Unknown

Unknown:
I won’t be digging any holes in NOLA, just here to help.

Not for nothing, but playing “I’ve got a secret” doesn’t help. Discussion helps. Collaboration helps. DIgging helps. The rest, with all due respect, is self-serving nonsense.

Hi everyone,
I’m new on here and want to help with this quest.
I have been feverishly going through all of the NOLA materials and have gotten through half of the 109 pages of this thread. I have also been trying to look at this from different angles and perspectives. I think we should consider some factors.
1. It appears that the casques have been buried in larger parks. While this may not be 100% true, I look at the 2 that have been found and the areas that are currently believed, such as Montreal, San Fransisco, Houston, etc. All of these parks seem to have a strong connection to the immigration narrative and contain gardens. They also are areas in which digging would be relatively easy and away from authorities and suspicion. This is one of the reasons that I believe that Jackson Square, Lafayette Square, and even Armstrong Park all seem like poor candidates for the location. Too many people, too guarded, too historic, etc., even in 1980. Plus, the parks in the Quarter celebrate Man rather than Nature and the Fair people.
2. In NOLA, the water table is high, hence why many cemeteries are above ground. I’m struggling with the idea of putting something in the base ground in most areas. Perhaps the casque is buried similar to the Cleveland casque, above ground? Either way, BP had to be acutely ware of the difficulty in burying objects in New Orleans.
3. Central to the idea above in #1, none of the squares and parks in the French Quarter really fit the mold of the parks that BP was naturally drawn too. As I look around New Orleans, two major parks stand out, Audubon and City parks. I know that people pursued City Park for a while, and perhaps gave up somewhat after Katrina. Audubon seems to have been considered and dismissed, partially because most people want to ground the location in the French Quarter.
4. The thought that keeps popping in my head is that Preiss wanted this to be accessible to everyone, young and old alike. This leads me to believe that the location would be accessible to children. He even stated in the book that “if you have determined the location of a treasure but are unable to explore it in person…”, which means that even children, who have no means of getting to the site could participate. Where do children typically go? Parks.
5. We have to frame this, and any of the hunts, in the time period using the tools available at the time. Yes, it’s great to have Google Earth, social media, cell phones, and even this forum, but I firmly believe these are solved using maps from the time period and being on the ground. BP wanted people to explore and look around. We have to consider, that even for a seasoned traveler, going to far flung places is challenging. Especially in 1980, when many pockets of the country were still unique, New Orleans being one of the most unique cities in America for a visitor. BP would have done some research, but also relied upon talking to people and looking at what was the “pulse” of the city. If I were to go to a city, I would arrive and get a map. Maybe I would go to the visitor center. I would ask people what is popular, what is the history of the area.
6. Some people have suggested street cars should play into this puzzle. It has not been emphasized enough IMHO. Street cars are such an iconic part of NOLA, especially the St. Charles line. There has to be some reference or clue that includes this.
7. Obviously Mardi Gras is huge. Whether BP went there during Carnival is unknown, and I doubt that the suspected months associated with each image indicate when he visited each site. I can tell you though, if it were me, I would visit each site when it was nice weather and I could dig in ground that was not frozen. Back to the Mardi Gras thing. We obviously have a mask, although it is not ornate, probably to not make things too easy to identify the Big Easy.
8. We have to bring ourselves back to the very early 1980s to get a feel for this puzzle. Some of you who are resident to NOLA or have spent a lot of time there may be old enough, or perhaps can talk to some old timers about that time period. What was important? What were the attractions, and more importantly, what was not. Things that were new and the “buzz”, like the Superdome, etc. may play heavily into the puzzle. I know that BP had a penchant for history, and that is important, but we cannot ignore the overall importance of what the society was focused on.
9. Maybe I’m missing things in Image 7, but it seems to be much more vague than most of the others. I have a feeling that the clues may have multiple meanings, e.g. they serve to get you not only to the general area, but also to the treasure. I could be wrong, but there does not appear to be any “see this rock, turn left, take 20 steps….” in this image. The clock face has to serve multiple purposes. I believe it is comprised of many visual clues in the area of interest.
10. Please remember that I, along with many other people (newbies) on this forum, have just started on this quest. I know many of you have been on here and searching for a decade or more and I appreciate your tenacity and efforts that have been put in. I know it’s hard to stay enthusiastic after 36 years, but I think we can collaborate on this. I also realize that it is human nature to want to claim a treasure for one’s self. That in part is a conundrum, because people will have a tendency to withhold info, and I respect that, but its not going to solve a puzzle, especially ones that have eluded people for 36 years. I find this hunt intriguing and am willing to help. If there are people on this thread that are local to NOLA, feel free to reach out to me with a PM or we can post “publicly” here. I noticed that in the early posts, people were sharing ideas and theories, I think we need more of this. New eyes and new thoughts can bring results.
As a side note, it seems that BP tied the difficulty of solving the puzzle to the value of the gem associated with the P and V. Turquoise is cheap. Maybe we are all over thinking this one.
I am technically closer to Houston, but after looking at that for a while, I think it may be a lost cause. It would be nice if the executors of this hunt, if such a thing exists, would confirm a location if requested. Has anyone reached out to anyone associated with this hunt to submit their guesses as outlined in the original book? At some point don’t they call the game after quadruple overtime?
Thanks,
gManTexas

JoshCornell

good luck gman…but ive finished this and am getting there first in march to dig it up…will reveal full solve once ive gone to the spot

I’m not competing with you. I do hope you find it. I hope all of the remaining ones are found.

JoshCornell

I wish you luck I just know hands down I’m right. if I could get there today id be on a plane

I’d like for some people to read my post and respond. If you could add some salient points, it would be helpful to the rest of us who haven’t solved it yet.

I’m not that guy.

I have been digging.
I’m a digger.

Okay New Orleans people,
Just a theory. Take a map of New Orleans and orient it so that Lafitte and N Jefferson Davis is the center of the clock. Point Lafitte Greenway up and it becomes the hour and minute hand and Jefferson Davis Pkwy greenbelt is the second hand. The boy locates the Fairgrounds (jockey). Bayou St John is the brown under the jockey and explains why the number in VIII are crooked. The moon is the Superdome. The Lafitte Greenway points right at Preservation Hall and the area of the Louis Armstrong Arch. It also looks like the muddy brown on the arch of the clock, where its lighter in color could be the Mississippi.
This also places City Park hidden under the mask, possibly where the casque is hidden.
Not sure if this gets us closer to solving, but thoughts on this theory?

I’d agree if it wasn’t for the second quote, from the same book, about Charleston. It would seem very odd to confirm two puzzles from such an unlikely source, which makes me suspect one or both.
Really, the only sensible thing is to keep an open mind.

What are the odds that he used obscure quotes that are about specific places in the United States that are also confirmed to have a casque buried in them, and then didn’t use those clues to confirm the locations? If the Charleston quote is actually in the NYC verse and the New Orleans quote is actually in the St Augustine verse, or somesuch, then please pardon my french but
f**k
. That’s impossible!
I don’t think it was necessary for someone in 1981 to find those quotes, but since we have, if they turn out to be a red herring then what’s the point of all of this? I don’t know about you, but I am concerned specifically with pulling pieces of ceramic out of the dirt. If I wanted fun mind benders there are plenty of better constructed puzzles out there. I think it’s a very, very safe assumption that the verses containing quotes are referencing the most likely cities.
Don’t forget the modified treasure island quote in Charleston. That verse is likely a lock.

I’m not denying they’re strong candidates; I’m just not 100% sure. What image/city do you match with V5…?

Xieish

Probably not, considering Verse 2 contains a real-life link to this painting. I think it’s important to take a step back and see these puzzles as the flawed workings of someone who doesn’t design puzzles for a living, and not over diefy Byron Preiss.

Byron Preiss designed 2 video games, during his life…both having strategic puzzles in them. He also researched and wrote on extra terrestrial possibilities, time and space, the universe, and even got into the mystery of the dinosaurs. If you consider the time and money it took to organize and complete setting up this treasure hunt, there are 2 things to consider. If these puzzles are flawed, why were 2 found and hundreds of people are still looking for the rest? Why is it still going on 10 years after he died.
This may be a flawed hunt, but it’s not because of Preiss…he did everything correct….time and progress has made it a flawed hunt if anything.

Since Armstrong park is practically on the same street as Preservation Hall (St. Peter), the arched structure could also be the entrance to Armstrong park, directly 10 blocks north of Lafayette Square.

I have been a big proponent of Armstrong Park. Here is the info that I have found in case you were interested:
As I posted above, the statue looks like the mask and it is extremely close to preservation hall. I also believe the arch of the park matches the arch above the jewel in the painting.
At the place where jewels abound
I believe it refers to mardi gras beads from Municipal Auditorium.
Municipal auditorium in located in Armstrong park. It held 60+ balls per year in the 80s and is where the King of Rex officially declares the end of Mardi Gras season at midnight. Kind of a big deal.
https://prcno.org/municipal_auditorium/
My theory but could totally be wrong….Seems to me that when he mentions actual numbers, he is giving us actual steps/directions to find the treasure. He did that in Chicago and Cleveland. I know this is in the beginning of the verse but so was Cleveland.
fifteen rows down to the ground
in the middle of twenty one from end to end
only 3 stand watch
Will get to those in at the end.
As the sound of friends
Fills the afternoon hours
http://musicrising.tulane.edu/uploads/original/congo-1341847854.jpeg
Congo Square. Tons of history with immigrants and the birthplace of jazz.
Here is a sovereign people
Who build palaces to shelter
Their heads for a night!
I believe he used this to directly link the verse to the city. Don’t think I need to go into the literary link to the city and hotel.
Gnomes admire
(my weakest argument admittedly)
There are hills in this park which is RARE in New Orleans specifically near where I think it is buried. I have seen in multiple places that gnomes live in hills. There is also a hill overlooking where i think it could be.
Fays Delight
https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&id=8651B68DDBAC83F302B1A31D37FB79169B851353&thid=OIP.65sbnGYOsU5FIVEXtqZLGAHaFj&mediaurl=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm3.static.flickr.com%2F2655%2F3751969232_618ec29023.jpg&exph=375&expw=500&q=louis+armstong+park+bridge&selectedindex=10&cbir=sbi&ajaxhist=0&vt=0&eim=1,2,6
I believe this is the fay(fairy) in delight.
Namesakes meeting near this site. Namesakes is plural so I believe 2 namesakes. St. Ann St runs through the Armstrong arch. right in front of the old location of the Armstrong statue. Louis Ann
Now back to the actual steps:
fifteen rows down to the ground
in the middle of twenty one from end to end
only 3 stand watch
I read this as I need to find something with 21 from end to end and i need to go 15 rows down to the ground at this spot. Could be wrong but this is how i have read it from the beginning.
https://www.neworleansonline.com/images/slideshows/listings/1341/08.jpg
This is the original location in 1980 of the Armstrong statue. You can see the hill from the gnomes verse.
That bridge over his shoulder is the same bridge from the fay picture. It has 21 lights from end to end. Go to the middle light and then follow the 15th lattice work (rows) down to the ground. There are 3 cypress trees standing watch.
I believe the casque is buried here.
Visual Confirmation
https://www.google.com/maps/@29.9627041,-90.0678003,3a,75y,293.92h,71.13t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1swtIlLLk4iY-DIbIEWN2C2Q!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
This is the bridge that is right next to the spot to dig and can be seen easily from bridge. It looks like the very top of the clock in image 7.
I also think the statue is the other confirmation.
19 on the clock. Louis Armstrong had 19 top 10 hits. I know it is a stretch but it a coincidence.
Boy in the clock
https://i.pinimg.com/736x/bb/db/f9/bbdbf9e43028817f9012c397e8c0e0d1.jpg
I also think the park is laid out like the clock. If you go to google maps and do an overhead shot, you can see what i mean.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Louis+Armstrong+Park/@29.9626131,-90.0703079,164a,35y,90h,39.41t/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x8620a60f5f3f7dbf:0x9f87c1b241badda6!8m2!3d29.9627574!4d-90.0677536
I hope this takes you to the view i was in.
Line up the Mahalia Jackson theater as the mask. the smoke stack is the stick. The mask is actually a theater mask. the water feature in the middle of the lagoon. matches the arch from the boys hand to his feet on the clock. There are 4 marks on the outside of the clock that match the locations of the bridges. the dark mark on III where the second hand is point is the bridge where i think it is buried. the sidewalks go around the lagoon much like the arrows that go around the clock that point to preservation. The building there is not preservation hall but it is called perseverance hall. I actually think the white bridge from the top looks like the shape of the boy in the clock. Hand extend with legs back with an arch from hand to food. Totally might be a stretch though.
Again i am totally not saying THIS IS THE SOLUTION AND EVERYONE ELSE IS WRONG but just what i found of Armstrong Park. If you can get anything from this, then great. If not, it is ok too. Just wanted to share.
I got permission and dug at the bridge at the inside of the lagoon about a year ago. I hit multiple things about 2 ft down but could only dig one 1 ft by 1ft hole. I personally think it is on the side of the bridge with the arch, hill, old Armstrong statue, congo sq, municipal auditorium, fay statue, and Ann St. You can stand from that spot and point to the lines in the verse. I dug on the other side because of the white bridge and it was easier access due to the now cypress knees.

