After listening to the translation of verse 7 from the Japanese edition burnstyle recently posted, along with the 2 other translations we have received, I would definitely say this most likely is a radio tower that jayheedan1 had suggested. Sutro Tower definitely fits this.
Telegraph Hill got it ‘s name from the early signalling technique of the semaphore system. Could BP be using a play on words here with “telegraph” from the name of the hill that Coit Tower sits? Located at 1 Telegraph Hill Blvd, San Francisco, CA.
Sounds from the sky
Near ace is high
I did look into the semaphore system awhile back to see if I could relate any of the semaphore type symbols (Robert Hooke’s) to any of the symbols we see in image 1. There were some that had resemblance, but I couldn’t say definitively.
Hooke’s optical telegraph
Image courtesy of:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semaphore … egraph.png

fox

Giant step
still think it refers to, but not word for word (like the tweaking of the Wright saying) of “That’s one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind”.  While walking towards the Mississippi River away from J Sq, one of the last things you come to is this:
http://flickr.com/photos/scramberlee/236511485/

Oooooh, I like that.  If perhaps, this verse does NOT refer to New Orleans, is there any other monument to the first moonwalk in any of the other cities to which this verse can apply?  San Francisco, perhaps?

Not to mention that the floor of St. Louis Cathedral is tiled like the background on the image:
And the “sounds from the sky” could mean church bells–to wit:
Every quarter-hour, the thin peal of bells at St. Louis Cathedral calls saints and sinners, mostly the latter. They clang out a slightly off-key sound, as if they well know the offbeat rhythms of the neighborhood below them. The pulse of a circus atmosphere around the church pounds from hour to hour, as if to compete with the timbre of the sounds from the tower. The church stands sentinel, nether judging nor joining.
(From a website dedicated to the French Quarter.)

Since this V is getting a lot of talk as of late, I thought I would reintroduce my ideas on it again.
At stone wall’s door
The air smells sweet
door
n – any means of approach, admittance, or access.  Stand outside of the main entrance to Jackson Sq.  Jackson Square is at the edge of the Fresh Market, the oldest open air market in the US, which is where Cafe du Monde is located (ah, such aromas) and also Magnola trees are all around and smell lovely when in bloom.
Not far away
High posts are three
Education and Justice
For all to see
On either side of the Cathedral are the Presbytere and the Cabildo which are open for the public to tour.  The Presbytere is a museum and the Cabildo was once the home of the Supreme Court.
Sounds from the sky
Near ace is high
These both lead us away from Jackson Sq and across Decatur St.  Across the street and elevated is the Washington Artillery Park:
* side note
February 19, 1921 – Cannonball hits Algiers
A four inch cannonball crashed through the front wall of Mrs. A. Stenhouse, 73, of 317 Alix Street in Algiers. Apparently several young pranksters had loaded a Civil War Era cannon in Jackson Square and fired it across the river. Windows and glass light were broken in the square.
Still think “ace is high” is a poker term and relates to the Jax Brewery which has a big JAX on the side. Jack, king or queen force the ace high in blackjack to give you 21.  Also, N.O. was the first gambling city in the US. In fact, when gambling was outlawed thru the rest of LA, it continues to enjoy the prosperity brought by gambling for more than 100 years.
Running north, but first across
In jewel’s direction
Is an object
Of Twain’s attention
I believe this all pertains to the Mississippi River which we are now heading towards away from Jackson Sq.  If you use “In jewel’s direction” as an aside meaning the casque is buried away from the square and towards the river, you are left with
Running north, but first across Is an object Of Twain’s attention
This describes the Mississippi River, not necessarily the direction it flows, but the route of the river. If you look at the river on a map, it goes
across
the lower part of LA before going
north
.  And of course this River is near and dear to ‘ole Sam Clemens’ heart.  He loved it and that was where he picked up his nom de plume. “Mark twain”  whiich is a Mississippi river term that means that is safe to navigate, safe depth for a steam boat, 2 fathoms.
Giant pole
argh, the dreaded pole…this could be reference to (but not limited to):  the actual large flag pole in Jackson Sq; a reference to the main pick up and drop off of the horse drawn carriages at J Sq’s main entrance ala
pole
n – Northeastern U.S. a long, tapering piece of wood or other material that extends from the front axle of a vehicle between the animals drawing it; or even the Mississippi itself ala
pole
v (used without object) – to propel a boat, raft, etc., with a pole: to pole down the river. {just like Tom & Huck did}.
Giant step
still think it refers to, but not word for word (like the tweaking of the Wright saying) of “That’s one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind”.  While walking towards the Mississippi River away from J Sq, one of the last things you come to is this:
http://flickr.com/photos/scramberlee/236511485/
To the place
The casque is kept.
Where exactly is it…
I don’t know.  That is why I didn’t come home with it from my visit to the big easy.  I have ideas of basic areas but can not pinpoint it by any means……

