Quest4Treasure Archives

Whoo hoo! Speech!  Speech!  Speech!

Here is a link to more pictures. [url]http://share-dell.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=EeANWLVm3bMmzho [/url] It was wonderful!  The trip and experience of a lifetime.  I hope each of you finds a treasure too.  I will continue to help all of you out in finding the others, but I will not try and get another one unless you all want me to.  I have found the treasure that I have been searching for all these years, and I am satisfied with that. I will tell you all the details as soon as I can post it.  There is going to be an article on it in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, probably at the beginning of June, because they want it to be a Sunday feature article.  I will contact Byron Preiss today, and continue to keep you in the loop. Many thanks to all of you, especially Johann and SoonerFan, who located the Cleveland Cultural Gardens.  My friend Andy, who accompanied me on the trip, was invaluable, and will likely post on these boards as well.  (my real name is Brian, btw).  The treasure was not where we thought it all was, but luckily we found it anyway. No Rob, no one dug it up and put it back.  The casque was in a plexiglass box which apparently had caved in under the weight of the dirt and mud on top of it after all this time.  The top of the box is in about 50 pieces, and the casque itself was caked in mud.  All of the paint had washed off over time, except for the imp on the front, the key, and some paint under the cover of the casque.  Interestingly, the key has a small metal rod in it, so perhaps it can be detected with a strong metal detector. What a wonderful feeling!

Congratualtions Brian! How did you go about getting approval to dig?  It looks like you had to take up stones (or thought you had to take up stones) to get to the casque!

I dont even know anything about this hunt but that's fantastic.. It's what its all about. Well done.

Well Done Sir Egg !!!! I cant believe after all the years casque #2 has finally been located.  That is FANTASTIC.  Do not feel you have to abandon the boards because you found a casque...no way, no how.  Well guys, this confirms it......we ARE making progress.  Cant wait to see more pics and hear the details Eg. 2 down, 10 to go...........

That's brilliant Egbert and many congratulations. Chris.

Excellent job Egbert!! I'll be interested in reading all of the details. 10 more to go!

This gives all of us hope.  Congratulations!! wilhouse.

Fantasic work ! Just awesome.   Hopefully we'll have another one down next week, when i go to Boston.  This just gave me a huge serge of confidence.  If anyone has any more ideas on the Boston one, im all ears.  Something strange that i did see in the pics that were posted, on one of the stone plates, that had all the greek names, i saw Xenophon and Thucydides.  Doubt theres a connection, but just strange none the less.  Again, GREAT work, and lets get another one next week ! Todd

Egbert, don't forget that finding the casque means  you also get the painting. wilhouse

were the 1442 and 1881 clues only references to the lat/long, or did they have some other significance? wilhouse

Brian/Egbert: I was in Michigan for four days at a conference and was unable to check the board until now.  The word "Congratulations" seems so inadequate after a success 25 years in the making.  This is exciting! And, your desire to help the rest of us shows you to truly be a gentleman. Fantastic work! --Johann

Wilhouse, How does finding a casque mean you get the painting?

Sorry, poor memory. Upon rereading the book, finding the casque gets you "the treasure jewels, a "special autographed copy of the Secret and your photo and story will appear in the next edition of The Secret". I thought I read that you get the painting, but I guess not. wilhouse.

One thing I have noticed about the two finds:  the painting tells nothing of the actual location of the treasure.  It gets you to the area, but in Egbert's case the wall where the treasure is at is not in the picture. It appears that might be true in the Chicago one too. any comments? wilhouse

check the painting again - The wall is prominently featured in the painting. directly above the wall fountain and the pillars.

I guess when I look at that picture, it doesn't look like the wall with the concourses and bricks. but it doesn't look like the wall around the fountain either. wilhouse

I'm with MFalcon...the wall where Egg found the casque is right there in plain view underneath the P-keystone and between the P-columns.  I had overlooked that part every time until after the casque was found and now I think, geeze, how could I have missed that. Time to start reanalyzing the P's

Well done Egbert, that's fantastic news. One for the board! Hooray! Mark will be chuffed.