JoshCornell

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

not dug in lafayette
and the same material as the casque, a poured bisque.
that being said it still remains to be seen if this is actually part of the casque.
one of the pieces found is here outlined in green.

Unknown

Unknown:
Not correct….but, not entirely random, either.

No sane person digs a spot where they think the casque isn’t, although I’ll admit that I’ve come close a time or two out of sheer frustration. So the concept of “entirely random” never really applies when it comes down to moving dirt.

Euhirudinea

No sane person digs a spot where they think the casque isn’t, although I’ll admit that I’ve come close a time or two out of sheer frustration. So the concept of “entirely random” never really applies when it comes down to moving dirt.

My point is that it
wasn’t
random at all…as Josh implied.

Unknown

Unknown:
My point is that it wasn’t random at all

So was mine. Glad we got that cleared up.

Rare as a blue midsummer’s day
rare = happens on occasion
blue = sad
midsummer = middle of a capstone

Glossiphoniidae

Ask questions of yourself, erexere. Quit proffering solutions. Why is your digspot better than any other, as we currently understand the puzzle? It ain’t. Why is Armstrong Park better than City Park or
Lafayette Park
or vice versa, as we currently understand the puzzle? It ain’t.

Emphasis mine, and I post at my own peril not having finished the thread.
The one thing we know from the two solved casks are the presence in the image of a real-world location that is within sniffing distance of the cask.
In Cleveland, we have the profile of the entire stone wall. In Chicago we have the Fence and Fixture. Both not the focus of the image, but both featured clearly.
To answer your question, this is why I would suggest Lafayette park would be the best bet. Maybe fays would even delight.
We have the McDonogh Statue in NO, and the Legeater in Montreal, probably that thing in Image 6 that looks like a picket fence. Perhaps the Ferry building bird in Image 12.
Also connect that in Image 7, we probably have the “iconic city reference” with “preservation”. The kid on the McDonogh statue is a treasure ground clue.
Is it ridiculous to think that? I’m asking an honest question.

Merlot Brougham

Emphasis mine, and I post at my own peril not having finished the thread.

Merlot Brougham

The one thing we know from the two solved casks are the presence in the image of a real-world location that is within sniffing distance of the cask.
In Cleveland, we have the profile of the entire stone wall. In Chicago we have the Fence and Fixture. Both not the focus of the image, but both featured clearly.

Unknown

Unknown:
To answer your question, this is why I would suggest Lafayette park would be the best bet. Maybe fays would even delight.
We have the McDonogh Statue in NO, and the Legeater in Montreal, probably that thing in Image 6 that looks like a picket fence. Perhaps the Ferry building bird in Image 12.
Also connect that in Image 7, we probably have the “iconic city reference” with “preservation”. The kid on the McDonogh statue is a treasure ground clue.
Is it ridiculous to think that? I’m asking an honest question.

But we also had the bowman and spearman, and didn’t dig there. There’s a 10×13 right next to it. Nor did we dig at the italian gardens near any one of those bigger, more abundant images where there are rec plots, steps, columns, and 9 rows/10 columns. Why not? Obviously, that’s a royal “we.”
It’s certainly not ridiculous to ask that… nor would it be ridiculous to dig at each of those locations, or any location that you can justify with “confirmation from the image and verse. But the same cleveland/chicago conundrum described above still applies, no? Not knowing which to dig at without your hindsight bias? So, we try to dig them all, or at least I do, and I come up emptyhanded. Several of you shouldn’t be ashamed to declare the like. Not only this, you fail to mention that we have the flowers match from Storyland, and the “jewels” in City Park, and the outline shown in Jackson Park paths… why are those not your “confirmers?”

Thats a rock solid assessment. It seems there are many clues but only one visual confirmer makes the cut. Id like to think there is a rational system in play. Like size of the clue or how it interacts with the painting.
One of the larger parts of this image is the face of Louis Armstrong. That would surely build more interest in Armstrong Park, but maybe its just like the Italian Fountain was for Cleveland and not the direct line to the casque.

erexere

Thats a rock solid assessment. It seems there are many clues but only one visual confirmer makes the cut.

Unknown

Unknown:
Id like to think there is a rational system in play.

Unknown

Unknown:
One of the larger parts of this image is the face of Louis Armstrong. That would surely build more interest in Armstrong Park, but maybe its just like the Italian Fountain was for Cleveland and not the direct line to the casque.

And then there is Milwaukee or Montreal, where there is seemingly nothing to “make the cut.”
That would make sense, especially if you were trying to solve a puzzle that had a solution.
Exactly… inconsistency.

This puts things into perspective.

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!

here is a really clean pic that is huge:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/W_%26_H_Sch_grandfather_clock_face_1.JPG
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/W_%26_H_Sch_grandfather_clock.JPG
what’s that picture right in the middle of the 20? or is that just where the moon sits in the image/clock? i always wondered if “in the middle of twenty-one” had something to do with the masked 6+7+8 (21).

Oh fantastic image!
That little picture is just the background, likely of the sun for when it’s the middle of the day. Moon comes in with night backdrop in the evening.
I’ve wondered about the covered numbers being 21 as well. I forgot to face to my right whilst looking at the clock to see if anything significant was there since there’s the extra hand pointing at the 3 in image 7.

also, how’d you find that image?

So, on a hunch about the clock in the lobby of the Hotel Monteleone, I walked over there on my lunch break. There is now absolutely zero doubt that image 7 is 100% New Orleans.
The shape of the face is dead on, there’s a moon/sun that moves under the arch to dictate part of the day (like the moon in P7), and look at that hour hand — that’s a 100% match of the hand on the P7 clock. The clock is too tall for me to know what the two smaller hands in the upper left and right corners (where “19” and “29” reside in P7).
One major difference is that the HM clock uses the normal Arabic numerals instead of the Roman numerals in P7. My guess is that the fact that Roman numerals are used instead is significant.
Of note: starting at “Preservation” Hall on St. Peters, walking toward Royal St. and taking a right on Royal lands you at the HM in less than 5 minutes. Continue walking down Royal St. and cross Canal St. and Royal St. becomes St. Charles Ave. Continue down St. Charles and once you cross Poydras St. on your left is Lafayette Square, which is right by the old St. Charles Exchange Hotel referenced in V2 (if V2 does connect with P7).
Fits nicely. A little *too* nicely….

Paul Morphy = Polymorph?
Grandfather Clock = Bakery Oven?
Paul M. = Palm?
That McDonough statue doesn’t make sense as a chess piece…
If Preiss thought the same thing he may have thought of an oportunity to utilize a palm tree.
Edit:  Morphy = (M) orphans?  That works with the philanthropy angle.
Or, a palm orphan…what if the palm in Coliseum Park is the only one left?

Wow, I’m freaking out with excitement on this one simply because a substantial theme is at play: dough.
Margeret Haughery = Bread Lady = dough
Education/Justice = J. McDonough = –D–ough
Ace is high = casino (the Rivergate) = money = dough
Jockey’s arm has a foot = “arm and a leg” idiom = too highly priced = money = dough
Andrew Jackson = twenty dollar bill = dough
Starry Night = van Gough = rhymes with dough…
Someone mentioned the Doughboys but I don’t know why…good war reference.  Isn’t that a monument statue in Ohio?
Edit:  the choice to reference to Andrew Jackson comes from a Tree reference that comes to mind when looking at the clock “hickory dickory dock” the nursery rhyme seems to work with “old Hickory”.

More on this “bread” theory:  The first words of verse 7 “at stonewall’s door” and “the air smells sweet” remind me of a brick oven with fresh baked bread or the pizza in this image,
The mask on the stick is possibly analogous to a baked good on a spatula and the clock an oven hearth.
An old stone wall oven such as this exists at the Hermann-Grima Historic House,
http://www.hgghh.org/hg_house/kitchen.htm
It even has a door…
I found a Twain quote on New Orleans food: “New Orleans food is as delicious as the less criminal forms of sin.” -Mark Twain, that might be a pointer to the Margaret Bread Lady statue, “an object of Twains attention”.

im wilhouse’s son and everytime i see this picture the first thing i see is a square that is turned to the left, this block is 2 blocks up from the griffin or dragons head and 1 block left not sure what this means but it is just what i saw and no one else saw it

Not to get argumentative, but the ground counting as a step or stair just didn’t seem correct to me. I wasn’t aware of the nuts and bolts of it all, so I asked a Boston city building inspector about what constitutes a step or stair this afternoon.
He quoted his building bible (city codes) saying that a step or stair consists of a tread AND a riser. The ground or a landing does not have both, therefore they do not count as a step.
I asked him if ADA codes were different and he explained that ADA is the minimum national code and the local codes are actually more strict.
Don’t kill the messenger. These are the code officer’s words, not mine. I never actually thought it was possible to argue over what counts as a step and what doesn’t. Apparently, step count is a big deal when railings come into play. It gets discussed and argued way more than expected.

