Mister EZ
Using some of the leftover letters, you can spell, “Front oaf, soak oil ’til mirth!”
With the same leftover letters you can also spell
Fort Hamilton
So with the lines “
The natives still speak Of him of Hard word in 3 Vol(unteer)s
” I was able spell the following without reusing any letters
Stephen Hinsdale Weed
Fort Hamilton
Verraz o (using the 3 as z)
Fort Wadsworth is also there if you repeat a “w” and some of the letters with the the other anagrams above.
Hello all.
I’ve been studying Image 12 and Verse 10, which are believed to relate to a casque buried in New York, and below is a proposed solution. I confess I’m not too familiar the landmarks mentioned below, and the majority of the details I’ve gathered online, but I believe most of the details match the clues hidden in the image and the verses to direct to a very specific place to search for the casque, if anyone in the New York area would like to take a closer look.
Firstly, regarding Image 12, others before me have already established the image references many New York area features, and I believe undoubtedly it relates to a casque in the city, and more specifically in the bay area in view of the Liberty and Ellis islands. I don’t understand all the clues in the image, but I do reference some features below that I believe help pinpoint the dig location and provided links to images and additional commentary.
The majority of my solution relies on interpreting the image’s accompanying text (which others have identified as verse 12). Here is my interpretation.
“In the shadow of the grey giant”
– suggestions of what this may refer to have ranged from the Statue of Liberty, or other statues or tall buildings in New York, or to the city skyline of New York itself. Some have suggested this may just be a general reference to the New York area. However, I propose this is a very specific and literal reference, and it actually refers to one of the towers of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. The towers are grey, and are very tall. I also believe the reference to the “shadow” is literal as well, and the casque can be found in the tower’s shadow (at a certain time of day).
“Find the arm that extends over the slender path”
– many have already suggested the “slender path” may be referring to The Narrows, lying at the entrance to New York bay. I believe this is true, but the “arm” here has a double meaning. The arm may reference The Verrazano-Narrows bridge which spans The Narrows, thus reinforcing the reference to the “Grey giant” towers of the bridge. However, I believe the “arm” also references another landmark nearby that also “extends over” the Narrows., namely Battery Weed located in Fort Wadsworth. The Battery sits on a promontory which sticks out into the Narrows, just next to the Verazzano-Narrows bridge. Note, the shadow of the west tower of the bridge will likely fall over the Battery in the morning, and it wouldn’t surprise me if it does so at around 11am (as per the clock on the image). I believe the “arm” specifically references the south wall of the battery that extends into the Narrows almost parallel to the bridge. Note also on the image, the lady’s right arm is extended out, and the border of her sleeve I believe is a representation of the path around the south and east walls of the battery.
“In summer you’ll often hear a whirring sound cars abound”
I can’t say a fully understand the significance of these words. I agree with others that it could just be a general reference to sounds in the area, and the obvious heavy traffic that crosses the bridge nearby to the battery. Others have referenced the whirring sounds could be helicopters, but I think could also reference other whirring noises such as motor boats, jet skis or other such vessels travelling under and around the bridge. However, I think this will likely be referencing something more specific in the area of Battery Weed though.
“Although the sign Nearby Speaks of Indies native”
Others have already worked out that this very likely refers to Alexander Hamilton. Note the words “Although” and “Nearby”. Assuming that the previous lines of the verse reference the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge as the starting point toward the casque site , the next logical question is which end of the bridge should we be looking? At one end of the bridge is Fort Hamilton (Indies native) but the “although…Nearby” is hinting that we need to be the other end (in other words, although Fort Hamilton (indies native) is on one side, you need to be on the other side (of him of Hard word)). At the other end of the bridge is Fort Wadsworth.
“The natives still speak of him of Hard word in 3 Vols.”
This is one of the most cryptic lines in all the verses, but I think is the key to solving the riddle here. Noting that it is so cryptic, I looked for clues in the individual words and noticed that the letters of “
Hard word
” are a close anagram of “
Wadsworth
”, only missing s,w and t. However, I suggest the remaining letters can be found in the “
3 Vols
” part. The s is obvious. The W could be retrieved by turning the “3” by 90 degrees. Finally the “t” possibly could be retrieved from “
Vols.
” by recognizing that “Vols.” is short for a word. Most would read it as “Volumes” but I think it may actually be a short for “
Volts
”, thus providing the missing “t” in Wadsworth. “
Volts
” would also link into the idea the casque lies in the nearby “
Battery
”. This still leaves a few letters remaining (v,o and l) of the anagram which I haven’t been able to work out. This might be a bit of a stretch, but I noted “3 Vol” if flipped sideways spells “loVE”. I wasn’t able to find reference to that, but I wonder if that might be another clue (perhaps someone carved a love message in the wall of the battery somewhere near the casque?)
