Well. You can make it about Stephens or you can set a criteria that leads to Stephens as a reasonable option.
Assuming Stephens is the correct focus is where you can get into trouble.

erexere

Well. You can make it about Stephens or you can set a criteria that leads to Stephens as a reasonable option.
Assuming Stephens is the correct focus is where you can get into trouble.

I agree, but like I’ve said, it is the most solid proposed solve I’ve seen. People should post some alternatives here.
Maybe we throw Josh a bone and have him dig my spot by the cross. No one seems willing to go try, which is disappointing.

gManTexas

Maybe we throw Josh a bone and have him dig my spot by the cross.

I love that Josh is now the mad dog of the quest, who digs where Angels fear to tread.

WhiteRabbit

I love that Josh is now the mad dog of the quest, who digs where Angels fear to tread.

Lol, that should be his next handle after he gets banned.
On the plus side, I think Josh has whipped everyone into a frenzy and this forum has been way more active, so that’s a win.

WhiteRabbit

I love that Josh is now the mad dog of the quest, who digs where Angels fear to tread.

Mmmmmm….mad dog 20/20.

That logic would also explain why the castillo was covered in the Fl image
i.e lets not get blamed for people digging up a national park….

maltedfalcon

That logic would also explain why the castillo was covered in the Fl image
i.e lets not get blamed for people digging up a national park….

Not sure I agree. Once you figure out MSC and the Castillo, then the natural reaction would be to dig.
I think it was to make the clues more difficult, especially in the case of the Castillo.

gManTexas

Not sure I agree. Once you figure out MSC and the Castillo, then the natural reaction would be to dig.

I don’t understand why that’s a disagreement. Once you figure out it’s the castillo, you’re going to dig. So they covered up the image of the Castillo.

drunknerds

I don’t understand why that’s a disagreement. Once you figure out it’s the castillo, you’re going to dig. So they covered up the image of the Castillo.

If he was really worried, he would have changed the clues. Like I said, the disagreement part is with why the objects were obscured. I think to make the puzzles harder.

It’s an odd resemblance for sure. There’s also a Rodin museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania–I haven’t been to PA in years, but I think parts of that state are called “Dutch Country” due to the number of German immigrants who settled there.

im still with montreal, since in 2yr i havent found another leg eater, outside of montreal, and the lat and long seem to match
i thought i had posted this b4,if i did i couldnt find it, a 73 backwards in the legeater
what bugs me though , i cant see an iconic image for any where, and that ing would have to lead us past the legeater to where?
maltedfalcon lat and long post for the 45
http://www.quest4treasure.co.uk/forum/h … 691#p91691

Thanks cw0909…yeah, after that brief digression I’m inclined to back Montreal again. I was interested to notice:
The Opal of the Lowland Gnomes
A cloud of shining, shifting smoke
Can you picture Yo-Rib and his companions standing, at length, in a few small, heartbroken bands, their backs to the Pacific, as the sky darkens with the oncoming smoke of trains and trade
The venerable Dutch merchant empire of the Lowland Alven was also in its autumn
Trains, Canadian Pacific Railway, George Stephen…must be something in all that Nootka nonsense I reckon…

Just being whimsical, but…
…that fleur-de-lis fence again…if you compare the one that’s there now with the one that was there in 1989, they seem very similar. I’m wondering if it might even be the same fence. I’ve emailed them to ask if they have any info; no reply yet.
Wouldn’t it be nice if the deleted fleur-de-lis was the indicator for the dig spot, removed because it was too obvious…
Fifteen rows down to the ground
Is that fifteen steps…?
Only three stand watch
Here is a sovereign people
(Does
this video
show a Royal visit at 1.33…? They have a ballroom called Salon Elizabeth; just wondered randomly if that might have been named after the Queen or something.)

If nothing else, the fleur-de-lis confirms the Montreal location. Wonder how common this symbol is in the city.

Hello. I had not seen this site proposed as a solution before. Figured I would put this out there.
Looks like I can post here now. I posted this in another forum and wanted to get the groups thoughts. Some visual confirmers, I should mention including the
aforementioned leg eater statue, the newly discovered fleur-de-lis (symbol on the Montreal flag), and the ‘staircase building design’ present on several buildings at McGill University nearby on Av de Pins. Would love to know from anyone in Montreal if there really are 21 trees surrounding the park. Hard to tell on google maps.
At the place where jewels abound (Redpath museum, McGill University, home of collection of minerals)
Fifteen rows down to the ground (15 steps in front of the building, excluding the top platform)
In the middle of twenty-one
From end to end (?trees surrounding neighboring park, location of casque)
Only three stand watch (three bares statue)
As the sound of friends
Fills the afternoon hours (college students after class)
Here is a sovereign people (general reference to Canada)
Who build palaces to shelter
Their heads for a night! (Nearby Windsor Hotel)
Gnomes admire (direct reference to jewel “image to verse”, see page 21 in book)
Fays delight (three bares statue reference)
The namesakes meeting (mount stephen club, george stephen house)
Near this site.

Unknown

Unknown:
E: See, that’s funny because you always suggest having some secret Secret knowledge that I don’t quite understand.

I don’t understand Eric either. Nobody understands Eric. I don’t think Eric understands Eric. Having said that, and I mean this in all sincerity, I have learned more from Eric and his ramblings, than just about any other poster on this board. Truth.

Euhirudinea

I don’t understand Eric either. Nobody understands Eric. I don’t think Eric understands Eric. Having said that, and I mean this in all sincerity, I have learned more from Eric and his ramblings, than just about any other poster on this board. Truth.

While I agree with your sentiments about Eric, I believe he meant for “E” to mean Edit. To that end, I’ll say this:
I don’t have any super secret knowledge, per se. I have theories that I prefer to explore privately for reasons that by now should be obvious. But mostly, I do this because I have been on this board long enough to know that you just can’t tell anybody anything without some degree of proof. They are too stuck in their ways, and they will always find a way to argue that their “way” is better than your “way”. In my opinion, the better “way” will only be revealed when another casque comes out of the ground.
I’ve literally tried to solve these puzzles a hundred different “ways,” each time coming up with solution(s) that were logical, contextual, playful, and defensible… I “knew” I was at the right spot. I’ve dug dozens of holes in more than half of the cities, each time having to come back to the drawing board. In the end, I started to realize I was no better off than Eric, and that my “ways” were no better than his, generally speaking. We both “knew” we were right. Now clearly there are better guesses than others (initially, anyways); but, at the end of the day, if I am missing the spot by 5 feet in FOY, I might as well be in Oregon, cause the casque ain’t at either of those two spots.
Another thing worth mentioning is that while being wrong is hard, it is almost more valuable, if not more valuable, than being right. Why is the casque not where you thought it was… your solution (as well as many of Eric’s) works, right? This is probably the single most important question I ever asked myself: What makes one solve better or worse than a competing solve, when all the “clues” are used in a logical manner?
So, to the extent that I have a secret, the direct response to that question is, IMO, the most important secret to keep.
I realize this might come across as smug, and doing exactly what I troll others for (i.e., “I’ve found it, I just can’t tell you where”), but I swear it is a plea for more thinking/discussion of ideas on the board and not reinforcement of solutions.
“A little digging is your task.” – Byron Preiss

Glossiphoniidae

Indeed. He couldn’t have possibly put something obvious in there, like a fence or a wall. Including those things would make the puzzle too easy. Right?

Sorry I was so stupid about the point I was trying to make. I realize it was very obvious but I just wanted to make sure the peons had a breadcrumb or two.
E: See, that’s funny because you always suggest having some secret Secret knowledge that I don’t quite understand.

This ^ I understand.

The blob.  My very first impression was that it reminded me of one of the aliens in the video game Space Invaders.  I dismissed the idea since I couldn’t see how the notion could lead to a practical location…a well established arcade?
The blob is pixelated.  Many art sculptures emulate that blocky style.  Strange buildings like the Habitat use it.  Perhaps JJP has redacted a regular image so that all we have is a general shape formed of black blocks.  Maybe it’s a mini block puzzle like those keychains with moving tiles numbered 1-15 and the 16th place is empty so they are allowed freedom to move.

maybe im on the right track/road,i went back down sherbrooke again and found,a building i had missed, at the top
of the building above the door it seems to have the zig zag pattern,like the mans coat
building with zig zag
http://static.panoramio.com/photos/orig … 716211.jpg
Centre De Santé Et De Services Sociaux Lucille-Teasdale Sur Sherbrooke-Est En Hiver, Janvier 2011
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/46716211
G map veiw zoom in
http://tinyurl.com/5vg3bsz
the building houses,you need google translator
The Center for Health and Social Services (CSSS) Lucille Teasdale supports the development of a local network of services to improve health and
well-being of the population and access to health services and services social. 3095, rue Sherbrooke Est, Montreal
http://www.cssslucilleteasdale.qc.ca/

cthree–  Is this true?  If so, I apologize.

cthree–  Much thanks.  Hopefully we’ll make sense of it soon.
(And, way to go on the Charleston quest!)

