burnstyle

If thats your area the only logical spot would be the 21 planters on the moonwalk.
too bad they were removed.

Interesting thought–I wouldn’t necessarily call it my area yet (I’m still chasing down some leads on my earlier Garden District hypothesis) but that’s a good detail to file away. Much appreciated!

“jmyoung15”

If thats your area the only logical spot would be the 21 planters on the moonwalk.
too bad they were removed.

Unknown

Unknown:
too bad they were removed.

Sometime between March and October, 2012.

ummm that GG  in the last four lines could be Golden Gate    ;D
http://www.flickr.com/photos/franciscophile/64363061/

(Still dawdling by this archway, since the Armstrong reference is what gets you here in the penultimate line, and I’m running out of road. The stick measures five squares on the chessboard, or the number of blocks from Jackson to Congo.)

Unknown

Unknown:
Thre’s a bit more than the moon and stars. There’s the clock-hand, with its devilish character – though that might just be Congo’s voodoo connections – and bike-like shape.

That clock hand has the artist’s initials: JJP the first J is oriented the correct way, the second is backwards, and the P is in the middle.  Above that is an anchor. I realize he signed the painting below on the left, but I think this hand is just a “vanity” bit. A red herring.

Ah yeah, I like that…he sneaked his initials in there. And yes, there’s definitely an anchor.
It does also look quite bike-like though…
(The other reason I mentioned motorbikes is that this always reminded me of a speedometer…)

Giant pole
Giant step
To the place
The casque is kept
The two streets heading northwest either side of Jackson are St Peter and St Ann. I thought these stopped at Congo, but now realise they carry on all the way to City Park, stopping and starting occasionally.
Most of V7 seems to describe the view towards the cathedral from the gates of Jackson, before plunging forwards in a “giant step” in the last few lines. How giant is giant though…? Both sides pass visual pointers. St Peter’s goes past Preservation Hall, while St Ann goes right through that white archway above. “Armstrong” could mean you’ve arrived. (Giant leap incidentally also ties in with the Twain/Jackson reference which concerns a champion jumping frog. And there’s the raised “A” on the arch which is reminiscent of “ace is high”). But then again, maybe it’s just a confirmer that you’re heading in the right direction.
Quite like this spot where they reach the river, for instance, since I’m currently on the lookout for space-travelling clues in the top part of the clock.
At this point, St Ann comes out next to this pole and step.
River. French. Frog.
Hmm.  ???

Chad, some of us have been at this for over 20 years, and have spent hundreds of hours digging.  We have all posted every single thing we had on the subject.
Scour the postings and decide for yourself, but you might find out that others can help you as much if not more than you can help them.
Welcome!
wilhouse

Terrific find, Jambone. The Greek structure is the Peristyle. From a website:
“The Peristyle is a magnificent Neo-Classical structure with majestic Ionic columns and is one of City Park’s oldest structures. Built in 1907, the Peristyle was originally designed as a dancing pavilion. Four concrete lions, some of the most recognizable denizens of City park, guard the Peristyle where stairs lead down to the edge of Bayou Metairie. Ducks, geese, swans swim merrily by during the day and the Peristyle is dramatically reflected into the Bayou by night. Countless dances, cocktail parties, weddings and picnics have been held in the Peristyle.”

Why do we often call the figure on the clock “Peter Pan”?  It seems like a jockey to me.

forest_blight

Not quite sure what you mean by this. No4?
Indeed, if someone were on site, they could enjoy a mean cafe au lait and beignet at Cafe du Monde. One of my favorite spots in N.O. or anywhere.

Meaning that there are more than one Halls that
could have our representative clocks.

Unknown

Unknown:
The park in which the statue is in has:
“Preservation Hall No4”

Not quite sure what you mean by this. No4?
Indeed, if someone were on site, they could enjoy a mean cafe au lait and beignet at Cafe du Monde. One of my favorite spots in N.O. or anywhere.

Yeah but, isn’t there only one Presevation Hall?

yes
wilhouse

boogieman

Eerie!  Look at the checked pattern.  By the top of the clock, the pattern’s bright.  The rest of it looks like its under water. The pattern becomes dark and wavey, as if looking at it summerged.   Hmmm.

I made this quote last September after Katrina, not putting it together with that bridge till now!!  The bridge is above the water, everything else is wet except the clock.
Anyone see the water under the bridge?

We have chosen this forum as the place where we will update our progress on Image 7. We feel that the map is now fully realized, and the verse assures its precise location. We would share our new discovery here right now, but our last expedition was foiled by fellow hunters that used our own work to beat us to the finish within 24 hours of us finding the location ourselves. Stolen. We play our cards close these days.
Weather permitting, updates regarding Dig 1 will be arriving in due time. Two ambiguous lines in the verse should determine the orientation of the map. Those will hopefully be solved this evening. Then, we will deal with the legality of digging on the site.
Only if our prospective sites turn up empty will we reveal the map to the members of this forum. Until then, wish us luck.

After 34 years, everything is a stab in the dark. Preiss underestimated the complexity of his work. I think we have a good idea of where it is now, we just have to lock down the X. I went to the area last week with one of my team members and we felt that the casque was close by, just waiting for us to unearth it. It just seems like the place Preiss would have chosen after arriving in New Orleans.

Thanks to an email I received in the early morning, I’m now in favor of a different theory belonging to someone else. Damn it.
It’s really humbling to see how work you’ve been focused on for years can so easily be labeled “mere stabbings in the dark”.

I have no plans to dig.  I’m trying to connect with a few different folks.

I watched “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” last night, which takes place mainly in New Orleans. To my delight, one scene was filmed at the Peristyle in City Park. I recognized it right off because of this group.

gManTexas

I’m confused as well. It doesn’t get more French than Lafayette.

Don’t be such a French stickler. Sarmiento wasn’t a particularly French connection either. This puzzle is a real head scratcher.

Forgive me if I butt in from ‘The Golden Key’ again! Regarding the clock in the image – I don’t know much about your quest, but I do know a wrong clock when I see it. No clock with Roman numerals renders the four as IV – it is always IIII, to avoid confusion with VI six. The only clocks that number four as IV are ones that strike in Roman numerals with 3 bells (for I V and X) and these are incredibly rare [at least that is the situation in Britain, I presume American clocks are the same].
Either it is just a mistake by an artist who didn’t look carefully at an actual Roman numbered clock dial, or if it really looks like that then it is virtually unique and unmistakeable.

wolstan dixie

Forgive me if I butt in from ‘The Golden Key’ again! Regarding the clock in the image – I don’t know much about your quest, but I do know a wrong clock when I see it. No clock with Roman numerals renders the four as IV – it is always IIII, to avoid confusion with VI six. The only clocks that number four as IV are ones that strike in Roman numerals with 3 bells (for I V and X) and these are incredibly rare [at least that is the situation in Britain, I presume American clocks are the same].
Either it is just a mistake by an artist who didn’t look carefully at an actual Roman numbered clock dial, or if it really looks like that then it is virtually unique and unmistakeable.

I’m pretty sure that the Big Ben clock face uses a IV for the four hour. Others do as well.
Could be a hint for Super Bowl IV, which was played in New Orleans @ Tulane.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Bowl_IV

Re Big Ben you are correct! But being in Gothic lettering it is pretty difficult to see as well. I still think it is unusual.

BrandonH pointed out that the werewolf’s sleeve forms a spoon. This may be a hint to “silver spoon”.
Of mixed English and American parentage, Churchill was born in Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire to a wealthy, aristocratic family.
His initials also present around the silver spoon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDpYBT0XyvA

Euhirudinea

In my experience, the best way I have found to explore a site is to remove the top 12″ of soil from an area about 2′ x 2′ and put it aside on a tarp. If it comes off intact, then it can be replaced intact, and that pretty much eliminates the ground scar. If it doesn’t then it really shouldn’t matter. A small rake or broom makes the area look as good as you found it. Once I have that soil put aside, I can dig and probe more easily, extending the hole at least 2-3′ in all directions, without disturbing the surface where it matters. Effectively, that’s an area of about 50-60 square feet. Just my opinion, but if you need a bigger hole than that, you are most likely in the wrong spot, and probably the wrong area. It’s probably a good idea to clean up, and go back and rethink your assumptions.
Repeat as necessary.

This is great to know, thanks! A rake is a great idea, because it will convince anyone who stops me that I do plan to leave the area nicer than I left it.

Can you block someone on this site? This DogReilly guy is a jerk ass troll. How do I block him?

Unknown

Unknown:
Can you block someone on this site?

You can put him on your “foes” list (User Control Panel) and then you don’t have to read his posts. Or you could, you know, just ignore him. It’s not like he can knock on your door and make you listen to him. Lots of different personality types on this Forum. That’s what makes it so interesting IMO.

Euhirudinea

You can put him on your “foes” list (User Control Panel) and then you don’t have to read his posts. Or you could, you know, just ignore him. It’s not like he can knock on your door and make you listen to him. Lots of different personality types on this Forum. That’s what makes it so interesting IMO.

A great question. This forum discussion would be a lot more streamlined if people knew about the block function. Thanks for asking, Dambala!
I would like to add that the general methodology of this forum is “post a theory, then have others dissect and criticize your theory to see what survives.” It’s a more critical approach than some other popular messageboards, which can be initially quite jarring.

I have been a metal detectorist for many years. The the method described about using a towel is great. You can also cut a plug U flap. Just cut the sod 3/4 of a circle and peel back the sod then dig dirt on to towel or tarp. When the hole is filled and flap back on place it’s hard to tell anyone was there and no dead spots.

Another thing to keep in mind is that plexiglass may get brittle over time our probes may be going through the top of the box. Does anyone know if the Cleveland box was brittle.

Howardjthomas

Another thing to keep in mind is that plexiglass may get brittle over time our probes may be going through the top of the box. Does anyone know if the Cleveland box was brittle.

I will ask Brian

maltedfalcon

I will ask Brian

Brian says the plexiglass, while broken does not show any signs of loss of strength , The case was probably broken by frost heave or groundskeepers working in the planter.

Unknown

Unknown:
I will ask Brian

I’m not sure if that will definitely answer the question, as the Cleveland casque was taken out of the ground almost 14 years ago. We do know (from the podcast) that at the time, the plexiglass had enough structural integrity that Andy was able to throw a piece at Brian, and it probably is in more or less the same condition today, assuming that it has been stored properly (which in this case, means anything but back in the ground). My assumption is that in most cases, a probe in the right spot will hit “something”, but to know what that “something” is, you will have to dig. Carefully.

