okay okay, I’ll buy it…after you find a casque.

erexere

In 21 or blackjack the ace is 21 when high.  In poker, the card playing standard it is 14 when high.
I just read “look ahead” in the wiki on fore.

The ace is not 21. A FACE card and an ACE equal 21 when played
together
in blackjack. But the ACE never — ever — equals more than 11.

Yeah, 11 is right!  Maybe it’s near the 12th hole instead.  I doubt it’s near the 11th hole, because you can’t see the front gate that far off to the side.  Wow, there must be a lot of lost golf balls in that shrubbery near the parking lot.  Cars must be crazy to park around there, they’d get dinged good if I was on the course.

shecrab

The ace is not 21. A FACE card and an ACE equal 21 when played
together
in blackjack. But the ACE never — ever — equals more than 11.

doh! you are correct. – however I am ignoring this whole thing since I think it is highway 1
and for the purposes of my solution doesnt matter.
Hi Shecrab! how did nanowrimo go this year?

On the golf course you might hear a small white orb whistling in your direction and someone yelling “FORE!” recommending you to duck or “look ahead.”
I have a hard time going with seagulls as our answer for
sounds from the sky
.  Seagulls does little to tell point or differentiate that we must look for a coast area vs inland.  If the case were to point us to the worlds most significant bird sanctuary I might buy it.
Fore, golf etiquette, tells us to “look ahead” and has something to do with the sky and sound…is there anything more appropriate for this situation?
Good luck!

have you ever been to lands end?
More than any other part of SF Lands end has a constant breeze across it. Enough that all the trees are permanently misshapen and bent windward.
The wind across the bluffs makes for a permanent wave of air that is filled with seagulls catching a free ride.
The only place it is nosier with seagulls is fisherman’s wharf.
As somebody from the bay area- seagulls for me has always been the goto for sounds from the sky. Its always there day or night.

Not i, but my wife has and agrees with you, big suprise, she has pictures of the area too…nothing helful to us, 2000.
If seagull noise is the signature characteristic of the sky in that area then i dont really see the reason for BP to dedicate a line so innocently to something which is easiily assumed.  Not to be stubborn, but you do see the golf reference as helpful, don’t you?  In the case of this verse there might be a more linear layout than usual, first door/sweet (where specifically is the plaque?), then Thinker (Education), then Flagpole (“Justice For All” -Pledge of Allegiance), then 15th hole (Near Ace is high “14”), then golf etiquette’s “fore!” (Sounds from the sky) intstructing us to keep the line and go straight ahead in a straight line.
The hairline of the woman’s forehead looks a lot like the trail segment in on the golf course.

hairline looks like fort point /golden gate.
Flagpole – justice for all = great catch!!
Education  is more the ElCid statue then the thinker.  El Cid was known for getting educated and then becoming a great lord.
I dont see the golf ref.
Aces High running north but first accross – is a perfect fit for Highway 1 going north over the golden gate – its only a few blocks away.
Near Aces High would be 22 or 20  other wise it would be near king…
Fore = duck not go straight ahead… Usually when you yell fore you sliced or hooked your ball so definitely not straight ahead.

In 21 or blackjack the ace is 21 when high.  In poker, the card playing standard it is 14 when high.
I just read “look ahead” in the wiki on fore.

I really don’t think that an airport or the liberty pole are too obvious.
anyone have any pics

MERLIN

I was thinking more of the grotto – a while back people were trying to link the image to the Madonna of the rocks painting – the grotto made me think of that and the rose in the image. Of course it could just be the egg nogg talking
http://www.sfcityguides.org/images/guid … toRose.jpg

Here’s a way to connect the Image to grotto!:
11 moons ===> month of November ===> November root from Roman calendar’s 9th month (novem=9) ===> famous San Francisco’s #9
https://tinyurl.com/y97pew73

Mark Twain writing about a forest fire he caused,
“Within half an hour all before us was a tossing, blinding tempest of flame! It went surging up adjacent ridges – surmounted them and disappeared in the canyons beyond – burst into view upon higher and farther ridges, presently – shed a grander illumination abroad, and dove again – flamed out again, directly, higher and still higher up the mountain side – threw out skirmishing parties of fire here and there, and sent them trailing their crimson spirals away among the remote ramparts and ribs and gorges, till as far as the eye could reach the lofty mountain-fronts were webbed as it were with a tangled network of red lava streams. Away across the water the crags and domes were lit with the ruddy glare, and the firmament above was a reflected hell!”

treetops, maybe you’ll take a moment to painstakingly verify the ring count of that stump next to the bench.  Take a simple broad chisel or a 2″ putty knife and scrape a solid radial area from center to outer edge and then use a little water or mineral oil to rinse the grime and bring out the ring count.
I’ve come to a rather simplistic conclusion leading to why my roadside location fits.  1) giant pole, giant step: a clue to a standard telephone pole accessory, the “pole step”, and since telephone poles are typically along roadsides, I think that’s a strong hint to our location motif.  2) the sky is filled with white orbs: this may indicate near or on, but it also could be a hint suggesting below a golf course, in which case this roadside spot I’ve most recently latched onto fits as it’s appropriately below the level of the golf course.

Bonus:  I’ll pay $100 to the first person who proves that specific tree stump is 50 years or older by scraping and counting the rings. (payable by wire transfer, or money order by mail within 30 days).

there are easier ways eric. measure the circumference of the tree. depending on what kind of tree, you can guess the age fairly close.
Sent from my GT-I9505G using Tapatalk

When it comes to trees, there are wild variations depending specific type of tree, soil, climate, and other environmental factors.  Its possible to get a good approx age assesment using a tape measure but its not without need for tweaking based on conditions.
Documentation supports the fact that trees were planted along that roadway early in the century.  Its not clear which trees may have been planted later or even after 1982 or to what degree the branch structure has shifted.  Id like some effort and consideration taking account of the changes to this particular spot to verify these details.

very cool, I hope they cover them all up shortly otherwise they will be destroyed quickly

Have any of you looked at the tiles that were uncovered on Sutro Heights recently (2012)?

Just looked it up – very cool!

Giant bowl, Giant stem, To the place The guac’ is kept. (rimshot)

Why does Preiss use the word “object” followed by “of his attention”?
It reminds me of the phrase “object of his affection”.
Also, to object sounds like a court proceeding.

erexere

Why does Preiss use the word “object” followed by “of his attention”?
It reminds me of the phrase “object of his affection”.
Also, to object sounds like a court proceeding.

I suspect to let you know you are looking for a physical object not a literary allusion.

maltedfalcon

I suspect to let you know you are looking for a physical object not a literary allusion.

Objection! Speculation!

burnstyle

Objection! Speculation!

Sustained, leading the witness.

gManTexas

Sustained, leading the witness.

So are you are objecting to my objectification. or speculating my speculation is specious?

The Pledge of Alliegiance I remember didn’t end that way.

Come on guys,
JAX brewery, I’m sorry, but what ever happened to Highway 1?  Running north but first across.  that sounded concrete to me.

Trohn

[JAX Brewery is in big bright red neon letters (photo earlier in this thread)
Ace/King/Queen/Jack (Jax)  (near ace)  “Is high”  sixty feet in the air.

Oh…that explains it…I didn’t see that photo.
MAkes perfect sense.
c

I find it hard to believe that “ace” refers to the number 1. I think it much more likely to be a clever reference to Jax if this V points to New Orleans. Consider what BP’s thought process might have been:
“Hmm. I buried the casque near Jax Brewery. How can I hint at that in a riddle in such a way that (a) they won’t get it instantly and (b) afterwards, everyone will say ‘good clue!’? I can’t say ‘A card near the queen is overhead’ because that would be too obvious. ‘Near queen is overhead’ is better, but still too easy because someone could think ‘near queen… a jack is near a queen… where can a jack be found overhead?’ and any New Orleanian would get that instantly. No, how about ‘Near ace is high’? A jack is sorta near an ace, but not near enough that everyone would get it in the first 5 minutes.’

Sounds from the sky is “thunder”.

oh, sorry I thought that someone said that the verse led them past an airport.
Another object of Twain’s attention could be a steamboat.

Sounds from the sky could be many things. A bird sanctuary nearby–or a bird nesting site, for instance. Thunder, as has been mentioned. Bells from a church steeple, music from another business—helicopters flying overhead from traffic-watchers, commuters, etc.
However….I have an idea that this verse does not represent SF but New Orleans, and goes with P7.
At stone wall’s door
, is Stonewalls’ Door–i.e., the South;
the air smells sweet
=magnolias;
not far away high posts are three
=the cathedral at Jackson Square’s three spires; Education and Justice for all to see=the museums and historical buildings that have replaced the places where slaves were traded; sounds from the sky=birds or the bells in the church; near ace is high (not sure yet–still looking); running north but first across=the configuration of the river that feeds the lagoon…
I’m still looking at this. Keeping an open mind here. Maybe it is NO, maybe not. But it does seem to go with the picture to me.
Also, I believe I posted that the horse-head in P7 had its mouth open and that was unusual…it is. However, the equestrian statue of Andrew Jackson Jackson Square has a horse with mouth open much like the image. So I do have to capitulate on that one.
c

Shecrab-
read earlier posts on this thread…
regarding New Orleans…
“Air smells sweet” –>  french open air cafe with coffee and bagettes (name eascapes me)
“Near ace is high” —>  JAX Brewery.
“Sounds from the sky”  could also mean the balconies along the street
The flow of the verse is from southeast corner of Jackson Square to the west
along the banks of the river.