No problem and thank you johann  😉

Maybe it’s just a trick of the picture, but looking at the cut by cthree, it sure looks like the profile of a face.
wilhouse

I have been wondering about the profile idea, but I have mixed feelings about it.  If the forehead is to the left, it could be a profile of the World’s Fair tribes that are connected with the legend of Dogtown (the claim that they ate dogs in this neighborhood, which is next to Forest Park).  Yet, if this is so, it could be considered a mean caricature.  I’m not trying to be politically correct, but I’d like to think that the illustrators would be above that.
Or, this interpretation of the profile (if profile it is) may be no more than my imagination.
I intend no offense here.

I forgot to mention an observation.  His pointer fingers are pointing to the “dog/fox/gazelle-horse” (which has a 5 on its face when the pic is turned sideways-clockwise) and to the 5-tiered pattern on his shirt.
I don’t know what this means, if it means anything.  His hands are another feature that puzzles me.
(a church/steeple/people image has been suggested by–Wilhouse’s son, I believe)  I did find a statue in Forest Park, St. Louis that has a hand shaped similar to his left hand, but I have not found any hand to suggest his right hand.  I think the left hand similarity on the statue is just incidental.

Unknown

Unknown:
If the forehead is to the left, it could be a profile of the World’s Fair tribes that are connected with the legend of Dogtown (the claim that they ate dogs in this neighborhood, which is next to Forest Park).  Yet, if this is so, it could be considered a mean caricature……
I intend no offense here.

You! My mother is a dog-eater!  >:(

Scottrocks
My observations about Tower Park  were made before being fully up-to-speed on Image 9.
Will do more research before sharing again….
AP

Has it been mentioned before, that in the background on the right,
there is, what looks like a snow-covered mountain peak?
AP

animal painter

This is the tower seen from the park “Square Dorchester/Place du Canada”
which is within walking distance of the “legeater” on Drummond Ave in
Montreal.

I absolutely loved the look of this building, so i researched it.
http://www.le1000.com/en/mot_direction.asp
Unfortunately, if they only started accepting tenants in 1992, it probably was not built at the time our book was written.  So sad.

Here are some interesting landmarks in Montreal:
http://www.imtl.org/montreal/image.php?id=3743
http://www.imtl.org/montreal/image.php?id=349
http://www.imtl.org/montreal/building/B … -Henri.php
http://www.imtl.org/montreal/image.php?id=1864
http://www.imtl.org/montreal/image.php?id=2760

Catherwood,
You are right…built in 1992…It did not occur to me
that it would be that recent…
And it was such a perfect resemblance…
once more into the fray…looking for landmarks
AP

maybe there is another legeater here,  Atherton,California. i ran across this about fiske lamposts, anyone near there to look see
close to sf
3. The largest number of surveyed Inventory items are from the J.L. Mott Iron Works followed by pieces from J.W. Fiske.  Seven, mostly lampposts pieces (Inventory pp. 63,77,92,94,97,100,115), are definitely identified as by Mott, while two (pp.74, 89) are possibly Mott or Fiske pieces.  Three artifacts are definitely identified with Fiske logos (Inventory pp.54,59,102) and  three possibly (Inventory pp. 74,89, 130).  However, it is widely recognized that J.W. Fiske did not have the foundry capability to meet demand and that some pieces attributable to Fisk were cast by others. (
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m … i_60370500
) The retained consultants were careful to document only Fiske artifacts with a clearly readable logo.
link to info
http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:Wv … cd=1&gl=us
—————————————————–
their are three apartment buildings near the st. louis park in motreal, they cover a corner and they look like this
http://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?sea … &offset=25
and
http://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?sea … &offset=50

Okay, I’ve kept my mouth shut for a while here, hoping someone might come up with something–but the more I’m reading, the more I’m convinced you guys are getting WAAAY off track.
First things first:
The latitude and longitude of Montreal are 45N, 73W. Nowhere in Image 9 do these numbers appear. Nowhere. St. Louis’ Lat/long is 38N 90W. I can’t come up with either of THOSE numbers either!  If someone can, or I’m completely blind, then please point them out to me–because I cannot see them anywhere.
The numbers I CAN see are these: 39 (a bit iffy–faint, but in the hair), 35, 67, 76 and 77. Putting them together to try to come up with either a St. Louis OR a Montreal location, I can’t!  But if you input these into Google earth, you CAN come up with a location:
Baltimore Maryland.
Second things second:
The face of the creature in the image has always puzzled me greatly, because it is TWO faces. The left side is a happy face, and the right side is an unhappy one. Now I’ve done some image shuffling and come up with mirrored images of both Happy and Unhappy faces, here:
Although it is strange looking, the two faces suggest something to me: the masks of Comedy and Tragedy, as depicted in the theatre.
If that’s the case, perhaps we are looking for an outdoor theatre? Or a Classical Greek monument?
If you look at a satellite view of Baltimore, there is a park that appears to mimic in size and shape the white part of the collar on the creature’s neck: Herring Run Park. If you do minimal research on this you can come up with something interesting: there is an obelisk at the park, which mimics the Washington Monument in shape (white obelisk) and which is dedicated to Christopher Columbus. Also, Edgar Allen Poe is buried nearby under a similiar monument.
Fort McHenry is in Baltimore. Remember McHenry? That’s where the verses to The Star Spangled Banner were written–by Francis Scott Key–who wrote them in commemoration of the bombardment there. (BTW: Note the “rocket” in the Happy Face side of the image above!)  The line from Verse 11:
last touched and first seen standing
miight just be referring to the flag and the song.
Also, you don’t have to give up your ideas about mica and driftwood (which I can’t fix to Montreal in any way shape or form) because Baltimore is a seaport.  Plenty of sand there. You don’t have to ignore the checkerboards on the creature’s coat, either–take a look at the state flag of Maryland. The State Flower is a yellow daisy–a black eyed susan.  Not quite the aster depicted in the image, but close.
Anyway, there might be more to this…and I think it would be a lot more productive than researching Montreal, which I cannot seem to find a single connection to, despite the pictures in one of the recent posts. In fact, the pictures are no where near enough for me–those types of architectural details can be found almost everywhere there are old houses.

cw – I have a hard time believing there is a casque in Atherton, CA given its proximity to San Francisco. Would there really be two so close to each other? The Barbara Israel article has already been investigated – I wrote to her and had a nice correspondence with her assistant back when I was researching Fiske.
shecrab – I have no trouble believing one of the “hair” numbers is 73, thus indicating Montreal. Look at the right-hand side and turn your book counter-clockwise.
The flower in this pic isn’t a daisy – it’s a marigold / calendula.
Something everyone – including me – is forgetting is that there should be a Dutch connection with this image.
I do like your star-spangled banner interpretation. Almost as good as the butt-on-a-bench interpretation!

Driving through St. Louis the other day I was sucked into the gravitational pull of Forest Park. I stopped to take a few pictures of the area around the Jewel Box and the Vandeventer gate. Sadly I did not have much time.

Nice photos FB!! That fountain–if it had water flowing from it, it would look an awful lot like that “blob” beneath the legeater! And the bench behind the sundial looks like the formation just in front of the blob.

I’m saying that the clock has 3 hands.
The hand that points to the hours is pointing at 12.
The hand that points to the minutes is also pointing at 12.
The hand that points to the seconds is pointing at 3.

Glossiphoniidae

One idea I have been checking out, and related to this, is that only four images have a clock in them:
image 1 – 6 o’clock
image 2 – 4 o’clock
image 7 – 3 o’clock
image 12 – 11 o’clock

image 3 also has a clock.

P7 is certainly the 12:00 (December) image, due to the simple fact that the other eleven times/months have been accounted for. Any ambiguity is resolved by this fact.
And, because this is the P9 thread, I’ll simply repeat that P9 is the 10:00 (October) image, due to the big Roman X on our guy’s robe.

I may be reaching big time, but I found a connection between the gazelle, St. Louis, 1982 and why that snout may look like a dog’s snout.
In 1982, the St. Louis Zoological Park/Zoo (in Forest Park) housed the only breeding pair of the Speke’s gazelle.  The gazelle apparently puffs up its snout when it is alarmed.  See the following links:
http://www.stlzoo.org/animals/aboutthea … azelle.htm
http://natzoo.si.edu/Publications/ZooGo … azelle.cfm
By 1983 or so, Speke’s gazelles were elsewhere.  Anyone think that this fact is enough of one that it would have caught the attention of the authors?

ahh, i see now.  I always thought we were looking at 2 ears.  Now, after agreeing with you, I may have to 360 and disagree with you.  The gazelle/animal’s mouth is definitely not of a gazelle.  The way the jaws (for lack of better word) are almost pointed makes it look more carnivorous….gee, almost like it is eating the deer leg.  hmmmm

Another strong indication that the Pagoda Circle is the area is the outline of the black colar. Turn the image upside down and you will see a crude representation of the pagoda. Not perfect but close enough.
It may also be possible that the dogleg is on or around the Muny Theater.
We are very close on this one. I hope to have the middle part of the verse decoded soon this will likely confirm our therory.

HOLY CRAP
LOOK AT THIS!
The button of the animal leg cropped
and turned upside down!

Unknown

Unknown:
tell me what is impressed in the upper
right eighth of the image

Search me, but looking there with a fresh eye, I see what may be a faint, white “4”:
As for the cropped / turned button, what are we supposed to see?

Open up the image and look at it 200% – 400%.

A black jockey on a white horse.