mariska

I agree there should be something there (why put images of them in the book otherwise, it makes no sense), and I love that James Deans middle name is Byron
Made me wonder about Marilyn Monroe as well – playing in The shocking miss Pilgrim – is set in Boston / music by George Gershwin (has been suggested as rhapsodic man’s soil connection to NY)- The Back Bay polka might refer to the Back bay fens. (I know different images & verses , but still…)

Monroe may be a clue to Joe DiMaggio Playground, baseball diamond, Jewel’s direction from Coit.
The North Beach playground was renamed Joe DiMaggio Playground in 1981.
I’m going with the reverse reading of the verse 7, from Coit (Giant pole) to stonewall’s door (the Cove) as explained in my earlier post.

maltedfalcon

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

Might we also consider the basket ball court with two posts, each having a 3-point line?
Again I’m taking a selective approach through word formations that might not really be there, but in the spirit of good ol’ riddling check this out:
For all to see
, how about “amid” + “peer” or “pyramid”.  Does “in the middle of” equate to “for all” and “peer” = “to see”?

so my Image 1 picture path takes me to Lincoln park.
My choice for a verse here is Verse 7  But it is predicated on there being a Giant Pole here.
The good news is:
At one time the tallest flag pole on the west coast sat right here.
The Betsy Ross Memorial Flag Pole,
the Bad news is I cannot find when it was removed.
If the flagpole was here in 1980-81 then verse 7 fits here easily. every single line.
from justice to twain to high points, its all right here.
Can you figure it out?
I am going digging next week, (working on getting permission now)

The overall outline of the image fits the shape of the plot adjacent NE of fountain circle (tabletop?).

you mean her head right?

No, I retract that.  Didn’t know the lot had been revamped many times.
I also retract five confirmers…i only see a few.  I see the Joan of Arc back in play as Twain’s object.

From aerial photos available through Google Earth, the pole *appears* to have been there at least through August, 1993. The steel sculpture “Pax Jerusalem” was put there in 1999.
That would certainly qualify as a giant pole! Now… giant step?

Well that would be good news indeed.  here is my interpretation
From Stone Walls door The Air Smells sweet.
(The palace of the legion of honor built by Alma Spreckels, the sugar magnate’s wife. , Stone Walls door is also the barred window, do you see it ?
Not far away high points are three…
(the lamp posts in the area are all the triple topped ones., but sutro tower is in clear view of the palace.
Education and Justice for all to see
The statue of El Cid. (which is also a site confirmer picture in image 1
In Jewels direction is an object of Twains Attention.
This might be controversial. If you stand where the flag pole was and look around, you are mostly surrounded by rolling hills and trees. In only one direction you have a view of Downtown San Francisco. Downtown SF is the object of twains attention.
Giant Pole,
The Betsy Ross Memorial flage pole.
Giant step,
From the flagpole go straight toward the View of SF you will cross the parking lot and run into a balustrade,
over the balustrade it is a 10 foot drop to the ground. (it also lines up with the Seaman’s memorial)
Thats where its buried.

land is administrated by the SF Dept of parks and recreation.
It is on the Licoln Park Golf Course
and it used to be a cemetary.
Making it difficult, but not impossible to get permission to dig.

forest_blight

From aerial photos available through Google Earth, the pole *appears* to have been there at least through August, 1993.