“Giant Pole
Giant step      (mother may I?)
To the place
The casque is kept”
Liberty Place
http://www.canalstreetcar.com/archives/2004/06/
where it was before they moved it.  (around ’87 or ’88)
The date of June 2004 is the article date, not the photo date.
(this is/was the foot of canal strret)

Oooh…I believe these are right on!! I love it.
Coupla things: Jax Brewery and Ace is high–do you mean high as in drunk? LOL…or did I miss the connection somewhere else?
I forgot about this one too:
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ … .htm 
There would be “aces” there. And high ones at that. And the sounds from the sky could be those airplanes, very easily. Military jets make LOTS of noise.
I like Liberty Place—I take it it’s gone now? What is there now? I think this casquemay be a lost cause, due to Katrina’s damage.  has anyone done any digging in NO?
c

shecrab

Oooh…I believe these are right on!! I love it.
Coupla things: Jax Brewery and Ace is high–do you mean high as in drunk? LOL…or did I miss the connection somewhere else?
I forgot about this one too:
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ … .htm 
There would be “aces” there. And high ones at that. And the sounds from the sky could be those airplanes, very easily. Military jets make LOTS of noise.
I like Liberty Place—I take it it’s gone now? What is there now? I think this casquemay be a lost cause, due to Katrina’s damage.  has anyone done any digging in NO?
c

JAX Brewery is in big bright red neon letters (photo earlier in this thread)
Ace/King/Queen/Jack (Jax)  (near ace)  “Is high”  sixty feet in the air.

MrBackstop

Goonie, here is part of what I wrote on the Image 1 (page 147) thread awhile back:
I totally agree that the reference to Giant pole Giant step is all about the SF Giants. BP was acknowledging MLB just lke he did with the Bulls logo and the NBA in Chicago.

NBA Bulls logo? You mean that earring?

MrBackstop

I totally agree that the reference to Giant pole Giant step is all about the SF Giants. BP was acknowledging MLB just lke he did with the Bulls logo and the NBA in Chicago.

It’s an interesting idea for sure, although I’m still “working” the idea that San Francisco could be an Image 1 / Verse 6 pairing. I’m wondering if this same line of thinking could be applied to the NY football Giants, for a possible Image 12 / Verse 7 pairing?

JamesV

It’s an interesting idea for sure, although I’m still “working” the idea that San Francisco could be an Image 1 / Verse 6 pairing. I’m wondering if this same line of thinking could be applied to the NY football Giants, for a possible Image 12 / Verse 7 pairing?

I had thought about that connection and maybe it also can refer to the NY Giants, IMO in the book under Team Spirits shows baseball players NY and SF, which the SF is more focused on. Seems to me that the book has a few baseball references The Chicago Worlds Fair has a baseball cap with the letter C (Cubs?)

We have not heard back from the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park. Everyone is welcome to contact the Park and arrange a dig of your own. Turtle and I have no claim to the San Francisco casque. We just want to see someone bring the casque up. This casque recovery may require patience because of its special location in the Tea Garden.
I also could see value in constant interest expressed by hunters to the Park. A small roadblock we had in arranging a dig in the past was convincing the staff that there was a casque buried in the tea garden. Although, after a few phone calls we had many staff members mostly convinced. Other hunters confirming the Tea Garden location may help clear the staff’s doubts.
I strongly believe that the casque is buried under the large (giant) flagstone (step) at the bottom of the path. The good thing about that spot is it is far from any trees or tree roots. Tree roots were the concern mentioned for not allowing us to dig in the stone pagoda area in the past. There may be more interest in allowing a dig from the Tea Garden if confidence in a different spot away from tree roots is expressed.
Good hunting.

I have solved both Verse 7 and Verse 6.
But when I tried to post in the Verse 6 thread, my posts did not go through.
This is a test. If my post works, I will put up the solution to Verse 7 and let whichever of you lives in San Fran race to the spot.
For my verse 6 solution, someone has to private message me so we can share in the recognition.
Doc Z

Treetops- Fort Point is an object of Twains Attention.
he wrote in detail about a visit he made to Fort Point.
good luck in your search.

maltedfalcon, Are you referring to the brief item from the Jul 21, 1864 SF Call?
http://www.twainquotes.com/18640721defgh.html
I’m thinking this one is a little too obscure, especially to be known, or even discoverable, by someone pre-Internet. Is there something else out there that he wrote on Fort Point? I came across a reference to a letter from him to the lighthouse keeper there (the lighthouse is a small structure on top of the fort).

Unknown

Unknown:
Then through the opening of a rock he issued,
And down upon the margin seated me;
Then tow’rds me he outstretched his wary step.

Through a stone wall at the feet of a “giant” that makes regular giants look small, Dante travels beyond the abyss.

my “official” permission arrived today.
so now I have a piece of paper to fend off the park rangers with if they get upset with me for excavating…
So far nobody has said they are going to show up –
I’m aiming for high noon – but if nobody else is going to show
I will just dig whenever I get there…

BINGO

Soooo, what is stopping you from proving your theories? You are local, you have a theory, SF sounds reasonable with permissions. Do you need to buy a shovel or is it a lack of a camera operator stopping you from unearthing casque #3?
All of this talk should morph into action at some point.

BINGO

Soooo, what is stopping you from proving your theories? You are local, you have a theory, SF sounds reasonable with permissions. Do you need to buy a shovel or is it a lack of a camera operator stopping you from unearthing casque #3? All of this talk should morph into action at some point.

1. Nothing is stopping me, and nothing will or could.
2. I care less about permissions, I once did, talked to some authorities, and the conclusion is, as long as you’re not breaking anything, keep it clean and safe for everybody, you’re good. Only ways to get them involve and pay attention to you, is if you tell them “hey I’m with ABC 7 News…”
3. It still doesn’t make sense to me, so over the past 30 years no one could figured it out but I did it in less than a month? No way, that’s impossible, I am still looking for proof to proof I’m wrong.
4. There’s a forum member here in this board that I wanted to share my ideas and ask for his advice yet he still hasn’t reply. Because out of 2500 members he seems to be the only one that were right. But sadly he gave up because nobody take him seriously. Because when the majority is heading west but all of the sudden you suggest going east, people will call you crazy and it doesn’t feel good. In order to get people’s attention you must make them believe you share the same vision. That’s why when someone ask where will you begin, I posted a picture inside Golden Gate Park. I want to see how people will react
5. Action will be taken very very soon I promise, in June for image 1.

I’m curious as to wonder why any of you would think this black haired, blue -eyed Russian woman is Chinese or Mexican?

MrBackstop

I’m curious as to wonder why any of you would think this black haired, blue -eyed Russian woman is Chinese or Mexican?

I see the resemblance to a Russian woman from the Sakhalin Oblast. Nice work Mr. Backstop.

Spiritr

4. There’s a forum member here in this board that I wanted to share my ideas and ask for his advice yet he still hasn’t reply.

Just FYI, if someone’s an inactive member on Q4T then they may not have received your Private Message at all, unless they’ve opted-in to receive email notifications.

JamesV

Just FYI, if someone’s an inactive member on Q4T then they may not have received your Private Message at all, unless they’ve opted-in to receive email notifications.

how do you tell if one is active or not?
Last visited:Mon Jun 11, 2018 9:18 am
is he active?

Spiritr

how do you tell if one is active or not?
Last visited:Mon Jun 11, 2018 9:18 am
is he active?

Just click on his/her profile: next to the option for sending them a PM, Q4T also shows that person’s latest posts and most recent visits.

his last login was just a hour ago, his last post was over a month ago
you think he have read it? or should I send another one

I have been saying Rivergate casino, which wasn’t a casino until 1986.  I’m having to rethink “Near ace is high”.  The Fair Grounds Race Course looks like a better fit for the gambling reference.  The arm, stick, and mask even match the inner pattern of the track along with the top curve of the clock for the curve of the track.  The stick in hand itself on Image 7 still seems Joan of Arc styled (and still baking bread IMHO as a metaphor).  I’m trying to rethink the Coliseum reference, but now I have a phrase stuck in my mind “I call ’em as I see ’em”, which is a signature phrase of baseball ump/sportscaster Gil Stratton.  Tying in a baseball motif to Image 7 is a new thought for me.  The “mound” on the bottom right side…the “jockey” looks like he’s holding a mitt…hmm….Coliseum = “call ’em as I see ’em”…would Preiss do such a thing?  Come on people, I need some feedback on this one.
Correction:  the phrase was “Time to call ’em as I see ’em”.  Also, Gil was in Stalag 17, one of my favorite movies.
Maybe this phrase fits the verse 3 line, “those who pass the coliseum” – I-90 passing Fenway?
“At stonewall’s door” still has me thinking of 417 Royal St., location of Brennan’s Restaurant (the air smells sweet) and was the home of Paul Morphy the chess prodigy.  Stonewall as a chess tactic just fits better than the others for me.  An ordinary wall of stone just seems too boring, and this resonates with the chesslike statue of McDonogh.  Where to next, not sure…I’m running around in circles with New Orleans.