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 am not Josh. I just checked out because I wasn’t feeling the vibe…a little too much hostility.
I have been real busy for the past two weeks with work but I’ve been communicating with two other guys who are looking for it. We fully believe it is in Armstrong…in fact in our opinion it’s not a matter of it being in Armstrong it’s a matter of where according the minute clues in the image. I think I know exactly where it is and I have been prodding the area but I had to put it on hold for work. I’m hoping to pick the hunt back up soon. I originally dismissed the exact location because I didn’t think the landmarks predated the 1981/82 mark but one of the guys I’m working with had images of the park that verified the landmarks were in fact there in 1980.
Accompanied by a very subtle clue in the clock face I had missed and was alerted to by someone else…I know (I personally believe) I’m in the right spot regarding the marker I just haven’t hit it yet with the prod.
The problem is there is so much debris buried around the marker. The ground is filled with brick and roots so it’s really hard to prod and get a definitive result.
I am pretty sure I know where to dig though and I am going for it as soon as I get a day off….plus it’s Mardi Gras and that is making things more difficult.

Euhirudinea

I’m not sure if that will definitely answer the question, as the Cleveland casque was taken out of the ground almost 14 years ago. We do know (from the podcast) that at the time, the plexiglass had enough structural integrity that Andy was able to throw a piece at Brian, and it probably is in more or less the same condition today, assuming that it has been stored properly (which in this case, means anything but back in the ground). My assumption is that in most cases, a probe in the right spot will hit “something”, but to know what that “something” is, you will have to dig. Carefully.

oh I agree, a probe to find a plastic and porcelain casque is pretty much useless.
especially in sandy soil where in just a short distance the soil compacts so hard it sounds like you have hit an object but its just compacted sand….
in a perfect environment where the box is still a box, and you are carefull maybe, but mostly it won’t give you any useful info at all
you have to dig.

Unknown

Unknown:
but mostly it won’t give you any useful info at all

In my experience, the best way I have found to explore a site is to remove the top 12″ of soil from an area about 2′ x 2′ and put it aside on a tarp. If it comes off intact, then it can be replaced intact, and that pretty much eliminates the ground scar. If it doesn’t then it really shouldn’t matter. A small rake or broom makes the area look as good as you found it. Once I have that soil put aside, I can dig and probe more easily, extending the hole at least 2-3′ in all directions, without disturbing the surface where it matters. Effectively, that’s an area of about 50-60 square feet. Just my opinion, but if you need a bigger hole than that, you are most likely in the wrong spot, and probably the wrong area. It’s probably a good idea to clean up, and go back and rethink your assumptions.
Repeat as necessary.

Thanks for the comments folks. I guess we all come at this from a different perspective. I’ve been to Chicago several times now and, if not for this book, wouldn’t even know that a water tower existed there (much less know what it looks like). But 20 years ago, at 15 years old, I knew well that there was a Preservation Hall in NO and that the mask “felt like” mardi gras.
Funny how upbringing chnages everything.
Anyway, I see all your points but I’m going to stick to my belief that it’s not NO. Hopefully we’ll all one day know for sure!
Matt

I too must disagree.  I think the images in P5 were very blatant.  Yes, the Water Tower, the lat/lon #s and please dont forget…..The Bowman….it does not get much more blatant than that.
Now, before you begin by saying……I dont live in Chicago, therefor I would not know the Water tower or The Bowman.. believe it or not….most people also would not know about Preservation Hall in N.O. and/or would not immediately tie a clock with the sole word Preservation…to a hall.
Dont get me wrong….I really like your alternative theory but I am still pretty much sold on this P being N.O.{along with P12 being NYC…..or is that too obvious as well?}
yes…I know.. I was one of the many who were CONVINCED the clvlnd P was in the “keystone” state of PA  ::)

I always say til we find a casque, anythings possible.
No offense taken at all –
Still I’d never been to Chicago when the book first came out.
and I recggnized the water tower-
Course at the time I lived in DC so I was sure the Chicago verse was DC and it went with pix 12
oh well.
I think there has been more progress on this book in the last 2 years than in the previous 20 combined….
Maltedfalcon

I think I have the statue positions figured out now. In the background to Rosemerta we can glimpse the awning of the Cafe du Monde:
…and in the background to Semele I think we’re seeing the small building shown in this view:
Semele was a moon goddess, which would fit the image of the last line.
This could make the verse a description of a journey round the clock face, from one end of the double-headed arrow to the other.
* * * * *
Changing the subject (well, slightly) I’d wondered about a snooker theme, with cue/cueball/pocket. If you put a 9 in the corner obscured by the mask, to go with the three in the other corners, you get 09+19+29+90 = 147 (maximum break). Doesn’t seem like snooker is big in the US though…

.

I wonder if there’s a slick reference to “night shade” intended in the quote about “sheltering heads for a night” as in “night shade” = “night shelter”.
Do the flowers look like belladonna? I think they do.

I noticed that page 1 of chapter 1 of the Alcoholics Anonymous book mentions Bill W reading a soldier’s tombstone. I think this finding fits the Morazan statue across from the St. Louis cemetery given his plaque is an exact match to the triangle-in-circle symbol for AA.

Anything is a stretch when not presented properly. I was having coffee this morning and pulled the 1976 printing of AA off the shelf to see how it might’ve been a keystone in this puzzle. The exact match of the symbol is something to consider. The belladonna cure that is discussed in the AA book is also of interest if you consider the flowers illustrated on the clock look exactly like belladonna. The clock says 12. AA is predominantly noted for its 12 step method. The Morazan statue as part of a Gardens of the Americas art installation and plaque honoring it as the Gateway to the Americas (another instance of A.A. if you’re willing to translate North and South Americas as A.A.)
Morazan and two other statues on Basin street make a good case for “only three stand watch”.
This site is three blocks from Armstrong Park.
The comparison of hemlines between sleeve and pants is pretty good.
I have a new theory on why the purple checkers in the background aren’t drawn as simple straight lines. It’s obviously not intended to be a rigid surface, so something has to explain the deformations. I think the idea is to hint of a fabric.
I’m now considering that the 4th line of Verse 2 might involve looking for hems. A suit has two main hem points, the end of the sleeves and the end of the pants.
From end to end
is maybe BP’s subtlety in saying “from hem to hem”.
I believe there’s a mirrored site match between the hem of the purple arm sleeve and Morazan’s pants.
FYI, the Morazan statue is approx 3 blocks southwest of the Louis Armstrong park. I know that park has been heavily altered over the years, but I’m pretty sure this old statue of Louis was there somewhere. Maybe the costume mask in the image is the best hint for the part of NOLA you should begin searching.

Oh, I see what you’re getting at. On one hand you’re correct that all you need is a verse and image to solve a location, but you are surely mistaken if you withdraw any periphery guidance that may be applicable in terms of Litany of the Jewels, topical points in the illustration, word meanings which might a dictionary resource might demonstrate some trick of usage, and historic context that becomes available to a local onlooker in the form of an interpretive marker or historic pamphlet. You should also consider the literary reference to the 1976 publication, Abroad in America, which makes use of the Sarmiento quote about Sovereign people’s laying their heads beneath palace rooftops for the night. The question of what role or influence any choice of words or illustrative element has on the necessity for clues and method for a location is completely up for debate. If you think Cleveland and Chicago are evidence to the contrary, I think you’ll not be able to find any citations or confirmations to that effect.
Clearly it looks like I’m reaching for unrelated material, but that is how it will always look to those who have no interest in shaping a theory with deductive and inductive research. We know we need a correctly paired image and verse, but then what comes next is entirely up to interpretation and application. I’m proposing that its possible to take Alcoholism, a widely known topic and basis for a book, meetings and recovery process, and associate it with Mardis Gras, which is widely known for its drinking and revelry and co-opt or appropriate that topic in the form of the Fair Folk of France looking for a clever way to include St. Louis Cemetery No.1 and Louis Armstrong.

Hold it. My assumption that Basin St. is related to the No.12 tomb as a perpendicular is wrong. As I continue to question each of my geometric asseritions, I find that the only constraints should be purely as constructed by the image,
Clock:
1) Something is important at 12 o’clock (long and short clockhands)
2) Something is important at just before 3 o’clock (the small seconds hand)
3) Something is important at just past 9 o’clock (the flying man’s hand)
France:
1) King Louis XII = Tomb No. 12 (although it’s Italian…)
2) Francisco Morazan = (FRANCE-isco), dedicated Oct 21st, 1966 (although he’s Honduran…)
3) Chapel of St. Anthony of Padua = Franciscan building, dedicated Oct 21st, 1827 (although he’s Portuguese…)
When I scale and rotate the map I find there is the possibility of a major congruence,

I’ve been thinking about image 9, and it’s given me a heretical idea.
The stuff before the images and verses seems a plausible source of clues, and not one that’s been ruled out by BP to my knowledge. People generally accept the litany, and why should the map be less credible…? It talks about centaurs for Hellas – OK, so we have a centaur in image 4. It talks about tree fairies for Africa, where we find things hanging off branches, extended roots, and Osceola. It talks about “Korreds”, “Dames Blanches” (white ladies) and “Loup Garoux” (werewolves) for France. Image 7 has something that could pass for a werewolf, along with a chequered background and a moon that looks like a “Dame” (draughts piece).
Gnomes are identified on the map as coming from the lowlands, so the gnome reference in V2 may suggest that this is the Dutch verse, Sarmiento notwithstanding. Fifteen rows down to the ground on the Dutchman gets you to his cuffs – maybe handcuffs (bound) or bracelets (jewels abound).
Following this logic, there might be some overlooked map clue for Image 7 which suggests a different verse.

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.

As I have said, this place has become too cluttered for me to come here and post regularly. I will participate if/when I feel like it. And FYI, censorship can only be executed by a government. Me filtering posts is not – in any way, shape, or form – censorship.
This will be my last non-Secret-related post on the matter. Good luck to all.

Folks, I spent all day today going through the CBD and Quarter, eliminating locations that have been mentioned. At the end of the day I hit paydirt. I am 99% sure I know where it is now, even down to 20′ x 30′ area. I had a total AHA!!! moment when I was standing in the middle of the location and looking at the picture. I looked up and I nearly crapped my pants. You have to be standing on the location to understand the picture, you can’t see it from Google Earth. I almost cried.
I’m going back hopefully tomorrow or within the next few days with my daughter and her friends to try and locate the exact burial spot. I may have to get permission to dig, I’m sure I will, but I am going to prod for it in the next few days.
Wish me luck!

Man, that’s exciting. If you find it I’m sure I’ll jump out of my seat. It’s been nearly 14 years since that last box was found, I think this would renew some hope.

Dambala

I almost feel guilty solving it because I would love for other families to tackle it.

I feel the same way. That’s why I don’t actually dig them up even though I have solid solves for every remaining cask. I wish other people could be as smart as I am, but I just let my smug satisfaction replace the thrill of actually uncovering the cask. It’s basically the same thing, except I don’t have any need to actually prove to anyone that I’m right. Out of the goodness of my heart though, because I want them to find it even though I already know all the answers.