Actually thats my big problem Google Earth has a 1987 image and a 1946 image.
by 1987 the flagpole is gone. and there are cars parked in that spot.

malted, I’m looking at the same photo you are (1987), and I interpret the white blob as an unfurled flag, not a car.

Try
http://www.historicaerials.com/
for some alternate years.  1980 in SF is available.
I would argue that the Cliff House is Twain’s attention.  Cliffs are prominent in the image.
I don’t recognize anything El Cid yet in image 1.  Is it wordplay where “air smells sweet” means “heiress of sugar”?

Whoa!  I am pretty sure that,
“Sounds from the sky Near ace is high”  means near the airport, and near highway 1.  Stretching it a bit guys.
And the Liberty pole makes sense, because it is a giant pole, and gaining Liberty is a giant step.  But whre to dig
And where is the Liberty Pole?
What happened to Angel Island?
-regulus

Here is the plaque mentioned some time ago by Voltaire. It is just above the 3:00 position on the parking circle in this aerial photograph of Telegraph Hill. May have some connection to the giant pole, sounds from the sky, etc. but the monument itself had disappeared by the time
The Secret
was written.

All theories welcome, regulus. I think airports and liberty poles are way too obvious and literal. This is a riddle, after all. Radio signals could be “sounds from the sky.” For giant poles think towers, or maybe a statue of Casimir Pulaski.
Another reason to consider Telegraph Hill: There is a memorial to Marconi (inventer of the radio) right on Telegraph Hill Blvd. and Lombard. The inscription on it reads “FULGURA PRAEVERTENS VACUAM VOX PERMEAT AETHRAM,” or “‘Outstripping the lighting, the voice races through the clear, empty sky.” Sure sounds like
sounds from the sky
to me.

The air smells sweet – “Dolce far Niente” is an Italian phrase meaning “It’s sweet doing nothing”. This structure was build about 1881 under the direction of Adolph Sutro.
http://www.cliffhouseproject.com/enviro … /dolce.htm

That’s a right size Margarita glass Goonie.
So “Giant pole, giant step” = 2 X Giant, pole step = Giants speel top (anagram) meaning climb to the top.

Choice

That’s a right size Margarita glass Goonie.
So “Giant pole, giant step” = 2 X Giant, pole step = Giants speel top (anagram) meaning climb to the top.

That is a Margarita glass, you should see the size of the chips!

erexere

I wonder if the line “Education and justice” has anything to do with the two streets Euclid and Clement. The connection being Euclid is a mathematician, math as a class in education, and the word clement, meaning merciful, can be a type of justice.
These streets are next to each other in SF. Euclid is just north of Clement. The line might imply traveling south along some street.

I’m still working on a few things and then I’ll post my full solve for this but I have Education and justice as Galileo Academy and Alcatraz.

JoshCornell1

if you dont want to tell me your spot tell me your mark twain clue solve

I’ll tell you mine Josh, it’s the Paddle wheel on the Hyde Street Pier.

Fenix

I’m still surprised that anywhere I go, people still continue to ignore the fact that Justice is capitalized.

A while back I was exploring the idea that there might be a casque in Washington DC, so I thought that “Education” and “Justice” might represent the buildings for those federal agencies.

Fenix

:-\

After a week of walking around the city, that was my reaction as well…

Fenix

I’m still surprised that anywhere I go, people still continue to ignore the fact that Justice is capitalized.

Holy Handgrenades! Justice is capitalized!

Fenix

I’m still surprised that anywhere I go, people still continue to ignore the fact that Justice is capitalized.