So messing with the Gallier Hall location theory and trying to make it fit the verse 2 and all the possible spots to probe I came up with an interesting one:
“Only three stand watch” is an odd thing to say. Only normally refers to one not three. Yes there are 3 people on the statue and 3 on top of the building, but why only?
So just to have fun with this; since you can theorize that 7 is the middle of 21 (6, 7, 8 on the clock hidden) and if you count the “posts” from right to left then #7 would be at the corner. The dig spot at that corner is the ONLY spot that is surrounded by 3 posts. And “Fifteen rows down to the ground”.
So add that spot to the probe list! List is getting crowded.
I think someone should call Shelby the swamp man/Ax man and have him bring his excavator over and dig the whole area.

Choice

So messing with the Gallier Hall location theory and trying to make it fit the verse 2 and all the possible spots to probe I came up with an interesting one:
“Only three stand watch” is an odd thing to say. Only normally refers to one not three. Yes there are 3 people on the statue and 3 on top of the building, but why only?
So just to have fun with this; since you can theorize that 7 is the middle of 21 (6, 7, 8 on the clock hidden) and if you count the “posts” from right to left then #7 would be at the corner. The dig spot at that corner is the ONLY spot that is surrounded by 3 posts. And “Fifteen rows down to the ground”.
So add that spot to the probe list! List is getting crowded.
I think someone should call Shelby the swamp man/Ax man and have him bring his excavator over and dig the whole area.

I’m still pretty sure it is/was there. so your idea has possibilities.
The key isn’t dealing with the city
they key is finding the groundskeeper for the building or the head maintaneance guy for the building
getting either of them on board and letting them dig it up

3 stand watch.
Only three of the people on those statues in front of the hall are standing. And each of the standing people are looking in a diffrent direction.
You can see all three from the hall, but only on that specific side.
That was my take on it.

Perhaps this is a chess piece or McDonogh statue silhouette.

I dont think that is a stretch at all.  I am beginning to think there are many items/objects that are probably being overlooked which may lead us in the right direction..  ie…look at my post under P4.

erexere

Fifteen rows down to the ground

Eric is a visionary. He sees things that no one else sees.

Fifteen rows down to the ground

The only lamps that match the Big Hand on the clock are the ones on the streets of the Central Business District. Just like the ones in the picture you posted of Gallier Hall.

How about a couple interesting observations from this old man.
I can’t find anywhere that someone brought up the upside down “41” in the wood on the left side of the clock. This represents The National WWII Museum in the Central Business District.
The full moon at the top of the clock is the Superdome. How do we know that? Do you see the 8 white dots in the blue arch? When the Superdome was opened in 1975 it was referred to as the 8th Wonder of the World. Of course many man-made items have been called that before and I’m sure many more will be in the future.
Now, notice the partial stars (4) around the jewel, I’ll put those on the back burner for now. But, the full stars are what caught my attention. As a kid growing up that star meant one thing to a sports fan…..Dallas Cowboys. Hate ’em or love ’em they played in the first Super Bowl (XII) held at the Louisiana Superdome and beat the Denver Broncos 27-10 in 1978. Go ahead and count the stars, I know you want to.

MrBackstop

How about a couple interesting observations from this old man.
I can’t find anywhere that someone brought up the upside down “41” in the wood on the left side of the clock. This represents The National WWII Museum in the Central Business District.
The full moon at the top of the clock is the Superdome. How do we know that? Do you see the 8 white dots in the blue arch? When the Superdome was opened in 1975 it was referred to as the 8th Wonder of the World. Of course many man-made items have been called that before and I’m sure many more will be in the future.
Now, notice the partial stars (4) around the jewel, I’ll put those on the back burner for now. But, the full stars are what caught my attention. As a kid growing up that star meant one thing to a sports fan…..Dallas Cowboys. Hate ’em or love ’em they played in the first Super Bowl (XII) held at the Louisiana Superdome and beat the Denver Broncos 27-10 in 1978. Go ahead and count the stars, I know you want to.

While I believe the moon can be the Superdome, the rest is highly speculative.

The World War II museum opened in 2000 as the D-day museum. The entire warehouse district area has changed very much Since 1984 with the world fair and then again with the World War II museum. By the way those of you who have not been to the World War II museum really should it is absolutely amazing it is basically the Walt Disney World of World War II. Very well done Smithsonian quality museum. It would take 2 days just to see the entire museum they have recreated entire battlefields 4D simulators air planes and tanks Landing vessels weapons you name it. It’s worth a trip to New Orleans just with the World War II museum alone.

MrBackstop

The only lamps that match the Big Hand on the clock are the ones on the streets of the Central Business District. Just like the ones in the picture you posted of Gallier Hall.

This light pole on Washington artillery is the second hand.
Standing on possible casque spot.
https://imgur.com/gallery/4amPE

Speculative yet very logical.
The only reason I don’t agree with your assessment of the Washington pole is that that light pole doesn’t have the “J” braces and two round lights like the ones in the Central Business District.

Howardjthomas

The World War II museum opened in 2000 as the D-day museum. The entire warehouse district area has changed very much Since 1984 with the world fair and then again with the World War II museum. By the way those of you who have not been to the World War II museum really should it is absolutely amazing it is basically the Walt Disney World of World War II. Very well done Smithsonian quality museum. It would take 2 days just to see the entire museum they have recreated entire battlefields 4D simulators air planes and tanks Landing vessels weapons you name it. It’s worth a trip to New Orleans just with the World War II museum alone.

Well damn, I didn’t notice that at all. Now I gotta find out what that “41” means. I do know that the USS New Orleans was at Pearl Harbor but that would be quite a stretch to make as a marker for Image 7.

Where is the 41 you are referring to? I’m not seeing it.

MrBackstop

Speculative yet very logical.
The only reason I don’t agree with your assessment of the Washington pole is that that light pole doesn’t have the “J” braces and two round lights like the ones in the Central Business District.

I’m talking about the thin plain seconds hand not the big ornate one.

gManTexas

Where is the 41 you are referring to? I’m not seeing it.

Upside down in the woodgrain to the left. I finally saw a really clear image the other day and looked at it from many angles. I was also able to see in all caps on the wood just below the clock face (not the pedestal) “PRES”. I believe this is too represent the 4 times that Henry Clay ran for President of the United States. He lost all 4 times.

Howardjthomas

I’m talking about the thin plain seconds hand not the big ornate one.

Oh, okay, that would make a pretty good match.
I have an idea of what I think that is in my solve and I’m hoping to post it tomorrow. But I have to go do some pitching lessons for a couple hours right now.

I am.

MrSeabass

Anyone else curious why the molding on the clock isn’t symmetrical at all?

No,
I find this entirely consistent with the fact these are hand painted and not photo shopped or computer produced in any way.
as a matter of fact, knowing this I would think if it was exactly symmetrical this would be a stronger indication of something important, as it would mean JJP took more time to make it exactly symmetrical

Actually Choice, I pointed out the spoon on the shirt cuff! Ha! Man, I wish someone would solve this thing!

NOLA68

Actually Choice, I pointed out the spoon on the shirt cuff! Ha! Man, I wish someone would solve this thing!

I don’t know who discovered it 1st but Brandonh PMed me with it. 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 all I know DIG-IN could go with the spoon for a restaurant.
Or maybe DIG-IN or read from bottom up IN-DIG; either way is partial indigenous?

maltedfalcon

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

My thought was the 19 on the clock may be confirming the location. Is there a solid working theory on that 19?

Only solid theory I’ve heard is that Preiss couldn’t just list the lat/long coordinates for cleveland and N.O. In plain view, so he threw in century numbers to cloud the meaning
Anyone looked at the West End district of N.O. For the solution to “end to end?”

The Basin St. Installation on the Neutral Grounds was developed by the city as a project called the Gardens of the Americas. Maybe the only reason for the flowers in the image is clue support for the connection to a “garden”.

bclews

Here’s a site with many pictures of Storyland.  Unfortunately the site is about the damage and recovery efforts.
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl= … en%26lr%3D
One thing that stood out for me was the arch bridge (near the bottom of the page) is a match for the wooden top of the clock.  In fact, in one image it appears that there may be two bridges side-by-side like the top of the clock.

Yes, bclews made that find back in 2006…

cw0909

compared it seems the right and left arm are wrong, this may have been deliberate, i think bp has turned
and changed the look of some objects, in other pics too

fox i like the chess knight idea
from september-08
full size
http://community.webshots.com/photo/ful … 2122jCXMmu

The flying waiter I am referring to is the figure in the image that you have linked to the boy on McDonogh’s statue. I do see why y’all got excited over this. As I look back over my notes I remember that I thought Lafayette square was a contender. If verse 7 is N.O. than education would pertain to this statue. Verse 2 never struck me as being the one to use. Gnomes admire, fays delight I thought meant opal and torquoise. Gallier hall seems to be a stretch as the place where jewels abound. A city that has streets named after jewels seemed to be more likely to me.  The most frustrating aspect of this hunt is how we all seem to be picking apart the semantics of each part instead of being able to agree on a spot and then apply a verse. Sigh… I don’t think Byron meant for it to be so difficult!
I won’t yet rule out Lafayette square but I will rule out verse 2. Please don’t attack me if you disagree, as we all are trying to fit it all together.
Does anyone have an opinion about the #19 on the upper left hand corner of the clock?

Lafitte

I don’t agree that the clock boy is our flying waiter.

Who is this flying waiter you refer to?  I was talking about this statue in Lafayette Square:
and here he is from almost the exactly correct angle…back arched, one arm extended before himself while the other is extended backwards
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8126909@N0 … 012/ 
(or even here)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gymnasia/2342711849/
I still don’t understand how people are arguing that this is not our ‘clock boy’.  If Anyone out there can find another statue anywhere, whether in the USA or not, with as close a resemblence as this one does to our ‘clock boy’ I may be swayed.  Until then, I feel this IS our ‘clock boy’.

Could someone with the computer know how once again do a side by side comparison of ‘clock boy’ and this statue (possibly from this site since it is fairly close to the correct angle
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gymnasia/2342710683/
). . . or perhaps this one:
Yes, I understand that ‘clock boy is extending his right arm while statue is extending his left but I think looking at silhouettes is very convincing.  Thanks in advance…

Welcome back Lafitte!  i hope all are doing better down in the Crescent City.
a while back, FB posted a pic of a guy playing chess in a park.  Were they real chess tables from before 82′ and are they still there?  Two blocks up and one block left?  wouldn’t that be nice???

wilhouse

im wilhouse’s son and everytime i see this picture the first thing i see is a square that is turned to the left, this block is 2 blocks up from the griffin or dragons head and 1 block left not sure what this means but it is just what i saw and no one else saw it

Just for $#!t$ and giggles, I am rereading ALL the posts in this thread.  Long long ago was this post:
Now, we all know that a knight’s (our horse head) move in chess is 2 squares then 1 over….or 2 over and 1 up.  Either way, could this part of the P just be trying to tell us something “knight”?

Also, what about the base of the Three Pigs’ feet? (“As three stand watch”).
I think “fifteen rows” is your key. Anyone in NOLA care to take a look?

WhiteRabbit

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

WR-
I believe that clock was…I’m sure someone here will know for sure. But I do know that the large castle (not King Cole’s blue one) was NOT there in the 80s.