“Take twice as many steps as the hour Or More”
Clearly a literal instruction to walk 22 steps (2 x 11 o’clock as per the clock on the image) more or less Eastward, starting at a location as described below.
“From the middle of one branch Of the v”
This would reference where to start your 22 east steps. The “v” I believe references again Battery Weed. From above, the battery forms a v shape (see images). Some might say it is more or a “u” shape. However, note the font used in the book has a “v” with a more rounded base, and also one tip of the “v” has a little flick, which I believe looks similar to the outline of the battery.
Note also the instruction to start “
from the middle..
”. Others have proposed that the V refers to a V-shaped path, and the branch would be one of the paths making up the V. But when thinking about this instruction to start in the “
middle of one branch
”, it struck me that finding the middle of a path may be somewhat subjective, unless you are using a precise means to measure. I don’t believe it would have been intended for treasure seekers to use measuring tapes etc. to work out the middle point. However, if you look at the outside wall of the battery, you will notice there are evenly spaced gun ports all along each wall, therefore it would be very easy to find the exact middle using those ports as a guide, and from there start your 22 steps East.
“Look down And see simple roots”
One suggestion of the meaning of these words is that they refer to a young or recently planted tree. I propose that it may actually be referring to a simple plant, like grass or weeds or may refer to grounds in or around Battery
Weed
itself.
“In rhapsodic man’s soil”
I believe this is another reference to Fort Wadsworth, which is named after a Civil War general, who (according to Wikipedia) was also a member of the
Free Soil Party
. A rhapsody in music can be defined as “Free-flowing” in structure. Battery Weed (
simple roots
) is in the grounds of Fort Wadsworth (
rhapsodic man’s soil)
“Or Gaze North Toward the Isle of B.”
Many have already stated this may refer to Liberty island (whose old name was Bedloe Island) and I believe this is the case. After walking the 22 steps from the middle of the south wall of the battery, you will likely end up at the corner of the battery, at which point Liberty Island will come into view to the North (it would previously have been obscured by the wall until you reach an turn the corner of the battery).
Additional clues
I believe the casque may therefore be found at the foot of the outside wall of the South East corner of Battery Weed (that sticks out into the Narrows). A further clue to this is in the image. Others have noted how the woman’s dress seems to suggest the shape of Staten Island. The battery sits on the edge of Staten Island. Note also the 3 blue droplets and the picture of the jewel underneath the dress. I believe these outline the shape and walls of the battery, with each representing the 4 corners of the battery, and the Jewel sitting over the corner where the casque is buried (see images above).
Note also the blue and red pebbles at the top of the image. Looking at satellite maps, there appears to be a lot of red rock on the beach and path around the battery (the original fort on this site was made of red sandstone). I wonder if the blue pebbles in the image are just the same rocks but submerged in the water nearby. Also, the images in the window are in 2 rows. Note the bottom row displays images you have to look up to see (the grey rectangle a World Trade Center tower, the domes on top of Ellis island building, the status of Liberty’s face, and a clock reminiscent of those found on a church or clock tower). The top row I believe are items you see on the ground (red sandstone rocks, sand, sunken pebbles, and bubbling waters). Note how the bird’s feet descend into the sandy colored box, as if it was digging into the sand.
Also, the arched shaped of the whole image itself may mirror the inside arches of the towers of the Verrazano-Narrows bridge. Also the arched “window” at the top, may also represent the arched chambers in the Battery Weed which would have housed the guns.
SOLUTION
I interpret the verse to direct someone to the Fort Wadsworth side of the Verrazano-Narrows bridge. The tower at that end will cast a shadow onto Battery Weed (possibly at 11am as per the clock on the image). The battery is the shape of a V and extends into the Narrows. Standing on the outside of the south wall of the battery, find the middle (the 5th gun port from either end) and walk 22 steps east (along the wall towards the water) This I believe would take you to the base of the next corner (at which point Liberty Island will come into view Northward). Look down (there may also be some other item/sign which makes the exact dig space obvious) and dig in the grass/weeds/sand below, and the casque may be found there.