Unknown: I guess when I look at that picture, it doesn't look like the wall with the concourses and bricks. but it doesn't look like the wall around the fountain either. wilhouse Maybe your just not looking at what I'm looking at. here- picture 4 with real locations overlayed... http://www.papermodeler.com/images/pix4.jpg

very nice, now I see it. I don't know why I couldn't see it before. wilhouse

Congratulations on a very well-deserved find!  Also nice to see the strong community spirit - great work everyone.

Absolutely brilliant well done. Mark

I'm with you Fox. I couldn't see it until it was detailed for me. Perhaps the pictures are more literal than we all first thought.  Can we get more from the chicago find? wilhouse

What a thrill! Congrats Egbert, I'm glad that another was located in my lifetime. Two down...10 to go...! Dan

Brian, Have you received your jewel yet?  If so, what does it look like?  Are you going to post a copy of the newspaper article when it comes out?

No jewel yet.  The newspaper will be contacting Byron Preiss by next week.  Of course I will post the article as soon as it comes out.  It looks like it will be coming out on June 6.

I just heard from the Cleveland reporter.  He said he finally spoke to Byron Preiss, but because they missed the June 6 deadline, the article will come out on June 13.  I'll keep you updated.

Brian i need details bud!  🙂 How did you interpret the clues? You said it wasnt where you thought it was but you found it anyway! Can you tell us the steps you took and exactly how you found it?--I feel that this firsthand knowledge is very important so we can better understand how the puzzles work--i know you said you'd give us details as soon as you could post them--i cant wait!  8) EDIT:http://www.quest4treasure.co.uk/yabb/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=Secret&action=display#=1050108952 Great job!  🙂

Here is the article! http://www.angelfire.com/dragon/egbert/secret.html

Loved the Article and got me curious.  Congratulations Brian! Here is the PD article: http://www.cleveland.com/sundaymag/plai ... 842130.xml

Fantastic - hey I even got a mention! now Im inspired to go dig some more....

great article.  one question?  was the section that showed all the clues in the pic, confirmed by Priess??  because if so, then the Lat/Lon thing would then be confirmed.  also, i hadnt noticed the Ohio outline in there.  kinda crazy, live next to the state my whole life, have famliy in cleveland, and even i didnt notice it.  oh well.

Egbert, the article is fantastic. and thanks for the honorable mention!!! wilhouse

Egbert/Brian-- Wonderful article!  And thank you for your very gracious and generous mention of all involved.  You are truly a gentleman. I hope everyone on this board can get together for a celebration in the future.  Perhaps we can do so two months from now, after all the treasures have been found. --Johann

Thanks everyone --- the Cleveland reporter, Chris Evans, is a wonderful guy, and asked me details about everything.  I just told him the whole story.  There were quite a few things I told him that just didn't get in, probably because of space constraints. One thing which appears to have been left out is how invaluable my friend Andy was on the quest.  Although he was portrayed like my "sidekick" in the story, he actually was very much into solving the puzzle.  He was the first one who figured out the "7 steps up you can hop," and we talked a lot about The Secret in the car before we got there.  I am hoping he posts on the board, because he has a lot of other good ideas about some of the other treasures.  I thought I was finished after I found this casque, but Andy is not making it easy on me! I think I have treasure-hunting in my blood! I heard through the reporter that Byron Preiss confirmed that "we got all the clues," so that must include the latitude and longitude.  Byron Preiss was going from memory, however, since the solutions are locked in the vault with the jewels. Come on Andy --- post something!

Hi everybody, I'm new to the board. I bought the Secret right around the time I started High school.(mid 80's). To be honest I did not think that the treasure hunt was real. I mean if you look in the back of the book at the forms, there's a form for sightings of the fair people. Its a great little book, and the puzzles are very challenging. Imagine my surprise when I opened my Sunday PD "oh, hey I have that book....WHAT, the treasure hunt is REAL!!! AND WAS FOUND IN MY TOWN!!  😮 Of course I went digging to find my copy of the book, and I'm very syked to join in on the quest(s). A big congrats to Egbert for a job well done!!