You mean almost like Justice was Personified?
This is Justice
This is Education
You just need to find them together – Good luck with that…

. Carry on.

Jesus Josh…how many times are you going to ask other players to give you their Twain solve (suggesting you already know it and want to verify if they are correct)? lol
Nah, you don’t have to answer that….just show us the pics of your newly collected N.O. casque. I’m sure you have it by now.

If anyone intends on performing the simple task for $100, please PM me you’re intent to do so by Jan 10th, at which time I’ll be withdrawing the offer.
I met with a forestry expert (been in the business for a lifetime, he’s retiring next week) yesterday morning and again this morning who is extremely confident based on photographs and description alone that there’s no need to count rings.  We may do so with a tool called an increment bore if we actually needed to be accurate, but it’s unnecessary in his opinion.  He laughed at my face when I mentioned the idea of using a tape measure, btw.

Personally, I believe verse 7 matches up with Image 12 in New York–at the tip of Manhattan Island.

Well, at least there’s one thing we agree on…

Unknown

Unknown:
or its not Verse 7…

BINGO.

When faced with a very difficult problem where one thinks, thinks, and thinks some more, but still doesn’t get anywhere, can it be said they have “hit a brick or stone wall?”

Im open for suggestions
what is the correct verse
if its not 7

erexere

When faced with a very difficult problem where one thinks, thinks, and thinks some more, but still doesn’t get anywhere, can it be said they have “hit a brick or stone wall?”

I think Rodin’s THINKER’s archway is stone wall’s door.

yes that was what we had said before
the barred archway is stone walls door.

WhiteRabbit

I’m still baffled that people can subscribe to the theory of the casque being in a specific location without being able to agree on the verse. Doesn’t that make them kind of redundant?

Not sure what you mean,
Using image one alone, I am sure it is in san francisco, and then I am also sure it is somewhere around the Palace of the legion of honor.
but I have no idea which verse to use (although I suspect 7), I will check all 10 for possibilites.

shecrab

BINGO.

I’m still baffled that people can subscribe to the theory of the casque being in a specific location without being able to agree on the verse. Doesn’t that make them kind of redundant? It would be like going to New Orleans and digging trenches in Lafayette Park, Louis Armstrong Park and City Park based on elaborate speculation about the image and possible matches, and worry about the verse later.
Alternatively, you could start in New Orleans with this same verse, and it would lead you directly to the spot,
like this
.

Jordan

Though the Map is so obviously GGP…? Why would he be leading us in the totally wrong direction to those other places? I mean, he eventually wanted these found right?
Also how sure are we that Verse 7 is a match? Are there any other candidates? Some people seem confident on completely different cities too.

I think the theory would be that GGP is the iconic “city identifying clue” much like City Hall in Milwaukee in Image 10, The Chicago Water Tower in Image 5, and Terminal Tower in Cleveland in Image 4. Casks 4 and 5 weren’t found in the immediate vicinity of either of those clues, and it is generally thought that Cask 10 is not going to be on the grounds of Milwaukee City Hall. Whether this is true of Image 1 or not depends on who you talk to.
We’ll never be 100% sure on the verse until a cask is dug up, of course, but the current layout of accepted verse/image matches are thought by some to be much more set in stone than others. I have a few other posts on that subject elsewhere around here

Hey are some quick and dirty observations I made just walking around the park the other day.
Prayerbook cross:
Strawberry Hill:
Lastly nobody has seemed to mention the Senior center right near 37th ave and Spreckels lake, it’s a long shot but:

Edit: Sorry, double post.

Lol, you guys are so dumb… working together… trying to solve a puzzle with logic…
Smdh it’s SO easy, just pick a place and work backwards.
Heres a hint for you dum dums: instead of asking “where does this verse lead” you should be asking yourself “how does ‘an object of Twain’s attention’ apply to this spot in my front yard where my wife has been nagging me to plant a rhododendron bush?”