I like your work too, Toasty. Pinpointing is alwayz the tough part.

the clock resembles the face of Washington Artillery Hall on St. Charles demolished in ’52.
This is the place where Rex hopped off their ride named “Where jewels abound” for their reception and ball in 1906.

truthfully, I only meant to point out an interesting tie-in to Nashville. i really don’t think Nashville will have anything to do with the solution. it just never ceases to amaze me how much information we aggregate, and then find commonalities within. it is just interesting that the closest match to clockboy is in Nashville, and for some strange reason, the equestrian statue also “leads’ there.
another oddity/interesting fact i learned while searching near ace is high and new orleans, was that the first airplanes to circle the globe, three of them (the fourth crashed), was three planes that did it together in 1924… named New Orleans, Chicago, Boston, and the Seattle (which crashed and never made it).
it’s all just super interesting to me, but I usually try not to post irrelevant information.

I think its important to see the clockboy as a figure which is floating, flying, sailing, like he’s leaping across rooftop to rooftop.  The comparisons of him to upright figures or horseback positions takes away from that perspective.

Glossiphoniidae

You are genius!! In 20 years, nobody has
ever
thought of this!

Perhaps… because T is the 20th letter of the alphabet, not the 21st.

I see the first line of any of these verses as our introduction to a place.  I expect that place to have a point of significance.  Verse 11 gives us the Wright Bros. and starting at their Wing memorial makes good sense.  Where we end up might be miles away but we still have a need for that information about the Wright Bros.  I think this verse is no different.
Fox pointed out the Rex float list from 1906 (thanks Four21 for reminding us).  “Where Jewels Abound” is a parade float.  I suppose this is to tell us “At the City of New Orleans where a bunch of parade floats travel their routes”.  Where we travel and where we end up finding the casque will have something to do either with Rex or with some particular parade route.
I keep thinking “jewels abound” is a way of saying “many kings” and that makes really good sense given that the different Krewes each have their king.  Also, Louis Armstrong, portrayed by the white mask in the image, was one of the Mardi Gras Kings of the Krewe of Zulu.
Also, I’m not positive but I think “Rex” is a reference to King.  I recall my mom’s cat breed is a Devon Rex and I raised Rex Rabbits when I was a boy.  I think the name has something to do with their hair being really soft like royal clothing.

Ok. Just gonna throw an idea out there for debate. I have a couple of site ideas for NO and this is just one. Not sure how I feel about this but I wanted to share.
What if the Museum of Art is the place where jewels abound. There are 15 steps(rows) in the foyer. Follow the steps straight out of the museum and continue down the middle of the median on Lelong Drive until the end. You come to two islands of grass at the entrance to City Park. One has the Monteleone Pillars and the other has the Beauregard Equestrian statue. Monteleone Hotel has the similar grandfather clock and Beauregard has ties to Morphy. Also Beauregard’s horse is on three legs(only three stand watch). Between the pillars used to be the Allen Generes floral clock, removed in 1983. Standing at the top of the clock at the end of the Lelong median the 12 would be a 21(the middle of twenty-one). The minute hand in the image points just past the 12 directing us to look at the “V”. The “V” may be an arrow to show our vantage point. Looking at the pillars and statue together from this position looks like the two middle wooden pillars of the clock with the figure on the hour hand in the center. Dig where you stand.
Alright, now everyone tear this theory apart!

I like the three legs on the horse idea.  Did the horse have a name?
I can see how you’re pulling ideas together, it’s a cool idea to start in a museum and see what comes next, fifteen stairs, and then squeeze in the City Park.  You’re interpretation seems like it has a long ways to go yet.  Maybe you could try to look at the skyline or roof tops for a visual clue.
Has anyone thought of “in the middle of
TWEN
T
YONE
to be the letter T?

I don’t have the slightest idea how the letter T works into this.  My basic notion is its a simple way of saying something is perpendicular, not that it helps any.

A cross?

erexere

Has anyone thought of “in the middle of
TWEN
T
YONE
to be the letter T?

You are genius!! In 20 years, nobody has
ever
thought of this!

Eastcoast

Twain grandfather clock doesn’t have a second movement
And that’s not just a clock face its also a compass face

Moon clocks do have seconds hand. I already posted this site for reference if you are curious.
https://www.charlesedwin.com/Moondials.htm
If you didn’t fail your kindergarten class you would’ve known that minute hand is the bigger hand!
Not a compass but a weathervane. Notice the floating boys posture is similar to a typical archangel Gabriel weathervane.

http://goo.gl/maps/G6vrK
I’ve never really noticed that building in the corner of Jackson Square. The windows reminded me instantly of the III on the clockface, to which the seconds-hand points. I can’t really find any information on it, though.
It’s interesting to me becuase is falls right in the middle of the quadrant of the square as outlined but the clock hands. By this I mean you can overlay the clock face onto the square and it matches the outline of the square’s sidewalks, its perimeter, and the Artillery Park Amphitheatre. When orienting the image like this the park is broken into quadrants, and it ‘pies-out’ the quadrant between 12 and 3.
Just a thought.

Choice

Here haters abound bud. Take a number. If you can’t take criticism or read a simple time on the clock correctly then maybe puzzle solving is not your thing.
Whining is sooo attractive. Keep it up my ol’ pal.[/quote
And this is why these forums have become completely useless

Speaking of New Orleans,  could this be the horse in the lower right side?
http://www.eveandersson.com/photos/phot … size=large

From my chess days I remember Paul Morphy was in New Orleans.  There is a lot of morphology in this hunt.  I remember seeing a guy with a bat saying “Morphy was black”.  Don’t know if that was true.  Must remember to research that.

fox

Oh how soon we forget…

Not all of us forgot.

hmm, was just looking at my last post and noticed for the first time that the overall shape of that statue looks a lot like a castle or rook in chess….this image does have the chessboard background.

The bell shaped flower is the narcissus, the birth flower of December.
http://nakahara.ac/flower/flower-large/narcissus.jpgI
dont believe the bell shape is a clue since that is the normal shape of the flower.
27 stars + 3 partials may be something to look into.
I think the 8 you see are just the decorations on the hands of the clock.
311?  where do you get those numbers?  if anything, our Peter Pan is looking towards the 9 (IX).
Still curious as to why the chess board bends in the lower right corner.  We are pretty sure the horse represents either the Knight in chess or someone (dont remember who) found a horses hitching post quite similar outside of Preservation Hall.

Since it is beginning to look more and more like these casques were buried in parks (Grant Park-Chicago, Greek Garden/Park-Cleveland, possibly GGP-SF, possibly Hermann Park-Houston) we may want to consider the NO city park.  It doesnt appear to be too far from Preservation Hall.  Here is a map of the park’s location in reference to Preservation Hall (thumbtack-address):
http://www.expedia.com/pub/agent.dllHere
is a decent website map:
http://www.neworleanscitypark.com/directions.php
I have always thought that the person on the clock looks like Peter Pan and there is a large Cpt Hooks ship that the kids can play on in Storyland.
other interesting NO tidbits:  NO is known as the Crescent City (the night sky in P8 is in the shape of a crescent)….also, The great chess master Paul Morphy was born in the house at 1113 Chartres St. in the French Quarter. Today, the house is a museum, and goes by the name the Beauregard House, for the Confederate General. P. G. T. Beauregard, who also lived there.(could this be referencing the chessboard pattern w/ knight as background?)

Unknown

Unknown:
Still curious as to why the chess board bends in the lower right corner.

I was thinking about that too.  My guess is that it is referring to a name of a road or place, like “Boardbend” or “Checkertwist.”  Something like that.

There is a Diagonal Dr. running through the NOCP.  But now I am beggining to wonder if this is our park.  As quoted:  “City Park in New Orleans is such an example. Developed in the 1930’s as a garden for the public, it saw decades of neglect and economic hardship until 1985 when Gen Trimble had a dream not only to restore New Orleans City Park, but to also expand its mission.”
Now, if the casque was buried there, it would have been buried in ’80,’81 or before.  This apperantly was when the park probably wasnt as beautiful and unkempt.  Even if the casque was buried in an ugly park, major renovations occured in ’85.
hmmmm

close up of “bell flower”:
There are 27 full stars … and 3 partial stars:
On the clock hand there looks like an “8” and some other characters in there:
That flying guy seems to be looking at some numbers? A “311”?  Not sure.
And on the bottom right hand corner (with the brightness WAY up) the chess board gets strange and a funny horse head is there:

Could this be our scary creature?
http://www.shadow-puppets.com/shadow-puppet-12.html
Maybe we are supposed to do something with light.

yeah, I’m pretty sure that spoon has some significance. As far as I can tell, I was the first person to make note of it. I’m proud of that if true; I brought something to the table! Ha.
I’ll try to browse around that area for any significant clues.

NOLA68

If you think of anything else you need me to check out, please advise! Thanks.

Madison St. is a one block street right across the street from the tunnel hallway. There are a few of those old cast iron horse hitches still survived. If you can check out that area see if there’s anything interesting or image match. There are good street view images available online too.
There’s an image correlation:
Animal head (horse hitch) to sleeve spoon (café) to neck-pole (cupola).
https://tinyurl.com/y3llnyme

I’m proud of you too! BTW teaspoon translated to French is cuillère à café or thé.

This TV story about the New Orleans casque ran on May 18. It’s another interview with Jason Berry (Dambala).
https://www.wwltv.com/article/news/loca … -555019370
Youtube version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IfYTZxtbeI

For reference, I found a list of some of the McDonough schools here…
http://www.old-new-orleans.com/NO_McDonogh_Schools.html

oh no i’ve gone overboard again?
i guess, because the only place i found anything about “namesakes” was st. charles avenue and st. charles streetcar
and also, because bp wrote stuff like oil of L. A. ………….that he had fun with words, and i know that audubon and abound or (all)  aboard aren’t the same, but…..you guys really think audubon isn’t right?
lafitte,
st. charles namesakes would have another point for it with niads  🙂
you guys didn’t like that sign for popp garden with the flowers on each corner for the clockface? and diana’s arm for the arm in the image??
and popp….all namesakes
exit or entrance—-from end to end

http://www.flickr.com/photos/11213280@N … otostream/

how would you pronounce “cite”?
in this sentence:
The tiny area thus enclosed was “vieux carre” or as the early inhabitants called it “the cite”……..
with an accent mark over the “e”
i tend to say “site”…but iis it just saying city?

look how perfect this would have been if it had gone in order
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:NOLA_Wards_1880.jpg

I’m sure with the right algorithm we can find the solution to cold fusion within the verses…

Sorry for that last reply… I forgot this thread subject is image related… not verse related.

slappybuns

how would you pronounce “cite”?
in this sentence:
The tiny area thus enclosed was “vieux carre” or as the early inhabitants called it “the cite”……..
with an accent mark over the “e”
i tend to say “site”…but iis it just saying city?

more like sit ay

I think the whole Louis Armstrong thing has been a huge distraction.
While yes I agree you could vaguely match the mask up with LA, I think both the mask and if you believe it’s LA are just there to say New Orleans.
If BP was surprised that these weren’t all solved within a reasonable time…
then we should just simplify and take things at face value… no pun intended
Lafitte… my wife and I specifically went to NO (hence my original posts) not because of this hunt but because NO was my favorite city when I traveled for a living…  K got in the way of us going there sooner, but the delay made it more special being our first vacation (post honeymoon) as a married couple and I was so happy that NO was back in full swing so I could share my love of the city with my bride.
I discovered the book just prior to our trip and brought it just in case.  I found the boy statue in an unmarked picture in a guide book, once we found out where the statue was, we took a Garden District Buggy Tour, and the driver took us by Lafayette on the way back.  We walked back to the park and spent a good deal of time there, my wife even pointed out that the girl’s dress really matched the ruffles of the flower (the one on the right).
That said… I completely agree with Lafitte that K likely did Not affect the dig spot.
WhiteRabbit… your comment “no-one has a clue” tells me you have a lot more to read in these posts.  There is some really good insight posted by several individuals here.