That's great that the Plain Dealer story is generating renewed interest.  Chris Evans, the writer of the story, would love for everyone on this messageboard to email the Plain Dealer about their thoughts on the article.  Here is the link --- it would only take a few moments of your time: [email protected] Thanks!

Congrats Egbert!  I too was inspired by your story in the PD.  My first treasure hunt is to find a copy of The Secret.

I was informed that if you send your comments on the article to the email address indicated above, you may get your comments printed in the next issue.  So, please feel free to send your comments to them, in addition to posting them on this board.  Thanks.

wow thats all i can say....congratulation Eg...its like a dream!!!!!!!!!

ditto. very cool

It's better than cool! I got a mention!!! Super cool!!!!! Thanks Mark

Congratulations, Brian!  I, too, have lived with this picture in my mind for 20 years and it is great to see someone follow through and solve the puzzle.  It's been a pleasure witnessing the daily teamwork on this board translate to success. As some of you will appreciate, I was sure that the picture indicated Philadelphia.  Having been proven wrong, I'm looking at all the other pictures with new eyes.

Another article, but from the Bergen Record --- one of New Jersey's largest newspapers --- it made the front page (you will have to register first, though  >:( ): [url]http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkzJmZnYmVsN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2NTU2OTY5JnlyaXJ5N2Y3MTdmN3ZxZWVFRXl5Mg== [/url] Here is a supplementary article which accompanied it: [url]http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkzJmZnYmVsN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2NTU2OTY4 [/url]

No jewel yet--huh?  Although most of these jewels are not worth much, it would be nice if BP came through on your reward.

hey everyone, was up in cleveland this past weekend for my cousins wedding and had a chance to drop by the gardens and snap some pics of what it looks like now.  you can see in one of the pics where the casque and some bushes had been before Egbert went hog wild tearing it to pieces Also, theres a pic of me doing my best Egbert impression with my arms stretched out.  im really starting to get a feel for where these things are going to be buried, now that ive visited the sites of both discovered casques.  i was really disappointed by how poorly kept the gardens where, werent you Egbert??  i was thinking there would be beautiful flowers and what not, but nothing.  another thing that struck me as kind of funny, was that if you were looking at the picture where you can see the pillars and the wall, if you turn around 180 degrees, its a normal residential neighborhood.  so i thought it would have been funny if someone that lived right across the street had figured this pic out and just hopped across the road to dig it up.  anyway, hope you enjoy the pics.  keep us posted Egbert on the status of that jewel.  later all link for the pics:  http://community.webshots.com/user/loph78

Yes, the "gardens" were in poor condition.  From what I read, they were in even worse condition several years ago, being the subject of vandalism. On your link, Loph, it says that the Cleveland photos are no longer there.

not sure why the pics arent showing up. i made a new album and it shows up for me when i log in.  the album is checked "public" so its viewable.  either way, i moved the pics into the Chicago Casque album, so maybe that will work.  the site does say that it can take up to 24 hours for new pics to actually post. so let me know if anyone is able to see them.

ok, the pics should be in there now.  i talked to the people at webshots, and they said they were having touble with their databases.  so click the link a few posts up, and the pics are in the Chicago Album, not the cleveland one.  you'll have to hit the "next page" button to see them all.  happy viewing. peace