I know exactly where it is within about a 20 foot radius. I think I know where it is within that radius but I’m not sure if I can dig there. I mean I know he put it there because he thought it would be “dig-able” but I’m not sure if I can get permission to do it. The clues in the image are brilliant, btw. I mean you have to stand in the exact position to actually see what was going on and that’s exactly what happened to me. I actually found it backwards….and then stood in the “Aha!!!” position.
The panoptic perspective from that position was cathartic. My daughter and I shed some tears. You suddenly understand the subliminal aspects of the image.
Even if I can’t dig, it has been worth the time and effort my 13-year-old daughter and I put in to the hunt. We have had an amazing adventure together and we found it together.
I will let you know if I’m allowed to dig. I’m going to make the request from the “authoritative entity” right after I narrow down the spot to a within a square foot.

It really is a wonderfully written quest. I live here so I had a huge advantage because I know a lot of the history but it was so much fun to walk through those clues with my daughter and she learned so much about the area. I almost feel guilty solving it because I would love for other families to tackle it.

Yeah I understand. This means a lot to my daughter though because she wants to hold the thing in her hands. I don’t really car about possessing it, I think Priess’s estate went bankrupt anyway so I am not even sure there is a “treasure” other than the casque itself.

Dambala

Yeah I understand. These means a lot to my daughter though because she wants to hold the thing in her hands. I don’t really car about possessing it, I think Priess’s estate went bankrupt anyway so I am not even sure there is a “treasure” other than the casque itself.

If you are correct, that’s really awesome. I genuinely mean that. I want to see another one of these uncovered regardless of the circumstances or bravado surrounding the discovery. Nobody’s looking for 80’s era buried treasure for fame and fortune. Forgive me for being a bit skeptical about your claims. You aren’t the first person to waltz in here (with the best of intentions I’m sure) and broadcast some “sure fire” solution to a puzzle that people have spent years on. (Of course, no details of the “solution” are ever offered in any detail. Please share.) Should you be the exception to the rule, I will do a Muhammad Ali: I will get down on my hands and knees, crawl across the ring, and look up to you and say you are the greatest.
I do sincerely apologize that your post was a bit of a straw that broke the camels back. I hope you chose to stick around and contribute, but there’s a laundry list of people with 2 or 3 posts here who smugly call everyone here a bunch of assholes. They are going to waltz out and dig up a cask real quick, in the face of the years of effort and collaboration that said smug treasure hunter actually used to formulate their smug opinion. Then they disappear and will forever come back as a result on a forum user search with 4 total posts.

I’m also pretty sure I have the solution, and like Dambala, some tears were shed upon figuring it out. I know we won’t get permission to dig, (and I really really want Dambala and their daughter to find it
) but the hunt was incredibly fun. I really have enjoyed looking for it. My eight year old son and I were having a field day! Goodness, this has been a ride. Dambala, if you get permission to dig, please let us know! My son would love to see pictures.

I know EXACTLY where all casques are too. I narrowed it down to a SPECIFIC 300 to 500 yard radius in any one of 10 or 15 parks across the USA and Canada
I am satisfied just knowing I know. You should be happy for me and envious. I knew exactly what Byron Priess was thinking when he made the verses and paintings
I even knew where the Chicago and Cleveland casques were too before they were unearthed.
I just didn’t want to take all the fame away from the others who worked so hard. I thought I would give them a little piece of fame for all the work they did
Wow I can’t believe you people could not even figure them out
Anyone want to know where they are? only if get permission to dig? then will I tell. or may not
Wow that was fun Now what to do with rest of my life
Sorry. everyone else is doing it

Doghousereiley

I know EXACTLY where all casques are too. I narrowed it down to a SPECIFIC 300 to 500 yard radius in any one of 10 or 15 parks across the USA and Canada
I am satisfied just knowing I know. You should be happy for me and envious. I knew exactly what Byron Priess was thinking when he made the verses and paintings
I even knew where the Chicago and Cleveland casques were too before they were unearthed.
I just didn’t want to take all the fame away from the others who worked so hard. I thought I would give them a little piece of fame for all the work they did
Wow I can’t believe you people could not even figure them out
Anyone want to know where they are? only if get permission to dig? then will I tell. or may not
Wow that was fun Now what to do with rest of my life
Sorry. everyone else is doing it

What’s that? You want to read my diary? No way am I going to let you read my diary. It has so many of my most secret thoughts. I know everyone wants to read my diary but I won’t let them. Because it’s my diary. No way. It has my most secret thoughts. My diary that I know everyone wants to read but I won’t let them because it’s my diary.

Doghousereiley

I know EXACTLY where all casques are too. I narrowed it down to a SPECIFIC 300 to 500 yard radius in any one of 10 or 15 parks across the USA and Canada
I am satisfied just knowing I know. You should be happy for me and envious. I knew exactly what Byron Priess was thinking when he made the verses and paintings
I even knew where the Chicago and Cleveland casques were too before they were unearthed.
I just didn’t want to take all the fame away from the others who worked so hard. I thought I would give them a little piece of fame for all the work they did
Wow I can’t believe you people could not even figure them out
Anyone want to know where they are? only if get permission to dig? then will I tell. or may not
Wow that was fun Now what to do with rest of my life
Sorry. everyone else is doing it

I’m really really really sorry, I wasn’t aware this was so frowned upon. Please forgive me. I only wanted to be supportive and for Dambala to know I was rooting for them, and their daughter. I didn’t mean at all to sound smug, and I deeply apologize for it seeming that way. It was something my child and I were doing for fun. I contacted them directly instead, and I won’t post again. I am horribly sorry.

OK, I hope the old-timers here don’t vent their frustrations on the newbies. Let us welcome our guests and be polite.
While Google Earth and Google Street-View do have their limitations, almost every scenic area in every major city has been photographed and posted online. Unless they are hidden behind a paywall or private login, the images can be found if you know how to search Instagram and other places where pix are uploaded.
It would make sense that we’ve been missing the answer because the location does not rely on any famous viewing angle. I do hope that new hunters can find a new solution which pans out, and I also hope whatever visual confirmers exist now also existed back when the hunt was first published.

catherwood

It would make sense that we’ve been missing the answer because the location does not rely on any famous viewing angle.

Bump.
Also, I’m sorry to disappoint those of you who are still looking, but my keyboard is shorting out because I am crying all over it. I’m literally shaking. Yesterday, I stood on a casque. It was right below me in the 1881′ by 1442′ section of earth under my feet. You don’t have to look in this city any more. I am securing permission, and hope to probe by the end of the week. My dig is currently in it’s final cut. There will likely be a festival where I will show it once all is done. In the meantime, please go through me if you want to dig in the city so you don’t screw it up for the rest of us. I have friends. Bigly.

Glossiphoniidae

Bump.
Also, I’m sorry to disappoint those of you who are still looking, but my keyboard is shorting out because I am crying all over it. I’m literally shaking. Yesterday, I stood on a casque. It was right below me in the 1881′ by 1442′ section of earth under my feet. You don’t have to look in this city any more. I am securing permission, and hope to probe by the end of the week. My dig is currently in it’s final cut. There will likely be a festival where I will show it once all is done. In the meantime, please go through me if you want to dig in the city so you don’t screw it up for the rest of us. I have friends. Bigly.

Merlot Brougham

.

I say it everyday… we should have been working together for a while now. Your common sense and logical thinking skills surpass most. You’ve got some great perception, too. Kudos. I’ll bet you have stuff to offer that not many others could.

Unknown

Unknown:
I don’t think Preiss was good enough at this to have a method.

Of all the things written on this forum in the last week or so, the statement above is the one I disagree with the most. Which is saying something considering that as of this writing, a good many of those new posts have been authored by one Josh Cornell, of Ontario, Canada.

MrBackstop

How about this for some help renovator.
Here’s the key to what I see:
Fay means Lafayette. Lafayette Park and Lafayette street are the Namesakes meeting.
Gnomes admire. These are the 3 statues in Lafayette Park. All three of these men are gnomes. What many people don’t realize is that “gnomes” also refers to financial experts. McDonogh, Clay, and Franklin are all financial experts.
Another important piece I keep noticing in the Secret Images is the shape of a triangle or a triangle with a dot in the center. These US triangulation stations or markers are all over the country.
If you stand and face the Benjamin Franklin statue and look over to the grounds to the right you will notice a triangulation pyramid by that tree. And in the Image artwork you’ll notice a very light colored triangle at the bottom right of the grandfather clock.
My interpretation is that this represents a Forefather (Franklin statue) pointing in the direction of the triangulation pyramid where the casque is buried.
Thoughts?

renovator, no thoughts yet?
Let me add this to the “clock hands” meaning:
That statues in Lafayette Square have distinct circles around each of them and those 3 circles are represented on the Big Hand pointing to XII. If you are on the ground facing the Franklin statue, all of the statues are in a line like the Big Hand.
With my interpretation of the Grandfather clock being a “Forefather”, Ben Franklin, The Big Hand is the statues (gnomes) with their circles. The little hand points toward 3 O’Clock which simply means to the right of the statue. And as I stated earlier, the lighter colored triangle in the background, on the bottom right of the head of the “Forefather” clock, points toward the triangulation pyramid in the ground.
The casque could be somewhere around that area or in the landscaping on the other side of the walk.

Dambala

I try not to let pareidolia get the best of me. If you stare at any image long enough you will start seeing all kinds of things. I think I see the ghostly figure of a wolf across from the three in background but I don’t even want to entertain that.
What I’m really curious about is the small hamd pointing to III. The circle on the end of the hand, I wonder if that is degrees, or if it’s 3 feet, or 3 yards…or none of the above. Notice that the small hand is ever so slightly offset to the top of the III. It made me wonder if that meant it’s to the left of the marker it if it’s pointing to one of three.
Like I said, I’m trying not to let my imagination get the best of me but you start seeing clues in every little nuance.

Dambala, so I’m still approaching the puzzle from a visual standpoint, and when I look at Duncan Plaza, I see the that the park has some similarities to the minute hands on the clock (two circles). If you line it up like Image 7, the direction is straight toward Amstrong Park and the arch. The second hand sits on Lafayette Square. Also, and this might be a throwaway, but going from Lafayette Square to Duncan Plaza, you pass The Little Gem Saloon at 445 S. Rampart St. & Poydras. This place may have been closed when Preiss was there but it is considered the birthplace of jazz and Amstrong played there.
Apparently in Duncan Plaza there are only three statues. 15 blocks from Lafayette to Armstrong Park, and passes by the library, (which BP would have been natural drawn to as a writer and publisher,) St. Louis Cemetery #1, and several other historic attractions along the way.
Not sure if this leads anywhere, but it’s a theory.
gManTexas

Dambala

I try not to let pareidolia get the best of me. If you stare at any image long enough you will start seeing all kinds of things. I think I see the ghostly figure of a wolf across from the three in background but I don’t even want to entertain that.
What I’m really curious about is the small hamd pointing to III. The
circle
on the end of the hand, I wonder if that is degrees, or if it’s 3 feet, or 3 yards…or none of the above. Notice that the small hand is ever so slightly offset to the top of the III. It made me wonder if that meant it’s to the left of the marker it if it’s pointing to one of three.
Like I said, I’m trying not to let my imagination get the best of me but you start seeing clues in every little nuance.