Keep me grounded…
My wife, who liked the Church Song idea, performed it
and I noticed a difference between the typical version
and our images version.  In the children’s gesture, there is
only one prominent steeple and the rest of the fingers
are flat and interlocked.
In the image, the normal two fingers, ring fingers I think,
make the steeple, but the middle finger of the right hand
is not flat andninterlaced, it is bent upwards making an arch.
Could this be a two spire indication?
I am not  trying to stretch but just analyze the image.
As the Churchhill Downs siite saids, the grandstands were
built using a simple architecture technique which is now
know for the place.  The two spires.
Here is my stretch… please bear with me…
Here is a crop of a fairly famous photo from the
track… is this our model?

Gnomes and jockeys…. Perfect together

Intersting ideas Trohn, but once again, you seem to be all over the place.  It was just yesterday that you were convinced our gnome was a chess player.  I think you are trying tooooo hard to force ideas to fit.

Can someone with a critics eye…
tell me what is impressed in the upper
right eighth of the image.
To the right of his right ear/side of head
and up to just before the top edge.
The white outlined impression starts
exactly one quarter of an inch from
the top and ends exactly two inches from
the top and it spreads over the right edge
of the page.
I see a roof of a building.  Tell me I am crazy,
I’ve heard it before.
Tron

Here’s another “fifteen rows down to the ground” – the steps right by the main entrance (kerb+6+8). (I’ve circled the crown from the previous pic.)
Looking right…
Looking left…
Looks like an underground car park. Gnome-friendly…?

Dig site is in the middle of twenty-one.
(U horse shoe winners circle)
Would be to the right of the above photo.

the winners circle? can you dig there?

Trohn asked me to try to post this picture and am assuming that he wanted it in P9 because of his horsey theory.
what are you showing us here Mr. T…besides of course Churchill Downs….

Fox-
the posting didn’t work for you either.
it shows three jockey gnomes standing at the rail watching the finish line.
they were removed when they added the turf course.

Let’s see!  Where’s the dig site?

I suppose anything’s possible, but after having been tailed all over the city because I had been standing outside a pharmacy waiting for a friend who had gone inside, and having been followed during cab rides, shopping trips and so forth, I was grateful to get out of that town. It wasn’t a pleasant experience by any means, and I have to tell you–I was (and am not) an obnoxious American traveler–I am polite, try to fit in best I can, and don’t “demand” things simply because I’m American. I spoke French, though it was not the Quebecois dialect they wanted. And I did nothing to warrant being pursued and hounded like I was. I found the city to be almost unbearably hostile.
Of course, this didn’t make me feel it was a normal reaction–so I went back some 8 years later; times had changed a little, after all, and I figured it would be better. It was to some extent, but there was still a definite undercurrent of prejudice and bigotry toward English-speaking people. I was treated only marginally better at that time; I was not followed, but I did notice a definite demarcation in the level of service I received.
And this is nothing against the Canadian people–I love Canada, and have never had this problem anywhere else in Quebec–only in Montreal.
That’s why I doubt how much Preiss could have done there. It just wasn’t an open, friendly location from the 70’s through the late 80’s. It’s much better now–had he hidden the casque there prior to the 70’s or even now, I’d say it was a likely locale, but at the time he did this? I have my serious doubts.
And granted, this is only an opinion based on admittedly subjective experience.
c

WhiteRabbit

…just been revisiting Percy Walters Park near the dogleg where you can see these…

A Montreal puzzler called Sly will be digging for the casque in Percy Walters today. Wish him luck.

I live in Montreal and I can check out anything that seems worth exploring.

FB, really nice work.  How can I help with this?

boogie – you live (sorta) near Philadelphia, right? At the Athenaeum in Philly is a selection of J. W. Fiske catalogs. Fiske, we think, made the lamp in Montreal. It’s a long shot, but the more we know about that particular lamp model, the better we’ll be able to find others like it, and the only way to do that is legwork. You never know what you might find. Perhaps that exact model was made only a certain year, and with its catalog number perhaps we can see who bought them in the purchase books (which still exist, by the way).
I’ve had no luck with interlibrary loan from the Library of Congress or Winterthur – these are noncirculating items, so they need to be seen
in the library
. The only libraries that have them, so far as I can tell, are Winterthur, LOC, and the Athenaeum. Put “fiske” and “iron” into the search box:
http://www.philaathenaeum.org/

If that is the case, the treasure would not be in Forest Park but in Tower Grove Park, which is the solution I sent him.  Forest Park would be more “high profile.”  If anyone comes to hunt in Forest Park, I do recommend a trip to Tower Grove.  It is beautiful.

Does
anyone
here live near Philadelphia, PA, Winterthur, DE, or Washington, DC and might be up for a library run? I’ve got call numbers for J. W. Fiske catalogs at the Athenaeum, Winterthur Museum, and the Library of Congress. The idea would be to go through the catalogs until you identify the catalog number associated with our lamp base (with any luck), then obtain the company’s sales records and find out who purchased lamps like that. It’s a long shot, but might narrow our search considerably.

Thanks for your thoughts.  Just getting over it, then bam!  Lost my brother-in-law on Thursday.  He was only 47.

boogie, I’m so sorry – this is awful news.

Well, I dont think its a poppy. Calendula it must be. “Little calendar”…fitting for a Gnome.

I would kine to find a legeater here in St. Louis.  My first theory (which BP rejected) was at the Shakespeare statue in Tower Grove Park.

forest_blight

So tonight I’m staying at a hotel that’s TWO BLOCKS from the Mount Stephen Club in Montreal. Sadly I prolly won’t have a chance to visit our favorite lamppost, but I can feel the nearby presence of a casque, I just know it…

FB good luck you sound like you have a plan

No plan, I’m afraid. I’m pretty much stumped on all of these, but I can’t stop thinking about them. Maybe someday this incubation will lead to insight.
My stay in Montreal was brief, but I got to spend time with old friends and some new ones. I’ve been to the Mount Stephen Club’s lamppost before (2008) and I bet it hasn’t changed much since then. Oh, and if you visit Montreal I am now in a position to recommend Casa Galacia (on Rue Saint-Denis) for some excellent Spanish style seafood. Dig up the casque while it’s still daylight and then go to Galacia on a Friday night to celebrate, and see some of the best flamenco guitar ever. I did this, just without digging up a casque first. Maybe next time.

Merlot Brougham

I’ve seen plenty of people suggest that the guy in image 9 is doing the “Here is the church, here is the steeple” thing with his hands. Well, he’s at the point where he’s opening the “doors” of the church. He’s also holding his hands (i.e. the “door”) right in front of his chest. His hands are give us the rebus of “door + chest” or Dorchester.

That’s actually pretty darn good, IMO. I had proffered it was the “all the people” step, and that the image stacked three things into a rebus… monk + three + all.
It’s amazing how easy it is to interpret these images in alternate ways.

I see a theater persona, but I too like the church/steeple/people gesturing. When I merge the two ideas I think of all the people in a theater: the audience. I wonder if it could be construed as “parterre”…fitting for lowland gnomes.

Merlot Brougham

I’ve seen plenty of people suggest that the guy in image 9 is doing the “Here is the church, here is the steeple” thing with his hands. Well, he’s at the point where he’s opening the “doors” of the church. He’s also holding his hands (i.e. the “door”) right in front of his chest. His hands are give us the rebus of “door + chest” or Dorchester.

Merlot- that IS good. Not near as *obvious* as the Mil-Walk-Key, but good.
I wondered if it was supposed to be looked at as a “standing member”, as in the “only standing member” in V5. (I’m messing with the images connecting to a phrase in the verses…)

Hi all,
take a look at the mouth in the picture, doesnt it look like a bow. The string of the bow goes from one corner of the mouth, behind the big part of the nose to the other corner of the mouth. So, is there a statue somewhere near with a bow and arrow?
Toasty

Merlot Brougham

WhiteRabbit

Preiss confirmed to Egbert that the nationalities were involved in the locations. Since the nationality is established directly by linking the month and birthstone of the image to the relevant couplet in the litany, this is tantamount to confirming that the litany holds clues.

All that’s been posted on this forum concerning that, is that he told Eg that nothing following the verses was relevant. The story, like the litany, precedes the verses.