Well, thanks to all of you, I finally got my jewel.  On Wednesday, I went to Byron Preiss' office with my friend Andy (aka Siskel), who brought a camera.  I am sure he will be posting a pic shortly.  It was wonderful to finally meet the man who created this puzzle. It was very funny, since on the way over to NYC, Andy and I were imagining what his office would be like.  I thought he would have a big office with papers all over the place.  Andy thought that it would be a scene out of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, with a room containing half a clock, half a hat, etc.  When we walked out of the elevator, we were standing in what was probably a security room, which was all silver --- the ceiling, the walls, the floor --- I felt like I really was in the chocolate factory!  We were ushered into his office --- he has about 10 assistants --- and there were tens of thousands of books scattered around.  He was definitely a very busy man. I had brought the casque with me, along with the book (Andy brought his book too), and B.Preiss was very pleased to see them.  He told us quite a few interesting things over the next 4 hours (!), regarding the casques, the clues, etc., which I will detail below.  As for what we actually did, we drove to a bank uptown in his neat little convertible, talking all the way, and went down into the vault. There was some delay regarding paperwork, since he hadn't been to the vault in a long time, but he eventually got the safe deposit box out and went into a private booth to look through it.  He apparently uses the box for other things, in addition to The Secret.  After a few minutes, he finally announced that he has my jewel, and I heard him close the box.  I have to tell you that at that moment, I felt the same way that I had felt right before we were about to unearth the casque --- it was very exciting.  Andy and I were looking at each other, and felt like kids again.  I also felt that all of you were in there with us, supporting me, and waiting for the jewel. He came out of the booth, and handed me the jewel (wrapped in paper and cotton) --- very sparkly --- I found out later it weighs 2.5 carats.  I shook his hand, Andy took a picture of us in the vault with the jewel, and he congratulated me again. After the bank, we went back near his office for a late lunch, where we talked some more and he inscribed both of our books.  At one point, he even took a picture of us with his cellphone, and sent it to his wife (who he was dating in 1982, and who helped him with publicity on the West coast). Andy and I had enough time afterwards to travel out to Brooklyn, to see if we could find another casque.  All in all, it was a thrilling day, which finally brought my 22-year hunt to a close.  Something to remember for a lifetime. (cont'd)

(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.

Egbert, congratulations! We can't wait to see the pictures. But from your message above, it appears that I have to get out a sledgehammer... wilhouse

Egg, thanks for the update.  Glad you got the jewel you so deserved.  Also, thanks for the clues you supplied...will have to once again look to the countries of origin of the fair folk.  On each P, I have written the jewel descriptions from the tale before the hunt itself... cant wait to see the pix...

Everyone: I received an email from Preiss today regarding my request for a response to my solutions with photos. here is his email, verbatim. wilhouse <-----Original Message-----> From: [email protected] Sent: 9/24/2004 2:33:40 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: Secret, Houston, One Last Try I am sorry. As I told Egbert, in light of the volume of inquiries about the secret after his discovery, I can only accept the actual treasure box for redemption. This is 22-years old and I do not have the time to answer all of the emails and queries, even accompanied by photos. With much apologies, Byron

Unknown: 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 am glad. Im glad that Eg got his jewel. I'm glad we finally have a modern guideline set by the man himself. Dig up a casque--get a jewel. Otherwise, keep digging. I am made glad by Egs words at the end of his report to us: I am glad.

One thing I can say, I have learned much local history along the route to the supposed St. Louis treasure. Of course, unburied treasure would be swell too.

well, I wish he would make an exception for people who think that they have treasure buried under 2" of concrete... wilhouse

must agree with you there wilhouse.  what happened to sending in a photo of a location as proof the hunt was solved?  we will just have to borrow BP's credit card for renting out the appropriate equipment needed for blasting thru concrete  😀

I understand your plight wilhouse and i sympathize. Im just relieved that we are out of the dark as far as Priess is concerned. If you come up with the 'exact location' even concrete cant hold you back. smash through it.  🙂 and i think probably the reason he had to nix the picture idea is because of technology. like he snapped a pic with his cell phone you know? if he accepts pictures as solutions you might as well get a camera fone and go snap 100 pics of the zoo and email them to him. One of them is bound to qualify! lol...anyway. Keep it up.  😉

aw, you discovered my secret plan.. wilhouse

I personally am a little upset with Mr. Priess for in the book he had the page you could send in with the information if you couldn't go to the exact location.  Now, 22 years later, he changes the rules.  I was so very sure about one of the locations and submitted it to him 3 or 4 times but recieved no response.  I will have to wait until 2005 when I go to the location and see if I am correct.  Until then I will have to make my self very sure that I am right for plane tickets are not cheap.  I guess that will make it worth it even more though.  Like Egbert & Wilhouse...  I will have to get some equipment when I arrive and dig up the entire park!  Should we change the name of this treasure hunt from "The Secret" to "The Park Diggers"?

