that on the Joan of Arc statue, but I’ve abandoned that theory.

How about jewels abound being in the the Museum of Art where there are 15 steps in the foyer?

Oh yeah.
I was predisposed to a path-based interpretation early on and by the time I got to the place where I would look to dig I had no more verse left to tell me what to do.
We need to deepen our understanding and shed a few pounds.

Can’t help noticing that the Reclining Mother and Child sculpture looks similar to the hand in P7. Any thoughts? That hand has more to it I can feel it.

Oh how soon we forget…

Education and Justice?  That’s a perfect fit.

This maybe the best way of estimating how many rows if the whole wall is plastered.
https://tinyurl.com/y3kduqjq

jmyoung15

Haven’t had as much time to spend on the hunt during the last few weeks, but a few thoughts/observations have crossed my mind recently that I thought I would share. This may all be old hat, but it was new to me, and maybe something will be of use to someone.
-Checking into major events in New Orleans in 1929, I found that the National American Bank Building at 200 Carondelet was completed that year. This building is about a block away from the St. Charles Hotel, and is 2-3 blocks from the Hotel Monteleone, the site of the most notable grandfather clock in town.
-Also, there is a small green space/pocket park across Carondelet from the Hibernia Bank Building, which is in the same general area as the NABB and St. Charles Hotel. I’m having difficulty accessing older imagery on Street View, and there is a Coca-Cola truck blocking part of the fence, but the number of fence posts appears to be at least close to 21. Someone else might have better luck finding a view not obstructed by Big Soda.
-Given that the top right number on the clock (29) is 10 more than the top left number (19), I am wondering if the number in the bottom left corner–the one covered by the mask–is supposed to be 10 less than the number in the bottom right (90)–hence, 80. This would put a 1980 reference in the painting, which would have been around the time that Preiss was in town, right?
-Depending on how you count the roads, traveling fifteen blocks down the street from my previous “jewels abound” location (Buckner House/Soule College in the Garden District) can take you down to the Margaret Haughery statue/park near Lee Circle. The arrangement of the statue and planters in that park gives at least a partial match to the hour hand on the clock in the painting and is also near the place (Coliseum Park) where the streets named for the muses (the “namesakes”?) come together. Has anyone done any poking around in this area?
-Speaking of the Garden District, I’ll soon have my hands on a copy of an architecture student’s 1988 thesis on the old French Consulate building. That’s a relevant building for one of my ideas, and I’m hoping for some conclusive info one way or the other–either to confirm my thinking or to eliminate that possibility–and for some images of the surrounding area that we may not have seen elsewhere.

I’ve always been interested in Coliseum Square Park. Euterpe Street…Euterpe is the muse meaning Giver of Delight (fays delight) and the Lafon Fountain is nearby (he designed the Garden district…garden gnomes?) There are 21 light posts from end to end (not total) and there are only 3 light posts that go across the middle of the park (3 stand watch) “As the sound of friends fills the afternoon hours” – the International School is right there just across the street and kids are in the school yard playing in the afternoon right there.
I can’t find any specific image matches like Chicago or Cleveland at the park though to indicate you are in the right spot…

Choice, I must have missed your reference to a weathervane. Could you bring me up to speed? Thanks.

Choice

I haven’t posted my “solve” details on the board yet. I’m waiting for confirmation of 15 rows since it’s not clear on Google street view. Someone is planning to check out the area soon I hope. However it involves weathervane, cupola, middle of 21 turquoises (X o XI) and turquoise half-moon fountain (no statue then). I posted images and google street view recently on this thread.

I will be in NOLA this Sunday evening. If I can convince wifey to get down there a lil early; I will go count the steps at Gallier Hall. That is what you are looking for, correct?

NOLA68

I will be in NOLA this Sunday evening. If I can convince wifey to get down there a lil early; I will go count the steps at Gallier Hall. That is what you are looking for, correct?