Egbert

(cont’d from above)
Andy and I absorbed a lot of information that B.Preiss had told us about The Secret. I hope I can recall all of it for you here:
1. The Chicago casque was found by 2 young stockbrokers, who lived in Chicago, and had recognized some of the sites and verse references right away. However, at the time, there was some type of renovation occurring, in which a large marble or concrete object had been placed over the burial site. So, they took a picture of it, and sent it to B.Preiss, who acknowledged that as soon as the renovation was finished, the treasure was theirs. He doesn’t recall meeting them, doesn’t have a copy of any newspaper article, but does recall that an article was run in one of the major Chicago newspapers at the time. Flipping through the book, B.Preiss told us that “M and B” stand for Mozart and Beethoven. “Ten by thirteen” refers to feet. “Brush” refers to the Art Museum.
2. I thought that most of the colors on my casque had been washed away, except for 1 creature that I thought looked like an imp. However, none of the 12 casques were fully painted. They were left unpainted, except each one had a different figure painted (there are 12 figures on the casque). My figure is actually the front of a centaur, which is of course contained in the Cleveland pic. B.Preiss did not recall what had been painted underneath the cover (which is in many pieces), but he believes that it may have said “The Secret.” Each key looks the same, but they are different colors (mine is orange).
3. B.Preiss had buried all of the casques over the course of only several days — carrying all of them in a large duffle bag, and armed with a shovel. He researched the sites generally from New York, but then researched each site locally once he got there. He took pics of all of the sites. After they were all buried, he created the puzzles and had John Palencar paint the pics (B.Preiss worked with him to guide J.Palencar as to what to put into the pics). After that, he purchased the jewels, all from 1 jeweler.
4. From the Cleveland pic, he said that we got all of the clues. “Birch” referred to a birch tree that had been there. “Couplet” had referred to a nearby poem (although Andy and I do not recall any nearby). “Free speech” refers to Socrates.
5. B.Preiss was a very good poker player, and was not giving out any hints about any of the other locations. However, he did confirm my theory that the countries of origin of the faeries do connect with the sites. He also said that the pages following the verses (which make up the bulk of the book) have NO connection with the puzzles, and contain no additional clues.
6. This last part will sadden quite a few of you. Mr. Preiss would like it to be known that he will no longer respond to emails regarding proposed solutions (or asking for hints) — and that he will only respond to actual pictures of casques. I am sad to report that he is a busy businessman, and this is not very important to him any more. I would like to point out, however, that although getting the jewel and meeting B.Preiss was nice, the best part of my adventure was solving the puzzle, traveling to Cleveland, and finding the treasure. You should keep in mind that you are doing this to achieve a personal satisfaction — solving a 22-year-old conundrum — and not just to get a jewel. The journey is more fun than the destination.
I hope I remembered everything — if I think of anything else, I’ll let you know. Good luck in your quests.

For those of you who don’t feel like digging through 1000s of pages, here is a reprint of my thoughts after speaking with BP. This, and a lot more, can be found in the thread called “Cleveland.”

Merlot Brougham

I’m reconsidering the “fact” that Verse 10 is solid for New York. Why does he spell “grey” with an E? I’ve tried exploring the idea of the Grey Cup (the Canadian football league’s championship trophy).

The spelling of grey may have something to do with a British perspective. I noticed my early edition of Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle spelled it with an E. I dont think the puzzle has anything to do with sports.
I’m warming up to the notion that the Calendula flower as a symbol for grief might participate in the idea that th8ngs have some bearing on mood.

Egbert

4. From the Cleveland pic, he said that we got all of the clues. “Birch” referred to a birch tree that had been there.

BP refers to birches more than once. Part of me wonders if he really knew what a birch tree looks like. Might he have confused a birch with something else, like sycamore? If we had a photo of the Chicago casque site from c. 1981, maybe we could see the tree in question, identify its species, and thus know what to look for in Milwaukee.

This would be a great idea if the sculpture were not at the southern tip of the island, and in any case around a bend in the river from the Isle of B. Is there a way to use the verse to find one’s way from the sculpture to the northern tip of the island?

forest_blight

This would be a great idea if the sculpture were not at the southern tip of the island, and in any case around a bend in the river from the Isle of B. Is there a way to use the verse to find one’s way from the sculpture to the northern tip of the island?

Yeah, the sculpture isn’t as optimally south of Isle of B.  The line in verse 10 about going ‘EAST twice as many steps as the hour’ might do improve that perspective.  Very little imagery is available online at that point.  Much verse is left to be unwound upon this prospective landscape.  I think it’s going to need a person on foot willing to take the slender path, if this is where it is to be found…in Summer.

I have gone back and forth on anything aerial being in these paintings due to the availability of aerial shots/maps in 1981, so I’m asking this more out of ignorance and deferring to anyone who has been there.
This isnt the only way to get there, but the Cartier monument isn’t very far from the legeater:
http://goo.gl/maps/g0N1S
If you look at the layout of the grounds:
http://goo.gl/maps/HWvWP
If the Cartier Monument itself were represented by the flower in the painting, the two other structures on the property would line up with the box containing the legeater/blob and the box containing the stylized “X” on the other side of the figure’s lapel. The smaller appears to be a Gazebo. (Not Mcconnell Arena)
The building even has a distinctive “X” shape on its roof. I know there are elevation changes in Mt Royal park and in Montreal overall. Is this a possible “view” one could find while walking around?
What originally led me to this little pet theory is Verse 5, as the Cartier monument has a huge angel (I admit this is not a great solve for “A wingless bird ascended” but I do like it a bit more for “Born of ancient dreams of flight”) and BENEATH, the figure of Cartier who is standing, while almost everyone around him (including the lions flanking the entire sculpture) are seated. There is also a forest to the south. *shrug*
On the backside of the monument are various statues holding hands, and it was my guess that a picture from the correct angle would reveal our figures hands to be two intertwined statues, creating an illusion.
edit: Here is an excellent shot:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c … _Ouest.JPG
See how all of the statues are holding hands? That man’s flag is very intriguing to me as well…

Xieish

I have gone back and forth on anything aerial being in these paintings due to the availability of aerial shots/maps in 1981, so I’m asking this more out of ignorance and deferring to anyone who has been there.
This isnt the only way to get there, but the Cartier monument isn’t very far from the legeater:
http://goo.gl/maps/g0N1S
If you look at the layout of the grounds:
http://goo.gl/maps/HWvWP
If the Cartier Monument itself were represented by the flower in the painting, the two other structures on the property would line up with the box containing the legeater/blob and the box containing the stylized “X” on the other side of the figure’s lapel. The smaller appears to be a Gazebo. (Not Mcconnell Arena)
The building even has a distinctive “X” shape on its roof. I know there are elevation changes in Mt Royal park and in Montreal overall. Is this a possible “view” one could find while walking around?
What originally led me to this little pet theory is Verse 5, as the Cartier monument has a huge angel (I admit this is not a great solve for “A wingless bird ascended” but I do like it a bit more for “Born of ancient dreams of flight”) and BENEATH, the figure of Cartier who is standing, while almost everyone around him (including the lions flanking the entire sculpture) are seated. There is also a forest to the south. *shrug*
On the backside of the monument are various statues holding hands, and it was my guess that a picture from the correct angle would reveal our figures hands to be two intertwined statues, creating an illusion.
edit: Here is an excellent shot:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c … _Ouest.JPG
See how all of the statues are holding hands? That man’s flag is very intriguing to me as well…

Thanks for pointing this out. I like that monument. I wonder if any of the people are making the same shape with their hands as the elf thing in the image???
Also, I know I’m jumping to conclusions (no research on this at all), but there
does
look like there is a white (prominent) stone to the side of the monument…
https://www.google.com/maps/@45.5144789 … 3e11?hl=en
Has this been brought to the surface yet? I know you guys have covered about every corner of the continent

Thanks dreamer, So what happened to Dambala here? I can’t find his posts.

Choice

Thanks dreamer, So what happened to Dambala here? I can’t find his posts.

Dambala

I am not Josh. I just checked out because I wasn’t feeling the vibe…a little too much hostility.
I have been real busy for the past two weeks with work but I’ve been communicating with two other guys who are looking for it. We fully believe it is in Armstrong…in fact in our opinion it’s not a matter of it being in Armstrong it’s a matter of where according the minute clues in the image. I think I know exactly where it is and I have been prodding the area but I had to put it on hold for work. I’m hoping to pick the hunt back up soon. I originally dismissed the exact location because I didn’t think the landmarks predated the 1981/82 mark but one of the guys I’m working with had images of the park that verified the landmarks were in fact there in 1980.
Accompanied by a very subtle clue in the clock face I had missed and was alerted to by someone else…I know (I personally believe) I’m in the right spot regarding the marker I just haven’t hit it yet with the prod.

You can catch up on some of the history by looking at Dambala’s posts:
search.php?author_id=38809&sr=posts
He posted a video of the first version of his “solve”
https://vimeo.com/252819835
then he made a video about using Photoshop and finding hundreds of hidden wolves in the image
https://vimeo.com/258906809
and people started to make fun him and his wolves. At some point I remember there was a third video where he went deeper down the rabbit hole and was pointing out “hidden vectors” and making big claims. When the folks here weren’t exactly supportive of his ideas, he pulled a “screw you guys, I’m going home!” and stopped posting here.
It’s funny, you weren’t even the first person to think Dambala and Josh were the same person, see below Dambala’s response to Fox from back in Feb on pg. 115 of the Image 7 thread:

Is Dambala on wiki our Josh?

Choice

Is Dambala on wiki our Josh?

No.
But, considering his undying modesty and never ending sense of humility, I can see why you’d ask that…

Mister EZ

No.
But, considering his undying modesty and never ending sense of humility, I can see why you’d ask that…

https://media.makeameme.org/created/oh- … xb6mrg.jpg

Hey Merlin, you remind me of the Bumblebee autobot in transformers that speaks in radio/movie audio clips!

beauseja9

I think Mr Backstop’s effort is interesting but far-fetched. It makes sense in the abstract, but at any rate, many other possibilities could fit the image with such a high level of abstraction.
If we take the 2 puzzles that have already been solved as examples, we need to find elements in the city that, when compared to the image, fit it without any reasonable doubt. IMHO, the Olympic Stadium theory do not meet that threshold.