Piper, I, and I am sure Johann, feel your pain. wilhouse

Unknown: Remember we are looking for needles in haystacks not haystacks with needles in them. I couldnt have said it better Fenix.  We may have found 1 or more haystacks....so...if that is the case, we need to focus more on the P's & V's and zoom in on the site. Sandpiper, I think it may have been mentioned before but... how about finding someone on these boards near your site theory & have them take a look for you?  Maybe it is time to spill your ideas (as have all on these boards) so another casque can be found.  Who knows, maybe your idea has come up before by others here and have turned out to be way off....

In furtherance of Fenix's "needles" comment, I'd like to throw out a very incomplete theory that I have been thinking about, regarding the construction of the P/V sets and our opportunity for deconstruction of them.  I haven't had time lately to flesh this out for everybody, but please think about this and, if you think it is worthwhile pursuing, throw some meat on the skeleton I'm about to build.... I propose that the P/V sets have a structure something like this: Level 1:  Something in the picture gets you to the city.  Maybe it's lat/long, maybe it's the name (MillWalkKey). Level 2:  There's a "landmark" in the picture that confirms the city.  This landmark is something pretty permanent, like a statue, prominent building, or geologic feature. Level 3:  Information in the verse acts to narrow your search to a particular part of the city. Level 4:  Information in the verse "walks" you through a few locally identifiable items (text on monuments, et cetera) or pathways to get you very close to the casque site. Level 5:  Something in the picture is the final landmark.  Perhaps it is even specific enough that you should be able to lay your hand on this landmark when standing atop the casque, like the Greek wall in Cleveland or the fence post in Chicago (both of which were depicted somewhat abstractly, and within archways, by the way). Level 6:  Something in the verse may add the final specificity to the dig site in relation to the final landmark (stone counts in Cleveland, for instance). Mixed within these rough levels are probably more, and there may certainly be construction differences between the pictures, but I'm proposing this as a framework to build on as we pry the P/V clues apart  If any of you think it's worth it, maybe we could start trying to fill in the blanks for each casque. Clearly we are going down lots of promising paths already, but if there indeed is a framework, we may be well served to try to look for particular pieces of information. Pine Tree

I think some of the pics are actually maps.  the pic in image 1 appears to be a map of the area. The image 8 pic seems to be a map of the zoo. I think that in some cases, the verse is specific (Eg's "hop up"), in some cases cryptic (verse 1, small, split, three winged and slight). You would think that the combination would be specific, but 22 years later, who knows. wilhouse