Dambala, so I’m still approaching the puzzle from a visual standpoint, and when I look at Duncan Plaza, I see the that the park has some similarities to the minute hands on the clock (two circles). If you line it up like Image 7, the direction is straight toward Amstrong Park and the arch. The second hand sits on Lafayette Square. Also, and this might be a throwaway, but going from Lafayette Square to Duncan Plaza, you pass The Little Gem Saloon at 445 S. Rampart St. & Poydras. This place may have been closed when Preiss was there but it is considered the birthplace of jazz and Amstrong played there.
Apparently in Duncan Plaza there are only three statues. 15 blocks from Lafayette to Armstrong Park, and passes by the library, (which BP would have been natural drawn to as a writer and publisher,) St. Louis Cemetery #1, and several other historic attractions along the way.
Not sure if this leads anywhere, but it’s a theory.
gManTexas

I appreciate that and I took a look at Duncan Plazd.
Just being on the ground, I honestly think this puzzle is not as complicated as people
Are trying to make it.
It is simply a stroll through the Quarter from St. Louis Cathedral to the other namesake. I lived in the Quarter for five years right off Jackson Square and I think that why I understood this puzzle. I’m also a human he fan of the themes and figurehead and admittedly that may have clouded my vision but when I followed
When the path, St. Ann, or St. Louis…both get you there…it started to come together.
Then…look…when you’re standing in the side it’s hilarious. The image is quite literally a
topographical map of the site and it couldn’t possibly be anywhere else
because there is no other place that comes close to
those features.
I could entertain, for a few seconds, the theory he mapped that location in the image as a Jester’s ruse but I
I’m telling you the minutiae clues in the image are all over this site.
My hands are literally blistered and bloody from prodding and some slight digging for the past 7 days because I am that confident I am in the right spot.
If you stood on the wolf’s perspective and looks at
the map you would understand my confidence.

I really hope you find it. Just in time for Mardi Gras too!

Unknown

Unknown:
renovator, no thoughts yet?

Sorry Backstop, missed this the first time around. There is a lot more new information recently, so it’s harder to keep up.
Unfortunaley, most of that information is speculative (what if, I think, etc.) and it is really hard to argue against that. For example, you think that there is a connection between triangles and the US Geodetic Survey Markers which is fine. Except that most of the Survey Markers are round, and not all of them have triangles. And that neither the Chicago or Cleveland solves required them in any way. Which is not to say that they might not be relevant where they do exist (Charleston or New Orleans as examples). But if they are in some, and not in others, then the argument that you are really making is that each puzzle, more or less, stands on its own. Find the relevant Image, combine it with a Verse that you like, follow the clues and dig up a casque. Basically, it’s trial and error, and I just don’t think the puzzle works that way. But I had to move a lot of dirt to come to that conclusion, and until #3 is found, I can’t really say that my ideas on how the puzzles work are any better than yours (or anyone else’s for that matter).

Hey guys, here is the video. I took the password protection off because…what the hell.
https://vimeo.com/252819835

Dambala

Hey guys, here is the video. I took the password protection off because…what the hell.
https://vimeo.com/252819835

Why don’t you go dig, I mean they seemed cool with it and you can just fill it back in. If you find it, it would be great publicity and extra news coverage with both Mardi Gras and 300 year anniversary of NOLA.

Dambala

Hey guys, here is the video. I took the password protection off because…what the hell.
https://vimeo.com/252819835

I’m guessing the hill that lines up with the wolf head is the spot. if not it sounds good,

Haha, listening to Pandora and Tainted Love by Soft Cell came on. This quest is a tainted love. What really grabbed me was the album art…maybe I gotta lay off this stuff!
https://resources.tidal.com/images/425e … 0x1280.jpg

gManTexas

Haha, listening to Pandora and Tainted Love by Soft Cell came on. This quest is a tainted love. What really grabbed me was the album art…maybe I gotta lay off this stuff!
https://resources.tidal.com/images/425e … 0x1280.jpg

A soft cell is where you end up if you spend too much time on this puzzle.

Unknown

Unknown:
I took the password protection off because…what the hell.

Or, you took the password off because there is nothing in that 12:44 that isn’t either prevailing theory (coordinates and the fact that Verse 2 goes with Image 7), or some variation of “I think”. We don’t argue with the former much, and can’t argue with the latter.
Forget that it’s me asking for a second, and just think about why you think it’s in Armstrong Park. Why, in your opinion, it HAS to be in Armstrong Park. And then ask yourself if any reasonable person has to come to the same conclusion that you do, in the same way that no reasonable person is arguing against the coordinates. Because in order for this puzzle to be something more than trial and error, that’s the pertinent question at the moment.
By the way, “because Armstrong Park is where I dug it up” is a perfectly good answer.

Howardjthomas

I’m guessing the hill that lines up with the wolf head is the spot. if not it sounds good,

I believe the wolf is looking st the spot and marker, which is the moon.
In fact, what does a wolf howl at?

No, the reason this theory is different is because “hills”.
This is the only location in the area that has hills, New Orleans doesn’t have hills. Not only dues Armstrong have hills, the background is an actual map of a quadrant of the park. If you stand in the spot where the wolf is it’s unmistakable.

And suggesting that I haven’t brought up new clues is simply not true.

You a are a piece of work…once again…I never said Persererverance Hall has a checkerboard floor.
I said the checkerboard floor is a staple symbol of the Masons and that Perserverance Hall is the very first Masonic Lodge in Louisiana located in the middle of the park.
And yes…it open to the public daily, they have video and projector running daily in the hall showcasing New Orleans Jazz history.

You “did a lot of research”? Really? Why didn’t you just ask me and I would have told you it doesn’t? I think I did tell you it doesn’t.
I told you I had just stood inside the building not two hours before you entente off of on your tangent rant claiming I said something I never said.

Dambala, if you are there and are 100% positive about the location, just go dig it up. This will bring it to a conclusion.

I am trying…I’ve been out there every day for the past 10 days prodding. I think I have found it but I want to get permission to do it first. I’ve stated repeatedly that area is covered in historical buried items that were part of the Storyville District. I don’t want to dig a 3 foot hole and possibly damage something muck more valuable than this item.

Dambala

I am trying…I’ve been out there every day for the past 10 days prodding. I think I have found it but I want to get permission to do it first. I’ve stated repeatedly that area is covered in historical buried items that were part of the Storyville District. I don’t want to dig a 3 foot hole and possibly damage something muck more valuable than this item.

I get that, and I think it’s admirable that you want to get permission, however, I think the topography was created in order to make the park in 1980. If it’s man made, they already dug up all the historic stuff, no?
Furthermore, does the opening in 1980 mess with the dates when the casque was buried? Personally, if I was BP, I would have avoided any area that was under construction.

Unknown

Unknown:
And suggesting that I haven’t brought up new clues is simply not true.

If this was directed at me, that’s not what I said at all. I said that there are objective clues and subjective clues and that most of your video is subjective. Every reasonable person who understands how Preiss used the coordinates will end up making the connection between the numbers in Image 7 and New Orleans, and those that don’t are beyond help IMO. On the other hand, only the people who agree with your specific interpretation of the other clues will end up in the area of Armstrong Park where you think the casque is buried. The rest will just argue with you, some more forcefully than others.
Surely there has to be a better way, no?

No, they haven’t . The topography is man made. There are no natural hills in New Orleans. There are only three places that have hills in the entire city…Audubon Park (Monkey Hill), City Park and Armstrong Park. Only one of those three are in the general vicinity of the puzzle (CBD French Quarter)….Armstrong.
They renovated the park in 1980 and the hills were literally created as a landscape feature. They are still in tact as they were then…everything is pretty much still in tact as it was since the 1980 renovation. The hills are exactly as they were when the park was renovated (finished) in 1980 and Preiss would have seen this as a brand new park.
It is also a national historic landmark in respect to the actual New Orleans Jazz History Park. Perserverance Hall is a in that park and is considered a National Historic Landmark as well because it’s the first Masonic Hall in Louisiana, erected around 1820.
This area also houses Congo Square which is hands down the most sacred and cherished site in the City. One of my fears of naming the park was that someone was going to go dig in Congo Square. That is my worst nightmare.
Anyone reading this, it’s not on that side of the park…please don’t disturb anything over there. It’s on the Northeast side of the park.
Look, I’m not saying you gManTexas, but I don’t get the hostility here. I was under the assumption the forum was a place to share theories and discuss them civilly and in the spirit of the quest, I don’t understand all the venom on this.
If you don’t agree with my theory, that’s cool, I’m fine with that and I would love to hear why. But the apparent butthurt and venom is not something I’m interested in.
I’ll mozy on over to another forum and see if those folks are in a more civil mood. If anyone wants to discuss stuff in a civil manner you can leave a message in my inbox and I’d be happy to.
Good luck to those of you searching for any of these casques. I hope my theories and clues in the video could at least help in some of the other quests, even if you completely disregard the information I provided for this one.
I meant no ill will here…peace.

Dambala

No, they haven’t . The topography is man made. There are no natural hills in New Orleans. There are only three places that have hills in the entire city…Audubon Park (Monkey Hill), City Park and Armstrong Park. Only one of those three are in the general vicinity of the puzzle (CBD French Quarter)….Armstrong.
They renovated the park in 1980 and the hills were literally created as a landscape feature. They are still in tact as they were then…everything is pretty much still in tact as it was since the 1980 renovation. The hills are exactly as they were when the park was renovated (finished) in 1980 and Preiss would have seen this as a brand new park.
It is also a national historic landmark in respect to the actual New Orleans Jazz History Park. Perserverance Hall is a in that park and is considered a National Historic Landmark as well because it’s the first Masonic Hall in Louisiana, erected around 1820.
This area also houses Congo Square which is hands down the most sacred and cherished site in the City. One of my fears of naming the park was that someone was going to go dig in Congo Square. That is my worst nightmare.
Anyone reading this, it’s not on that side of the park…please don’t disturb anything over there. It’s on the Northeast side of the park.
Look, I’m not saying you gManTexas, but I don’t get the hostility here. I was under the assumption the forum was a place to share theories and discuss them civilly and in the spirit of the quest, I don’t understand all the venom on this.
If you don’t agree with my theory, that’s cool, I’m fine with that and I would love to hear why. But the apparent butthurt and venom is not something I’m interested in.
I’ll mozy on over to another forum and see if those folks are in a more civil mood. If anyone wants to discuss stuff in a civil manner you can leave a message in my inbox and I’d be happy to.
Good luck to those of you searching for any of these casques. I hope my theories and clues in the video could at least help in some of the other quests, even if you completely disregard the information I provided for this one.
I meant no ill will here…peace.