Just came across this response. My question to you would be what is so far-fetched? If you don’t agree with my graphic that the monk’s nose looks like a combo of the stadium parts….well…okay. A lot of people think it doesn’t. If you don’t like my idea of the negative space in the flower representing the unfinished Olympic Stadium tower at the time….well, alrighty then.
I’ve seen lots of peoples solves for parts of this and like those solves a lot. I just took a different route and deciphered what I saw and then gave a breakdown of the verse and the visual of my dig spot. I’m curious as to why the 1976 Olympics seems far-fetched.
I’m curious what you might think these clues mean. I’m always interested in hearing others’ ideas so I can continue to put together other pieces or get myself completely away from my solve. I do this on all the Images/Verses.

Choice

Is Dambala on wiki our Josh?

No, Dambala is Jason Berry, he used to post on here as Dambala and you can find him if you look back over the Image 7 threads.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IfYTZxtbeI
I assume the “our Josh” you’re referring to is just Josh Cornell
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVHscEurAP0&t=88s
Hope that helps clear up the confusion!

Ahhh, he was sworn to secrecy by BP and JPP….  We must be getting close…

I don’t think the legeater is exactly cougar either, my point is that it is more like a cougar than anything else and the other points persuede us to consider George Stephens’ connection in this.
The deal with the fold in is a matter of lacking a good quality picture that shows how the hair on the two status isnan exact katch to the two sides of the man’s hair.
So I need a passport to go to Canada now?

A fact to be yet checked that would explain why Preiss was doubly inspired to use the LegEater requires finding out if the stuffed cougar encased in glass at the Park Pavilion was still viewable in 1981 and some statement or plaque made clear how this evnt was a big deal.
The cougar ate 3 deer and 3 goats, day by day, as men hunted for it.  That’s an amazing bit of history.

you know if the legeater looked like a cougar, which it doesnt I would think maybe.
however it looks exactly (not somewhat) like the lamp. to the extent that whoever drew the legeater obviously was looking at a picture of the lamp.
so simply put, unless you find one of those lamps elsewhere its in montreal.
on the other hand I tried the mad fold-in idea on every image vertically and horziontally a while back, I found nothing.

forest_blight

Anyone have 25-year-old maps of Montreal handy?

Here’s an 18-year-old map:
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/world_cities/montreal.jpg
And here’s a link to the site hosting that map:
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/

hi shecrab
whiterabbit,
this is what egbert told me when i was going overboard with the fair folks:
Egbert:
“Don’t forget, the field guide was put together by a couple of people from National Lampoon, not BP.  I do not know what input, if any, he had in the words or the drawings.”
and in the book page 7:
“Across North America,
twelve
treasures are waiting. The key to each requires the proper combination of
one
treasure painting with
one
treasure verse. “

That’s not very conclusive though. It can’t do any harm to stay open to the possibility of finding clues there…

Cormac

Is there anyone local to Montreal or anyone heading up there any time soon that would search for us?
I’m searching photos online around the area, but online resources are limited.
I also can’t get street level views there like I can with certain cities in the US.
I would love to see the image that is next to the legeater that matches the fountain/sculpture in the St Louis park as well as a better match for the checker patern.
I would also love to see support of a V with this image pointing to Montreal.

chad, and anyone else, would you like to go, for a walk with me
yippie we can google walk, montreal now
http://maps.google.com/maps?sourceid=na … CBMQ8gEwAA

Cormac

Also found within a block of Mount Stephen Club is this image.  Notice the X on the building in the bottom left corner..
we could now possibly have the “legeater”, the flower, and the “X” all within one block…

this building is next door to the legeater, i meant to mention this in last post
it would be to the right of pic i posted
i hate to do it, but ive looked and cant find that directional thing
was it right, left, left or………………
and would we agree that the legeater is the iconic image

What if the flower in image 9 is simulating a clock?  Might it only be a “7” and an “o”?  7 o’clock?
I’ve been set on the idea that the flower is a poppy disguising the cross section of a tree (the Lumberman’s Arch in Stanley Park).  In other words it’s a piece of wood.  Since this is the Dutch image, I recall those classic wooden shoes, “clogs” right?
Maybe it’s a funny kind of rebus: 7 o clog.  Using this with verse 10 it supplies us with the distance to walk 2x 7, or 14 steps.
Working with what I have, which isn’t much, or maybe it’s just enough, here’s a perspective from google streetview (upper right) looking at the stone bleachers in the background beneath the shelter over the giant checkerboards, a postcard (image mirrored, lower right), and an old pic of the Lumberman’s Arch (late 60’s, rotated 90 degrees, lower left),
Notice how the pick in the tree in the background may match that of the one in the postcard where the view is pointing away from the shelter.
Bonus observation: the checker pieces are literally made from clogged (resin filled) wooden pipes, cut into cross sections.  Clogged wood may be associated with wood clogs (the Dutch shoes).

I agree that the 39 is a problem.  Let’s assume for a moment that it is not a 39 (upside down, it could be a 60 or 6P), or it is not a coordinate.
That number in the flower could be a 40, and we have 73 in the hair.  Those are the coordinates for New York.
St. Louis would have 38 or 39, and then 90 or 91.  I don’t see 90 or 91 anywhere.  You could possibly use the 9 on his forehead with the line next to it for 91, but then you would not be able to also use the 9 for 39.  Also, this ignores the 73 in his hair, and I do not see how you can get any of those numbers from the flower.
I wish we could figure out what that other thing in his hair is, which has a 5 or S in it.  It looks like there is something else next to it, as you get closer to his neck.

Don’t forget about this little guy.

I think this is a strange discussion to get into all the stretchy aspects of what looks like a number in hopes to get lat or long when the forefront of our process might be better served by understanding the verse.  Fox and others have looked at the “major port cities” as a rule of thumb.  Innall the cases where lat longs are not plain and only exist in our imaginations we’ll have to give in to some other factor for a tie in, which seems most obvious to be the cultural clue -returning to the LotJ.
For this image, clearly Dutch for its opal, were looking at something Viking or Lowland Scot as the next best thing.  Canada fits the Netherlands link best with a name such as Nova Scotia…
My take on verse 10 for this image follows the idea that in the the shadw of the grey giant has to do with recognizing a great person and following their footsteps.  The leg of a lamp at the Stephens Club literally at the buildings steps.  Its a building named for a great person.  Its no stretch of the imagination to perceive the opportunity for a metaphor.  Figuring where this metaphor takes us is the challenge.

Egbert

2.  This is the Dutch picture.  “The Opal of the Lowland Gnomes:  A cloud of shining, shifting smoke.”  The roman numeral X stands for October, the 10th month.  The Dutch came and settled in New York.  It was originally called “New Amsterdam, New Netherlands.”  “Netherlands” is where the Dutch are from, and it literally means “low lands.”

Egbert

I think the large part of the brown collar – the one on the left side of the Image – is definitely a clue to something.

Egbert

3.  Byron Preiss was born in Brooklyn.  He died while vacationing in East Hampton, New York, which is not that far away.  It would be impossible for me to believe that a book based on immigration would not have a treasure buried in the same State as Ellis Island.

It could also be a reference to the St. Lawrence Lowlands.
Here’s an interpretation I like.
I also just want to echo Rookhunter on the connection between the characteristics of the drawing and the physical location of the legeater lamp within the Golden Square Mile. This part of the clue doesn’t seem to get as much attention, and I think it’s pretty strong. If it was just some symbolism/rebus/etc and was not referring to this specific lamp, putting that “rebus” within a prominent golden square inside Image 9 is just salt in the wounds.
I agree with you. In the pictures below I know I’m not posting any new ideas. My intention is not to insult your (or anyone else’s) intelligence.  I just think the image 12/ NYC clues are pretty solid, beyond Lady Liberty, and here are the things I find compelling:
Red “outline” of the harbor:
Ferry Building:

Merlot Brougham

Ferry Building:

You nailed the eagle.

i dont think its a gargoyle, it looks more like a theatre mask with a gasping expression. it points us to the comedie canadienne thatre (and in turn just for laughs festival)…but also to jacques plante (who wore the first goalie mask for the montreal canadiennes) (there is a connection bw those two clues that points us toward the final location of the treasure).
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gratien_G … idolin.jpg
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Grim … -_1936.jpg

Do you guys also see a face just underneath the left curl in his hair? It looks like a monkey with two big nostrils – or probably a gargoyle.

the 7 is a backwards L. L represents Lake. so hes telling us it means “backwards lake”. so you ask yourself, whats a backwards lake? and you look around and you find the mctavish reservoir on mcgill campus. then you notice that you cant see any water, but it has the 7 on it (shape of path). you see no water…because its an under ground reservoir. the p is over a block off peel, also in mcgill campus…its a street. the x is on the building drunknerds found.

spinner

https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/a-real-life-da-vinci-code-treasure-hunters-think-a/article_06a300e5-de47-5ee3-92eb-2b7b96a1f5ba.html#tracking-source=home-top-story-1

Hey Spinner, thanks so much for sharing this article, and welcome back! I read a lot of your previous contributions. I’m curious if you currently believe Image 9 is St. Louis or Montreal? I have no personal preference, but when I started reading the “so close we can taste it” thread, I desperately wanted a home run for St. Louis!

JoshCornell

oh oh..i know! btw…the runes p and 7 shaped rune are off peel and on the mctavish res…so theyve already been discovered…

Josh, could you please detail on which exact building / site you can see these runes?