I also think Verse 7 and Image 7 fits with New Orleans.  The music from the sky could be from the calliope from the stacks of the Steamboat Natchez (
http://www.steamboatnatchez.com
) which docks right by Jackson Square and Cafe Du Monde.  It plays music before the cruises, which is around 11 a.m.  Also, New Orleans is at the 19th Latitude which is in the picture.  You have to walk up a huge levy (Giant Step) to get to the Mississippi (Object of Twain’s attention).

You could be right,
no way of knowing til we find a casque.
I still am trying to fit other verses to SF.
so far V7 is the only one I can make fit at all.

My bad.  New Orleans is at 29 latitude (not 19) and 90 longitude.  There is also a big flag pole in Jackson Square.  When I saw image and verse 7, it totally reminded me of New Orleans.  I’m totally picturing it from my trip there last Sept.  Music from the Natchez, the smell of Cafe Du Monde, the big levy . . .

I have been thinking about the street name relationship to verse and image lately.  I wondered if “High posts are three” could be a reference to Dauphine St.  La Dauphine was a three-masted sailing vessale that served as the flagship of the explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano on his first voyage to the New World.
Dauphine St., Toulouse St., and St. Louis St. are all in the same area near Jackson Square and the Brennan’s Restaurant (Stonewall’s door- also home of chessmaster Paul Morhpy) on 417 Royal St. across from the Court building.  The McDonogh statue in Layfayette seems like the next leg with “Education and Justice”.  There seems to be a little bit of alternation between streets and landmarks.  “Giant Pole” could be the street POL-ymnia by Coliseum Square, named after Polyhmnia the Greek muse.
I see a possible path starting at Preservation Hall and taking various streets to the Coliseum Square.  Tying in P7 we get another set of landmarks and roads.  When I subtract most of the elements already put to use, I end up thinking lastly about a location just east and south of the fountain at the end of Polymnia St. which might correspond to an area in the Coliseum park and a spot where the mask in P7 sits relative to the center of the clock when thought of as the center of the fountain.
At this point, I’m thinking the “Giant Step” is the raised bed of grass on the northeast side of the park, but that isn’t meant to be the dig location.  I think we use that as one of two points on a line, the other point being the location of Joan of Arc (foot of Canal St.) and giving us an intersection near the base of a tree east of the fountain.
Another angle I’ve been considering is Stephen Foster’s song “Camptown Races”, which is ambiguous with V2 but works with “NeaR ACE is high” on V7, but either way I’m not sure how Do-Dah, Do-Dah gets me somewhere.

V7 I7 Coliseum Park. Yeah, I don’t care how you figure it, but I’ll back it to the hilt.
We need boots on the ground. Places like Montreal are never going to get investigated without inducting more people into this arcane science. I’ve been wondering about leveraging the power of social networking via Myspace, Facebook, Twitter et al…
Actually I did start a Facebook page but it’s a bit rubbish. Recently picked up
www.secrettreasure.co.uk
which might become a shrine to my twisted theories about this book.

I’m a little distracted at the moment, but maybe later someone will same me the trouble of going back through the thread.  I’m looking for associations to nursery rhyme or children’s stories.
Giant Pole
Giant Step
I wondered if this is a clue about a fairytale Giant, like the one in Jack and the Beanstalk.  Extracting out the “Pole” and “step” and compounding them to form pole-step, which is a type of foot peg that is associated with telephone poles gives me the idea that we are going to find a telephone pole in the vicinity of Camp and Race St.
Has anyone else gotten a hint of fairytale referencing from this verse or image 7?

drunknerds

Okay, SF hunters, I have a simple request.
Could someone lift up the molding around the flagpole? Most of the time they leave that molding loose for maintenance purposes, and the photos my friend took show grass growing under the bottom.
I know, I kiow, Preiss said every cask was buried. But this only takes a second, and it would explain why there’s no direction associated with giant step: because the giant step at the base of the molding IS the place the cask is kept. Also x marks the spot.
Please?

Im lost, you mean the flagpole at the senior center? The base that is cast iron and sits on cement. That base? which photo shows molding?

maltedfalcon

Im lost, you mean the flagpole at the senior center? The base that is cast iron and sits on cement. That base? which photo shows molding?

Yes the base. It is not attached to the cement, as there’s lots of grass growing under the bottom. Also, like 90% of the time bases of poles are loose, for maintenance purposes. In fact, the base is slightly turned off-center, which suggests it is loose and can be moved.

drunknerds

Yes the base. It is not attached to the cement, as there’s lots of grass growing under the bottom. Also, like 90% of the time bases of poles are loose, for maintenance purposes. In fact, the base is slightly turned off-center, which suggests it is loose and can be moved.

Link a photo for MF.

I have a few close ups of the bottom where there are plants growing under it, but those are kind of boring to look at.

maltedfalcon

Im lost, you mean the flagpole at the senior center? The base that is cast iron and sits on cement. That base? which photo shows molding?

Interesting, how did you figure out it is cast iron?

drunknerds

Interesting, how did you figure out it is cast iron?

only that I kicked it and it thunked, I honestly did no metalurgical tests, but it’s safe to say that is not movable
in any way.

maltedfalcon

only that I kicked it and it thunked, I honestly did no metalurgical tests, but it’s safe to say that is not movable
in any way.

For what it’s worth, it appears to be hinged. Cordless drill and some sockets, two minutes tops.

gManTexas

For what it’s worth, it appears to be hinged.

Makes a change.

WhiteRabbit

Makes a change.

Huh?

this is merely a guess, but I think that in that particular flagpole design, you put a cement circle in the ground about 1 foot down,
then you put up the cast iron base on the circle, The base comes in parts which bolted, hinge pinned together,
then you put the flag pole into the base and filled it with cement.
poof instant / permanent / stable.
good luck with unbolting that…

maltedfalcon

only that I kicked it and it thunked, I honestly did no metalurgical tests, but it’s safe to say that is not movable
in any way.

It’s attached to a rectangular pole, so yeah it’s not going to rotate more than a few cm no matter how hard one kicks it. I’m saying someone might be able to lift it upward, as is the case for most flagpoles/bases.
Also, please, no one unbolt or unfasten anything.

maltedfalcon

this is merely a guess, but I think that in that particular flagpole design, you put a cement circle in the ground about 1 foot down,
then you put up the cast iron base on the circle, The base comes in parts which bolted, hinge pinned together,
then you put the flag pole into the base and filled it with cement.
poof instant / permanent / stable.
good luck with unbolting that…

Sometimes you just need a bigger hammer, lol!
Yeah, maybe that’s not the best idea.

“in jewel’s direction” to me this is the clue that leads to Twain’s, so why are we not concentrating on this clue, so that we can narrow down the Twain clue. I keep reading that there are a 1000 things that can be Twain, so lets take a step back and figure out jewel’s direction?? Thoughts??

Goonie68

“in jewel’s direction” to me this is the clue that leads to Twain’s, so why are we not concentrating on this clue, so that we can narrow down the Twain clue. I keep reading that there are a 1000 things that can be Twain, so lets take a step back and figure out jewel’s direction?? Thoughts??

Goonie, I agree that the Twain clue is on the path. However, if we don’t know the jewel location or general direction, people will fall back on making Twain connections to determine the direction.
Having said this, organically, I proposed that Twain’s attention could mean Marx (Mark’s) Meadow. If we were already searching at the Senior Center, then yes, the Meadow is on the path. The problem comes if we think the casque is somewhere else. Also, not having a solid grip on the “start” location does not help. For some reason, even though the value of a pearl is cheap, this puzzle seems to be very vague and overly difficult.

Yes I totally agree that a solid start point is needed, and seems like we can’t all agree on that, which makes the rest of the puzzle unsolvable. Also I read too much here where people jump the verse and lock in on a word, then becomes speculation of the clue. Verse, physical location followed by illustration verification, is this how the puzzle was intended ??

gManTexas

Goonie, I agree that the Twain clue is on the path. However, if we don’t know the jewel location or general direction, people will fall back on making Twain connections to determine the direction.
Having said this, organically, I proposed that Twain’s attention could mean Marx (Mark’s) Meadow. If we were already searching at the Senior Center, then yes, the Meadow is on the path. The problem comes if we think the casque is somewhere else. Also, not having a solid grip on the “start” location does not help. For some reason, even though the value of a pearl is cheap, this puzzle seems to be very vague and overly difficult.

I think part of the reason that SF is harder then the others is that the park it self is the largest in the country which will make it the largest in the puzzle, there is a lot of ground to search in GGP. I think he stretched the clues to cover most of the park, that’s if we can all agree it is GGP that we need to search? I just feel that jumping verses will not lead to the casque. Does that make senses?

Goonie68

I think part of the reason that SF is harder then the others is that the park it self is the largest in the country which will make it the largest in the puzzle, there is a lot of ground to search in GGP. I think he stretched the clues to cover most of the park, that’s if we can all agree it is GGP that we need to search? I just feel that jumping verses will not lead to the casque. Does that make senses?

Absolutely. The way that I have been trying to approach this one, since there is uncertainty in the “start” point, is to absorb the other clues and then fuzzy logic the path. Right now, I think the only thing clue people agree on in is the Sutro Tower. The laughable part of that is that you can see it from just about anywhere, if that is even correct. The vagueness of the Verse makes me think two things:
1. We have to rely on the Image more.
2. Things have changed so much that we are just not making the connections.
Or both.

So would it be safe to say the Sutro Tower is the Water tower in Chicago? Is the tower the marker for GGP?

Goonie68

So would it be safe to say the Sutro Tower is the Water tower in Chicago? Is the tower the marker for GGP?

you could say that as soon as you find it clearly shown in the image.