Louis Armstrongs statue in Armstrong Park is so close to the mask image that it could pertain. I am trying to match images in the painting with N.O. landmarks as the other solves did. I’m frustrated that I can’t positively identify more than the mask, and the boy. Other solves had more identifiers. In 1980 Lafayette square was not as busy as today. he very well could have buried the casque there but where exactly? And if I tried to dig now in a definate spot I fear police would be called. Sigh…

Unfortunately, I don’t foresee myself returning to New Orleans any time soon.
So here you go Lafitte…
For NO, the dig spot i’ve been trying to get someone to look over (since I can’t get there myself) practically has an X on it saying “DIG HERE”
The image shows a second hand pointing to the 3.  The exact direction to the wall from the center park statue if looking from the boy statue.
The 15 rows and the middle of 21 has already been discussed in the Verse section.
Also if you look at the second hand… it is between the inner circle, which I would take to be the concrete circle around the statue, and an outer circle that has markings that could easily represent bricks and mortar.
So now we know which side of the wall is more likely.
the only problem is how to dig there without getting arrested… especially being that it is right next to a Federal building.
Well… HERE IS THE ANSWER TO THAT AS WELL.
There is a non profit organization that maintains Lafayette Square, they do clean-ups, weeding, and plantings every other month.
If you visit their site you will even see people with shovels in their picture gallery.  There is even a couple resting against our little brick wall.
Though it is late in the season, THIS SATURDAY is their FALL PLANTING maintenance event, and they’re looking for volunteers.
If I lived there or was able to get there, I would:
1. Contact these people IMMEDIATELY
2. Volunteer to help them … I think they work from 9 to noon
3. Explain to them that we believe BP specifically chose this location, and we would like to search this specific area and document the search, AFTER the volunteer work is done.
4. Suggest that it could be great for park publicity and we would be glad to share our documentation and photos.
their website:    http://www.lafayette-square.org/site.php
Contact information:
[email protected]
504 881 9861 (cell)
Lafayette Square Conservancy
625 St. Charles Ave.
Apt. 5E
New Orleans, LA 70130-3403

Hi CenturySam –
It’s worth pointing out, as a gold circle-in-square motif, and I don’t remember it being posted up before. However, it’s one of those matches where, if it was intended as a clue, it’s pretty useless because it’s not nearly close enough to be a sure thing. We can’t rule it in or out.
Jackson Square and the cathedral already has enough going for it to consider the immediate surrounding area, so the only way this could be useful is if the casque was actually within Place Henriette DeLille.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/fisherbra … otostream/
If there was someone in NO it might be worth a poke around, but it seems very unlikely because:
a) It looks generally too well-kept and not seemingly very easy for BP to go digging holes unobserved
b) It’s hard to see how either of the most likely NO verses – V2 or V7 – could fit
WR

Glossiphoniidae

I think Lafayette is a very good fit, I think most of us do. Unfortunately, the boredom of years passed and inability to find accurate dated images of the park have left everyone clueless as where to dig. So, we keep trying to find new and equally as plausible theories (include me in this group)… some work, some don’t; but they all help pass the time until somebody grows a huge pair and enters the square with a backhoe.

True, although…Lafayette is really based on one of several plausible and widely separated image matches in the pic, and its proximity to a place traced to a very obscure quote. I agree it’s a good contender, but hardly any of the verse or image is actually explained at that site.

I’m still thinking about the Louid thing. It’s pretty difficult to factor in the city of St Louis, and the evidence for NO is compelling, so we have to consider the possibility that the St Louis hint is a specific clue for NO. I was revisiting the idea that the Louis pole might be St Louis St, and found this planter near one end of it.
I’ve always been drawn to the semicircular shape of the turquoise gem in this pic.
Confirmation bias kicks in with the thinner curved rim, the thicker straight rim, and the the hour-hand decoration leading from the centre.
Hey, if it was there in 1982, I’d probably dig it up for the hell of it. Would probably have to take the tree out.
(If there’s anyone local maybe they could try counting the bricks along the edge.)

WhiteRabbit

…if it was there in 1982…

Unknown

Unknown:
Woldenberg Park is a park in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was created in the late 1980s/early 1990s on land that had been old wharves and warehouses along the Mississippi River front in the upper French Quarter. It is named after philanthropist Malcolm Woldenberg (1896 – 1982) who helped fund the building of it.

…oh, looks like it probably wasn’t though.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woldenberg … ew_Orleans
)

Is there some reason Lafayette Sq. is not a good fit?

decibalnyc

Is there some reason Lafayette Sq. is not a good fit?

I think Lafayette is a very good fit, I think most of us do. Unfortunately, the boredom of years passed and inability to find accurate dated images of the park have left everyone clueless as where to dig. So, we keep trying to find new and equally as plausible theories (include me in this group)… some work, some don’t; but they all help pass the time until somebody grows a huge pair and enters the square with a backhoe.

Fair points, WhiteRabbit.
I just want to clarify, I do not think the casque is, or was, in St. Anthony’s Garden / Place de Henriette Delille. There are several reasons for this.
1) It’s private property. Not only that, it belongs to a church.
2) It hasn’t been considered open to the public since the Civil War.
3) The area was recently subject to an archaeological dig and although the report goes into great detail of buttons and bottle caps, they make no mention of a ceramic key, contained within a ceramic casque, contained within a clear acrylic box.
http://home.uchicago.edu/~sdawdy/stantoinesarch/StAntVol3All.pdf
On top of that, we’re not looking at the same garden BP was looking at in 1980. Although it remained largely unchanged since the Civil War, it was pretty heavily damaged by Katrina. It’s been redesigned since. That’s why most the trees look so young now.
Too risky and too unlikely to be worth poking around in the garden.
I merely think it’s a confirmer that you’re on the right track. Something similar to the Spirit of the Great Lakes statue in the Chicago picture. Not an exact match, not a direction indicator that leads you towards the treasure, just something that tells you that you’re close.
I’m hoping to find something either in the image or a verse that leads you away from that spot. There are two obvious possibilities. The two alleyways next to the Church lead directly into Jackson Square, and Orleans St., which runs from this spot directly to Congo Square in Louis Armstrong Park.
You’re right though, it’s not exact enough to be conclusively linked. It’s good to be skeptical. The reason I haven’t given up on it is the close proximity to Preservation Hall. Crazier things have happened, but it seems too coincidental.
For instance:
* Look at the darker edges around the flowers that give it an engraved look.
* Both have images placed in the corners of the square.
* The fact that there is a prominent clock, directly visible from that spot, with very similar Roman numerals.
* The concentric circles in both the clock and plaque.
* The thin line bordering the inside of the square.
* The usage of what appear to be dates.
That spot is a two minute walk from Preservation Hall (also featured on the clock).
If you started walking from Preservation Hall and travelled the path of the clock hands you would end up at St. Anthony’s Garden / Place de Henriette Delille.
In regards to the verses, I agree, there is nothing that really fits. Even excluding the plaque, I find it extremely difficult to fit any of the verses to the area. Verse 2 has what appears to be a tie to the city, beyond that, we are clearly missing a tie to a direct area. I’ve considered “Orleans St.” being a namesake, but it’s a stretch and wouldn’t really help in context with the entire verse.
I’m trying to stay open minded about the verses for now. There are a few that seem almost indisputable, the rest are up for consideration in my mind.

So what do we feel is missing from the square? We have visual confirmation on the McDonogh statue correct?
The last few lines say
The namesakes meeting
Near this site.
That is our clue…if in fact that is the right verse.
So what are the thoughts on what the namesake is other than Orleans St.?
Also
Here is a sovereign people
Who build palaces to shelter
Their heads for a night!
Sounds like a stopover, or a layover on a longer trip…

decibalnyc

Is there some reason Lafayette Sq. is not a good fit?

I agree, Lafayette Sq. is a good fit. I’m not trying to dispute any theories. The only thing that lead me away was trying to take a fresh approach from Preservation Hall. It could be a red herring, or just a way of confirming the city, but the inclusion of “Preservation” seems important. It might be similar to the Terminal Tower in Cleveland. The word was used instead of a silhouette because Preservation Hall does not have a distinct silhouette.
Above all, the plaque may be a clue AND may still lead to Lafayette Sq. The plaque is on Royal St. which becomes St. Charles St as you move toward Lafayette Sq. So basically the same street.

IMPORTANT…
I would say more ironic than anything…Preservation is the one thing that NOLA seems to lack post 2006 😉

I’ve found the best things to look for when stuck or trying a new perspective…
Any clues that lead you in a direction along 1 street – visuals, verse references, etc…
Any clues that seem to surround an area…
Anything related to Lincoln, an Ave. or a Street, a statue or plaque etc…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streetcars_in_New_Orleans
Canal Streetcar Line—3rd paragraph,  last line
on the canal streetcar line it mentions “
end to end
the canal streetcar wasn’t running in the 80’s………they had converted to buses…..just saying
still, the “ferries” could be namesakes
and the word “row” could be for boats, and #15 canal street is right down by the ferry boats
and it ends at the cemeteries, which could tie in the “grandfather” part
but that quote, which i put emphasis on the “st. charles” part………could just mean st. louis cathedral is a basilica, and maybe “religion” part was important, and “new orleans, this from my notes:
the giant squid
:
I just got back from the library, and I have finally (finally!) identified the source for:
“Here is a sovereign people Who build palaces to shelter Their heads for a night!”
It was written by Argentine author Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, who, while travelling in the United States, saw the St. Charles Exchange Hotel in
New Orleans
, and compared it to
St. Peter’s Basilica
in Rome. The whole quote:
“The Saint Charles, which lifted its proud head above the surrounding hills and woods, the Saint Charles, which had called up my memory of Saint Peter’s in Rome, was no more than a hotel! Here is the sovereign people who build palaces to shelter their heads for a night! Here is the
religion
which is delicated to man as man, and here the marvels of art are lavished on the glorification of the masses.”
and from washington artillery park you could still hear the “ferries”

lol!  i know!  but maybe somewhere in all these thoughts there’s an element of  something that will mean something to you
i wondered too if my train shape (on bottom of the grandfather clock) could be the riverboat or ferry, or maybe the sign for “the steamer new orleans”……….had to get that last thought out
I hope you have fun hunting thanksgiving week, take lots of pictures for us if you can!  i know you still like armstrong park, maybe the changes didn’t go 3 feet deep.  keeping my fingers crossed for you!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gratefulhume/3950620792/
i like this fence at jackson square for the hour  hand

Any bodt coming to N.O. any time soon? Here’s a funny yet accurate link to get you acclimated. Lafitte
http://www.gumbopages.com/yatspeak.html

fox

NOT TO HER
{img}

Wow… first time I’ve seen this picture. How interesting that she is wearing the scarlet letter.

maltedfalcon

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar…
Sigmund Freud

NOT TO HER

maltedfalcon

well any 3 lines can fit together to make a triangle.
what makes those line special or noteworthy

That’s funny.  I made two or three lattes for her back in the Portland coffee shop I worked at in 1997.
I thought the three corners of the triangle might be defined by what the three corner numbers suggest, taking 19 as 61 (rotated 180), which complements the 29 and 90 for a right-triangle.

my problem is the verse.  verse #2 has the quote “Who build palaces to shelter Their heads for a night!”  from
Abroad in America
talking about the St. Charles Hotel in New Orleans.  how do you get past this whiterabbit?