I couldn't agree with you more Fox...  here are some ideas to look at... Verse 5 - Image 10 Now this may be way off base but I have done quite a bit of investigation into this so please hear me out... In image 10 we see the following... 1. A lady juggling what appears to be 2 red balls ( symbolizing cherry tomatos )?...  a key ( to a cell ) ...  a walking stick ( or maybe a putter )  and flower ( looks just like a California Poppy ( same amount of leaves and center and color ) ) a waterwheel ( or a movie reel ) and a gem ( that of which is purplelish blue in color.  Benitoite is one of the only gems I can find that resembles this color,  and it too is California's state gem.  In the distance we see a building with two towers or an island with two towers.  Now...  I have seen that people are looking at the woman's neckline in reference to something like a lake or waterway...  but do this...  flip the image vertically...  and look at the woman's hair near the blue hood surrounding her head...  looks just like California doesn't it? Noting that in all of the solved Verses and Picture combonations thus far ( only 2 ), the picture of the state it resided in was in the picture.  I put this theory into action and found this state in this picture as well as another one I will discuss in my next discussion. Verse 5 Lane Two twenty two You'll see an arc of lights Weight and roots extended Together saved the site Of granite walls Wind swept halls Citadel in the night A wingless bird ascended Born of ancient dreams of flight Beneath the only standing member Of a forest To the south White stone closest At twelve paces From the west side Get permission To dig out. Lane - this I have yet to figure out where it fits but am still working on it Two twenty two or ( 222 ) now this gets a little interesting...  if you do a search on the internet for lane 222 in California with Alcatraz you will get a result that says the lowest number of inmates ever at Alcatraz was 222. You'll see an arc of lights...  the San Fransico Golden Gate Bridge is lit up with lights at night which are in an arc formation from tower to tower and you would only see this at night being when I presume Mr. Priess buried his casques to not be seen. Weight and roots extended, together saved this site...  Alcatras is one of the only landmarks in California to have survied countless earthquakes and still remains intact to this day and it is a rock with roots of plants holding it all together. Of granite walls, Wind swept halls, Citadel in the night...  Yes...  Alcatraz was made of granite and yes...  nobody is there the really keep it clean anymore...  except the wind sweeping the halls...  also noted that Alcatraz was orignally a Citadel...  not a prison.  When it was a Citadel...  they put a lighthouse on it to warn ships comming into the harbor...  but with California's great fog they could not see the light so a BELL tower was built to ring to warn on comming ships.  It later collapsed and was never rebuilt.  Note the bell in her right hand! A wingless bird ascended, Born of ancient dreams of flight...  Leonardo Da Vinci drew up the plans for a helecopter 500 years or so before it was ever built...  kinda ancient there eh?  It is considered to be a wingless bird...  and go figure Alcatraz has a Helicopter Pad. Beneath the only standing member, Of a forest...  now this one is kinda weird for there was a park built on the island for the inmates wives and kids to play and relax in while waiting to be taken back to the mainland and it would appear that there are only a few trees there....  but was there only one main tree and several other small trees that grew?  Or was if originally covered with trees and they chopped them all down to build a citadel and then a couple or one grew back?  Note there is what appears to be bushes or something on the island in the picture on the end of the island! White stone closest at twelve paces...  the buildings on Alcatraz are made of a white stone. GET PERMISSION TO DIG IT OUT...  you can only go to Alcatraz on tours now...  and note...  researching the internet it is about a 3 week wait to get a ticket to get out there!  There is a  limit where you can go on the island and it is a National Park so you would need permission if you wanted to start digging there. This is my research and I of course am very open to discussion about it...  I do have to say that I also do agree with parts of the Millwalkee theory for image 10...  but am more inclined to the Alcatraz theory.  I will put my other picture verse combonation up in the near future.

Image 10 is most certainly Milwaukee, check the Image 10 thread: - city hall tower roofs, viewed from a certain direction - "Mill-Walk-Key" - by elimination we determined that this is the picture for the German fairies jewel, the Amethyst, and Milwaukee has a large German immigrant population What could be the "wingless bird ascended" of verse 5? an ostrich, emu, kiwi? or a rocket? i like your helicopter explanation because of Leonardo's "ancient dreams of flight"!

He went to the University of Pennsylvania. Sandpiper--thanks for sharing your theory with us.  I thought this verse might be related to South Carolina--because that Citadel also withstood an earthquake--but you have given us something else to think about.

Thanks for sharing Sandpiper.  I too am still (kind of) leaning towards this P leading to Mill-walk-key but your ideas are definitely worth looking into.  One concern I have is that even if you do get permission, would they "allow" you to dig on Alcatraz Isle?  A lot of you ideas sure do fit though.  Another possible concern of mine has to do with SF itself.  As I mentioned in another thread, it seems unlikely BP would bury 2 casques in one city and with Falcon's theory of GGP being so promising.......again,...who knows? The "Lane 222" or possibly just "Lane" & "222" still have me baffled as well.  There are just toooooooo (or maybe too too too) many Lanes/sts/aves across American so maybe we should focus on another type of lane.  Cat's "immigration port" theory is one which seems to hold water (pun intended) so maybe we could search for a shipping lane?....how 'bout: a bowling lane?, Lois Lane?, geez, i dont know  😛 Pine Tree, I think you are right on the money with your puzzle construction.  Until another P/V is solved with BP tossing in another type puzzle, it seems logical to follow your list for now.