Okay, SF hunters, I have a simple request.
Could someone lift up the molding around the flagpole? Most of the time they leave that molding loose for maintenance purposes, and the photos my friend took show grass growing under the bottom.
I know, I kiow, Preiss said every cask was buried. But this only takes a second, and it would explain why there’s no direction associated with giant step: because the giant step at the base of the molding IS the place the cask is kept. Also x marks the spot.
Please?

I am heading to the park this weekend, I will try. If someone get’s there before me great!!!

Goonie68

I am heading to the park this weekend, I will try. If someone get’s there before me great!!!

If that casque is just sitting there, you better take photos!

If I were to follow the dragon map and assume the “stonewall’s door” is the dragon’s mouth (cove) then I’d start at Gh. area, go east towards 3 wooden posts (Wharf sign) and then “Education/Justice for all to see”. Goonie brought this up before.
Education and Justice is an intersection of E and J streets. Embarcadero and Jefferson.
https://tinyurl.com/y3zjxw36

Durian

I don’t think we need to over-complicate this. Yes ‘Justice’ may refer to many things, but the image:
1) Contains a barred window in surroundings that strongly resemble the ruins on Alcatraz.
2) Is patterned after
The Madonna of the Rocks
. It’s a pun to get us thinking ‘The Rock.’ Just like the Chicago painting was patterned after
Girl with the Pearl EarRING
, getting us thinking about the Loop District.
Also, Alcatraz happens to be prominently visible
(…for all to see…)
across the water from the waterfront. It’s just sitting there all alone, surrounded by water, similar to the image.
Plus, if you stand in Aquatic Park and spin yourself in a circle, you can view the Ghirardelli sign, a steamboat (by far the closest match in The City to a Twain reference), Angel Island (immigration reference), and a cable car turnaround.
So, could ‘Justice’ be something other than Alcatraz? Certainly. But any of these other things under discussion—which are no where to be found in the image, or referenced anywhere in the verse beyond tenuous conjecture over a single word—is anywhere near as likely.
The puzzle is hard enough. There’s no reason not to use the clues we’ve been given. Put together a solution that connects the rest of the verse/image pairing logically, sequentially, and geographically to the Bill of Rights, the flag, or the Pledge, and I will be seriously impressed…

I can see the Alcatraz reference in image 1, but everything else in the image seems to point to Golden Gate Park. I have shown the image to many people from the area that have never heard of the book or anything and all of the say the dress looks like Golden Gate Park. Some even point out crossover drive where her arms crossover the dress. I will be surprised in it is not in the park.

prospector

I think this has been gone over before. Some believe it is for a flag.
I pledge allegiance to the Flag
of the United States of America
and to the Republic for which it stands
one Nation under God
Indivisible
with liberty and justice for all
People have dug some places in Golden Gate Park, like at the flagpole near the Senior Center. I am not sure of other digs around the City. I tried to document how many places people have put the shovel in the ground but it is too confusing. There are a lot of places where people have dug holes. I really wish we knew how many holes have been dug just in Golden Gate Park.
I think people have dug up at the Legion of Honor, for example.

If it was a reference to the Pledge of Allegiance why would justice be capitalized. It is never capitalized in the allegiance. It has to be a pronoun or a mistake. I believe it is a pronoun and we should be looking for a Justice as a name or title, or the figure of Justice with the scales. The Francis Scott Key monument has Columbia on top, not Justice.

I tend to agree with Dominick that capital J implies a name. Justice may refer to Bill of Rights. Mason St., even though was named after Richard Mason, his father George Mason is known as father of the Bill of Rights. And lots of masonry works in that area i.e. brick buildings.
Also justice may refer to name of a judge.

Lets see…!
The rock may be cliff house.
Twain’s attention may be ferry steamboat.
Justice, Mason.
https://tinyurl.com/y2orx35k

sure did, but the giants play on the other side of the peninsula from ggpark or fishermans wharf.
distance between bases wouldnt be a giant step as it would be the same for all baseball teams.
definitly thought about candlestick park as a location but it is surrounded by asphalt and fenced off at all times
besides that nothing I could find other than the word Giant points that way…

maltedfalcon

I would be  happy to, but do you mean interpretation of my association of the kennedy  pix and verse 7
or picture /verse association in general…

using the verse with ggp and kenedy blvd.
I have posted my full interpretation of verse seven with
New Orleans…  It is a mile and a quarter walk along the
Mississippi.  It ends at the Canal Street Docks
where the riverboats come in (thus the Twain’s attention –
depth of a river)
I am interested in seeing this used elsewhere.

maltedfalcon

This verse is associated with picture 1 by the sillouette of JFK
The lines of the verse indicate a journey from the main entrance of GGpark along JFK drive..
the only question left is where teh journey ends ….
Maltedfalcon

Can you help with this interpretation??

I would be  happy to, but do you mean interpretation of my association of the kennedy  pix and verse 7
or picture /verse association in general…

Unknown

Unknown:
At stone wall’s door
at the south gate of
Goldent gate park on each cornere is a stone pillar with a rectangular door

here is a picture of the south gate falcon:
http://www.inetours.com/images/Snglimgs … thGate.jpg

How about the door of these stone walls:
http://www.inetours.com/images/Snglimgs … _Lodge.jpg

That mcclaren lodge might be – where is it.
The gate you have a picture of is the Japanese tea garden
which is not what I was referrring too
besides its wood as are the walls around the tea garden
I took some pix when I went to GG park on saturday
but I am in minneapolis now  when I get back to my hotel I will post the pix I took.

the McLaren lodge is near the easternmost entrance to ggp…looks like just inside the panhandle.

Unknown

Unknown:
At stone wall’s door
The air smells sweet
Not far away
High posts are three
Education and Justice
For all to see
Sounds from the sky
Near ace is high

using this map:
http://www.inetours.com/Pages/SFLndmrkV … tmlV-lines
:
1. Mclaren Lodge?
2. right near the lodge is the Conservatory of Flowers  (i have also read of a Fragrance Garden in ggp but cant find it on the map.
3-4.  Could you see the 3 posted tower from this end of the park falcon?
5-6.  not far away from the lodge (w/in ggp) are the California Academy of Sciences and the Park Police Station.
7-8.  Still trying to find that darned ace.  Wonder if it could be related to the nearby Kezar Stadium
unfortunately, I have yet to find the Pole & the Step

Oh yeah I know where that is…
I think you are working to hard on the ace
It really fits Highway one
high is in reference to highway not high card
and ace is reference to one.
and first it goes north
then it passes a cross
and it crosses over GG park
and at the very entrance of GG park and highway one there
is a door in a granite pillar
unfortunately I wouldn’t actually call it a wall….
and yes sutro tower is visible from almost anywhere in the park except where trees are or if you are on the west side of strawberry hill

I understood the HIGHway 1 reference but could not get the “sounds from the sky” until you described the road again.  Are the sounds from the sky the cars driving OVER the park?  That makes a lot of sense.
now we just have to find the pole and step.  could be another play on words, time to look up alternate definitions for pole and step….

Yes the step and the pole are the keys -and I couldnt find them in San Francisco, but thats where I believe this verse points
Tied to Picture 1 it points to Golden Gate park
At stone wall’s door
at the south gate of
Goldent gate park on each cornere is a stone pillar with a rectangular door
this is iffy but is the best fit I could find.
someone who knows the area well might know of a better fit.

Not far away
High posts are three
From pretty much anywhere in GG park and SF you can see Sutro Tower which is a three masted radio/tv tower

Education and Justice
For all to see
On the hill Just under Sutro tower is University of
San Francisco
Definitely education for all to see –
possibly there is a law school there too…

Sounds from the sky
Seagulls?
they are really noisy around there

Near ace is high
duh…
Highway ONE runs north across golden gate park

Running north, but first across
when it crosses golden gate park Highway 1 is called Crossover st
notice the ladies arms in pix 1
they are crossed over the park
Then this I though was a possiblilty too!
When  you go north on highway one throgh ggpark
before you reach the far side of the park you pass
a cross
get it?
first across….
Then just before you get to
Fulton St (the far side of the park) you pass a rose garden
ala the picture of the rose in the pix 1

now here we are on the north side of the park
In jewel’s direction
perhaps they mean the picture of the jewel
that would be due west
or perhaps they mean another direction

Is an object
Of Twain’s attention
Well the pacific ocean was written about by Mark Twain
he thought it should be called something besides pacific…
or due north of the park is Clement St.
Also just north  of Clement St is Lincoln heights….

Giant pole
Giant step
To the place
The casque is kept.
at a hospital in Lincoln Heights is a large flag pole  – but its not huge or giant
maybe somebody else who knows the area has an idea…

Just to play devil’s advocate here: if an ace is high, isn’t it generally worth eleven?
When I was sure this verse went with St. Louis I read those two lines together as:
Sounds from the sky,
Near ace is high.
I started looking around for some sort of famous bell tower or fountain which played music every day at 11:00.  Anybody know of this around New Orleans or San Fransisco?  Just an idea…

Also, I thought “…is an object of Twain’s attention” was actually to be taken more literally.
If there is a statue of Mark Twain near the site, possibly he is looking towards some sort of landmark?  I know Twain is well represented in parts of California (Calveras County, specifically), but I have no idea if it is near where you are looking.