It’s a great find, and I’m sure it comes in somewhere. But I don’t think you can rely 100% on any reference to link an image with a verse, however ingenious. The book seems riddled with cross-connections, and you can only be certain once you’ve followed a verse through a set of ground-level instructions that have led you to the right spot.
V2 is definitely a good candidate, but I think it’s also worth staying open to other possibilities…

Most images have multiple numbers. Take image 1. It clearly has 122/123 and 37/38. Do you think he would narrow down some sites and not others? I’m just trying to get a consensus. It changes things if he only used coordinates to get us to a city. Then it could be anywhere in that city with no boundaries.

Egbert

I fall into the “camp” that BP gave 2 numbers for coordinates to get you to a city, and nothing more.  Any “extra” coordinates are those that you have to reach for, to get, such as reversing a 2-digit number.  In this image, I would just say 29 and 90 are the coordinates.  Reversing the 19 is a bit of a stretch for me.  I believe that the 19 is just added to the Image to “hide” the coordinates.  For example, in this Image, it makes it look like the coordinates are part of a year – 1929.  I posted above a link to the 1929 image at the Mardis Gras fountain which looks strikingly like the shape of the turquoise jewel on the clock in the Image.  If that was intentional by BP or JJP, then there is the use of the 1929 year for you.  If it was unintentional, then I think the 1929 year is just an attempt to hide the 29.

Let us not forget the coordinates to your own casque. Cleveland is 41/81. How do we get 41 out of image 4? By “reversing a 2-digit number”.

Egbert

I must have missed the part where that was “established.”
Although it is fun to go back and re-read the various threads, this thread has 75 pages, so I do not know if there is a consensus about where the casque is.
As for the sleeve matching the Mississippi River, I do not see that as a match.  If you can show me where that is, it would be appreciated.  I thought the clockboy’s butt is a pretty close match to the River.
You would think that it is not a big deal, but if we can establish that one or the other is the Mississippi River, then we know that the other one that is not the Mississippi River could be a clue to something else.
Has anyone suggested that the dog/dragon face is simply the state of Louisiana, upside down?  Both the Chicago and Cleveland images had States hidden in them.  This could be Louisiana.

I turned the image upside down and the checkered background is warped alongside the clockface to give what looks like the western Louisiana boundary with Texas. This is confirmed because the 90 on the clock is where New Orleans is in Louisiana.
… and the 19 – 29 could simply indicate the Gulf of Mexico.

Interesting that there are numbers in all of the corners of the clock (19, 29, and 90) but one of them is covered by the mask.  Maybe relevant, maybe not.

forrest, i am stuck on elysian fields because of giant squid’s find about “where jewels abound”.  i see washington square is right off of elysian field avenue, and that there is an elysian field there.  i’m finding it difficult to find out much information about this park.  have you been there?  do you find this park a possibility?
i’m still stuck on the next line about 15 rows…
i found this:
This park provides a large green space in which to play Frisbee or catch some sun. During the recovery period following the storm, relief groups created a campground here, offering free food and music. The far side of the park borders Elysian Fields, named for Paris’s Champs-Élysées. Though it never achieved the grandeur of its French counterpart, Elysian Fields is a major thoroughfare. Small-scale festivals or events sometimes take place in Washington Square, which is the only city public space with a French-style double alley of oaks.

maltedfalcon

Preservation Jazz Hall

I’m coming back round to V2, so here’s another brainstorming walkthrough.
At the place where jewels abound
Diamond St.
Fifteen rows down to the ground
It was 15 roads down from a place called “Odyssey’s Shipwreck and Treasure Adventure”, on 600 Decatur (top circle), though I don’t think it’s there any more. I’ve emailed them to ask if it was there then. (I like it as a landmark, though if it wasn’t there, I can always fudge round it and work something out from St Louis Cathedral instead.)
The route goes down
Tchoupitoulas
St., which is named after an Indian tribe.
I like Odyssey because it’s on Toulouse St (one up from St Louis), and the image is in the style of
Toulouse Lautrec
. For instance, consider this pic of Jane Avril.
(Not an exact match maybe, but pretty Toulouse-esque.)
(I’ve wondered before about shipwreck / sunken treasure ideas in this pic. For instance, Narcissus drowning. The French fays are described as “sturdy seafaring” folk, and that’s
before
the verses so BP hasn’t ruled it out.  😉 After looking at image 3, I also view atomic numbers as fair game. This gives 15 for P (Phosphorus), so “Fifteen rows down to the ground” could be “Prows down to the ground”.)
In the middle of twenty-one
The middle three letters of “PRESERVATION”, between 2 and 1 on the clock. With V divided by an upright, and the “I”s around, I’m going to interpret this as “RIA”. (Other possible hints are “Air back”, scuba diving, cf mask and clock-boy.)
As alphabet numbers, this gives 1891. And that’s when the nearby
Confederate Memorial Hall
was founded. (Lower left ring on the map).
It’s at 929 Camp St.
From end to end
This may refer to close-quarters digging instructions, but I’ll persevere. Clock-boy seems to be indicating 10 and 4, or JD. Since my Bienville monument was moved, I reserve the right to also reinterpret the “JB” on the clock as “JD”.
Jefferson Davis
spent some time in this place, posthumously.
Only three stand watch
Robert
, Edward, and Lee, just round the corner.
As the sound of friends
Fills the afternoon hours
French for friends is “amis”, so “the sound of friends” is “armies”…refers to killing time at this army museum.
Re: “Preservation Hall”……
Here is a sovereign people
Who build palaces to shelter
Their heads for a night!
St Charles Ave
Gnomes admire
Not sure, quite anagram-friendly. Eg, “gem roman side” (RC cathedral? Sarmiento himself is “Roman site”.)
Fays delight
Might simply be a clue that this is the puzzle for the French Fays of the litany.
The namesakes meeting
Near this site
Could refer to any two crossing streets named after people nearby. Eg, St Charles and St Joseph. Saints and namesakes seem to crop up together in Google search results, eg
here
, but I don’t know whether this is a saint-specific thing.
So there you have it…buried in the grounds. Possibly. I like the plaque, and I’m starting to think BP was mad enough to hide them anywhere.

Unknown

Unknown:
French for friends is “amis”, so “the sound of friends” is “armies”…

actually the “sound” of amis is AH MEE, not army. Close, but no cigar.

TIME magazine printed an article in Jan 1962 on the McDonogh Three (III).  I haven’t read the article but the Wikipedia bio on Armstrong suggests that the aid of Federal marshals came to those three school children just six days after Armstrong openly criticized the poor handling of racial integration by canceling his deal to be used as a pawn in politics concerning the Soviet Union when we were so poorly handling our own affairs with people within our own borders.

erexere

What are those flowers all about?

Unknown

Unknown:
Growing up in New Orleans, I remember what an honor it was as a student to be chosen to participate in McDonough Day ceremonies.  In his will, philanthropist John McDonough donated land for schools to the City of New Orleans with the condition that each year school children would lay flowers on his grave.

erexere

TIME magazine printed an article in Jan 1962 on the McDonogh Three.

Unknown

Unknown:
On November 14, 1960, three six year old African-American girls were escorted by US Marshals into McDonough 19, an all-white elementary school on Saint Claude Avenue in the Lower Ninth Ward. The story of another girl, Ruby Bridges, who desegregated the William Frantz School, is well known, but the history of Leona Tate, Tessie Prevost Williams, and Gail Etienne Stripling – who, in climbing 18 steps into McDonough 19, took a mammoth stride forward in the battle to desegregate Orleans Parish Public Schools, has been largely overlooked. Fifty years later, the contribution the “McDonough 3” made to the Civil Rights Movement was publicly honored.

I’ve posted about these flowers so often people are sick to death of hearing about them.
It’s the start of the trail at Jackson Square I tell ya…
Though the ones in City Park are pretty good too.
I’m sure McDonough is the key to this pic one way or another. Heck, maybe all the Louis Armstrong Park stuff is an elaborate clue back to Lafayette. It’s an interesting connection anyway.
Yeah, I was reading about them earlier…
Wish I could find a list of these McDonough schools…they’re hard to track down. What about McDonough 3 and 12 for instance?

Wilhouse:
The only post I have seen are in the French Quarter and they are like the ones in the pictures someone put up on this board.  They have a horse’s head at the top and are old.
I feel that verse 5 goes with Picture 7.  Without giving too much away, for one, Preservation Hall as you all know is on St Peter street in the quarter.  I think this maybe either a starting point, two blocks over and one up or visa versa.  Or just a clue as to the general area.  There is a arc of lights nearby, but it is not in the heart of the quarter.  It correlates to the theme of Preservation Hall.  There are several other things mentioned in Verse 5 which could be in this area.
Anyone else concluded that verse 5 goes with New Orleans?
I have checked out one area and need to get permission to dig but it still needs further investigation.
Trainor

Trainor, I have always thought that verse 7 fit this well, even though falcon has some pretty convincing finds that it is san francisco.
take a look at my posts on verse 7 and see what you think.
please feel free to post your thoughts on verse 5. we have not had one incident of anyone “stealing” a treasure away. If you are right, I don’t think anyone will try to jump in ahead of you.
wilhouse

The “horse” looks somewhat angry.

Perhaps the “horse” is also a dragon=”dragoon”: a cavalryman, as Jackson is fiercely mounted in the square.