Unknown

Unknown:
“how does ‘an object of Twain’s attention’ apply to this spot in my front yard

As long as you weren’t a contributor to the book, or a family member or friend of someone who was, that spot in your front yard is fair game assuming it isn’t a “flower bed”. And to hear others tell it, it’s as valid a spot as any other until the casque is dug up, even if you happen to live in Nebraska, or Oregon.

Euhirudinea

As long as you weren’t a contributor to the book, or a family member or friend of someone who was, that spot in your front yard is fair game assuming it isn’t a “flower bed”. And to hear others tell it, it’s as valid a spot as any other until the casque is dug up, even if you happen to live in Nebraska, or Oregon.

False: My front yard is a graveyard. No further questions!
Seriously speaking, I’ve always wondered if the answer to one of these isn’t “oh that’s in old aunt sallies back yard, she’s a hoarder and everything in the image corresponds to something back there.”

Unknown

Unknown:
Seriously speaking…

Speaking seriously, does your Aunt Sally live in North America?

Antarctica, why do you ask?

Bad.

Hi guys, fairly new but been looking at the book off and on for a couple of months now (takes that long the read the forum, lol).
I wanted to through a small twist.
What if “At stone wall’s door the air smells sweet” is actually a wall the casque is buried near? Instead of the entrance to the park and the rest walks you to that wall? Is there a wall with 3 high posts nearby?
“Sounds from the sky” could possibly be the music concourse area so we should be close enough to here music if it were playing?
Just throwing some thoughts out. I am trying to make a trip up to SF to spend a day or 2 this summer just looking around and taking more pictures.

jwhelms

Hi guys, fairly new but been looking at the book off and on for a couple of months now (takes that long the read the forum, lol).
I wanted to through a small twist.
What if “At stone wall’s door the air smells sweet” is actually a wall the casque is buried near? Instead of the entrance to the park and the rest walks you to that wall? Is there a wall with 3 high posts nearby?
“Sounds from the sky” could possibly be the music concourse area so we should be close enough to here music if it were playing?
Just throwing some thoughts out. I am trying to make a trip up to SF to spend a day or 2 this summer just looking around and taking more pictures.

That is totally possible- there are many walls and walls a lot of the way around the park
3 high posts
sutro tower dominates the skyline in a way that is hard to describe here.  They are visible from almost every point in the park  except when eclipsed by a building or tree.
Give a heads up when you are going to SF -its always lots of fun to meet up with fellow searchers.

good job FB, i dont have anything to add though,
to bad we didnt have this internet thing , back when
prob would have been a flash in the pan, ya know
one of those, i know what, where, ect. that is.
hindsight, gotta love it

Sonoran

At stone wall’s door
At jewel’s gate.
Japanese Tea Garden
main gate
.

Sonoran

Education and Justice
Education =
de Young Museum
to east
Justice =
Martin Luther King Jr. Dr
to west

Sonoran

Sounds from the sky
Pagoda with antenna

Sonoran

Near ace is high
Temple Gate
with “
A
“
at its top
is
next
to pagoda with antenna.

Welcome, and thanks for sharing. A few nitpicks
:
I believe this entrance is made of wood, not stone.
Prior to 1983, the road now called MLK Jr. Drive was named “South Drive”.
http://www.sfgov.org/site/recpark_page.asp?id=30236
under “Park History (pdf)”.
Did you confirm with Tea Garden management that this is really an antenna? I believe it is a decorative spire.
I do not see the letter A in these photos. Do you mean the peaked roof resembles an A?

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.