I think it has been said a few other times in other threads, but in reality until you find the exact location, you can make any city fit really. There’s a scene in the movie Pi where the mathematician says that once you start looking for a number you’ll find it everywhere: the number of leaves on a tree, the number of steps to your local delicatesen. And just to further play devils advocate, perhaps “the object of Twain’s affection” isn’t refering to the author. Mark Twain is a pseudonym. His real name was Samuel something. And the phrase “mark twain” was called out on river boats when there were two leagues of water under the boat, a dangerously low amount.
Hope this helps…well…someone.
Jason
[email protected]
AOL: Stageman97

Unknown

Unknown:
The robe has a backward “G” and “H” at the top (P1). Could this correspond to the Great Highway of the Golden Gate Park?
Here is a Link to the Park Map:
http://www.sfgate.com/traveler/acrobat/maps/1999/ggparkmap.pdf
Below is (1) the park map, (2) the robe from P1, (3) one on top of the other {but I reversed the picture}
There does seem to be a correspondence with the crossing of the hands with highway one.

There you go, thats just like the one I was working on
Except the map of
gg park I am using is the map that you can buy at
GG park,
and on that map one of the lakes bears a similar shape to the strange shape over her left shoulder.
You might want to cross post these on the pix 1 thread…

Mark Twain was Samuel Langhorne Clemens, and the object of his desire could be anything from the mighty Mississippi, the Missouri River, any riverboat, or his wife Olivia Langdon Clemens.
Typically, Ace is high refers to poker, where ace is the high card.  Only in blackjack is the ace 1 or 11. In poker if ace is high, it is not evaluated by number.
wilhouse

well you’ve kind of got the map right
but the GH goes at the other end of the map
GH is great Highway
you need to flip the dragon end to end but mirror it so the letters are forward

Unknown

Unknown:
Near ace is high
duh…
Highway ONE runs north across golden gate park

yes, typically Ace is high (11) but not always.  In split pots or in dealers choice poker, the Ace would = 1.
you may also look at the line like this:
“Near ace is high”
near 1 is (high)way.
I’m with Falcon on this.  this is very solid in my opinion.  Get ready Cat & Bird (falcon) looks like you guys WILL have a casque to unbury.

Unknown

Unknown:
At stone wall’s door
at the south gate of
Goldent gate park on each cornere is a stone pillar with a rectangular door

dont forget the next line “The air smells sweet”
I am still trying to locate pix of the stone doors at the South Gate but I am beginning to believe they exist.  Take a look at what is just inside the South Gate.  The Japanese Tea Garden.  Sweet smelling teas, sweet smelling flowers and the Oriental theme of P1.

Here is the park from the sky: {it’s sort of cool cuz ya` can click down pretty close}
http://terraserver-usa.com/image.aspx?t=1&s=13&x=341&y=2612&;z=10&w=2

This could be a reach but there is a lake spreckels in the park and there is also a spreckels mansion around somewhere.
Spreckels made there fortune in sugar.
but I actually think thats too far a reach.
The park is home to some incredible flower gardens

I just attended a conference in San Francisco, and luckily I found time to scout and take pictures. I hiked around the eastern half of Golden Gate Park, as well as Coit Tower. I didn’t unearth any casques, but I can put to rest the idea that 1443 (circle-square-square-triangle) refers to an address on Montgomery St. — it doesn’t. The Filbert Steps start at the end of the 1300 block / beginning of 1400. Here are my pictures; maybe someone can spot something I didn’t.
http://community.webshots.com/user/quantpsy

Nice tie ins Trohn.  I would have to agree with this theory.  This all seems very solid….especially the Giant Pole that once was there.  Anyone out there near N.O.?  We need re-con.

Well while I was in San Francisco, I just briefly drove by the park and took a peek.. As much as you can peek while driving in that traffic.. Just about nil.. The only thing that I got out of the whole thing is that being the G. H. in the picture is backwards, then maybe the map is backwards too.. That would put the Panhandle right about where the jewel is shown according to the picture.. I wish I would have had more time to really check it out but time was very limited on my part.. Just a thought but maybe something worth investigating.. Or at least give thought too.

But, it shouldn’t be “mystery” anymore especially when we already have 2 successful proven pairs discovered.
Yet, people still use their “enthusiastic assumption” to interpret these puzzles…

Choice

Yet another perspective on verse 7
If verse 7 belongs to Image 1, I think we’ve been looking at it completely the wrong way.
Here, I’m focusing on 1st and last line of the verse, specifically the words “sweet smell” and “To the place”.
To me, “sweet smell” expresses success and achievement. Also choice of the words “To the place”, when the writer could simply write “where”.
Success is the end result of the search not the beginning.
So here’s my interpretation of the lines 1 and 8:
Line 8 reads like the title of the step by step directions.
“Directions to the place the casque is kept:”
And line 1:
“sweet success, you’re there”
So similar to G and h being reversed, the verse should be read backward too.
The obvious Giant pole is Coit tower. Using the height of the tower as one unit of Giant, then Giant step, some 200 ft away is Columbus statue which is mark twain attention, or 12 feet tall standing straight.
Jewel’s direction could be either east (NYC) or line 5 in totality being pier 39 where you shuck oysters for pearl.
Yada yada yada, 3 poles being fisherman’s wharf sign and stone wall’s door … Hyde pier or Golden Gate Bridge.

Seems like the verse does read a lot better in reverse. Going off of reversed G (7) and H (8), could also reverse the verse like this
8 To the place The casque is kept.
6 Is an object Of Twain’s attention
4 Sounds from the sky Near ace is high
2 Not far away High posts are three
7 Giant pole Giant step
5 Running north, but first across In jewel’s direction
3 Education and Justice For all to see
1 At stone wall’s door The air smells sweet

maltedfalcon

Ghirardelli is made of brick
and Alcatraz is made of cement.
neither has stone walls.
which location fits stone walls door?
however the gateway at the palace is granite.

From 2012 ^
if you unscramble the 8 letters starting 8 lines of the verse you get G
RANITES

The whole point of reversing the order was because of the reversed h and G. And continuing the pattern (8,7) you’d get 8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1
I don’t get how you come up with the scrambled numbers 8,6,4,2,7,5,3,1.

Choice

if you unscramble the 8 letters starting 8 lines of the verse you get G
RANITES

ATNHEFSN are the 8 first letters of the first 8 lines of the verse,
RIIOGGTT are the 8 first letters starting the 8th line of the verse
I tried both and I couldn’t get the word like you suggested…
Are we using 8 lines from the Verse of the book? or 8 lines from maltedfalcon’s post?

Spiritr

ATNHEFSN are the 8 first letters of the first 8 lines of the verse,
RIIOGGTT are the 8 first letters starting the 8th line of the verse
I tried both and I couldn’t get the word like you suggested…
Are we using 8 lines from the Verse of the book? or 8 lines from maltedfalcon’s post?

2 stanza? to each line

Choice

The whole point of reversing the order was because of the reversed h and G. And continuing the pattern (8,7) you’d get 8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1
I don’t get how you come up with the scrambled numbers 8,6,4,2,7,5,3,1.

Reverse the evens starting from H and then the odds starting with G

Why the heck not! As good as any other hypophysis. In either case, stonewall is the destination. Now SF sea wall could be considered stonewall which covers all east and north coast of the SF bay shores. Door could be the pier entrance or gate i.e. GGB.

Sounds from the sky
Worked on this riddle a bit today.  I noticed the word “Cloud” (sky) contains the word “loud” (sounds), but that didn’t hit on anything.
Then I thought about the word “Masonic” which contains the word “sonic” (sound) and the word “Ma” in Japanese is essentially “space” (sky).  Hmm, there is a road named Masonic.

Glossiphoniidae

@MF – your only dig at the SF site was at the 12 o’clock position on the wall, correct?
BTW – I was revisiting the triangle, square, square, circle on the neckline of I1… isn’t that a scorecard in golf (hole-in-one, bogie, bogie, birdie)?

No 11:30
12:00
and 1:30
11:30 lines up with the golden gate
12:00 lines up with fort point
and 1:30 lines up with downtown SF

How deep did you dig th first time?

3 feet, but it was afterwards I found out that they had added dirt in that area.

It’s staggering to consider the obstacles to finding this casque after so much has been altered at this site.  What you’re saying is it could be 5 or 6 feet deep at this point?  You might as well install a quick-tent canopy to keep the bird crap off of you while you dig for 2-3 days.