Tried expressing my views that a casque is buried in St. Louis and all I got was negative responses so will keep my dig site close to the vest as it is NOT the verse used by the man in the news report and NOT in the location he suggests…. Doesn’t seem to matter anyway as St. Louis has strict rules about no digging allowed so this casque may be lost forever….

@JoshCromwell Thanks for your response. It’s imaginative, but I think it might be a little far-fetched. However, don’t give up looking for solutions!

erexere

I think the main idea is that its not required to find the lamp in Montreal.

I think you meant Vancouver…
If that were true, than St.Louis seems to be a much better match then anything you have shown in Vancouver.
however group consensus came to be since we could not find a legeater lamp in St. Louis it must be Montreal.
obviously the legeater lamp is a real specific physical object.  So similar objects or conceptually similar objects are not correct.
The legeater is prominent in the image. any solution that doesnt involve finding a legeater lamp is almost assuredly incorrect.
Its simple. if you find a legeater in vancouver, which is entirely possible, then Id think of vancouver as highly likely, without it I think your wasting your time.

Another example of a clue have several meanings. The flower is Olympic Stadium in Montreal and a clock. I like how the center of the flower has 10 circles (think October).
1967 – World Expo
1976 – Olympic Games
1977 – Montreal Expos started playing home games
The World Expo was not held at Olympic Park but had many of its venues destroyed and rebuilt for the 76 Olympics. One of my favorite clues of this flower is the negative space showing what would one day be the Tower for Olympic Stadium. The Olympics were known as the Big O to some but as the Big Owe to the locals as all kinds of problems came with trying to find funding for all the structures and other expenses.
Which brings me to something else I find interesting in this puzzle….all the “O’s”
Opal is the stone
October is the month
Even the number 10 has an “0”
World ExpO
Olympic Games
Olympic Stadium is shaped like an Oval
Oval has an O
O Canada
O my God
and with Christmas around the corner…O Come all ye faithful

Namesakes meeting near this site .

A thought I had  on the  21 . Maybe it’s not a reference to the letter U , though I would like it for Union station, But  In the middle of 21  is 10 1/2. I don’t know I had thought on it back at the Jewel box site  being an indication between the gates or the gates and the light post .

I could not find thoes links on the wiki but when I saw the image on this thread the man on the horse jumped out at me. Toward the right side of the hat right? if this is a man on the horse and it is an intentional image not a brush stroke then this could be a strong clue that Forest Park is the location of the STL casque. A popular statue in the park is Louis XIV on a horse.
The first thing we need to do though is confirm this is STl and not Montreal. The way to do that is to see if any park or other area a casque may be burried i.e. a water front in Montreal had something in or near them that matched the checker patteren in the image. Many of us have found checker paterens around but none that matched the one in the image. A time period from 1978 to 1982 should be checked.
If this comes up empty as it is likely to do and the Checker Dome matched the pattern then we can assume this goes to STL.
If this is the case then the Arch and the Old Courthouse are the city clues the checker pateren and the horseman
are the park clues. The legeater
could also be a park confirmer.
The clues to get you to the area of the casque (either the Muny Pagoda Circle area or World’s Fair Pavillion) are first the jewel in the middle of the checker pattern this is likely telling us to use the entrance near the Checker Dome. If this entrance is close to either of the likely casque locations then this idea is much more likely. The half smile half frown is likely a clue to the Muny and a fountain near the Muny are clues to get you to the area of the casque.
If no matching patern is found in Montreal and the Checker Dome entrance is close to either the Muny or World’s Fair Pavillion area then I think we have the area.
The next question is what verse matches the image. The things I think tie this image to Verse 6 are the checker pattern on the chest. This is likely the arms extended bar that binds and the fountain in the image is likely the cool clear song of water. This looks promising but we need to do some more research on the verse.

Then there is that darn legeater.
Find one in St Louis and Im a believer…

Y, K with an eye, Martini glass?!

Choice

Y, K with an eye, Martini glass?!

No soup for u…
https://thiscougarhassomethingtosay.fil … il_nun.png

But definitely martini glass, right?!

To me it looks like I-R-A

MERLIN

To me it looks like I-R-A

Oh geez, who needs soup when I got my martini. (I think you had too many)

Choice

Oh geez, who needs soup when I got my martini. (I think you had too many)

I think you’re right

Ace is high???
https://www.encirclephotos.com/image/ba … al-canada/

I would look for some rocks around a statue or statues and then look under the eastern most rock
the rocks being naturally carved versions of the statues which are not naturally carved….
question did you put the clue back so that it could be found by those really doing the hunt?

Delilah84

@Funsun Lately I was pointing towards another solution but after listening to the Japanese translation podcast I’m starting to reconsider it, so I also got back to the most evident one, Mount Stephen. As other people were pointing out for the CHI and CLE solves, inside the pic there IS a physical object linking to the dig site. In MTL image there is none apart from the legeater. It must be there. And I think the asymmetrical collar of the guy could represent the asymmetrical steps of Mount Stephen’s staircase. Did anyone ever ask permission there? Also they completely destroyed the place to rebuild it if I’m not wrong; if it was in the front flower bed it’s most probably gone…
Another thing I’m missing. I was sure the solve I consider could match well with the MTL poem #5, but after the Japanese translation, where it is stated that LANE is a proper name for something, I am no longer sure about poem 5. Is there any chance it is not related to MTL? I cannot think of anything matching with Mount Stephen area…

Delilah84… I think I missed your post. Thank you very much. I like other people’s insights.

wilhouse

well, I think I have it narrowed down to about a 300sq ft area. I just need to know where exactly to dig…
wilhouse

how about where the casque is located

The entire (antique) J. W. Fiske catalogue is available for purchase. In my googling around, I saw that many antique iron works dealers use it and it’s been offered for sale from numerous vendors. I doubt there will be any present connection, though–I think the company is now defunct. So is the Variety Iron Works.
Antique dealers may be the best bet here.
c

WOW!  Great research Forest!  That had to take a lot of time.
Finally someone has found something substantive on that darn lamp post.  Hopefully, it will ring a bell with Mr. Fiske straight away and that digging through old dusty sales records will not be required.  Hopefully Ms Israel will also prove to be really useful.  Looks like She-crab may have put your St. Louis back into play.  Nice Job guys!!

johann

Maybe I will soon have to take my daughter on a very long walk here in St. Louis to look for that beast on the bottom of lampposts.

Sounds like this would be the best option.  Shall we take a collection and get you new walking shoes?
How about  WANTED POSTERS spread out around the city.  “Wanted, a leg eating beast who likes to hang around lamp posts
and chew on limbs.  Do not try to apprehend the beast by yourself.  Must be handled by a trained professional, (like Johann)”.
Has to be one somewhere in St Louis…
Again, nice work FB.

johann

Maybe I will soon have to take my daughter on a very long walk here in St. Louis to look for that beast on the bottom of lampposts.

Sounds like this would be the best option.  Shall we take a collection and get you
new
walking shoes?
How about  WANTED POSTERS spread out around the city.  “Wanted, a leg eating beast who likes to hang around lamp posts
and chew on limbs.  Do not try to apprehend the beast by yourself.  Must be handled by a trained professional, (like Johann)”.
Has to be one somewhere in St Louis…
Again, nice work FB.

Can someone speculate on the shape and design of the turned up
jacket collar, with trim.  I know what I see and why, does anyone
want to provide their observations?
I know it is not a state or city outline.
Again, I knoiw what I see it as, and it fits like a glove,
but am curious to hear other thoughts.
FYIW… I use it alone in the upside down position.
If someone wants to crop and post, it may seem obvious
on how I use it.

…still kinda likin’ NY myself…
I did find a guy who has a website (something like “Lost NYC” or “Old NYC” or something like that) with a whole section devoted to lampposts in NY.  I forwarded the picture to him, but he never recalled seeing anything like it.  FWIW.
Pine

I’m with you on this pic as nyc Pine. If my theories hold water, the Canarsie tribe and Lowland gnomes and opal all met up on Manhattan Island (the city)

Trohn

Again, I knoiw what I see it as, and it fits like a glove,
but am curious to hear other thoughts.
If someone wants to crop and post, it may seem obvious
on how I use it.

Trohn, Can you post a pic of what fits like a glove?  I can’t superimpose it, but I’d like to take another look at it.

Some can’t see it, I know.  I can’t superimpose this either but if anyone can try, I think we’ll all see it.

I too have tried this river idea, but I can’t seem to make it fit.

boogieman

Trohn, Can you post a pic of what fits like a glove?  I can’t superimpose it, but I’d like to take another look at it.

It is horse blanket, over a horse, looking at the back right flank,
minus the horse, of course.  See the middle where the tail would be.
Horse blankets have heavy borders as shown for weight to keep them on.
(simply the black with gold trim)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse_blanket
http://www.doversaddlery.com/kensington … /X1-23047/
This is for the horse that has everything:
http://www.doversaddlery.com/rambo-orig … /X1-24137/

JC, lots of info here. I’m curious as to what your explanation is for the PX7 Box. I’ve not heard any other explanations that would get me off my solve for it.