Dambala, I’m not being hostile at all. I am just trying to look at this objectively. I even posted some theories to back up your claim that it is in Armstrong. Clock hands centered at Duncan Plaza, etc. Either way, this is why I’m encouraging you to dig. Prove your theory right or wrong.
What I don’t agree with is discounting the clues, both literary and within the image. BP and the rest involved with the creation of the book and hunt put in a LOT of work and creativity to this endeavor. I don’t think we can ignore some of the stuff because it doesn’t fit a theory. This is why some people have drawn criticism, because there is a method to the madness that is The Secret.

Don’t let them get to you. Your putting boots on the ground I respect that it more than most. Especially the genius who solved all the puzzles from Google earth in 2 days. As a metal detectorist if it a park and their are no sings it ok to dig in a respectfull manor.

Unknown

Unknown:
because there is a method to the madness that is The Secret.

And that’s where I break from everyone here. I don’t think Preiss was good enough at this to have a method.

burnstyle

And that’s where I break from everyone here. I don’t think Preiss was good enough at this to have a method.

Wait, I also believe he had a method, more specifically each culture based fair folk pursued a method specific to their own liking.
I thought you were of the position that Preiss was bad at making puzzles. Dies that conflict with the statement that he had a method?

Dambala, I’ve never heard of the Good Friends connection before, well done.
I’m looking at google street view, and the entrance to Louis Armstrong park can be seen down the street when you are stading outside Good Friends.
Also, what do you think about this match for your checkerboard… it’s in Louis Armstrong park and it also fits the “three stand watch”:
The “Buddy Bolden” statue.

Armstrong Park is heavily altered from however it looked in the 80’s.

Can anyone tell me anything about this bust:
It’s in Armstrong park, but I can find no info on it. Can’t even find it in image search

erexere

Armstrong Park is heavily altered from however it looked in the 80’s.

Not sure why you posted this, please elaborate. The entrance to the park, from what I can tell, has always been down the street and within view of Good Friends

Sure. The entrance has been preserved but I recall seeing pictures of Armstrong getting fully remodeled with a new interior layout after Katrina.

Still siding with the Cormac here.  I have faith that it is still there, 2 to 3 ft under ground in L Sq.

kibitz did u get a chance to look around new orleans???  how’d it go?
i’m still stuck on storyland…..the flowers, the stick, the puffed sleeves are all there.
but, i’m thinking it could be on the outside of the gates because of that clock looking so much like a “lock”
near a sign like this for “afternoon hours”:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rogie_la/2070907577/
and of course “only three stand watch”:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rogie_la/2 … otostream/
“namesakes meeting near this site”  could just mean “storyland” as gnomes and fairies are all in fairy tales
i just had a thought because of that quote right near the end of the verse,  “here is a sovereign……”  from the book
Abroad in America: Visitors to a new nation

instead of that referencing the st. charles hotel or new orleans, maybe it’s just referencing the fair people themselves……….the fairies and gnomes, they immigrated too……  ;D
or of course, it could still mean a castle, or a mushroom
but then, what are the chances before the internet of anyone having heard of that book?
if it’s just referencing a hotel, or “room for a night”,  plenty of those in fairy tales……..hansel and gretel’s house, the 3 little pigs, snow white, goldilocks, little red riding hood, peter pan….etc.

animatedgeoff

Hey, I’m just chiming in that I live in NOLA and have been digging into this for a few days. I’ve got about 10 other friends working on the image and verse. So, want to let you guys know there’s a local willing to get dirty!

welcome, any ideas on what you have read for NOLA, are you a native or longtime resident

Kibitz, that was an excellent conclusion you have drawn.  I think there is a pattern that BP used with these verses and you have hit on it nicely.  It would be real nice if we could tie this in with Maltedfalcon’s pattern starting with the iconic image starting point.  maybe you already have…

Over the last year, I’ve made significant improvements to my work on the NOLA site. I’ve been in contact with a bunch of other people working on their own theories. They sound like they’ve made lots of progress too, but nowhere have we seen their visually compelling work. The pbwiki has been very underwhelming. I won’t name anyone specifically, because it’s impossible to be critical of something that’s being kept in the shadows like a mismal beacon of hope.
Well, my theory is what it is, which is fairly loose. Louis Armstrong’s face is a prominent feature of the image. Louis Armstrong Park is a great starting place. Nearby is Basin Street, which along it’s neutral ground contains a 1957 city art installation called the Gardens of the Americas and has had only three standing statues watching the palms grow. At the end of Basin, a few streets beyond, you see the towering white circle of the Saint’s Superdome.
Returning to Basin St. and looking broadly at what the Sarmiento quote could apply to, we have roofs over sleeping heads in a mostly literal sense in the tombs within the St. Louis Cemetery. I’ve focused on several aspects in the image as a concrete explanation of how to locate the casque. I use the time of 12 o’clock as a key factor in locating the tomb number. I use the choice in a grandfather clock as an architectural hint to look for pediments and finials. I like the idea of using the numbers fifteen and twentyone as paces. I used an aerial measuring tool to conclude the distances of wall and statue to a spot are roughly consistent. I’ve talked about most all of this before, but here’s another series of images to consider,
From google street view:
1-click zoom:
2-click zoom:

Ooooooo… I think I just figured out
Gnomes admire
! And it has to do with Lafayette Square! And it gives reason to why the numbers on the clock are numerals instead of the numbers like the hotel. And it makes the reason we see the 15 seconds pointed to! And it marks an exact spot when they are all considered! It’s still a little jumbled in my head, so I could be wrong; but I’ll get it together and spit it out… It’s kind of a mix of several thoughts I’ve posted before.

I’d love to hear it!!!

Any takers? Looking at the building directly to your left as you face the plaque, ‘United States of America” (21) with III (doors) right under it…
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Lafayette+Square/@29.947719,-90.069832,3a,75y,234.27h,97.35t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sNSaSN-RLQg4UuDeJ_cZDVg!2e0!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0xf10ce4a4ae9778ff

Gnomes admire conveys a garden setting and the idea of looking up at something when I think about its simplest application. Following the logic that Sarmiento’s quote is describing a shelter or some kind of royals head…or somewhere someone sleeps like a loft..i think looking up (admiration) at something would help put this into a useful perspective.

“Gnomes admire” Ben Franklin and his advice/quotes about guarding/hording your money, which are on the plaque at his feet…
The arm in the Image has that triangle in the sleeve(which matches his sleeve), and the triangle is the break in his jacket…

remember that wall discussion, it is still standing, wonder why, maybe it is an old water pump house
https://www.google.com/maps/@29.948184, … XQ!2e0!3e5
sorry forgot the other red brick building
https://www.google.com/maps/@29.948664, … ow!2e0!3e5

My sister and brother-in-law and I have been digging deeply into Lafayette Square (which we believe to be the right park). We’re trying to track down old photos of the Square to get an idea of where trees and flowerbeds were 30 years ago. Hopefully we’ll find something.

just did a count on the bricks, wall thing is 6 down, building , 15 down is half way, so too many bricks
and not enough bricks

not sure cant remember if we discussed this concept, of 15 rows down, just throwing it out there
ie: a row style houses
http://assets.urbanturf.com/dc/images/b … s_550w.jpg
http://us.123rf.com/450wm/qingwa/qingwa … ton-dc.jpg

Merlot Brougham

Verse 7, Verse 5 ?

Verse 10?

Steph53282

I live in Houston but I am within driving distance of New Orleans. I am interested in this one too. I have seen on the PBworks site that this puzzle is for sure New Orleans, but there are some discrepancies in the verse. If verse 2 is NOT New Orleans, what verse would it be? Sorry if I missed it somewhere.

Verse 7, Verse 5 ?

I seemed to also notice some of these marks all of a sudden after studying every other aspect of this P.  One that I dont think johann mentioned is located in a purple square adjacent to the left edge of the clock, 2 squares up from the (lack of a better word) mantle section of the clock.  I would sure love to see this image blown up.  I could swear it looks like a statue of a standing man..almost like a knight or even Oscar (the academy awards).  Am I seeing things….?

kibitz

Whether I’m right or whether it’s just another crazy theory, I promise to tell you everything I know (or think I know) after my trip (around July 21). Until then I’m going to keep that to myself.

I’ve found that when it turns out to be “just another crazy theory”, people rarely take the time to detail their thought process afterwards.

i know you had your trip planed, and without the casque in mind
at least i read,you, that way, please do as others are asking, we can
as a whole  assist you, in a depth you could not do alone,
and maybe it could be found, which i feel, as im sure others do too,
is the reward after 20+ years and BPs death,  to unearth this thing
im sure that is why he left them buried, so they could be found
anyway good luck to you

That’s what happens when zebra parents’ lines cross.

lovely humor. We might even have another thread somewhere for blowing off steam, making jokes, spawning memes, etc., but I couldn’t find it. Time to spawn a new topic header?
Let’s keep this thread on topic for image 7, please.
strike that, nevermind.

catherwood

Let’s keep this thread on topic for image 7, please.

Apologies. No further replies here please everyone.

WR, that grassy semicircle looks tempting.  Any way to narrow things down to a spot on that raised lawn?

Here’s the Bing version.
(Wonder how many of those circular divisions there are.)

The VIII doesn’t look right.  Look at it when it is rightside up, as you would look at any of the other numbers by turning the face of the clock.  The part of the III which we see slants diagonally.
Also, It seems that PRESERVATION is deliberately drawn so that the hour hand splits the V.  Count the number of block letters to each side of the hour hand, the I taking up less space, of course.  It is like this:
PRESER (6 letters)     V     ATION (4&1/2 letters since the I)
–Johann

The “Lady of New Orleans” statue (Michelle) was dedicated in June 1984. Unless the dedication was held well after the installation it would not have been there when Preiss was burying the casques.

Yes to the statue. How about the pool?

Likely added around the same time. The entire Dutch Alley area was redone between 1983 -1986. While I can’t be 100% sure, I don’t remember that pool being there prior to the renovations but I was pretty young back then.

Remember the Japanese hint did mention a cup in terms of filling the hours? I think of it as another way of saying “passing the time by drinking with friends”

Choice

The Justice holding the scale is standing. Also a couple of bronze statues on the porch standing. I don’t know when those statues were installed.