So I have come to the conclusion that the San Francisco casque, is gone/ has been destroyed.
The location of the casque (based on my interpretation of verse 7) was simply 1 giant step away from the Betsy Ross Flag pole.
The verse has to have the function of quickly focusing in on a particular exact spot.  Based on the Cleveland/chicago.
The Iconic image Golden Gate Park leads us straight up 34th street. (finger pointing)  the bust of lincoln indicates Lincoln park.
Where we find the gated door in the side of the Palace of fine arts.  From this point we (in 1981) the Statue of El Cid. (Education and Justice)
The Round table top (the fountain) The weird shape underneath the table (the Seamen’s memorial on the golf course) or ( if it was there the lincoln Highway marker)
in clear view is Highway 1 and Sutro tower.
so….
At stone wall’s door (the large gate in the Palace of the legion of honor)
The air smells sweet (plaque at door indicated the Palace was built but by Alma Spreckles and her husband, Spreckles sugar)
Not far away
High posts are three  (Sutro Tower in plain site)
Education and Justice  Statue of El Cid Just to your right
For all to see
Sounds from the sky  The air is filled always with seagulls (but more likely the flagpole, clanked in the wind)
Near ace is high
Running north, but first across  (Straight ahead is Highway 1 running across the Golden Gate)
In jewel’s direction
Is an object
Of Twain’s attention  (Straight ahead is fort point)
Giant pole              (put your back to the Betsy Ross Flagpole, facing Fort Point)
Giant step              (take one giant step, Dig)  The Flagpole was surrounded, by a dirt circle, which would easily encompass one giant step.
To the place
The casque is kept.  (From this spot, You can see all the site confirmer images in Image 1. Table top, Pedestal, Barred Window, Golf balls, El Cid on his horse, Lincoln.
Unfortunately, the flag and its surrounding dirt, was removed and a large garden planter was installed.
At the very least the entire area was roto-tilled.  But I was told they used Bulldozers and Back-hoes, concrete foundations were put in to support the large Red Steel Modern art statue.
The location of the casque would basically be directly under the center of the statue.
The reason the casque could not be located over the railing and down the hill, is simple, The words giant step…
in cleveland we were instructed to take several steps and then hop, (the planter to high to take a step to., Well over the railing is a 4-6 foot drop, not a giant step by any stretch of the imagination. If we were supposed to go over the railing it would say so,
it doesn’t
by that point in the verse, we need to be focusing on an exact spot. any interpretation that widens our area of focus from there is obviously wrong. If your solution doesn’t exactly indicate about 1 Sq foot on the ground, you probably haven’t got the solution yet.
Willhouse, I feel your pain….

Remind me what El Cid has to do with education and justice?

El Cid, (movie not withstanding) was a spanish hero
while he was really high born, The local populace felt he was one of them.
He was educated, which was not the norm for people in his position and then became a successful military leader
He was known for dispensing justice evenly.
Education and Justice = El Cid, anyway thats how I learned it in Spain.

from wikipedia
Taken together, these practices imply an educated and intelligent commander who was able to attract and inspire good subordinates, and who would have attracted considerable loyalty from his followers, including those who were not Christian. It is these qualities, coupled with El Cid’s legendary martial abilities, which have fueled his reputation as an outstanding battlefield commander.
Long after his death, El Cid remains an idealised figure in Spain. He has been immortalized in plays, film, folk tales and songs.
His reputation for justice, humanity and courage caused many Christian Spanish knights to follow him into exile and fight alongside him no matter which flag he was serving under

McDonough 18, aka the Rabassa-De Pouilly House, is now here…
…though like I say, I think it was originally beside the arch before being moved when the park was created…I’ll confirm.
So there you go – a direct link from clock-boy to a historic building preserved in Louis Armstrong Park.
“The timber frame with its members dove-tailed, mortised and tennoned, and numbered with Roman numerals is another unusual feature of the house.”
Hey erexere, did you mention a Facebook acquaintance in New Orleans…? Any chance they might be willing to go poke around…?

Oh, thats just too cool.  Thanks Fox! And good catch on thenRoman Numeral feature, WR.
My FB acquaintance  is iffy, I’ll certainly ask them to have a go.

In was just noting how a Rampart is much like a Rook in chess.  In the game of chess you have the option to perform a special move called Castling where the King is moved two or three checkers to the side and the Rook in that direction is moved to a center row on the opposite side of the King as protection and development in a single move.  This McDonogh 18 house has made a such a maneuver…

*excitement*
WR, your overhead of the park gave me a great visual idea tha if you were to draw an 8 x 8 grid on it and think of the arch as the starting position of the white queen’s rook at A1, then the McDonogh house is occupying the F6 spot where the queen moves into the Immortal Game’s sacrifice with forced check and mate in three.

Unknown

Unknown:
McDonogh’s request that the children place flowers on his statue every year evolved into the annual celebration known as McDonogh Day.

Thanks erexere…clock-boy is Fox’s name for his favourite Lafayette McDonogh statue, showing the boy on the clock from image 7. With all the other numbers surrounding him, it might be worth checking out the positions of some of the other McDonogh schools (eg McDonogh #9), but I reckon #18 is where the action is…also explains his arch…
I think the Armstrong arch is right on the spot where it was, or he’s looking at it. I’ll try contacting the architect Robin Riley and see if he’s willing to discuss…
http://robinrileyarchitect.com/Architecture.html
He had a house on Toulouse…it’s all starting to make sense now. There was probably one near Joan as well…
No. 18 is best known as the Rabassa-De Pouilly House, having been the residence of architect JNB De Pouilly…
http://www.knowla.org/entry.php?rec=473
It was moved a few hundred feet when they created the park.

Sonoran

Here are the theories
turtle123456
and I have developed for Verse 7.
At stone wall’s door
At jewel’s gate.
Japanese Tea Garden
main gate
.
The air smells sweet
Cherry trees
are planted along Martin Luther King Jr. Drive to west of main gate.
More
cherry
trees
planted on
inside
including along a path called
Cherry Tree Lane
.
Not far away
Can be seen from Garden entrance area unless fogged in.
High posts are three
Sutro Tower
Education and Justice
Education =
de Young Museum
to east
Justice =
Martin Luther King Jr. Dr
? to west
For all to see
Both Museum and Road can be seen from Garden main gate area.
Sounds from the sky
Pagoda with antenna
Near ace is high
Temple Gate with “
A
“
at its top
is
next
to pagoda with antenna.
Running north, but first across
Walk
north
while crossing the bridge.
In jewel’s direction
Direction to find “Giant Step” from “Giant Pole”.
Is an object
Tea Garden
Drum
/ Moon
Bridge
looks like a
paddlewheel
of a steamboat.
Of Twain’s attention
Mark Twain
was a licensed steamboat pilot on the Mississippi River.
Giant pole
Stone pagoda
sometimes called “
treasure house
”.
Giant step
One large human pace? Giant step could be a stair step? There is a large stone step and then a large flagstone on the path toward the drum bridge.
To the place
Location
to dig.
The casque is kept.
“Every treasure casque is buried underground, at a depth of no more than three to three and one-half feet.”
Turtle
broke this with Giant Pole = Stone Pagoda. But we had no idea what “Twain’s attention” was. The Drum Bridge was actually one of the last clues we solved. We couldn’t believe we never noticed the bridge looks like a paddlewheel of a steamboat.

I am bumping this post from years ago as it seems to be very close to what is being discussed at the moment. The steamboat idea is interesting as well.
I tend to have more success with the images rather than the verses but since I realised the “in truth” meaning of the last line in verse 3, I think we ought to look at the last line in this verse 7 as being more important than people realise.
to the place
the casque is kept.
Nobody seems to have discussed this. I would like to concentrate on the one word “kept”. It suggests a safe place. My first thought was somewhere like a bank but then a castle is a better choice. A castle has a keep.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keep
So how about Strawberry Hill island as a safe place in Stow Lake.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strawberry … _Francisco
)
What is at the top of the hill?
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=37.76 … 9&z=20&m=b
Ruins of the Sweeny Observatory! Well, that surprised me as nobody has mentioned this place either.
Here is a photo:
https://flic.kr/p/nC4qFn
Finally, here is a website where the blogger has counted all the steps on Strawberry Hill:
http://galomorro.weebly.com/stairways-a … tow%20lake
See picture 4 as widely spaced logs could be giant steps.
(8392)

Here is Aquatic Park’s Giant Pole…from which you could take a
giant step in the direction of Twain’s-object-of-attention…
(the Eureka…the paddle boat.)
AP

What is that thing?

As for “stone wall’s door”…This is one entrance into Ghirardelli Square.
Since the building is a National Historic sight, the facade may not be
changed, so it may have looked like this for decades.
AP

forest_blight

What is that thing?

a matched  pair of judging towers for boat races… there are two, they face each other

Malted,
Yes…there is one more tower…closer to the paddle boat.
It also has a lot of diggable area around it.
AP

the clock is spot on
and I believe you have nailed the thing under the table
but the tower- isnt pole shaped except when looked at from the edge.
beside that there are two so which one?
Next the eureka has been moved so many times that which direction is toward it?
Even if it was just moved from one side of the dock to the other that makes a difference of about 35 deg because it is so near the park.  I believe in the 80s it was even farther to the right (one dock more)
How big is a giant step?
and of course, what in the image is the object that is near to the spot the casque is buried, (i.e the picture of the wall or the picture of the fence/fixture?
)

Malted,
I thought that the casque was near the Giant Pole.
As you said,looking at the tower from the edge,
it appears as a giant pole…it may not be in the image.
I am still looking around the area….
AP

Just a comarpison  between the Image 1 clock and a clock from
the Eureka…a paddle steamboat anchored in the Aquatic Park, SF.
(object of Twain’s attention in verse 7.)
There is more than a little resemblance
I posted this in the Image 1 thread, too.
AP

digger,
I two have been working this angle.
a couple of things though, no giant pole any where around the presido, the legion of honor, or Lincoln park.
personally Im pretty sure verse 7 goes with montreal now and not SF
but that being said jump over to image 1 and read my next post….

I think I am dyslexic. The phrase “Near ace is high” seems to have been connected to Highway One by everyone. For me, the first time I read that line I interpretted it sort of in reverse and not so literal:
Near ace = King (come on poker fans)
is High = High-King…hiking.
It seems like more of a crossword clue instead of a literal “near (as in location) this..”
Ok shoot me down someone.