After posting my nutshell in the other thread….I did a little surfing through Ottawa…possible P9 and found a place called Green Island where the city hall is located… take a look:
http://www.globalairphotos.com/images/o … 02_146.jpg
If you turn either Green Island or P9 upside down, the hand signal looks similar.  The man’s fingers are in approximation of the waterways around the island.

egbert,
I think the resolution is a little fuzzy on the scanned P.  What you refer to as a dogleg appears to be more like a cloven hoof.  I am still trying to figure out what that is under the dog’s (animal’s) nose.  A train? An old movie camera? A suitcase?  What the heck is it?
The symbol above the animal-leg-? contains a large X for the roman numeral 10.  This ties in with the opal and the cosmos for the month of October.  On either side of the X there appears to be symbols-letters-numbers?  Hard to make out, if read normally, it looks like P 7…or maybe L d read upside down.  Hard to say…..

this one makes me realize how little I knew about Canada lol. so sad.
anyways, the HBC connection is via George Simpson, and the whole puzzle takes you through the conflict the HBC had with the NWC over Rupert’s Land; up until Louis Riel led the Red River Rebellion; and numerous people from this puzzle worked on negotiations that saw RL being transferred from the HBC (where they held a 200 yr monopoly) to Canada; marking Manitoba’s entrance into Confederation.
George Simpson was the administrator for the HBC in RL; essentially giving him control over the large swath of territory.
he lived in Lachine across from the fur trader historic site on the east end of the canal.

on top of dawson college, I think the flower is a reference to the flower on the door of the redpath museum:

shecrab

The latitude and longitude of Montreal are 45N, 73W. Nowhere in Image 9 do these numbers appear. Nowhere. St. Louis’ Lat/long is 38N 90W. I can’t come up with either of those numbers either!
The numbers I can see are these: 39 (a bit iffy–faint, but in the hair), 35, 67, 76 and 77. Putting them together to try to come up with either a St. Louis or a Montreal location, I can’t!  But if you input these into Google earth, you can come up with a location:
Baltimore Maryland.

It’s a good point. The most obvious starting place for these puzzles is the lat/long. And if you look at this picture for lat/longs, the clearest possibilities are: 76, here…
…and here…
…with a possible 75 pairing…
…and 39 here…
…giving Baltimore. The 39 could be a possible 37 for Montreal, but it’s more like a 9 than a 7, and there isn’t an obvious 45.
Baltimore looks like the typical kind of coastal city usually chosen. The image is dominated by a black and gold check pattern which recalls the Maryland flag:
There’s also the Marigold, a shortened form of “Mary’s Gold”.
I’ve never looked at Baltimore so I’m currently taking an open-minded glance through the verses to see if anything jumps out.

having so much fun with this angle:
http://www.canadianmysteries.ca/sites/r … dexen.html
really rolling on mapping out this bad boy. currently writing about this. pretty goddamn rad. I think this might make james renner cum in his pants a little XD

Im still working on this angle on this sculpture.

Okay, I just wrote a nice letter (on real paper!) to J. W. Fiske. I was able to get his P.O. box from someone who knew it. Again, the hope is that he will be able to simply look up who else purchased lamp bases like the ones in Montreal.
The ideal situation would be if:
1. J. W. Fiske & Co. made the lamp base (not at all certain)
2. Mr. Fiske still has 19th-century J. W. Fiske sales records
3. Only a handful of the lamps were manufactured
4. He can supply us with shipping addresses for them
My hopes will probably be dashed, but what a coup if he comes through for us!

FB,
I am optimistic about your letter getting a positive response.
What an exciting letter that will be to receive…concerning an ancestor…
and to get the opportunity to be a part of a national treasure hunt!
Who could resist?  Maybe one of his own children or grandchildren
will get involved.
AP

Thanks for the optimism, AP! I hope he catches the bug.

Re: image 9
« Reply #857 on: Yesterday at 01:22:10 pm »
maltedfalcon i thought about the trademark too, i looked up g courses and found these 2 things
http://www.golfcourselistings.ca/Quebec … oulin.html
http://www.panoramio.com/photos/origina … .jpg 
not sure if this lamps have same leg
so i started something else…………….
i was trying to find a dutch connection, to the found area of the legeater
the only thing i found was a story/ sorry lost link/ about how the
dutch elm bug, destroyd thousands of trees, and these trees, were
felled in 80,81,82,83,and the news of the bug was a big topic in
montreal in 81,82. im thinking that is not the connection, we are looking for.
so i thought dutch, maybe pa. as the dutch are famous there, talked to a trover
from 12,and dar site, genetic blend/she is from pa. she thought look around
for that style of building, since it looks the same in pic, as the legeater building.
so far nothing, thought i would share what i have found though. at the link
there is more on the site about montreal, i was just looking
for that style of building, thinking maybe another, legeater would show up.
as the area has the  most concentration, of the Second Empire style and
sometimes refered to as Parisian style architecture
which is what type of building/house is, where the legeater is.
i havent had time to do live search, of the area or google street view
http://www.planetware.com/montreal/old- … u-qumv.htm
at this link is Hotel de Ville, Montreal, Quebec, in old montreal the two
lamps on the steps, look something like the top, of the legeater
lamp post, i think havent looked at it in awhile.
http://canada.archiseek.com/quebec/mont … e_lge.html
and some listings in st louis,mo. made  my heart jump a beat, when i saw
forest parks keepers house, but as far as i can see, no legeater at the
keepers house. and not a lot of pics of the buildings listed.
with the name i guess pics could be found, if your looking for them.
http://stlcin.missouri.org/history/structqueryout.cfm
home link of above link
http://stlcin.missouri.org/history/index.cfm

MrBackstop

Yeah I know, I used to run autocad software in the early 90s, really raw crap at the time. But what’s the point of this statement?

That things like numbers on the map are probably not going to be much help.

https://architectureofthegames.net/cate … -montreal/
Except for in this type of map which is a site map. As you can see by looking at the 1976 site map for Olympic Park that the PIE X subway station is listed as #9. It is also listed as #9 on the 2016 map. Many other items changed as the blue prints for the park were adjusted.
I’m curious as to what others are thinking the “J” and “9” might be other than that. I am always trying to find reasons to get away from my solve but have not been able to when it comes to Montreal.

https://architectureofthegames.net/wp-c … rk-Map.jpg
Never seen this discussed before, ….the “J” and “9” hair on the left forehead.
The old architecture map of the Olympic Park shows the number 9 at the bottom of the “J” shaped esplanade which goes from the PIE X subway station to the stadium.
On the other side of the forehead is several wave-strands of hair. These appear to be the Inernational Plaza (#6 on the map) and PIE X parking garage.
And as mentioned previously, Lane 222 (Sherbrooke St) runs right thru the park.
Any other thoughts on these clues?

any more maps from 80’s?

Here’s another color version:
https://architectureofthegames.net/wp-c … p-2016.jpg

you already have .CA in the 80’s???

The black and white drawing was made by software that wasn’t available in the 1980s. Autocad was first released in 1982, but its output didn’t look like that.

Kalessin

The black and white drawing was made by software that wasn’t available in the 1980s. Autocad was first released in 1982, but its output didn’t look like that.

Yeah I know, I used to run autocad software in the early 90s, really raw crap at the time. But what’s the point of this statement?

Spiritr

you already have .CA in the 80’s???

.CA?

parcolympique.qc.CA
in 1982, got it?

I love it that every one is so energized by this great find!  There’s alot on the board over the last day or two regarding the “leg eaters” connection with P9 and still looking at V2 to match up.  P9 connects, V2 may not.  Let’s keep in mind that if Montreal is our place–we don’t have a solidly connected verse that fits this location.  Any verse but 4 and 12 are possibilities.  Its key to not try to force a solution, keep an open mind.  The way I see it, we need to do 2 things:
(1) Answer the question about the uniqueness of this lamppost and whether and where others exist.
(2) Explore the area in a broader sense for other visual confirmers with P9 or verse leads (to any of our verses).
If we examine the Chicago solve, some of the visual clues were “en route” to the dig site that was some distance away–the same may apply here.  That’s my two cents, take it for what its worth.

Alongside Forest Park, on Lindell Blvd., there is a row of beautiful old homes.  Perhaps one of them has a leg-eater banister.

Can we move one of lamp posts to the Hoston City Zoo
and kill two birds with one pole?

niteowl9 wrote–
I would quibble about the 3 standing watch since there are 2 lamps and a total of 6 legs
maybe the 3 standing watch are the 3 peaks to mount royal and the ‘legs’ just gave you the house as the starting point then.
sixer

With other images, there was a significant clue that
would lead one to the city (site) of the casque:
Milwaukee
Chicago
Charlestown
And once there, in the proper perspective,
the more detailed sections of the image would
be matched up.
This leg eater at this Montreal location is a secondary
confirmer within the image.  There is no apparent path
to get you to Montreal to this spot using the details of this
image.
(With that said, I do believe that Montreal is a very likely
casque location)
Can another version of this lamp be elsewhere within Montreal?
(Is it the architect who selects this detail, or someother city planner?)

Fenix

There is no way this leg-eater is unique to Montreal.  We have to be able to find other instances of these somewhere.  I have been trying to think along the lines of renaissance furniture.  Lamps, table or chair legs, even andirons.  If we can track one down, find a name for it, and date it then we may have a simpler time locating others.
While I agree with the St Louis crew going out and pounding the pavement, I am sure this will be much simpler if a few of us hit the web hard.