Something else to support the anagram theory with Henry. I couldn’t figure out why he capitalized the H in Hard, but in every other verse he capitalizes names or initials (does it a lot in Chicago), not just random words. Probably trying to tell us there’s a name hidden there…
I think you make some interesting points. Sounds as good a solution as anything I’ve heard or come up with myself. Maybe changing from Battery Weed to Ft. Tompkins may work a little better. If ‘simple roots’ does in fact mean weeds and combined with ‘rhapsodic man’s soil’ means the Ft. Wadsworth bunker (weed growing out of the soil), from the burial spot you would have to look down to see them. Ft. Tompkins is elevated, so if you were up there and walked off the southern side, you would look down on battery weed growing out of Wadsworth soil.
I still don’t know the 3 Vol. reference, but Ft. Tompkins was part of the Third Federal system (I know kind of a stretch). Also, a description of Ft. Tompkins reads “The fort was in the shape of a wide rectangle with a shallow “V” on the landward side.”
If I can think of anything else that may make the whole 3 Vols. thing work for the Ft. Tompkins area, I’ll let you know.
AJS
PaulM
If “
Vols.
” is shorthand for “
Volunteers
“, the entire lines read “
The natives still speak of him of Hard word in 3 Volunteers
”.
Rearranging the letters in those words you can spell out Stephen Hinsdale Weed.
The natives still speak of him of (1)Hard word in 3
V
olunteers
why capitalize the
V
?
Spiritr
The natives still speak of him of (1)Hard word in 3
V
olunteers
why capitalize the
V
?
Because that was the name of the army Weed accepted a commission with, “Volunteer Army of the United States”, also known as “
U.S. Vol.
”
Spiritr
The natives still speak of him of (1)Hard word in 3
V
olunteers
why capitalize the
V
?
Because a Vols. is thing, not a description.
you would see the example on every Northern Civil war monument.
ie The Rhode Island Vols.
or the New Jersey Vols.
Now on most statues everything is written in upper case. VOLS.
but we are looking for a particular sign (a park history sign, probably where complete upper case is not used)
unfortunately in the late 90s and early 2000s all park signage in new york was updated and replaced, making our job a bit more difficult.
Thanks for the reply. I’ll be sure to keep exploring this.
In fact I was just reading up on Battery Weed. It is named after Stephen Hinsdale Weed. During the civil war he was assigned command of 3rd Brigade of the volunteer army.
If “
Vols.
” is shorthand for “
Volunteers
“, the entire lines read “
The natives still speak of him of Hard word in 3 Volunteers
”.
Rearranging the letters in those words you can spell out Stephen Hinsdale Weed.
well that’s pretty compelling.
Look Down could simply mean look ‘south’ in opposition to ‘or gaze north’. Looking south I believe you will look at the main Ft. Wadsworth complex which still fits your soil connection (I think the whole area is called Ft. Wadsworth now).
So look south at Ft. Wadsworth or North at Bedloe’s. You only have to look down [south] to Wadsworth because it’s close, but gaze north to Bedloe’s because it’s far away.
I really like this one – just the other day I put in one of my posts that I thought everything referenced in the verse had to be physically near the location (like cleveland and chicago), but someone said it was ‘known’ this verse did not follow that logic.
I imagine there’s someone at the parks department who has records of locations and content of any signs or plaques that have been removed/replaced.
AJSNYC
I imagine there’s someone at the parks department who has records of locations and content of any signs or plaques that have been removed/replaced.
Gosh you would think.
but chances are really not, they have their hands full of what is happening now.
they are not a historical department. They did not take pictures of signs or write down the words.
for the simple reason that stuff costs lots of money to store, imagine how many monument texts are in new york.
and up to the recent past, they would have needed to store them as hardcopies.
although there is a historical department in the city they concentrate on buildings and events.
Feel free to check though.
This has been a consistent problem throughout all the cities and hunts.
where it gets bad is when you get a city employee who is trying to be helpful
who basically tells you what you want to hear, trying to make you happy.
I have found that happens in SF all the time.
Oh yes that flag pole was definitely there in 1982. no question.
then you find photographic evidence that it was removed in the early 70s….
AJSNYC
I really like this one – just the other day I put in one of my posts that I thought everything referenced in the verse had to be physically near the location (like cleveland and chicago), but someone said it was ‘known’ this verse did not follow that logic.
I think it certainly does.
maltedfalcon
Because a Vols. is thing, not a description.
you would see the example on every Northern Civil war monument.
ie The Rhode Island Vols.
or the New Jersey Vols.
Now on most statues everything is written in upper case. VOLS.
but we are looking for a particular sign (a park history sign, probably where complete upper case is not used)
unfortunately in the late 90s and early 2000s all park signage in new york was updated and replaced, making our job a bit more difficult.
I completely understand, my point was with 3 of those Vols.
people only speak of HIM of 1 word, which is?