No, this is in the Dutch alley area by Jackson Square. Spot by that lamp post in the post below. I like to know the number of rows of blocks on that wall behind the planter. It may be coated now but there maybe parts untreated or lines visible.
I know there are 15 steps down from Washington Artillery park but not close enough to the area.
A picture from top of the steps in Gallier Hall would be great too. I like to see the position of the planters on top in relation to the steps.
viewtopic.php?f=32&t=740&start=2005

NOLA68

Choice, I must have missed your reference to a weathervane. Could you bring me up to speed? Thanks.

I haven’t posted my “solve” details on the board yet. I’m waiting for confirmation of 15 rows since it’s not clear on Google street view. Someone is planning to check out the area soon I hope. However it involves weathervane, cupola, middle of 21 turquoises (X o XI) and turquoise half-moon fountain (no statue then). I posted images and google street view recently on this thread.

Choice, I am very familiar with that area and the fountain with the Lade of New Orleans statue. My kids cannot go the city without wanting bignets at Cafe’ Du Monde. I will certainly try to ID what you are seeking. But I am a lil unclear as to what exactly you need me to count. When you refer to the “planter”; do you mean the wall behind that fountain?

There are 3 cupola’s on top the building in front of the Lady of NO statue/turquoise fountain. The middle one has a weather vane.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Instr … 90.0610759

jmyoung15

I’m going to keep posting materials I find, and if anyone else feels like chiming in, feel free to do so. I feel like most of this is just getting lost in the shuffle, but maybe not.
Spent some time yesterday afternoon and this morning reading about moon dials. Many grandfather clocks have dials/discs that correspond with the waxing and waning of the moon; these were originally intended to help people plan trips back in the day when traveling at night required moonlight. Each disc has two pictures of the moon, and a half-rotation of the dial from one moon to the other takes 29.5 days, or one lunar cycle. The full moon occurs on the 15th day of that 29.5 day cycle and occurs when the moon is at the exact middle/top of the dial (more info at
https://www.theclockdepot.com/clocks-bl … er-clocks/
since I’m probably not doing a great job of explaining this.)
Obviously, there are a number of moon connections to NOLA, such as the Moonwalk or the idea that the moon on the clock represents the Superdome. I’m wondering, though, if there is any significance in where the moon is positioned on the dial in the painting, which would correspond to roughly day 20 of the 29.5 day lunar cycle–i.e., not a full moon.
Has anyone looked into this material before?

Yes, Clearly a longcase MOON clock is presented in the image.
Also DUTCH are famous for their expertise in clock making.
Moon and Dutch both were mayors of NOLA.
Dutch alley and moonwalk are named after them.

NOLA68

Choice, I am very familiar with that area and the fountain with the Lade of New Orleans statue. My kids cannot go the city without wanting bignets at Cafe’ Du Monde. I will certainly try to ID what you are seeking. But I am a lil unclear as to what exactly you need me to count. When you refer to the “planter”; do you mean the wall behind that fountain?

Yes the planter against the wall with the lamp post infront of it.

NOLA68

There are 3 cupola’s on top the building in front of the Lady of NO statue/turquoise fountain. The middle one has a weather vane.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Instr … 90.0610759

Yes, the statue was placed there in 1984 but I’m hoping the fountain was there before. The oldest backdrop image I could find is that tile display most likely late 80’s or early 90’s.
There are 3 cupola’s and 3 hanging lamps in the tunnel hallway but I don’t think they’re the referenced “Only three stand watch”.
If you consider the building as a long-case clock (stand watch or standing clock) with the weathervane as the center of the clock face then the tunnel hallway in the middle of the building lines up with the second hand of the clock. The circle at the end of the second hand would be the position of the fountain. Slightly below it at 3 o’clock position is the only lamp; only three stand watch.
From the street if you count the number of turquoise-colored arched windows/doors, there are 11 on the left (towards the moonwalk) and 10 on the right with the tunnel hallway (second hand) in the middle.
Also the half-circle fountain with blue pool matches the shape of the half-circle with the turquoise in the image.