Interesting to note, the area around St Stephens, Rue Drummond, Redpath Cres (which leads up to the possible casque site) are all names involved in Redpath sugar, Was a huge business here until it moved to toronto, but still many sites in the area are associated with redpath sugar.
Perhaps this is why the air smells sweet…

maltedfalcon

Interesting to note, the area around St Stephens, Rue Drummond, Redpath Cres (which leads up to the possible casque site) are all names involved in Redpath sugar, Was a huge business here until it moved to toronto, but still many sites in the area are associated with redpath sugar.
Perhaps this is why the air smells sweet…

Cafe Du Monde – known for their coffee and their beiges, is an open aired cafe
running around the clock for over one hundred years.
It is at one entrance of Jackson Square.

Hello all!
I just found out about this great site and great story yesterday and after reading all I can from these forums I think I’ve caught The Secret bug.
I was working on Verse 3 because the consensus seems that it’s about Boston, but I couldn’t really make anything stick. Sensing that there probably was one in Boston I took many a virtual walk around Boston and started concentrating on this verse. Now there is a lot that doesn’t fit just yet, and I am probably so far off but listen to what I got and then debunk me
At stone wall’s door
There is a Jackson Square in Boston that is fenced in and above street level surrounded by a stone wall
An object of Twain’s attention
Jackson Square is at the end of Lamartine Street and Centre Street. Alphonse Lamartine is a famous french poet. Mark Twain referenced Lamartine in The Innocents Abroad “Such is the history that Lamartine has shed such cataracts of tears over.”
Giant Pole
In the middle of the park there is a HUGE pole dead center of the park.
I don’t know about the rest just yet, but I was thinking for
The air smells sweet
There is a chestnut avenue surroung the park. I dunno if chestnuts smell sweet but its a stretch.
The rest I am not sure of yet. Actually, the aforementioned I am not sure of.  But this is my first attempt so any advice would be great.

Just doing some more research on the area. One of the most common architectural features of the area is three story houses.
High posts are three?

Got another piece of evidence. All of the parks in this Jamaica Plain section of Boston are called jewels because they belong to the Emerald Necklace park system designed by Frederick Law Olmstead.

I think you’re mixing verses..
but These are great ideas! Keep at it!

Was just reading about Alcatraz and learned it is indeed properly called a Federal Penitentiary.  My deduction of the “secret” link between Twain and this landmark as a PEN just moved up a notch.

while technically true,
In the bay area Alcatraz was never called the “Pen” it was called the “Rock”
San Quentin is a California state Prison nearby, It is not a penitentiary, It is called the “Q”
Actually I believe the “Pen” specifically refers to a prison, in Ohio (but I could be wrong there)
my point being, prisons have nicknames, but the Pen was never associated with Alcatraz.

Giant Step sure sounds like MoonWalk to me…and yes Trohn, the Moon Walk was built and named in 1976.  That would make it pretty much a brand new thing in the early 80’s when BP was wandering around the states looking for somewhere to bury one of his casques.
The elusive N.O. casque will have to remain elusive since we will be heading out of town bright and early tomorrow morning.  At least I can be comforted in the knowledge that; during my adventures/digging in City Park as well as my exploration of Jackson Square, I was very nearby (if not standing directly on top of) the N.O. casque.
What isn’t comforting is the news here has been reporting a tornado and flood watch…..weeeeeeee
.
Looks like another hunter will have the pleasure of unearthing this one….

Unknown

Unknown:
—
Also, regardless of what things in the image may actually represent, IMO most of the detail in the image is supposed to represent something, similar to Chicago and Cleveland. To me, it’s a simple question of intentionality. Why did the artist do things in the detailed way he did? —
These were all choices JJP made, and I’d argue that these are clues to something, no? I’d also argue we shouldn’t discount small things in the SF image. — Seems to me like a lot of work to include detail on this level if it’s not intended for us to look at.
Also, I agree with you that not all the paintings will work in the same manner. I haven’t really worked the other puzzles much, so I can’t comment on how many of them might work in a similar manner to Chicago and Cleveland. I do think they will all have some similarities, such as a final dig spot that appears more or less as it does when you approach it on the ground. What I will say for the SF image, is that it appears to have much more information than many of the other images. Lots of apparently intentionally drawn bits and pieces. Why, if not for visual confirmation/clues when you are moving physically through the puzzle?

I’ve redacted some sections of the post I am replying ti and noted that as “–“
Reply below.
I’ve been thinking the same thing. My idea for the SF puzzle was rather straight forwards, and it got me thinking if I had missed something. But, the deeper I dug, the less I got out of it.
So I thought again. I looked at Chicago and Cleveland and asked myself, “what, as a bare minimum, do I need from the image in order to come to the same conclusion as the people who found the casque?” The answer is… not a lot. I am about to go over those images in photoshop and block out the relevant clues, and see what’s left over. So far, I think a lot of the picture is left over. There is a considerable amount of tree that doesn’t yieled a clue in the Cleveland image. Only a little bit does.
So, to answer your question, why so much detail? Try this… design your own puzzle and show only applicable details and images with no filler. I did this, and looked at others who did that, and what comes out is… a really easy puzzle. So why did JJP detail? To hide stuff. Consider this… a banana. What is it? A banana. Obvious. Then consider this… a banana in a pile of apples. Slightly harder to find, but when you see the banana, what is it? A banana. NOW… consider a banana in a pile of bananas. I dare you to find the right banana without knowing which banana you’re looking for! So there may be only 1 or two details in all of the rocks of image 1. If only that detail was painted, you would find it in seconds, and the puzzle would have been solved ages ago. If you see all sorts of details in the rocks, the possible “correct” detail becomes harder to find. The detail creates pattern that helps to hide things.
The banana is important to the solve… the pile of bananas is important to the puzzle.
As for the rest, JJP paints detailed images. He’s a good painter because of that, so he has most likely freeformed some sections to create a believeable character and image. Anything outside of that, could be you seeing something that may not be there. For example, you note a “fang” on the woman… I can’t see that…
Having said all that, the number of casques I have dug up is 0. Happy to note that tally… so I could be completely wrong. Just my opinion!
Happy hunting!
X

Oh hi! I welcomed you in the other thread before I saw this one.
If Alcatraz = Justice, and Balcutha = Education, I think we’re getting more and more confirmers for this area
I remember walking the length of Crissy Field in search of a giant pole.  They do have a statue and a flag pole, but it didn’t hit me in the gut as being accurate enough.  And now i forget what i did with my notes about who the statue was in memorial of…

maltedfalcon

Not going to say anything more specific than… none of us were surprised. but that stopped all further digging in that spot.

You did kinda expected that from your research in that area and your old postings.

Tell them about the horse’s butt image match Matt.

GoldenMartyr

I never even noticed that.

Dang Fenix, you are clueless.
There are at least 2 of them:
http://tinyurl.com/y5gjbqoc

Choice

Dang Fenix, you are clueless.

Awww, stop joshing me!

maltedfalcon

Yes. FYI there is high voltage lines there and utility boxes.

There shouldn’t be. That faces the cliffs and golf coarse, there’s nothing to run the lines to or from.
If there were they would have to come from under the street, and that would make them at least 8 feet below ground at the fence. Power should come from the town side… the back of the building.
You should go check that out MF. It’s not nearly as close as the fence and fixture, but its worth a look I guess.
I can pull the utility maps if it would be helpful to you.

The official drink of Q4T…..
https://untappd.akamaized.net/photos/20 … 0x640.jpeg

burnstyle

There shouldn’t be. That faces the cliffs and golf coarse, there’s nothing to run the lines to or from.
If there were they would have to come from under the street, and that would make them at least 8 feet below ground at the fence. Power should come from the town side… the back of the building.
You should go check that out MF. It’s not nearly as close as the fence and fixture, but its worth a look I guess.
I can pull the utility maps if it would be helpful to you.

Well Since I had a dig permit on thursday I was there and I checked it out.
by the way that faces the GGbridge not the cliffs… it faces the holocaust memorial
Yes just beneath the shape are two utility boxes, there is high voltage for the lighting that comes all the way around the outside of the wall. (hilariously it isn’t even in conduits….) the wires are about 1.5 feet down…. The building engineers were there to make sure we were safe. as was the groundskeeper who marked all of the sprinkler heads for us… very nice people there… We did find something, but it had nothing to do with the hunt, and we very carefully put it back….
The power to the Legion of honor sign is right there thats what it feeds.

treasurefindingfamily

Hello everyone. This is my first post. I was first introduced to this hunt about 10 years ago by my dad. Since 2001 we’ve participated in a local treasure hunt in Carson City and we thought it would be fun to try a different one.

Hi Welcome! All good thoughts, You can use the search feature on q4t to find out if other people had similiar ideas. Really though Carson City to SF is not that far! you and your family should make a day trip!