Thanks Forest. (Just been catching up with the V2 thread and noticed the quote you found: “The fay’s delight is to await by the fountain”.)

http://www.auduboninstitute.org/sites/d … ap2010.pdf
the only thing interesting i see is at the entrance……….the Tea(twen
T
yone) Room is right beside the entrance and exit (from end to end)
and the train stop  ;D
Audubon Park Postcard
“Grey-bearded monarchs of the forest” is what the poets call these great live oaks that are found in the parks of New Orleans. In the summertime their wide spreading branches shade picnic grounds for thousands of happy children.
Publisher: E.C. Kropp, Co., Milwaukee, Wis.
sounds like a grandfather to me …….grandfather clock….father time
or maybe xiv is for louis xiv……back to the cathedral
wonder if the “6-7-8” missing on the clock is important or the “9-10-11-12-1-2-3-4-5”
http://www.theasthmamom.com/2008/03/31/ … dubon-zoo/
here’s another picture of (maybe) the peter pan guy fountain, scroll down
she’s called hygeia…….goddess of cleanliness, (boring), hmm, bore
“a celestial visitor”  from the
fair
http://www.bestofneworleans.com/gambit/ … id=1241980
maybe that extra U is for the University

see, the peter pan guy is swinging a golf club, look at the big roman numerals on the golf course….lol
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wallyg/458 … otostream/
robert c. cudd hall—–#8 on map
in the middle of twenty=10
–      minus
one from end to end=8
http://tulane.edu/about/visiting/uptown-campus-map.cfm

Wow, yeah. And he’s got the
Argyll socks
.

With the recent intervention of Mother Nature…I wonder if this one will ever be found now.

I have serious doubts that it will ever be found. Many landmarks will have disappeared.

I bet it will be there, but it might be buried under a lot more than 2 feet of dirt.
wilhouse

how unfortunate.  Look at it this way…mother nature claimed one of the casques in memory of BP

wilhouse

I bet it will be there, but it might be buried under a lot more than 2 feet of dirt.
wilhouse

lol
Like 6 feet of water as well as the nearby hotel which collapsed on it.  Betting this will be the last casque found and it will take some serious digging…both physically as well as mentally (trying to find out just where that tall tree in the shape of a whale stood before Mother Nature butted in…

if anyone is around the sites right now, I bet you could dig in the park and no one would even notice…
wilhouse

This statue is located near the riverwalk I believe.  Hard to see the face on the mask but it appears to be smiling like P7.  Also, it looks like the cuff around the hand holding the stick mask is wearing purple…..more than likely like every other jester statue around the city.
http://avyakta.caltech.edu:8080/photo20 … 90026.html

The odd hand has always eluded me..although it is wearing the color of Rex (king of Mardi Gras) it just doesnt look like a kingly hand.  Could the hand simply be another confirmer to N.O. and nothing else?  Leading us to Voodoo?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/42896548@N00/4163593/

In referance to the mask…I found this quote.  It is actually a quote of a quote.  Ralph Ellison originally quoted it, I am currently searching for the original date of the quote or the book that it came from.  It was being used in a 2002 interview.  If the quote is pre 1980 which I believe it to be based on his works.  It could possibly be an allogory to the mask being Louis Armstrong.
Shakespeare invented Caliban. Who the hell dreamed up Louis? Some of the bop boys consider him Caliban, but if he is, he is a mask for a lyric poet much greater than most now writing. Man and mask, sophistication and taste hiding behind clowning and crude manners–the American joke, man — Ralph Ellison

Ok, reading the above quote, I have to believe it is pre 1980 because Ellison is talking about Armstrong in the present tense.  As if he were still alive, but Armstrong died in 1971.  You can google Ralph Ellison and then Ralph Ellison and Louis Armstrong to see the tie in between the two.  The quote was hard to find as it was in an interview.  I think it must have come from one of Ellison’s books.  Just rambling now…

a Picture of Armstrong park lit up at night.
http://wwwicg.informatik.uni-rostock.de … 0night.jpg
a Picture of manhole covers in Armstrong park…thought it was interesting about only 3 stand guard…ok, it’s a stretch, but so is everything else.
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl= … D%26sa%3DN
A picture of Armstrong park arch in the day light…to me the points that you see on the arch remind me of the clock hands that point to the hour of 12 on the clock
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl= … D%26sa%3DN

Hi, another Louis Armstrong post…things are really leading me to believe that this is a life mask of Louis Armstrong.  In referance to 12 o’clock at night (midnight).  Louis was the singer, performer and trumpet player on an album or catalog of music called “Jazz ’round Midnight”.  Louis was known as the King of Jazz.  This album featured other artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, the Queen of Scat.
Having said that, there are 2 places that could be associated with this picture.  New Orleans of course and also where he lived out his life in Corona, Queens, New York.  I think it would be good if there could two discussions.  One for New Orleans and one for Queens.  I know the worlds fair was held there and that they turned “singer bowl” in Flushing Queens into Louis Armstrong bowl. And, I know that Interstate 678, the missing numbers on the clock run through Corona.  This is all that I know about any architecture in Queens besides his house.
In reguards to the chess connection, I think that is perfectly logical.  Besides the personal reasons I think Jazz and chess are similar, there is a very obvious one.  Both have to do with royalty,  on the chess board there are kings, queens, knights, etc.  In jazz you have King Louis, Queen of Scat, Count Bassie, Duke Ellington.
Anyway, if anyone is in or around Queens, you may want to check it out…personally New Orleans still looks good to me, but it could be a red herring. But Louis Armstrong is looking really good to me.

while checking out the Loup Garou, [ i had never heard the word before, even the dozen times
ive been to N O ] i found the image while looking for another legeater in quebec, and the story
looking up the loup garou, just thought it odd, i cant read the inscription for the image
quebec p-7 a sorta look alike
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/105984
story about loup garou in quebec
http://www.americanfolklore.net/folktales/quebec3.html

sorry i have forgotten who put up the straight line therory, if louis a pk in N O is right then
this map shows from p hall to pk as a straight line to pk.
i did not look at the p5-v12 idea on a map, but i know before they built, the cleveland clinic up for,
i think 5 square blocks, st claire went to what use to be liberty blvd.
http://maps.google.com/maps?sourceid=na … 1&ct=image

so… countinuing from the p11 thread…
Louis Armstrong Park is a better fit for the image. first – its an arm….
2nd, the image of the arm, I say is a zombie, you said it was a loup garoux,I will point out it in no way looks wolf like, merely skinny and dirty kind of like a dead persons…
But even if you are correct, it still points towards Louis Armstrong park and the voodo queens house which is right across the street from the park…
– quoting from Haunted America Tours website-
“Many tales of Voodoo Queens turning peole into this wild beast have surfaced over the years. The Voodoo Hoodoo curse to turn a man into a Loup Garou are said to be done to exact revenge on a family. Many Voodooist believe this creature will kill off it’s family members one by one until they are the only survivers of the line.
The Famous Marie Laveau was said to have freed a bayou woman of her curse in the 1870’s. Many in New Orleans will tell the story of how she locked the woman up chained in a cemetery crypt for the three nights of the full moon. As many who practice the anciant arts of black magic in Louisiana will tell you a Loupe Garou can change shape at will. But during the nights and days of the full moon they are trapped in the shape of the creature unable to transform at will.
Marie Laveau was said to have the power to shape shift herself. Also some say she is still alive and is a Loupe Garou. it is believed that a man’s “inside” can take the form of a cat, dog, wild pig, ape, deer or other animal, and afterwards resume human form; it is termed Garouou.
Now I know you say its possible that the arch in the image at the top of the clock represents part of the grounds of jackson square  but why not this?
http://www.magazineusa.com/images_st2/l … trong1.jpg
Also really the only thing leading you to jackson square is verse 7 , but really verse 7 looks like it fits better with montreal. yet the text of verse 2 has a definitive new orleans link.
so as the case with the legeater , why not until proven otherwise go with the simplest solution.
Image 7 – verse 2 – somewhere around armstrong park.
What do you think?

I think it will take at least 2 of wilhouse’s bulldozers to convince me that V2 is not the New Orleans verse.
Here is a sovereign people / Who build palaces to shelter / Their heads for a night!
is a direct reference to the people of New Orleans by a very impressed Domingo Sarmiento.

Sorry meant v2 not v3 in my above post.
there fixed it…

cinderella’s pumpkin carriage has spokes like a bike:
http://flickr.com/photos/gjcharlet/506920020/
and she just used it for a “night”
liked this mural of cinderella’s carriage:
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl= … l%26sa%3DN

Looking at the lower right area of Image 7, the checkered area
seems to “bump out” forming the shape of a shield, with the
“wolf/dragon” head almost in the center…Reminds me of a
knight’s shield.  The red checkered shield sometimes represents
“The Order of the Checkered Shield” in honor the goddess of war, Larani.
I have not been able to do much in the way of heraldry research.
AP

I do not see how the upper part of the man is anything like a harlequin – the pic posted by AP does not really have a good view of the front of the shirt — but I will drop the harlequin argument for now.  We still need to figure out the leg/sack/tumor clue, though.
As for the grids on the wall, I do not recall if it has been mentioned before, but I always thought that the grids were an overview of a map of the city.  The grids that are diagonal are simply where diagonal streets are.  The pic of the wolf/horse could be a reference to something in that actual grid (Wolf Park, a stable or racetrack (Trohn should be happy about that suggestion), etc.).  We just have to line up the grid in Image 7 with the New Orleans grid, which I have not been able to do.

I know you guys want to say that the “harlequin” takes us to Harlequin Park, but everything I read and saw on the internet convinces me that the little man on the clock is just NOT a harlequin.  He is not dressed like a harlequin.
AP pointed out that the man may be carrying something under his arm.  That is an interesting way to look at it, since there is a definite line connecting his left hand to his leg.  But, he may not be carrying anything — it could be just the line that makes it look like that.  I am not sure.  If he is carrying something, then it is covering part of his back, in order to make his leg look strange like that.  This is a definite clue, but it is very difficult to figure out.
I don’t know if it means anything, but he is actually completing the circle on the clock.

I know you guys want to say that the “harlequin” takes us to Harlequin Park, but everything I read and saw on the internet convinces me that the little man on the clock is just NOT a harlequin.  He is not dressed like a harlequin.
AP pointed out that the man may be carrying something under his arm.  That is an interesting way to look at it, since there is a definite line connecting his left hand to his leg.  But, he may not be carrying anything — it could be just the line that makes it look like that.  I am not sure.  If he is carrying something, then it is covering part of his back, in order to make his leg look strange like that.  This is a definite clue, but it is very difficult to figure out.
I don’t know if it means anything, but he is actually completing the
circle
on the clock.

forest_blight

…except that BP specifically wrote that all 12 casques were buried underground. The only way one of them could be above ground is if we put it there!

Sir Eg, wasn’t the Cleveland casque buried in a plot “above” the ground?
Seven steps up you can hop
From the bottom level

when you say he’s not dressed like a harlequin. Im not sure what you mean.
he has the slippers, the stockings which are of harlequin design one stocking is higher then the other.
the upper part of the costume is a bib and bow tie
the arms are baggy and go to cuffs and he is wearing a cap.
all of which are ok as part of a harlequin or clown costume,
Harlequins and clowns are closely associated.
I think your mistaken in thinking there is a specific exact description of a harlequin. I have seen harlequins wearing many types of coats, vests and jackets.
Harlequins can wear jesters caps, pointy caps, slouch caps or no cap at all
the entire outifit does not need to be in harlequin diamonds,
The diamond pattern on the leggings is probably enough to classify him as a harlequin.
and no I dont suggest it takes us to harlequin park, but I do suggest it confirms the jewel street neighborhood.  I actually think most likely along a levee rather then in harlequin park.
you are right the circle is not where the harlequin(or not harlequin ) is.

when you say he’s not dressed like a harlequin. Im not sure what you mean.
he has the slippers, the stockings which are of harlequin design one stocking is higher then the other.
the upper part of the costume is a bib and bow tie
the arms are baggy and go to cuffs and he is wearing a cap.
all of which are ok as part of a harlequin or clown costume,
Harlequins and clowns are closely associated.
I think your mistaken in thinking there is a specific exact description of a harlequin. I have seen harlequins wearing many types of coats, vests and jackets.
Harlequins can wear jesters caps, pointy caps, slouch caps or no cap at all
the entire outifit does not need to be in harlequin diamonds,
The diamond pattern on the leggings is probably enough to classify him as a harlequin.
and no I dont suggest it takes us to harlequin park, but I do suggest it confirms the jewel street neighborhood.  I actually think most likely along a levee rather then in harlequin park.
you are right the
circle
is not where the harlequin(or not harlequin ) is.