...and to state the obvious, some of my "Levels" in the structure note are no-brainers.  Of course that's the way it works.  What I think might be both new and useful are the ideas behind my proposed Level 2 (city landmark) and more importantly Level 5 (site landmark) -- if they really exist. Maybe this form doesn't work for all of the P/V sets, but it seems to work with Chicago and Cleveland, and so it's reasonable to assume that it would work for at least some of the others. Anyway, if it's real, this gives us tangible objects to look for. In the case of the site landmark, this would actually be an object that you can literally touch when your feet are atop the casque. But I've gotta say that P8 (Houston) is frustrating me on this, because the area that I've proposed to wilhouse for one of his future digs seems to lack anything that fits my "landmark" descriptions... Pine Tree

also the "site" landmark in pix 1 hasn't been identified perhaps thats what the thing under the table is...

I was just interviewed by the New York Times, regarding a new treasure hunt book that is coming out.  It is strikingly similar to The Secret.  It involves 12 jewels, with 12 coins hidden across the U.S.  The clues are hidden in a children's book about fairies.  The jewels are worth $1 million.  I am definitely going to check it out.  Here is the link: http://www.treasurestroves.com/ Mark Parry may want to start a new thread on this.

Interesting, the link that was posted in the Notice Board last week is this: http://www.atreasurestrove.com/ Treasures Troves plural, A Treasure's Trove singular, what shall we call the new forum -- cuz you KNOW we'll need one I'm recruiting my old Merlin Mystery pals for this one

Looks very cool!  😀

Just placed my order. Also, by way of celebration, I finally got my very own copy of The Secret from Alibris.  About $40 plus shipping, and they had a few others. Pine

ah Egg, why did you have to go and do that  ::) ?  Looks like it could very well turn out to be another Secret.  I cant wait....(just dont tell my wife  :-X ) thanks for the headsup....

I would like to request that a moderator please split this thread into a new one.  The recent reply posts have all been about a new book and have nothing to do with the Cleveland find.

sorry 'bout that Cat  😛

First of all, my apologies if this reply is in the wrong place. I am very new to this message board thingy. Sandpiper gave an outline of a location theory and one of the phrases from the verse rang a bell for me. Beneath the only standing member, Of a forest...  I am from the San Francisco bay area originally and there is a famous tree there. Famous because it is the only remaining member of its species, The Presidio Manzanita, and it is a male tree so there is no hope of recovery. It is very closely guarded though. He is a link to more info: http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/X/X-manzanit.asp

Dear Sea Hag, Welcome aboard and no apologies necessary.  Getting right to the point, you might be interested in studying the threads entitled "Verse 5", and "Image 1". Verse 5 contains the line to which you refer, and Image 1 is strongly believed to link to SF, particularly Golden Gate Park. So, jump in, read all (yep) of the threads, and have a good time. Pine Tree

Way back when (September), Egbert said, "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." I wonder... does that imply that the Chicago casque is still buried, even though the emerald is no longer available? Or was the casque dug up after the renovations were over? Does anyone know for sure ?

I seem to recall seeing the article with a photo of finder and casque, but I am not sure if my memory is correct.  I was young at the time.  Perhaps the casque still is there.

wooo, hey guys, that's true.  that casque is probably still there. someone go dig it up. wilhouse

I will mount a search soon for the article in the Chicago Tribune (UNC has microfilms). If it's the Sun-Times, I don't think I will be able to find it. Does 1982-1984 sound like a reasonable range to search?

Wierd, I recall in some thread somewhere reading that they did go back and dig it up as soon as they could get access to it. But thats just a memory - I've got no source I can point to.

That's correct, MF.  BP told me that they were given the jewel after the renovations were over and they dug up the casque. I would still love to see the article, though --- I am amazed that the finders did not find this bulletin board.

forest_blight wrote:: I will mount a search soon for the article in the Chicago Tribune (UNC has microfilms). If it's the Sun-Times, I don't think I will be able to find it. Does 1982-1984 sound like a reasonable range to search? Chicago Tribune, August 9, 1983, page B1 Fortunately, my local county provides access to the historical Chicago Tribune (up thru 1984). Drew

Unknown: Fortunately, my local county provides access to the historical Chicago Tribune (up thru 1984). Drew said: I found and posted the article June 27, in the "Image 5" thread. Here MP