Choice

There are at least 2 of them:

They are a recurring feature of the wall on the outside, there are probably 6 or 8

Hello everyone. This is my first post. I was first introduced to this hunt about 10 years ago by my dad. Since 2001 we’ve participated in a local treasure hunt in Carson City and we thought it would be fun to try a different one. We worked on this verse off and on for a while before putting it down. Recently I saw an old show on tv about this and decided to dust off the old book and take another crack at it. Here are a few of my thoughts about this verse linked to SF.
At stone wall’s door – This could be Arguello entrance into Golden Gate Park. In 1902 a stone wall was built around the NE corner (from 2nd Ave along Fulton St around to Stanyan St and ends just before JFK). According to the park chronology this is the only stone wall built along the edge of the park and the Arguello gate entrance is the only one into the park with the stone wall on both sides. One of the definitions of door is: any gateway marking an entrance or exit from one place or state to another.
The air smells sweet – My thought on this is that it might simply refers to the aroma of the many flower gardens throughout GG Park and even more specifically the Conservatory of Flowers. The Arguello entrance is the closest entrance to the Conservatory. In addition to this there is a photo on the right side of the Conservatory vestibule with Lyle Ghirardelli presenting chocolate seeds to Mrs. Sydney Stein Rich, chief gardener at the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park, December 14, 1948. The photo was provided by the San Francisco Public Library, where BP May have gone to do some research for the hunt.
In jewel’s direction
Is an object
Of Twain’s attention – Of all the lines in Verse 7, I feel this solve is the most concrete. As you may or may not know Mark Twain became friends with Ulysses S. Grant. He convinced Grant to write his own autobiography and Twain published it. Grant finished it just a few days before his death. After his death Twain published Grants Memoirs. In 1885 Mark Twain wrote a letter to Henry Ward Beecher. The topic of this letter was the late Ulysses S. Grant. This is what Twain wrote about Grant:
“His genuineness, simplicity, modesty, diffidence, self-deprecation, poverty in the quality of vanity. And, in no contradiction to this last, his simple pleasure in the flowers and general ruck sent to him by Tom, Dick and Harry from everywhere, a pleasure that suggested a perennial surprise that he should be the OBJECT OF so much fine ATTENTION.”
There is a statue of Ulysses Grant in GG Park and I believe that if the casque is in the park, whatever Giant pole your at or Giant step you take or climb you need to be facing the direction of the Grant statue. I hope this now gives everyone a direction to go when hunting.
Personally I think it’s in GG Park, but there are other things to consider – There is also a Grant Ave in SF named after Ulysses Grant. Some of the clues might fit that as well, for example: Almost all of it is a one way street (North) and The China Town Dragons Gate crosses over Grant Ave and it’s fairly close to Coit Tower and it ends at the park at The Embarcadero and Pier 39. Just some extra thoughts. I hope this helps someone. It’ll be some time until I ever get to SF to look, so good luck to everyone who can get out there.

Did you dig up bone?

Choice

Did you dig up bone?

You know why I rarely post anymore? This guy always says what I’m thinking. Saves me the effort.

maltedfalcon

We did find something, but it had nothing to do with the hunt, and we very carefully put it back….

Did it have a giant Chinese symbol on top?

burnstyle

Did it have a giant Chinese symbol on top?

no it was more biological than that…

erexere

You know why I rarely post anymore? This guy always says what I’m thinking. Saves me the effort.

Not going to say anything more specific than… none of us were surprised. but that stopped all further digging in that spot.

Johann, are you saying that you actually got an answer from someone regarding the book on a question you asked?

again (also put this in the image1 thread)
remember the paddlewheel boat moves, it is not in the same location from year to year (or at least decade to decade)
I remember it being on the other side of the dock
which on the shore would make at least a 20-30 foot difference in direction..
not saying that’s not the object,
but you will need to find out exactly where it was tied up in 1982…

maltedfalcon

Literal would require it to be an actual door not a bricked up hole
but yes I know of several people who have explored lands end a lot. don’t know if they dug in the path in front of the wall though, that is awful hard ground.
I also know they have put a camera through the “door”, there is a hole there.

I was just there a month ago and it looks like a Stone Walls Door. I have read where it was once used as a wine cellar and storage room at one time. Whether or not someone stuck a camera inside and said it was a hole is not important. What’s important is how Byron Preiss would have seen the Stone Walls Door.

BINGO

Side note, is burnstyle aware of the special printing of the book that you have? I’ve never seen the version that has all of those brightly colored lines and squiggles. Seems like you may have a special copy that should be added to his list of variations.

Yeah, that’s my cliffsnotes version. . o O (WTF bro)

Rviewer1

I was just there a month ago and it looks like a Stone Walls Door. I have read where it was once used as a wine cellar and storage room at one time. Whether or not someone stuck a camera inside and said it was a hole is not important. What’s important is how Byron Preiss would have seen the Stone Walls Door.

Did you give up on LOH? (NO SOUP FOR YOU!)

Choice

Also ‘the air smells sweet’ maybe a hint to a flower planter. Much softer dirt!

When I was there about a month ago the flowers in the planter boxes and the tiered gardens all smelled sweet. The air did have a fragrant smell. So the Stone Walls Door is where the air smells sweet.
BTW my dig spot is not on the path.

Hey guys,
I have been working on the San Francisco solution since the expedition unknown episode. I like the idea of working as a team. I live in the SFBA. I have multiple solves. Some of them have already been dugout by the members here and of my solutions have not.
I’m going to share my solutions with you guys one at a time. My first one ended in Redwood Park at the The Transamerica building. In the area of that park Mark Twain lived worked/wrote and drank his favorite saloon. There is a fountain there with frogs as a tribute to Twain’s book about the jumping frogs of Calaveras. Also it was in that park where Sun Yat-sen drafted his proclamation of the Republic of China. I was looking at the building from a distance the other day and even though it is technically a pyramid, it sure looks like a Giant Pole. I’m not sure if this solve has been done already.
The hardest part of the solutions for me is the “Giant Pole” and the “Giant Step” although all of my solutions have a literal version of them. I’m starting to think in non literal terms such as Tower Records could be a Tower/ Giant Pole. My method has become one of finding multiple solutions and not just sticking to one route or place.

hey rviewer, i leave from la in 2 days for sf (im from canada)…want to let me sleep on your couch? haha ill tell you why its NOT the calaveras jumping frogs, and youre welcome to tag along for the dig and see where the treasures buried
and how i got there.

Unknown

Unknown:
youre welcome to tag along for the dig

So serendipitous. The best of luck to both of you.

jayheedan1

I think sounds from the sky could be malted falcons sutro tower he’s so fond of. Radio wave broad casts that we use a radio to hear.

I like that. That is perfect, and fits with the translated hint. You need a “special machine” to hear the sound – a radio.

I reached out to a friend, who’s mom is Japanese, and she translated it as below, very closely to what you posted GG.
Hidden meanings or hints]
2nd sentence: Sweet
It means basically “Sweet” but you don’t have to stick with the meanings “Sweet.”
The air smells sweet, therefore, you can think conventionally as the air like…….
4th sentence: High post
This post is supposed to be wooden post.
5th sentence: Education and justice
I don’t understand it just by the words. It says you can understand it better if you add “can be seen not far” after education and justice. “Education and justice can be seen not so far”…..?
7th sentence: Sounds from the sky
What is “Sounds from the sky?” We can hear many sounds from the sky. The sounds of birds? The roar of a plane? The sounds of the wind? But there are sounds that we can’t hear by our ears. Something that we have to use a special device….
12th sentence: Twain
Twine is the famous….
I believe the hints for this verse is a bit out of order in the Japanese version. Remember, it’s “Not far away, High posts are three.” “Education & Justice for all to see.”
Corrected, we would think:
This post is supposed to be wooden posts, can be seen not so far…

What special device is being referred to, to hear sounds from the sky the ear can’t hear?

jayheedan1

What special device is being referred to, to hear sounds from the sky the ear can’t hear?

I’m still going to go with fog horns. They are a special device. When there is no fog, the fog horns will not be sounded… therefore, no sound is made.

I think sounds from the sky could be malted falcons sutro tower he’s so fond of. Radio wave broad casts that we use a radio to hear.

MrBackstop

I’m curious as to wonder why any of you would think this black haired, blue -eyed Russian woman is Chinese or Mexican?

The woman’s face, eyes are actually lion’s. Similarly the head of the dragon is a lion’s head. Lions is the Galileo high’s (G-h) football team. It’s located just south of Ghirardelli square so the sign on the roof looks reversed from Galileo’s perspective. Also explains the many moons of Jupiter. The observatory on top of the roof is shown in the painting on top left corner, often explained as palace of fine art.
https://calisphere.org/item/95a5e0de75a … 4bb625f6e/

When I think “High posts are three” as it relates to a waterfront city, I can’t help but think of an old frigate with its three masts. The most famous example being the USS Constitution. While nicknamed ‘Old Ironsides’, it is actually made of wood. Maybe something like that is the reason for the translated clarification of “made of wood”. Is/was there a ship in the bay that matches that description. Is there a museum in the area with references to a famous ship? I don’t really know, never been there. I am sure it was covered some time ago, but all of the cities we are looking into can be sailed to. Was there ever a ship that sailed to all these port cities? As if on tour or something? Maybe not, but that’s what I think of… It could also be that I am stuck in this maritime-themed thought process from another verse.

The counter clockwise running grandfather clock points exactly to where Fisherman’s Wharf sign is.

Galileo High School
H

Her round head also resembles the dome of the observatory.

Counter clockwise running grandfather clock map:
http://tinypic.com/r/dzcyt3/9
https://tinyurl.com/yd5ryyp3
#8 Alioto’s #9 Fisherman’s Grotto
#’s refer to the original late 1800’s stall numbers (stands) where fishermen sold their catch.
https://tinyurl.com/yaymq8pf
#7 Tarantino’s (now Guardino’s)