Dare I say it
yes I must…
It kind of looks like an aerial view of a levee….

Malted,
Excellent job in describing the various features that may be considered ‘harlequin”.
I think this one is very similar to our “flying man”.  It is a famous French dancer from 1919.
I am not tied to the Harlequin park specifically , either, but it does anchor us to that area.
AP

http://www.neworleansmasks.com/about.shtml
This is a link to a store that has a harlequin sign out front, but if you read the website, you will see that it has changed its name over the years, and perhaps changed the sign outside as well.

About Harlequins:
Harlequins originate from the Italian Commedia dell’arte, the ancient plays of ribald comedy and tragedy that were very popular centuries ago.  The word “harlegquin” comes from the Italian word arlechino.  Now why am I bringing this up? Well, remember the clock I posted the picture of earlier in the thread? at the Hotel Monteleone?  That hotel was founded by an Italian immigrant.
What I’m saying here is that there appears to be a connection to the Italian–and it’s interesting that the Harlequin is featured on a clock face that is similar to the one in the Italian hotel.
As for their costumes, the little guy on the clock is dressed quite appropriately for a harlequin. They didn’t all have “jester” style hats, or wear costumes completely covered in diamond patterns. Earlier harlequins were pretty much dressed like that little figure. I do not believe he is carrying anything under his arm, though. I think the legs and buttocks are simply “stylized” to make it look a little more old-fashioned. That type of figure is quite common in Palencar’s paintings–look at the little dangling image in P. 3–I think it’s just artistic license. Also, his one leg is darker–because it’s in
shadow
. Not because he has one long sock and one short one.
So if you wish to view this as a harlequin, then it is entirely appropriate to do so. It may not look as familiar as some of them you’ve seen, but it IS within the range that I have seen, without doubt.
here is some info about Harlequins in history:
http://www.davidclaudon.com/arte/commedia2.html

fox

I think all I am trying to say is there is a simple approach to these hunts. Finding that should be our first step.

fox

Force fitting solutions gets us nowhere. The 2 that were found used similar tactics……no Pythagorean theorems, no Google Earth, no Pac mans or Bat mans, etc.

fox

In my opinion, arguing against the Wright Bros monument with basically the same words as the verse (plus other nearby confirmers) is counter productive. No, we haven’t found the casque but that does not mean that that specific confirmer is incorrect. We need to start using common sense here.

Absolutely!
Well…at least one of them
So lets use common sense. What does the WB monument or any other confirmer tell us about where the casque is buried?

The verse strongly implies that you can see the monument from the treasure site. That’s important.

What you’re referencing is the line
Look north at the wing
If I were to tell you that the thing you’re looking for is under a red rock (once you find it you will know) why would you need to look north at something to be able to dig it out, if I already told you, it’s under the red rock?

Because our hypothetical hunter might not have located the “red rock” had it not been for the WB memorial text, and equating that to the wing, and thus eliminating other potential sites. Let’s say she had 3 plausible theories, and only one sat within sight of the WB memorial. If so, it will have helped.

In theory, yes, but what happens when you get on site and there are 12 red rocks and you can see the wing from all of them…then what good is that suspected “confirmer”
I think it would better help to know what it is we are to look under rather than what we are to look at while we dig under it no?

I maintain that if we got to those 12 rocks, and not the other 8 down the road, partly on the strength of knowing what “the wing” refers to, the WB memorial was still important. It gave us not only a clue to the general vicinity, but also a clear statement of what we should see from the site.

Correct, that is if it means what it says. It could also be a riddle, we just don’t know for sure do we?
We are taking it for granted that looking north at the wing means something AT the digspot…what if it means something else completely, what if it means nothing at all?
If you try to compare this puzzle to Cleveland or Chicago, it doesn’t seem to work the same as everyone suspected. So in this instance I would pose that it doesn’t confirm anything that we can prove that relates to a digsite just yet.

If your conclusion is that we don’t know anything for certain without a muddy casque in our hands, then I completely agree.
All we can do is work with probabilities.

Forest,
That’s not quite my conclusion, actually my conclusion is that we are jumping to conclusions about certain aspects of this puzzle. Fox even said it, and I’ve seen others mention that when you look at Cleveland, and then you look at say New York or Montreal, you quickly realize that it’s a different ballpark all together. The same holds true with this puzzle.
I don’t know that it needs to be a muddy casque that comes out of the ground, rather a grounded theory that will lead us to come up upon un-muddied casque.

Also I just realized this is the image 7 thread…moving to Verse 11

at this link the pattern around the cover, looks sorta like the part where it is
folding or bending near the creatur
http://users.rcn.com/fgardino/NewOrleans1.htm

Verse 2 is still broken… I have been looking around New Orleans for row houses. The first and last of the houses in each row are called “ends.” Shotgun Row, Julia Row, Cucullu Row… For instance, Julia Row has 13 rows. They all have fancy placards.

I have long thought Storyland as well. If Fox comes up empty we should find out first if Storyland was acessable in the middle of the night back in the early ’80s (i.e. no fence around the area).
If it was then we should get maps of the area back in the early ’80s from the New Orleans parks department and see if back then it matched the verse.

A big hello from the Crescent City to all my fellow hunters.  An unexpected occurance happened on our way back from DisneyWorld and I have somehow found myself staying in the Big Easy for at least one more day (maybe more).  My family & I briefly wandered around City Park hoping to find THE thing that breaks this whole thing open but didnt have any luck.  If I have my way (and sweet talk my wife and mother-n-law) I expect to spend a few hours tomorrow, Tuesday the 1st, pulling some more recon.  Are there any other hunters who are in N.O. right now that would like to join me?
If there is any specific places you would like me to check or take pics of, let me know.  Unfortunately, I think Story Land is closed…but I really don’t think that is the location…since you have to pay to get in.  I really think the casque will be buried somewhere within the regular park…and what a big, beautiful park at that.  My senses were tingling while walking around there today and really think that this is THE park where the N.O. casque is.
Let me know what you all want me to do…the sooner the better because I am not sure how early I will be heading out in the morning.  Sorry about such short notice.  Let’s find this casque once and for all…what do you think?

Sorry, 2 other quick comments.  All around the park, almost every plaque reads something to the effect of “Constructed by/for the FRIENDS of City Park”.  Could this be our “friends” in V2?
also…sorry about not being able to link up a map photo…but, if you do a google map search (or probably any other map search) find the long oval shaped loop to the northwest of the Museum..the drive is called Roosevelt Mall Drive.  At the top of the drive is Beau Bassich Circle…in the very middle of this circle is the remains of what appeared to be a small carousel containing (i believe) 6 horses..which are no longer there.  It doesnt look like a carousel anymore but I am sure that is what it was.  I would love to (and am still trying) to locate a picture of this …wondering if our Peter Pan may have been on it.  There are also 3 “sets” of eagle statues running the length of Roosevelt Mall Drive…could these be our 3 standing watch?  They sure appear to be standing watch…

go and dig it up by the sundial near the casino

Do dig around the sundial and if you have no luck check around the park for any type of statue or sculpture that resembles the mask.
Two other things you could do if you have time is talk to the people that run City Park about the Secret and show them the image and verse and walk around Armstrong Park as this could be the park but I do not think it is.
Another reason to think the sundial idea may be right is because the Clock is such a large part of the image. While other images have clocks they were generally small and insignificant to the image. It is likely that clocks were how the artist chose to hide clues. Alternatively the fact that many other images have clocks is so this one would not stand out. If the face of the clock resembles the sundial you may be in the right place. Dig as many other places as you think match the verse as you have time. It may be a good idea to talk to the park people first as they may be able to get you to the right location fast.
I know I have rambled on a bit but I am excited about the possibility of finding a casque.
Anyway find this casque.
GOOD LUCK and GODSPEED!!

Hi, my first post here.  I looked, but couldn’t find this mentioned.  There is most definitely a Peter Pan in the City Park Storyland.  He is up in the crow’s nest of the pirate ship, swordfighting with Captain Hook.  There is a photo here:
http://neworleanscitypark.com/storyland_kids.html
Don’t know how it might apply, but the crocodile from the story did swallow a clock (as well as the Captain’s hand) and was always ticking loudly when nearby.  There is a large alligator figure in Storyland, however, it does not appear to specifically represent the character from Peter Pan.
Maskit

lol, maskit, you’re a person of my own heart!! i believe peter pan and the croc have all been mentioned, just not sure if anyone’s hunting

If the parade route is involved, I am curious what determines the Krewe of interest. There is the character Hermia in Midsummer Nights Dream, so there’s that.

Unknown

Unknown:
New story about the Secret from the Times-Picayune claims New Orleans treasure has been found. But it probably hasn’t. Or maybe it has!

Saw this in my twitter feed this morning:
https://twitter.com/JamesRenner/status/ … 6767791105
This links to a new article:
“There’s a secret treasure in New Orleans. We may have found it”
http://www.nola.com/living/index.ssf/20 … ew_or.html
But of course it is a write-up leading to two different solutions and zero digs. Still, a good overview of the current situation.

My favorite word in the Headline….”may”.

I do like that arched doorway similarity!

Cheers AP. I’ve just updated the “crown and flowers” pic. If that thing is indeed in front of the horse on Saint Peter’s, I reckon the casque is not far away.

Just revisited the idea of matching V7 and Jackson Square to the clock-face…
Running north, but first across
In jewel’s direction
Is an object
Of Twain’s attention
The jewel is Turquoi
se
, so the “jewel’s direction” could be southeast. This is the direction in which Andrew Jackson’s horse is running.
Mark Twain’s first book was a collection of short stories called:
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
. This was the tale of a man called Jim Smiley who had a dog called
Andrew Jackson
.
“Upon discovering a French translation of this story, Twain back-translated the story into English, word for word, retaining the French grammatical structure and syntax. He then published all three versions under the title “The Jumping Frog: in English, then in French, and then Clawed Back into a Civilized Language Once More by Patient, Unremunerated Toil”.”
Sounds from the sky
Near ace is high
(I suggested an XXI before, but this alternative one has a “pres” – French “near”.)
This square was previously called
Place D’Armes
. Here’s the sign. As far as I can make out, Jackson’s horse is facing towards it from the back. (That would put it on Saint Peter’s, same road as Preservation Hall, a couple of blocks away.)
(Building opposite Preservation Hall)

s