Your right, my fault. My logic for her was that she couldnt watch. shes blindfolded.
It’s all a bit stretchy.

erexere

Remember the Japanese hint did mention a cup in terms of filling the hours? I think of it as another way of saying “passing the time by drinking with friends”

That’s one of the reasons I’m drawn towards a Café; that and the teaspoon.
A couple of things bother me about Gallier spot:
Unlike the other solved puzzles there is no solid image match to the location.
One could argue that the flying boy is a match for the statue across the street.
Or the two arrows pointing to preservation (fenced off to preserve) could be representing the fence “posts”.
Or even the word that comes after Preservation (Hall) could be a clue to a Hall.
But none of these image matches are as solid and convincing as the other solved puzzles.
Also namesakes meeting being Lafayette Square and Street is a bit lazy!
For the sake of continuity I’ll post Verse 2 related subject here:
Gnomes admire
Fays delight
The namesakes meeting
Near this site.
As I mentioned before the key to solving this puzzle may be to hit the English/French translator.
Namesakes translated to French are homonymes.
So I played with the similar sounding words and thought Gnomes admire sounds like Normandy; a hind to French quarter or market.
Fay sounds like café.
What’s more French than a sidewalk café where « couples » meet.
Back to the image. I previously described the mask’s handle as a pole where it’s neck would be or a neck-pole.
This translated to French would be cou pôle or cupola.
So couples and coupole beeing namesakes meet near this site.
That pool is an image match.

I’m trying to avoid any “sounds like” or “looks like” type of thinking. Its weak, because anything can be a candidate and it doesn’t narrow things down to a unique fit.

That is literally the definition of homonym!

There are interesting homonyms to consider, but they dont always work.
There was a case regarding the Melville puzzle. The book talks about the Peri of Araby and its interesting that the book for the verse quote is titled Pierre. Seems like a nice twist to think Peri and Pierre are “sounds like” words.

I’m with Fox and Cormac here. I think the thing was probably buried in Lafayette, not in Storyland.

shecrab

I’m with Fox and Cormac here. I think the thing was probably buried in Lafayette, not in Storyland.

“was”?
Me thinketh it is still there……..

Choice

I’m still waiting for someone to show me “JAX” on the sock. I see DIG and IN on the second sock but not JAX

For those that are seeing DIG JAX, this approximates where they’re seeing it. The A is more a general triangle shape and top/bottom sections of the X kind of filled in. So the JAX definitely more interpretive than the DIG.

DIG, maybe; JAX not much. I do see other stuff going on tho. Any ideas?

This is an interesting image in the book. Mask looking character on top, politician giving V sign and notice the floating top hat in style of WC.

I agree this is definately New Orleans and that the odds are City Park is the location. As I have stated previously I think the Peter Pan image on the clock is telling you City Park.
The sun dial idea is one to be checked out. I however think the 15 rows down to the ground and in the part about 21 is much more literal. It sounds to me like this is talking about a terace of some sort similer to the location that the Cleveland casque was found.
The Mardi Gras mask is likely who the namesakes meeting is. Whoever this is it is likely that a statue or other likeness is close to the casque location.
I hope to send this to the City Park office soon to see if they can help. If City Park is correct then odds are the casque survived Katrina.

Thanks. I always thought verse 2 went with san fran. I thought it interesting that 1929 is the year the Municipal Auditorium was built. This is in Armstrong park.
Verse 2 put me in Alta park. Start at the old Jewel tower, go 15 rows down, or blocks, and you are in alta park. All speculation at this point but what can we do without a confirmer?

…and for Giant Pole, Giant Step, there’s Jack and the Beanstalk…
…or the rocket.
With the three pigs, the cow and moon, the gnomes, the daffodil etc., I’m liking V2/V7 I7 Storyland. Perfect place to hide a fairytale treasure.

hi deuce, just a Q and I,
Q: I understand Beauregard is a big figure in NO history, but can you explain what in the verse or image draws our focus onto him?  I reread you’re last post and I’m still missing the beat on that, though I liked the three legs touching ground idea.
Idea: the sound of friends = bands?  The word band could literally be used to describe a strip gathering a group together about the middle.  A group of people gathered to act in a common purpose is alternatively called a team or a troop, a corps, a gang, or a company.  Fills (hole terminology?) the afternoon hours are 12-6pm, a six hour period, or the hours 1,2,3,4,5,6.  Where is the “hole” in that?  Being synonymous with middle, perhaps 3 o’clock, is what is meant by “fills the afternoon hours”.  I feel that line “in the middle of 21” has a way of suggesting “In the center or hole” of 21.  A hole is definable as an “aperture” which is the meaning of the word “Treme”, the name of the neighborhood where I believe the casque is to be found.

I was and still am a little iffy on that whole Beauregard idea. I was drawn to that location by the floral clock that used to be there. I just so happened to notice that standing behind the pillars, Beauregard was in the middle and it reminded me of the hour hand and the two sides of the clock in the image. At this particular location, the 12 on the floral clock would be upside down making it 21. So i looked into it. Morphy’s name was brought up in the search of Beauregard. Since there has been talk of Morphy I thought it might be relevant. But other than that I see no connection to anything. I think the hour hand would look a little more like a man on a horse if that’s what it is. As far as the hour hand, I haven’t seen much talk about what it might be showing us. I see the bicycles in it but that’s all. There is a bike rack near the numbered rocks but they may not have been there in ’82. Now using my overlaying clock idea, Beauregard would just be the end of the minute hand. Not sure if a reference to him would be needed in the verse.

I don’t know if anything I’m finding has any relevance to the actual solution. But if I share what I find perhaps it will spark some ideas for someone else. We can’t really rule anything out considering the casque is still out there.

Deuce, I applaud you’re activity.  It’s said there’s the problem of no one doing any digging, that may be true, but I think it’s really a problem of inspiration.  If you feel inspired by anything, please put it forth, even if you have some doubts.  If you feel really strongly about something, maybe some folks will also see the connection and then we’d have that agreement forest_blight recalls seeing when Egbert manifested a casque.
I’m really hopeful I’ve got the right solution to NO, and the dig will happen soon.  I continue to think on it even though I feel extremely confident about the location, I still think there’s interesting things about the verse and image left to pursue.

Someday, maybe even now, someone will know why I’m saying this, because it only made sense to me a moment ago that verse 2 works and from its first line, a line about Kings, that the St. Louis the cemetery meeting the street St. Louis are the correct Preiss was referring to as they are namesakes of a King.  …and I like writing floppy sentences.
What I’m trying to say is I didn’t know St. Louis was a King until a few moments ago when I looked up the artcle on the cathedral.

Here’s another theory I have for NO. I like this one a little better. It still includes some of my other ideas.
I’m still using the idea that the Museum of Art is “At the place where jewels abound/Fifteen rows down to the ground”. And following my other idea, I think the view of Beauregard lets us know we’re on the right track.
Now from a birds-eye view use the museum as the center of the clock and the median and Beauregard as the minute hand. Now add the “alarm hand”. It passes through a triangular shaped grass area. At each corner of this area is a rock with a number on it, 1, 2, and 3. There is a number 4 rock in the center (From end to end/Only three stand watch). The alarm hand passes through the middle of rock 2 and rock 1 (In the middle of twenty-one). This grass area also looks like the arrows in the image pointing to “preservation”. The circle ends on Pigeon Island. My angle may not be perfect but you get the idea.
“As the sound of friends/Fills the afternoon hours” may reference the Park View Terrace nearby.
“Here is a sovereign people/Who build palaces to shelter/Their heads for a night!” I think we all agree this puts us in NO.
“Gnomes admire/Fays delight/The namesakes meeting/Near this site.” I always believed this line had more to it than just the gnomes and fays reference. I think using the first letters, G.A.F.D., we have the namesakes near the site. On Pigeon Island is the Colombier de Carol. It was made for the Dreyfous family. Specifically,
G
eorge
A
. and
F
elix
D
reyfous. Or
G
eorge
A
nd
F
elix
D
reyfous. It was refurbished in 2005 so any image 7 references may be lost. I think this island is our site.
Only where do we dig? The clock angle would have to be exact if we use the circle as a reference. And the photos I have found don’t show very much of the island.
Any thoughts or critiques?

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.

French immigration story: “From France came the sturdy seafaring Korreds of Brittany; the nomadic, shape-shifting
Lutins of Normandy
, …”
Lutin = Leprechaun
Normandy (Gnomes admire?), France
The floater boy in the clock maybe a restaurant waiter. That corresponds with the checker pattern table-cloth background, red and blue checkers for French flag, boy’s (garçon) socks spells out “DIG IN” or eat! Also a spoon on top of the sleeve of the mask holder.
This must be a French thing but there’s a restaurant in Rouyn, Quebec called Restaurant au petit lutin. Their logo looks pretty similar to the boy.

http://codex99.com/design/images/strobr … lla_lg.jpg

One other thing; a while back, I had mentioned that there were name plates for horses Momus, Comus, and Twenty-One at 1331 Third Street. Found a picture earlier today.
https://p.rdcpix.com/v01/leaee1745-m23x … 70_q80.jpg
Edit: fixing the link.

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?

I think the key to solving this puzzle is to use French dictionary.
For example I already posted about the boy (garçon) and weathervane.
Now, in image 7 the pole is where the mask’s neck would be.
Neck in French is “cou” and pole is “pôle”
Put them together and you get « coupôle » which means cupola where a weathervane sits.

neVar–
Great work!  Thank you very much.  Regarding the markings near the 90, I meant lower than that, on the wood and more to the right.  But you have revealed some markings I had not seen before.
–Johann

Johann Wrote: “–On the clock hand, above the “8” is what appears to be an anchor-shape.”  Yep. I see that, now.  From left to right and then bottom I (a) highlighted the roman numbers behind the clock hands, (b) removed them, and (c) extrapolated what might be the clock hands.
In researching Clock Hands I came to this site – looking to see if this is a standard clock-hand.  It is not.
http://www.clock-keys.com/pdf/Categories/HANDS&RE.PDF
Johann Wrote: “Around the clock face, just outside of the circular two-sided arrow (which points to “Preservation”), there are elongated rectangles (ie-a sectioned circle).  It is not perfectly marked.  A shaded square is missing next to the left arrow.  Lines are missing to each side of the dark mark near the 3:00 position.”  Yes. I see this:
Johann Wrote:  “There are some markings on the wood beneath the brass-like square that holds the clock face.  These markings are between the mask and the “90.”  ” Indeed.  There are some markings there ———– .  My problem is that I am working off of 300 dpi pictures; haven’t got my book yet, when I do, I’ll scan in at something higher.

I am still the naysayer stating that I think decorative clock hands come in all shapes, designs & sizes and still believe the hands of the clock to be just that, hands on a clock.  Now, what they are pointing to may be a different matter.  Only TIME will tell.

Unknown

Unknown:
I remember Byron wondering why it was so difficult as that was not his intention.

I could believe in clock-boy in Lafayette, or equally well in the flowers in City Park, Louis in Armstrong Park, or somewhere else entirely. The problem is that no-one has a clue which, why, or where to dig. I don’t think the last 20 years have changed that.
Gnomes admire? The middle of twenty-one? The namesakes? The sound of friends?
An interesting point, and worth bearing in mind. (Although, if that wasn’t his intention, he shouldn’t have made it so obscure. I mean, Sarmiento?)