Unknown
Unknown:
I completely understand, my point was with 3 of those Vols.
people only speak of HIM of 1 word, which is?
My interpretation is “Him of Hard word” is Stephen Hinsdale Weed, and “in 3 Vols.” references that he was a Brigadier General in command of
3
rd Brigade of U.S.
Vol
.
As per earlier post, his full name can be spelled using the letters in the lines: “The natives still speak Of him of Hard word in 3 Volunteers”.
If that’s true, it strongly suggests seeking the casque around Battery Weed, given it’s proximity to the Verrazano-Narrows bridge that I believe is described in the initial lines of the verse (“grey giant” and “arm that extends over the slender path”j
PaulM
My interpretation is “Him of Hard word” is Stephen Hinsdale Weed…As per earlier post, his full name can be spelled using the letters in the lines: “The natives still speak Of him of Hard word in 3 Volunteers”.
So can: “I see hundreds of wolves”.
WhiteRabbit
So can: “I see hundreds of wolves”.
Using some of the leftover letters, you can spell, “Front oaf, soak oil ’til mirth!”
Longfellow
A torn jacket is soon mended; but hard words bruise the heart of a child.
I like the “weed” idea for “simple roots”; there’s never been a good explanation for that. Eg under the bridge on Weed Road.
him of Hard word
could be a sneaky reference to Henry
Wadsworth
Longfellow of
Paul Revere’s Ride
, who was published in 3 vols (though who wasn’t).
Good Morning. Excellent possible solve. I hope you dig up the casque! Have an excellent day! Adam
The trouble I see with this theory, is it doesn’t exactly lead to a dig spot. I see where you ended up, but really you fudged your numbers.
if you start at the middle of the arm of the V (any V) and go 22 steps east, that is not where you land.
The trouble I see with this theory, is it doesn’t exactly lead to a dig spot. I see where you ended up, but really you fudged your numbers.
if you start at the middle of the arm of the V (any V) and go 22 steps east, that is not where you land.
I agree, Matt. I think it is a great visual confirmation of a broad general area but there is more left undiscovered. That said, keep working, people! Nice job.
maltedfalcon
Gosh you would think.
but chances are really not, they have their hands full of what is happening now.
they are not a historical department. They did not take pictures of signs or write down the words.
for the simple reason that stuff costs lots of money to store, imagine how many monument texts are in new york.
and up to the recent past, they would have needed to store them as hardcopies.
although there is a historical department in the city they concentrate on buildings and events.
Feel free to check though.
This has been a consistent problem throughout all the cities and hunts.
where it gets bad is when you get a city employee who is trying to be helpful
who basically tells you what you want to hear, trying to make you happy.
I have found that happens in SF all the time.
Oh yes that flag pole was definitely there in 1982. no question.
then you find photographic evidence that it was removed in the early 70s….
Ask and ye shall receive. Well, kinda. No signs, but here are all the NYC parks monuments and whatnot. Locations, sculptors, descriptions, dedication date (so you know if it was maybe there in ’81), whether it still exists, donor, what it’s made out of – when it was vandalized (lots in the ’70’s) stolen and lost. The whole shebang. But I need a little help. Column Q is supposed to be Inscription – what the plaques read – which is the other thing AJSNYC was asking about. I see it in the data. They’re there. But when I try to export to Excel, it just comes out as [TABLE]. Below is also the link to the original XML. Maybe someone here knows how to export it better than I and would be kind enough to repost? Enjoy to the fullest extent allowed by the laws of your various states and local entities…..
https://data.cityofnewyork.us/api/views … 9/rows.xml
PS – Sorry, I tried to upload the excel attachment, but it wouldn’t go or I did something wrong. Perhaps someone can turn the above link into something workable for all.
Nicely done Paul, good visuals and explanation of your solve.
There was issue with image links on my original post. Here they are again:
The “
grey giant
”. Battery Weed sits very close to the western tower of the Verrazano-Narrows bridge (which is grey and very tall), and the tower will likely cast a shadow over or toward the battery at certain times of day (possibly 11am as per the clock in Image 12).
Note how the edge of the lady’s sleeve in Image 12 is very similar in shape, angle and color to the path outside Battery Weed on the water’s edge. Also, note how the lady’s arm and the shadowed underside of the sleeve form a strong v-shaped arrow toward the corner of the shape.
“
One branch of the v
” = Battery Weed forms a “v” shape. Note the font used in book for the letter “v” also does not have fully pointed base for the “v” and the flick at the top left of the character is similar in shape to the way the ends of the battery walls are built out to the sides (at the top of the picture). The character in the book may not simply be a suggestion to look for a “v” shape, but may actually be a visual representation of Battery Weed itself. The branches of the “v” will be the left and right- hand walls of the Battery in this picture.