Choice

Yes, the statue was placed there in 1984 but I’m hoping the fountain was there before. The oldest backdrop image I could find is that tile display most likely late 80’s or early 90’s.
There are 3 cupola’s and 3 hanging lamps in the tunnel hallway but I don’t think they’re the referenced “Only three stand watch”.
If you consider the building as a long-case clock (stand watch or standing clock) with the weathervane as the center of the clock face then the tunnel hallway in the middle of the building lines up with the second hand of the clock. The circle at the end of the second hand would be the position of the fountain. Slightly below it at 3 o’clock position is the only lamp; only three stand watch.
From the street if you count the number of turquoise-colored arched windows/doors, there are 11 on the left (towards the moonwalk) and 10 on the right with the tunnel hallway (second hand) in the middle.
Also the half-circle fountain with blue pool matches the shape of the half-circle with the turquoise in the image.

Yeah, I am following you on the turquoise arches and the fountain being turquoise and the shape of the gem in P7. I am assuming in your description that the “only three stand watch”, you are referring to is the “III” on the clock? I did locate one photo that shows the lamp post you have referred to also. I will make it a point to go check this out when I am down there.
I have too struggled to determine if the fountain was there before the statue of “Michelle” was placed there in 1984.
Good work putting this theory together; I feel like you are on to something. And the very area is very dear to me and visited at least 8-10 time a year by me and my family (live in a suburb of NOLA now).
If you think of anything else you need me to check out, please advise! Thanks.

NOLA68

…I am assuming in your description that the “only three stand watch”, you are referring to is the “III” on the clock?

Yes, “Only” for the only lamp post there, “three” for III and “stand watch” for standing clock or long-case clock. Thanks for you help.
That place is open 24/7 so be careful of security if you intend to probe.

Here is a pic of fountain that may show the cinder blocks on the wall. I cannot count them though. And like you said it looks like the wall has since been given a veneer of stucco.
https://www.davidbcalhoun.com/wp-conten … ans-08.jpg

There are areas of the wall next to the pool that are naked so maybe able to count.
https://tinyurl.com/y2ulk7cd

Apparently 2 stand watch!
Big Brother city crime cams above the arched through way.
https://www.google.com/maps/@29.9578515 … 312!8i6656

And to your point Choice; I’m not planning to probe the area! I’ll leave that up to someone that has the right gear. Not mention “big brother” is certainly watching! ha Ha. But I will take a look around and let you know what I have observed.

Right gear as in ski mask and a can of black paint spray?!

ouch lafitte!
i really hope that because of the quote from sarmiento that this verse does  go with  image 7 ( preservation, latitude and longitude, storyland and new orleans clock)
like forest told me……….to think otherwise is a path to madness ( something like that)
i’m gonna keep trying to convince you
remember how we thought the arm looked like an archer, look at the diana statue ( i can’t seem to find a pic of the whole statue), look at her hand
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bnorwood/4 … otostream/
and yes, i’m not totally convinced of my mneumonics, but mostly because i don’t think i’ve found quite the right words………. i do believe in “
abound”
for “
audubon
“, it’s such a perfect way to tell the place to me
it’s not like i’m trying to use all the words……just the ones at the end of each line….which is a way i would use to try to remember something, and the more bizarre or funny would make it even easier to remember
like i can see “
of twenty-one
” —fontone (fountain)
and for “
the ground
“– i had used “go or round”—–but it could be “
ogden
” ——–the ogden gates on st. charles…..

” the Gumbel Memorial Fountain — was a gift to Audubon Park from Beulah Joseph and Cora Moses in memory of their parents, Sophie and Simon Gumbel, a prominent Jewish family in New Orleans.
Designed by Isadore Konti, the fountain is of bronze and represents the
meeting of air and water. “
hadn’t read that part b4
but look at these diana plaques with the stars, and with the statues archer hand and bow
http://streganola.blogspot.com/search/label/Goddess
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bnorwood/4 … otostream/
“the statue itself is a “Book of Shadows” if you will.”
is this walkway our checks?
http://travel.webshots.com/photo/100189 … txuAkqwWNz
this has the same shape as my upside down image of the clockface
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11213280@N … otostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11213280@N … otostream/
good view of the back of the fountain
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11213280@N … otostream/
i like the fact that popp gardens and diana are close to each other
interesting, anna hyatt huntington (sculptor of diana) married “archer” huntington
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dschex/248 … otostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11213280@N08/4471209533/

slappy, I really don’t understand your emphasis on
abound
vs.
audubon
. It isn’t even a proper anagram.
Even if it were a proper anagram, when we get to the point where anagrams are seriously entertained as the way to find the treasure, the terrorists have already won. Look at what happened in the
Clock Without a Face
discussions.