Oh, Lafitte, I meant absolutely NO insult to the city or its inhabitants! I meant only that with the extensive flooding and reconstruction after the hurricane, how could it not have wrecked our chances? The casques that were found were found in places that were relatively untouched by time. I feel the same way about Milwaukee and Boston, actually–those two places were extensively re-done as well. Any time you bury something in the ground, you let yourself in for changes–even when there are no hurricanes to hasten the process–but I don’t believe that Katrina could have done the NO casque any good. And 911 has done even MORE to hamper us.  1981 was a very different year. I think our best chances will be to unearth the casques in Florida, Roanoke and Charleston, where there has been far less change over time. It doesn’t matter what caused the change, the fact that it’s been more than 25 years is enough in most cases to make this hunt more of an exercise than a physical possibility; but when you add in natural disasters, you have even LESS chance. I happen to love NO, and I’m not averse to change, but you have to admit it (change)  was probably multiplied with Katrina.

I have a really hard time believing he would have buried the casques in an amusement park. Even with all his disguises and subterfuge, even in 1981, I cannot imagine a scenario where he could have dug a hole deep enough inside the park and then expected readers to do the same. This is the main reason I don’t buy the Storyland idea. There would be children and parents everywhere at any time one could expect to get access to the park. And it ignores the statue found in Lafayette park, where the image of the boy is exactly the same as the image on the clock.  Of course, this backward engineering is almost futile now, as I believe that Katrina pretty much ruined our chances of ever knowing.

Shecrab I agree that it is not in Storyland. I don’t believe Katrina ruined our chances. I believe time and new construction did. All Katrina did was waterlog the casque if it isn’t tightly sealed. The location has most likely been affected by years of growth and at this point it is difficult to go back in time to the city that Byron visited. The image shows what looks to me to be Louis Armstrong. 1929 is the year the Municipal Auditorium was built. Armstrong Park has been wrecked NOT by Katrina but shoddy workmanship and a greedy ex-mayor.Then we have the Lafayette Square image. Another park that is highly trafficked and after 911 undiggable without causing alarm. This hunt has become overly complicated and I remember Byron wondering why it was so difficult as that was not his intention. I enjoy the ideas that have popped up here but am truly tired of any Katrina references. Perhaps I am being overly sensitive but we live it every day and have to constantly convince people that we are still here. Thank you.

Jambone, don’t forget the sleeve in P7 that seem like miss muffet’s dress, even same color… [ mask seems like a shovel too ] so… obvious

Hi All,
This is my first post, but I have been working on this hunt for about 5 months. Is anyone in the NOLA area willling to help me investigate my solution to image 7? It will probably require permission to dig in the area I have identified. NOLA is just a little far to travel myself.
Toasty

Hi All,
I have decided that NOLA is a bit far to travel to dig myself. So, I am reaching out to the community for help. Anyone willing to investigate/dig in the NOLA area? You will probably need permission. I have attempted to post pictures, but the system will not allow due to space issues or something. Anyway, let me know and I will discuss my solution.
Toasty

Unknown

Unknown:
Very impressive work esp since the book is 20 years old. I think you deserve to know that you are correct about st. Louid,but not correct about the location.thanks for all your excellent work.

Unknown

Unknown:
As the sound of friends
Fills the afternoon hours

This is about the most encouraging and enthusiastic response we’ve seen from BP. It really sounds as if he was offering a clue.
We’ve speculated that this might be a cryptic hint for something else, like, St Louis in New Orleans. But that doesn’t really wash. For one thing, we haven’t been able to make any constructive use of it that way – what good is it…? And after these words of encouragement, it would seem really mean and misleading to offer only a cryptic hint that’s so obscure as to be useless.
So maybe we should just take it at face value, and work on the assumption that there’s a casque in St Louis. The only problem is, which image could that be…? We’ve only considered Image 9 AFAIK. The problem there is that BP also said there’s a casque in Canada, and Image 9 has a strong visual link to Montreal as well as plausible coordinates.
So, is there another image? Just to be radical, how about this one…? It’s the French image after all, and St Louis was named after Louis IX of France.
Admittedly, that’s quite a stretch. We’ve got coordinates, image matches, Sarmiento quotes, but, we’ve also got this big hint from BP. So…
Instead of considering St Louid as a wayward clue for New Orleans, maybe we could see Louis Armstrong as a wayward clue for St Louis. The location in image 10 is given by the mill-walk-key the juggler is chucking around. Maybe the location in image 7 is given by Louis.
The St Louis coords are 38/90. This image gives us three numbers in the corners – 19, 29, 90 – and one corner covered by a Louis mask. Maybe it covers a 38?
The dominant symbol of St Louis is the Gateway Arch, and this image gives us a metal arch. The seal of Missouri has a moon and stars. I can’t see any other imagery that puts this in Missouri, but it might be worth a closer look.
Another random thought, about the Sarmiento verse.
This could be some throwaway line applicable to just about any public space, or it could be more specific.
P102 mentions “La Fayette” (the “French weremole”), and Quakers, or the ‘Society of Friends’. There’s a Friends meeting house at 1001 Park Avenue in St Louis, not far from its own Lafayette Park.
I know it seems a crazy idea, and a big red herring for NO; I just don’t like ignoring a seemingly blatant hint from BP just because it doesn’t fit our current theories.

WhiteRabbit

The St Louis coords are 38/90. This image gives us three numbers in the corners – 19, 29, 90 – and one corner covered by a Louis mask. Maybe it covers a 38?

Or perhaps a 39, to fit a pattern of 09, 19, 29, 39?

I like the Society of Friends idea, since I do not think anything is a “throw away” line.
I can’t read the sign that well. It would be nice if there was a meeting time on the sign that met in the afternoon hours.

Aren’t Quakers silent during their meetings, though? They wouldn’t have many sounds filling the afternoon hours.

Mophy’s headstone is in St Louis 1…(circled with Mardi Gras arch.)
Brennan’s is a more interesting connection…though its location doesn’t point obviously at any particular park…
Mophy is also associated with the Beauregard-Keys house at 1113 Chartres St, but that doesn’t seem to help much either.
http://blog.neworleans.com/2011/03/paul … ss-master/
http://www.bkhouse.org/Visit.html

This photo stream link will give y’all an idea of what N.O. was like in 1979. He’s got about 6 pages of photos. Enjoy!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fej/page189/

Thank you Cormac! Unfortunately I was unable to be in Lafayette Square today but will be in N.O. for Thanksgiving week. I will look around and apply your reasoning to the square.

Also , I never thought Preservation meant Preservation Hall. I take it to mean the Preservation Resource society. Here’s a link to what they were doing around the time Byron was in N.O.
http://www.prcno.org/aboutprc/history.php?year=1978

Lafitte

My vote: Laf Park

Mine as well.

Toasty

Hi all,
I believe the casque is located in City Park. Any one in the NOLA area willing to get permission and dig? I would upload my images, but the system will not allow it. You would be surprised by my findings.
Cheers!
Toasty

welcome, would like to see the imgs, try
http://imgur.com/
, or maybe your flicker acc, if you have one
im trying to talk a friend into at least probing while at the mardi gras 2015

Welcome to the Q4T boards Lafitte….glad to see you made it safely from tweleve.  As Wilhouse pointed out {and as you can see for yourself} these boards are muuuuuuch more extensive than those at 12; however, be sure to check in over there as well.
I am sure no one meant any ill will to the unfortunate families that lived through Mother Nature’s wrath.  I hope that your Great Aunt has put this disaster behind her and is moving on…as well as any other of your family that is in N.O.  It is great to have some feet on the ground there so I hope you dust off your walking shoes and charge up your digital camera for many recon missions we will be sending you on.
Welcome again to The Secret Lafitte.

Welcome Lafitte.  I’m sorry you had to read those comments, but rest assured, the entire Nation was affected by Katrina.  To a degree, much like 9/11.  This board is no different since we are so spread out across the states and Canada.  This board is designed to help one another find casques.  Some facts about the hunt may seem cavalier in print, but everyone here cares.  Believe me.
Looking forward to your input on any of the ideas discussed here.  Having eyes in N.O. can help us all.  Thanks for joining!

Hello all, Lafitte here. I recognize some names from Tweleve but most of y’all are new to me. As is this hunt. My interest is peaked as my family is from the Quarter. But I must say that after reading every post to get up to speed there were some I found to be a quite shocking.
Maybe this is because the storm has affected us in ways that are immeasurable. And I’m pretty sure that no-one intentionally meant any harm.  However  there were some posts on or around Sept. days after the storm that seemed to be extremely cavalier and flip in regards to what was happening in N.O.. Reading them made me cringe. These posts were made while my Great Aunt Marge was stuck in the Superdome and we were frantically trying to airlift her out.
Let me just say that I’m glad that this forum is here, I love participating and will be adding my input, but I am grateful that my memory is very good so that I don’t have to go back and read those posts again.
Has anyone heard from Trainor? This person was helping with the Armstrong Park theory.  Lafitte

Guys, based on the latest information on image 1, I am more convinced that image 1 and verse 7 go together.  I was the stalwart that 7 and 7 were linked, but reading the latest on the image 1 thread I am not so sure.
Let’s see if we can figure out which verse this might be if it’s not 7.
wilhouse

Thats hilarious as I was finally coming around to your point of view. –
the jackson gate and the three towers on the church were very compelling.
That and its not by the totem pole in GGpark… (or if it was it got pasted by the trencher…

In my thread above, I meant to say Apollo 11 could be the wingless bird, the Eagle was the lunar module.  Let me know what you think of my thread above a couple of responses above.  I failed to say that Image 7 may go with Verse V.  Maybe the V in Preservation is the link. Maybe the arm is a clue too, for Armstrong Park and weights in Verse V. Let me also add that the part of the grandfather clock which is not shown are the weights and chains.
Trainor

Falcon, we’re an odd pair, that’s for sure. I was finally seeing your way!!
All I can say is AT LEAST one of the two is wrong, so we need to figure out which one.
wilhouse

Hello all, Lafitte here. I hope everyone had a relaxing holiday! I just received my copy of the book so give me a couple of days to respond. As far as Storyland goes, it is still closed to the public. I would only be able to take photos through the fence. My gut feeling is that the casque is in City Park so I will be focusing on this.

Since the clock is showing midnight, you might want to check out the Cinderella’s coach display at Storyland.

Actually I’m pretty sure it says 3:00

Cormac

If you can see these pictures… I’ll post what I find here.
http://thesecretatreasurehunt.shutterfly.com/neworleans

Thanks for the pix Cormac.  Your silhouette of the boy is perfect!  And we always suspected he was holding something in his hand…we were right, the hand of his girl friend.