Also, Battery Weed sits on the north east edge of Staten Island. The bottom of the lady’s dress in the image 12 suggests the outline of the northern tip of Staten Island. Note how the 4 items below the Staten Island shaped dress make out a similar shape to that of the Battery. The jewel I believe marks the spot of the casque (at a corner of the Battery).
“
From the middle of one branch of the v
” – The south wall of the battery could be the “branch of the v” from which we take the 22 steps East, starting from the middle of the wall and walking along the wall toward the corner on the right of this picture. Note that the evenly spaced gun ports in the wall make it very easy to find the midpoint.
“
Simple roots
”. The sandy path around the battery is only capable of supporting the most simple of plants. Simple roots may also refer to Battery Weed itself (a weed being a “simple” plant)
This is a view of the battery with North straight up. Note, if tracing 22 steps from the middle of the south wall (“one branch of the v”), when you reach and begin to turn the corner (circled) the Statue of Liberty (
Isle of B.
) will come into view to the North. I believe based on the clues that the casque may be buried where circled.
youd go there because you start around battery park. but thats not where the treasure is.
Thanks for all the feedback. You are correct I had misjudged the 22 steps (I’m terrible at judging distances), but it got me thinking more about those lines of the verse:
“
Take twice as many east steps as the hour Or more
“
What if the clock in the image is not 11:00 (11am) but 23:00 (11pm)? That would mean taking 46 steps. Round that up to 50 (“
Or more
“).
Again, I’m not very good a telling distance, but would the distance from the middle of the wall to the corner be about 100ft? With an average size step of around 2 ft long, for 50 steps that would get you pretty close to the corner (where
Isle of B.
comes into view).
The “
east
” may not mean by the compass (the wall runs about NE/ENE), but rather in an easterly direction along the wall (“
branch of the v
“)
PaulM
Thanks for all the feedback. You are correct I had misjudged the 22 steps (I’m terrible at judging distances), but it got me thinking more about those lines of the verse:
“
Take twice as many east steps as the hour Or more
“
What if the clock in the image is not 11:00 (11am) but 23:00 (11pm)? That would mean taking 46 steps. Round that up to 50 (“
Or more
“).
Paul, I don’t agree with you on a lot of stuff, but I have to give you this possiblity. The idea you put for above, is absolutely a possibility and I’m not sure I heard it before!
But that being said, we need to get to an exact spot. so where exactly would you start (the middle of the v) and where do you end, which makes the
direction East very important. not easterly or NE but East. if we are just using a vague east, we are going to get to a vague dig spot…
PaulM
Note how the edge of the lady’s sleeve in Image 12 is very similar in shape, angle and color to the path outside Battery Weed on the water’s edge.
Although it looks nice, it’s unlikely that a similar aerial view would have been available at the time, and I doubt it could be matched convincingly to a ground-level photo.
maltedfalcon
Paul, I don’t agree with you on a lot of stuff, but I have to give you this possiblity. The idea you put for above, is absolutely a possibility and I’m not sure I heard it before!
But that being said, we need to get to an exact spot. so where exactly would you start (the middle of the v) and where do you end, which makes the
direction East very important. not easterly or NE but East. if we are just using a vague east, we are going to get to a vague dig spot…
If the prior clues in the verse direct the search to Battery Weed, the clues in the remainder of the verse and visual clues in the image point to
very specific
directions to the burial site, as follows:
The “
middle of one branch
” would be the center of the southern most Battery wall (this wall fits best with the other clues). The exact middle of the wall would be the 5th gun port from either end, and standing in front of the gun port against the wall is where we’d start counting steps.
Note, from that point, you are forced to trace steps in only one of two directions: both along the wall. The wall itself and the water’s edge a few meters away block tracing the indicated steps in any other directions. One possible direction is SW along the wall (definitely not East). The only remaining logical option is the other way along the wall. This leads to a location that ties in with the additional clues from the image showing the possible position of the jewel, and the “
look North to the Isle of B.
”. While I concede the direction is not true East, it does lead to a location further east than the starting spot.
So this possible solution offers a specific starting position to start the steps (at the wall at the middle gun port), a specific direction (along the wall forced on us by blocking terrain, in a direction suggested by other clues), ending at a specific location to dig (50 steps from the gun port along the wall).
Well I would think if he specifically called out east
and your terrain specifically keeps you from going east
that indicates rather then he -misspoke or was being vague, that you have the wrong start spot.