As I said, I sent emails out to lots of metal/iron railing manufacturers/distributors — none of which have been able to identify it so far.  However, RAILING companies are probably the wrong ones to contact.  We should send it to metal/iron LAMPPOST manufacturers distributors.  I do not have time to do this right now, so if anyone else wants to do it, please be my guest.  Just send them a picture of it, and ask them for any information they can give us.  You can probably find a whole list of companies using Google, and there is probably an overall metal lamppost organization too.

Perhaps the 3 standing watch are the 3 on the lamppost on the right, since they are overlooking a nice grassy area near the wall.
Also, I found this photo.  It’s a long shot, but I’ll post it anyway.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bclews/217632824/

’cause it’s bigger than the box….

Hotel Lord Berri?  I am lost.
Last night I sent a couple of emails out to lamp post ppl in the area and am awaiting reply.  Will let you know what they say…

how exciting for you all with this new finding–
I may be naive in posting this– as Im not as nearly invloved in the hunt as you all are–but it could be possible that verse 2 fits with this.
if the lamp post and ‘dogleg’ base are unique to the house, the image 9 may be just pointing to the house itself as the starting point.
at the place where jewels abound—— they are wealthy quests,-Im sure they wear some jewelry
fifteen rows down to the ground— are there 15 steps down from the house– looks like there could be from the pictures– 3 sets of five.
in the middle of 21.
from end to end———- are there 21 stone bases?– I think the lamp post sits on one.– but from the pictures, they could go all the way around the house???
only three stand watch— this would be the ‘doglegs’ — 3 of them.
as the sound of friends
fills the afternoon hours—- it is a club
here is a sovereign people
who build palaces to shelter
their heads for a night!———- it was a mansion
gnomes admire
fays delight
the namesakes meeting  (club now- but named after the stephens.
near this site—- right in front between the 21 stone bases?????
that is if there are 21— I don’t see any trees, were there trees at one time?  and that is if there are 15 steps.
but it seems like it could fit.
good luck
sixer

Fox,
Look at the windows in the pic bclews posted .Took me a few times to see it , but it’s the outline of what we took as the JEWEL BOX in forest park. I get it now .
Bclews,  Is this hotel  Berri in the area of the Club ?  Same street ?

I agree that the leg eater should be a secondary confirmer— and maybe it is.
the hidden numbers give the longitude and latitude of Montreal— and there are gold squares.  maybe these are the significant clues to give the site and then the leg eater would give the house.
Its just neat that verse 2 can fit with this house.
at the place—from the house, go 15 steps down to the ground and in the middle of 21– there it is.
FeniX,  are there 21 of something(the stone bases or something else)– in front of the house?
and the rest of the verse just confirms the house location.
sixer

What are the coords of Montreal ?

CMSCHUT

Bclews,  Is this hotel  Berri in the area of the Club ?  Same street ?

It’s in the same part of Montreal, but it is probably too far away to be considered.

not a bad idea at all sixer.  I am really beginning to think Montreal is the site for this P.  Find another set and I may reconsider
, but until then…..  this is a historic place on the registry.
In my opinion, we can not just sweep this find under the rug and search elsewhere……search elsewhere??, sure…but we need to also focus on this site.
I always thought our leg-eaters were bigger

ooops…also, Fenix, did you have your book with you while talking with the folks inside?  You should ask them if the “blob” looks like anything to them.  If this is the right place, someone around there must know what it is…

CMSCHUT

What are the coords of Montreal ?

Montreal is between 73 and 74  and between 45 and 46
http://thesecret.pbwiki.com/9_Map
AnotherDoth

sounds like WTT pretty much stuck around in Canada…
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/ … RTA0007966

Another Doth ,  Thanks.
I was going through the virtual tour of the club and I was actually tring to find a picture on the wall that may resemble our image , no luck . I did spot a nice flower ceiling in the laurentine room .  Afew fireplaces and ceilings I thought may be our BLOB.

Fenix ,
Is this club near  Carre St. Louis ?

AnotherDoth

Montreal is between 73 and 74  and between 45 and 46
http://thesecret.pbwiki.com/9_Map
AnotherDoth

I assume you changed the Wiki to read that Image 9 in now linked to Canada, and that Montreal is the site of the Image 9 treasure.  Those are some very bold statements, and I think half of us seem to think that it is not in Montreal.

I have seen countless articles and websites referring to this area as
The Square Mile
but not as the Gold Sq Mile.

sixer

I may be naive in posting this– as Im not as nearly invloved in the hunt as you all are–but it could be possible that verse 2 fits with this.

I like this line of thought sixer.
Judging from
http://www.clubmountstephen.net/V2/fr/h … entree.jpg
there are indeed 10 more steps up in addition to the 5 at the street.
I would quibble about the 3 standing watch since there are 2 lamps and a total of 6 legs.
The old photos show a vastly different surrounding than at present.  One would hope
we can find a 1980’s photo of the location.  Is the club in the middle of the block, and
were there really 21 stone posts along the street?  That would really clinch this.
Some other possible connections:
Gnomes admire / Fays delight == Gold.  The club is in the middle of the Gold Square Mile.
There’s a Rue Bullion further north too.  No obvious streets with jewel names though.
Palaces to shelter their heads for a night == fancy hotels.

And, Image 9 is covered with Gold Squares….

Fenix

The club is in the middle of the Gold Square Mile.
My wife nor I have ever heard of the Gold Square Mile.  She has lived here her entire life.

So, you’re going to believe her over wikipedia? 🙂
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Square_Mile
Regarding the possibility of other legeaters, from what I read about this house, it
sounds like it was a one-of-a-kind deal built for a really rich homeowner.  I’d say he would
have easily been able to comission the lamps just for this house, so I would guess this is a
unique feature of this house.
Regarding the ‘blocky blob’ outline in image 9, is it possible this is a crude floor plan of the house?  The
rounded corners in the image could roughly match the rounded parts of the left side of the house.
What does the right side of the house look like?
And looking again at the 15 steps, it looks like there are only 4 steps on the bottom right section, but
there are 5 on the bottom left, so maybe just the left lamppost is the ‘3 standing watch’?  Where could
you stand to see only the left legeaters?  There seems to be a grassy area to the left of the lamps too,
and maybe more steps from the house?  Can’t really tell from the images I have.

I’ve been looking in the picture for other confirmers that this could possibly be Montreal.  I wonder if this is a subtle hint:
That’s St. Joseph’s Oratory, a pretty big landmark in Montreal.  You can see the dome from all sorts of places, like the Mont Royal Park.
I wonder — is it possible to see the dome from the Mount Stephen Club?
The club to the oratory
I dunno.  Does this possibility have legs?  Doglegs even?

Would you believe it?  On google Earth there’s a huge great cloud over the area of Rue Drummond….DOH!
Ade

Egbert,
I would be with the half that hopes it is not in Montreal. All I can do as of now is look things up in ole St. Louie here on the web . I’m down with a nasty cold but will go out next Tues. to look at possibilities. Let me know . The landing at the arch, the old courthouse , union station . the streets where the old Checkerdome resided ?
Fenix , Thanks .

erexere

Some presumptions about long journeys between point A and point B leave very little word or visual clues to describe the requisite components that are needed to locate an exact spot.
Of course it’s always dependent on the given layout and surroundings and each situation may well be different or unique.
Here’s some examples to consider, try to think of each A, B, C, or D each needing a line or two of verse or an image clue to coordiate a given opportunity for X:
The last of these should look familiar, it’s my theory for Houston.

I will have to take a long look to see that monkey for myself.
Mainly my point is we are limiting ourselves depending on how we estimate Preiss and to what formula, if any, we think all the puzzles adhere.  I think there is a formula, but that doesnt mean things wont escalate in difficulty or each location wont present a dramatically different location method.  By location method, I’m referring to the variety of ways a specific spot may be determined.  I illustrated some basic examples in the methodology thread:

MAD, that monkey reminds me of the Lincoln profile in the rocks of Image 1.
The process of word association from seeing what looks like a monkey and then attaching  it to something with the word “monk” is where we almost always go wrong.  I’m no just bashing you’re idea.  It’s definitely worth noting since all of our other theories might not pan out.  My feeling is there’s a mountain range that resembles the rippled portion of the hat.
In verse 10, I’ve linked the word “Hard” with the name of president “Harding” who visited Canada and gave a speech, which was rewarded by a memorial with a portion of his speech engraved in granite, dedicated by the Natives.  In that case, there’s a little word play going on, since the -ing suffix must be attached to make Hard into Harding.  I think that’s a little different than getting Monk out of Monkey.

Hey guys….I was wrong about Wisconsin – BUT I think Hudson Bay may be important – needs further research.

Might the shirt somewhat resemble Montreal’s Aldred Building?
Background
I tried to paste a picture, but I am technologically challenged.  It can be seen at
www.montreal.com/tourism/topatts

Spinner (or anyone)– Do you know the name of the sculptor of the blob-thing near the Muny in Forest Park?  Perhaps we can see if Montreal has a sculpture by the same artist.

Could Habitat ’67 be the blob?
http://www.habitat67.com/home.html

johann

Do you know the name of the sculptor of the blob-thing near the Muny in Forest Park?  Perhaps we can see if Montreal has a sculpture by the same artist.

I believe it is Robert C. Smith, an art professor local to WUSTL:
http://record.wustl.edu/archive/1995/10-26-95/7743.html