What is the buldge in the wall? It causes the lines of the checkered pattern to be curved. It suggests something is behind or inside of a wall. It might help in making a connection to some word reference like ‘mound’ or ‘hill’ or ‘covering’ , etc.

fyi…..you can google walk, New Orleans City Park now
1 Palm Drive New Orleans, LA 70124
this is in the gardens
http://goo.gl/maps/dA3tZ

Cask 7
NOLA: Gateway to the Americas theory.
Recompiling.
Line 1, jewels = something or someone precious, abound = great in number
Lines 2 and 3 = find tomb No.21 amidst a row of 15 tombs; its roof can be seen from outside the cemetery
Lines 4 and 5 = there are just 3 statues along the entire length of Basin street
Lines 6 and 7 = in the middle of palm trees, sound = upright, friends = pals (palling), fills = palms (hand) may be filled or empty, afternoon hours = sun’s high point = Arecaceae are characterized as sunburst formations atop high stems/trunks
Lines 8, 9 and 10 = Sarmiento (S. American), sovereign = individual, palaces = tombs
Lines 11 and 12 = looking up to Morazan in recognition of the “gateway” (entrance) to North America
Lines 13 and 14 = “AA meeting” symbol resonates with the Morazan seal, representing New Orleans as the Gateway where the Americas (namesakes of Amerigo Vespucci) meet.
—
Notes: gnomes are small, admiration may mean “look up at someone”…Morazan is 10 feet tall.  Fays delight = synonym for charm or entrance = gateway.  Even better, both gnomes and fays admire and delight in gardens and Mayor Chep Morrison’s concept is called the “Gardens of the Americas”.  Here’s a short brief on the dedication of the three statues:
http://www.neworleanspubliclibrary.org/~nopl/exhibits/gateway/bolivar.htm
This verse basically focuses strongly on three points: 1) line of sight on the top of a tomb, 2) standing in the middle of some palm trees, and 3) line of sight on the Morazan seal, matching the St. Louis AA symbol.

lafitte,
i promised myself that i would keep an open mind this time, but it seems i am still stuck on certain images and verses going together, i’ve  got to stop that.
in one way, it would seem, finding two quoted texts from the same book would be important.  and that the places quoted would lead to a city.  in verse 6, the “edward and edwina” was about blyden and someone naming their twins after him while he was in “charleston”.   verse 2  “here is a sovereign…” is about new orleans.
?
still……this is just one thing to keep in mind as we hunt.
it is possible they were just words he grabbed from a book……

slappybuns

in one way, it would seem, finding two quoted texts from the same book would be important.

slappybuns

it is possible they were just words he grabbed from a book……

I agree!!
That way lies madness.

It is possible (at least in my mind) that the Sarmiento quotes were included in the verses one specific reason:
the book was incredibly “obscure”. If we had not had the internet search tools we have now, we might never have found the quotes. They DO point to the cities involved, but there is absolutely no reason to believe they were included so they WOULD point to the cities. With BP being a publisher, it would be relatively easy for him to find and use such obscure quotes without their ever being detected as pointing to the cities. I believe this is the reason he chose that book and those quotes. Not because they would be usable clues, but as confirmers only because the rest of the clues in the images would be used first and more often.
Finding a couple of similiar words in other poems, (such as the Ted Hughes poem) do not confirm anything. They are coincidence only, probably–if not, then any quotes would have had to been taken from one of his 9 collections prior to 1983 since he did not publish anything from 1979 to 1983. So if that poem predates 1983, then it is possible to connect them (though in my opinion, unlikely for many reasons) but if not, then there could be no connection. I’m sure there are many such coincidental similiarities in many other literary works. When you write and publish, you’re always taking a phrase that sticks in your mind and using it somewhere–even if you didn’t write it. It happens all the time. Look at the case of plagiarism brought against George Harrison for “My Sweet Lord” by the writers who wrote “He’s So Fine” (The Chiffons, 1963). This happens a LOT, and it might just have happened here with the two Sarmiento quotes as well!

shecrab

Finding a couple of similiar words in other poems, (such as the Ted Hughes poem) do not confirm anything. They are coincidence only, probably

(Yeah, shouldn’t really have included the Ted Hughes quote, but posted it up anyway ‘cos it predates the book and I liked it…
)

Unknown

Unknown:
The Earthenware Head
Who modelled the head of terracotta?
An American friend….
…Dark whorls, ferrying slender willow yellows…
What happened?
Maybe nothing happened. Perhaps it’s still
Representing you to the sunrise, happy
In its cold pastoral, lips pursed slightly
As if my touch had only just left it.
Or did boys find it? (And shatter it?) Or
Did the tree too kneel finally?
Surely the river got it. Surely
The river is its chapel. And keeps it. Surely
Your head, made in a furnace, kisses God –
Mudded at the bottom of the Cam,
Beyond recognition or rescue,
All our fears washed from it, and perfect,
Under the stained mournful flow, saluted
Only in summer briefly by the slender
Punt-loads of shadows flitting towards their honey
And the stopped clock.

Noticed yesterday that “La Fayette” appears in the section on the Pre-revolutionary Warlock – “a smallish Fay who took the form of a humble French weremole”.
Just a few more thoughts on this, then I’d better move onto another pic or I’ll never get through them all.
It’s another general brainstorming thing, in the form of an attempt at a walkthrough with V10.
In the shadow
Of the grey giant
The shadows are moon shadows, and the superdome/sugarbowl is moon-like from above.
Find the arm that
Extends over the slender path
I think it’s Clio’s arm that extends; trumpet-playing neighbour of Narcissus, see above.
Near the superdome to the south, there’s an intersection of Willow St (
Slender Willow
) and Clio St.
(Incidentally there’s a great poem by Ted Hughes that seems to fit this image, with willows and masks. Here’s an excerpt.)
http://www.lrb.co.uk/v02/n03/ted-hughes/two-poems
In summer you’ll often hear a whirring sound
Possibly air-conditioning, will come back to that. Or
Heli
con, residence of Narcissus and the Muses.
Cars abound
Arcs, crescent city.
Although the sign
Nearby
Speaks of Indies native
The natives still speak
Of him of Hard word in 3 Vols.
Haven’t found the sign, but I think this section refers to “sugar” (the sugarbowl), via Armstrong/Webster and sugar-cane links, as explained above.
(Incidentally, Webster is mentioned in a caption for Alibi Elf.)
Take twice as many east steps as the hour
Or more
To the east of this intersection, there’s a big “X” in the aerial view which is about halfway down towards the other end of Clio street at Margaret Place. (See in the middle of the two red crosses marking the Willow/Clio intersection and the other end of Clio.)
I’m taking this “X” as the hour.
Take twice as many east steps as the hour
Or more
“More” indicates “+”, rotated to give the “X”. (I think “or” can alo be represented by “+”, as a logical operator.)
Found this terrier nearby. (Corner of Erato St and Oretha C Haley Bvd.) The Great Lafayette’s dog Beauty was a terrier. Seems to belong to an air-con firm. (May not be old enough though.)
Take twice the distance from the Clio/Willow intersection as the X, and you wind up at
Margaret Place
.
From the middle of one branch
Of the v
Look down
And see simple roots
In rhapsodic man’s soil
Or gaze north
Toward the isle of B.
Dunno. Louis could be the rhapsodic man (see above). I somehow doubt if “B” is an actual island, whatever image it goes with.
I don’t know how diggable Margaret Haugherey is, though possible landmarks are also worth investigating.
With her string of pearls, she vaguely resembles the Unreal Estate Broker.
(“Margaret” comes from
“Pearl”
. Nearly an anagram of “Orleans” in the For Sale sign.)
The aerial view is slightly reminiscent of the clock design.
She once worked at the St Charles Hotel. Seems to be quite a famous figure/monument. (Philanthropist known as “the bread woman”.)
http://www.carrigallen.com/margaretgaffney.htm

ahhh, and so he did.  After reading several of the posts after his discovery, I noticed that there were no other mentions of it or pics posted.  Pity, it looks like his mention of the boy/statue was lost in his lengthy analysis.  Good job Mr. Squidward
.  You would have had people fawning all over you had you posted a pic of the statue

fox

The credit for this find goes to Cormac!!!   :app)

Not to split hairs here, but my friend mentioned this statue and its resemblance to the harlequin last year in his analysis of Lafayette Square.
http://www.quest4treasure.co.uk/forum/h … 164#p67164

I like the Mississippi river link to clock boy.  Im compelled by things relating to the word ‘float’.  I think the arm sleeve might match a piece of Morazans clothing.  Just guessing…hoping.
Edit: well well well…its the hem of the the pants.

We need a “wake up and smell the coffee” emoticon.

Something that strikes me as visually similar aside from comparing one circle to another, there’s the break between clockboy’s hand and foot which interrupts the arc of that smaller circle.  It has the same kind of higher on the left side and lower on the right side break that defines the rainbow on the seal.
Just now when I fully consider the symbolism of the seal, and this is just my own internal view without looking into some kind of Jungian dream analysis book or something, I see the rainbow as symbolic of a bridge connecting two points and a triangle connecting three points.  This Morazan statue is honoring the interactions between the three Americas, North, Central, and South.  New Orleans is being recognized as a primary port for the Gulf of Mexico, which is why it’s called the “Gateway to the Americas”.  I wonder, might a gulf be synonymous with a basin?  Both may be wide bowl-like areas with a narrow outlet…

Redone, showing that the part of the image is flipped (indicating that tracing paper might be utilized) and letting the raw image speak for itself.

erexere

we finished this yesterday. itll be dug up soon. travis got the spot, i figured out the dig location.

okay, trying to be a little more logical, in the image we have:
storyland: puffed sleeves, flowers, and storyland moon and stars, humpty dumpty stick
lafayette: the little boy, and the st. charles streetcar line went right by there and it’s bounded by st. charles avenue
armstrong park:  the mask
and the grandfather clock—guess who wrote that song………..
Henry Clay
Work———————-isn’t that strange?  we have
Henry Clay
in Lafayette Park, and
Henry Cla
y Work wrote “My Grandfather’s Clock”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Grandfather%27s_Clock
recorded on the
Peter Pan
label, lol
maybe this is why we could never find an exact match to the clock
funny i ended back right where i was when i first started talking about “namesakes”
http://www.waymarking.com/gallery/image … 4135&gid=3
with the sign right in front of the little boy
henry clay was born in april, 1
777
————–in the middle of 21—————1777 year of his birth, but not sure if it’s on the statue yet
i was joking before about “down to the ground” meaning earth,
clay
but …
http://www.flickr.com/photos/15614505@N00/180070020
“as the sound of friends fills the afternoon hours”———————————————mcdonogh statue
“here is a sovereign people who build palaces to shelter their heads for a night”—-st. charles avenue
“gnomes admire, fayes delight, the namesakes meeting near this site”—————–lafayette square (marker?)
i know you guys found this place, just thinking the “grandfather clock song” might be a confirmation??
if we have to breakdown the last line with “gnomes admire” (money)……… ben franklin statue has “one penny saved is better than two pennies earned” but the mcdonogh statue, the kids saved their pennies for 6 years…..

lee circle images
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Categ … ew_Orleans