On a diferent note St Charles ave used to be called Nyades. Namesakes? Slappy, I know the image is N.O.. I am just having a hard time fitting the rest of the verse to it. The St Charles Hotel reference is the only aspect that ties in. The rest is difficult to fit. We don’t have a clear starting point and Jewels abound could mean Royal st since their are many antique stores there that sell jewelry. But still, the rest is tough. Don’t get discouraged, just don’t try so hard to fit your method in when the other 2 solves were not so convoluted. Keep thinking and we’ll see what happens.

Personally I think the Knight/horsehead/dragonhead, is rudimentary map of Lousianna spun upside down.

What do you guys think of this? Pardon my woeful photo editing, I did the best I could.
As I speculated above, I believe these two things are related:
It’s a block and a half away from Preservation Hall.
Picture yourself here.
You see the monument in the sidewalk and notice the similarities.
Then you look up and see the clock on St. Louis Cathedral.
You put it together.
But how did you get here? I believe we may have the first instance of some sort of map hidden in the picture.
People have questioned the purpose of the second hand on the clock (see the wiki).
Notice the hour hand points directly to the “v” in Preservation.
Guess where the second points to when you look at a map and put the tip of the hour hand at Preservation Hall?
Again, pardon my poor editing, but you can see what I’m getting at. I’m still trying to work out some ideas, but I wanted to put this out there in case anyone else can work with it or has any thoughts.
Bonus: Video of Place de Henriette Delille Plaque.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2XlGyA4GcA

not that i don’t like lafayette square too (st. charles)……..and canal street ………and storyland ………and audubon   …….and armstrong  🙂

Breathe, slappy, breathe!

Frisco

… Let’s just get back to arguing about how much the mask does or doesn’t look like Louis Armstrong.

[can] You mean Napoleon, right?

catherwood

There are no clues in the images which are not also in the verses.

Bowman? Ponce?

Glossiphoniidae

[can] You mean Napoleon, right?

Maybe, but I don’t think JJP would’ve used Napoleon for both the mask in Image 7 and the Fir Darrig in Image 5.

Unknown

Unknown:
I have my own theory, but I’d like to hear others before I bust out the shovel.

If you have a theory and you want to advance it, my suggestion is to post it, and see what feedback you get. Just like everyone has been doing for years. On the other hand, if you think your theory is so advanced that posting it here will cause someone to scurry over to New Orleans and dig it up (that is, you identify a precise dig spot), then I suggest you find someone in or near New Orleans and collaborate with them, or wait until you are able to go there yourself. But asking people on this forum to show you theirs before you show yours is a sure way to get ignored fast. We just had a round of that with James Renner and his documentary, and that, IMO, was more damaging to the forum than anything else that has happened here in the last few years, including the current Erexere bashing.

Euhirudinea

We just had a round of that with James Renner and his documentary, and that, IMO, was more damaging to the forum than anything else that has happened here in the last few years

Euhirudinea

including the current Erexere bashing.

+1000 pts
-1000 pts

Damn. Should have quit when I was ahead. I could really use 1,000 points.

Euhirudinea

If you have a theory and you want to advance it, my suggestion is to post it, and see what feedback you get. Just like everyone has been doing for years. On the other hand, if you think your theory is so advanced that posting it here will cause someone to scurry over to New Orleans and dig it up (that is, you identify a precise dig spot), then I suggest you find someone in or near New Orleans and collaborate with them, or wait until you are able to go there yourself. But asking people on this forum to show you theirs before you show yours is a sure way to get ignored fast. We just had a round of that with James Renner and his documentary, and that, IMO, was more damaging to the forum than anything else that has happened here in the last few years, including the current Erexere bashing.

I’m just trying to stimulate discussion on what I think is a major clue that has gotten zero attention paid to it for whatever reason, not steal ideas from other people. I don’t see the need for this sudden shunning threat–I’ve been very open about my thoughts on other casques, even totally unique stuff that has never come up on this forum.
And yes, I do have a theory that points to a precise dig spot. I’ve shared with a few people, but I see a lot of people lurking on the forum who don’t post, so I’m not ready to post it publicly. That may change next week.
I was poking this dead thread in an effort to educe possible alternatives to my own theory, because without
any
other theories on a few of these major clues, I’m finding it hard to submit my own to proper scrutiny. Maybe that’s frowned upon–maybe it would have been better if I had just played dumb and pretended to have no idea what the clue could possibly mean. Honesty is apparently overrated.

Unknown

Unknown:
And yes, I do have a theory that points to a precise dig spot. I’ve shared with a few people, but I see a lot of people lurking on the forum who don’t post, so I’m not ready to post it publicly. That may change next week.

OK then, Option B it is. Good luck. Let us know how it goes if/when you are ready to share.

Oh, I’ll continue discussing in the meantime. You can shun me if you’d like, though. There seems like a lot of drama here, and I’ll feel out of place if I don’t get in on it.

Unknown

Unknown:
Oh, I’ll continue discussing in the meantime

But you aren’t discussing it. You are asking questions, without offering any opinions of your own. You think the fact that “Preservation” is off center on the clock face is significant, but you don’t say why. If your goal is to stimulate discussion, then perhaps a better approach would be to say why you think that part of the Image is significant, and see what commentary you get on that.
As a general rule, one of the most difficult aspects of this puzzle is trying to determine which parts of the Image are clues, and which are just JJP making a visually interesting picture. Since I think most of the Image falls into the latter category, I’m going to say that as far as I can tell, it’s not significant other than a general city confirmer, much like the Water Tower in the Chicago Image, or City Hall in the Milwaukee Image.
Look, I get it. You aren’t the first person to come here with the idea that you have cracked the code, located a casque, and are afraid that if you share what you know, someone will take that information and dig it up before you can get to it. And given the amount of lurking that goes on here, I don’t blame you for being coy. But let’s stop pretending that this one is about collaboration. And that I’m doing anything other than calling you out on that in this case.

I’m not claiming that I’m collaborating on this particular point. But I’m also not trying to weasel theories out of anyone so I can go dig a hole. If it’s not where I think it is, then I feel no sense of ownership over any theory.
I think the off-center “preservation” is important, and it doesn’t get discussed enough. That’s all I’m saying here. I’m not working any sneaky angles. I don’t have ulterior motives. I can’t, however, divorce myself from my pet theory enough to seriously consider an alternate explanation. I’m sure you know how that is. But I think it should be discussed. I’m not *that* sure that I’m correct.
If nobody wants to give their opinion out of fear that I’m sitting at my computer tenting my fingers like a Bond villain waiting for this one last piece of information that is going to allow me to dig up a casque and shower myself in $1000 worth of turquoise, then fine.

Unknown

Unknown:
I think the off-center “preservation” is important, and it doesn’t get discussed enough

Obviously. But it should be equally obvious to you by now that things that don’t get discussed much are usually things not worth discussing. You have to make them worthy of discussion. So it’s not enough to say you think something is important. You have to say why. And if by saying why, you think that is going to somehow jeopardize your solve, well then, it’s probably advisable to not even bring it up on a public forum. That’s my opinion. And since you asked, here are a few more: If you are using a city other than New Orleans for Image 7, you are wasting your time. If you are using a Verse other than Verse 2 to find the casque in New Orleans, you are wasting your time. If your solve can not account for almost every single line in Verse 2 in a simple, logical, and easy to understand manner, with no more than one degree of separation between the line and the clue it is meant to reveal, you are wasting your time. If the facts that you assume (as opposed to those that you can prove) can’t be reasonably shown to have existed in more or less the same way they are now back in 1981, you are wasting your time. Finally, and this seems to be the sticking point for a lot of solves, if your solve doesn’t describe a fairly precise area (somewhere in the area of a 3×3 foot box), then you are probably wasting your time digging, and might be better off looking for historical evidence that may narrow the area down until you can.