In 2006 we contacted the Japanese Tea Garden to coordinate a dig. We almost got a “yes”, but the final response was a “no”. They were concerned about damage to the roots of trees in the area. The Tea Garden is probably the most protected part of Golden Gate Park. We told the Tea Garden that there could be future requests to dig there by other hunters and asked them to call us if they ever changed their mind or decided to allow a dig by other hunters. They said that if they ever did maintenance in that area we could dig too. We put the San Francisco location on hold.
In anticipation of joining with this forum we contacted the Tea Garden again last week. We proposed a different approach of using ground penetrating radar for a survey. This survey would cover the small area between the stone pagoda and the moon bridge. If we get something on a radar survey we would then dig. We should receive an answer next week. If we get permission all are welcome to join us. Permission or not, we will let you know the Tea Garden’s answer.

The great…..meaning 06?
Something that has absolutely nothing to do with the book
If you’re talking about the 89 when actual damage of clues or the actual site might be possible

Just finished reading quite a bit about the great earthquake. The big take away for me is the comparison to fire reigning down on Sodom and Gomorrah or basically an experience like Hell on Earth. Many people were displaced from their homes. All of Chinatown was engulfed by flames. Looting. Famine. All that not so good stuff.
I read about the Spreckles Sugar Factory burning down. Decades before that the Ghirradelli factory also burned down. Keeping in mind the line “the air smells sweet”, I wondered if it really is a Ghirradelli hint that leads us to the question of what makes that bitter chocolate into something sweet: sugar.

Question for the Golden Gate Park fans: Has anyone considered the Thomas Starr King monument as the digsite?
Massive rose Missouri granite base
Spirals
Pole
Freemason
Granites code
https://www.artandarchitecture-sf.com/g … -2012.html
http://www.yeodoug.com/resources/dc_fre … _king.html
https://tinyurl.com/yyjq9ydc
At intersection of JFK Dr. and Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr.

Hotel Mark Twain has an interesting address: 345 Taylor St.
Taylor, 12th president
I – II – III – IV – V
https://tinyurl.com/yxnf7ty6

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.

I’ve been looking at the McKinley Monument that actually ties in with “The Republic”
https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/32289

Last line analysis:
The casque is kept. = held in reserve, like a player in a team = benched.

gManTexas

I’ve seen people state that the casque locations should be down to one square foot. Unless I’m missing something, I really doubt that. I think maybe we get to a 10 square foot area or so.
For your giant step, I think you have to estimate what constitutes a giant step, then probe in a four foot radius.

As usual, malted falcon has done the legwork for us. Pun intended, you’re welcome.
Egbert told malted Preiss seemed about 5’10”

Okay, I think it’s at the senior center BUT I no longer think it’s a walking tour.
Everything in the verse describes something at or immediately near the Senior Center:
At Stone Wall’s Door
= The Senior Center door with faux stone wall paneling around it
‘
The Air Smell’s Sweer
= Spreckels lake right next to the senior center, which is named for a sugar magnate/company
Not Far Away
= IT’S NOT THE SUTRO TOWER. That’s pretty far away from anywhere in GGP
High posts are 3:
= The phoenix sculpture above the senior center door has three posts above it! Note that the base of two of the posts is the base of the table in image 1
Education and Justice
= Until 1979 the senior center was a police academy
For all to see
= Just finishing the rhyme? A clue?
Sounds from the sky near Ace is High running North but first across
= Elevated Highway 1 just a short distance away
In Jewel’s direction, is an object of Twain’s attention
= Marx (Mark’s) Meadow, right past Spreckels lake
Giant Pole:
= The giant ornate flagpole outside the senior center
Giant Step
= Take one step east from the giant pole towards Marx Meadow
To the place the casque is kept
= Dig
I’m going to apply for a dig for when I get to SF in September, but feel free to dig yourself. Just let me know if you do, so I can cross your spot off the list

I’ve seen people state that the casque locations should be down to one square foot. Unless I’m missing something, I really doubt that. I think maybe we get to a 10 square foot area or so.
For your giant step, I think you have to estimate what constitutes a giant step, then probe in a four foot radius.

Greetings from the Bayou State!
I found this forum by clicking a link in ‘A Treasure’s Trove’ and found myself looking at the images.  I stopped dead at image 7 because I attended medical school in New Orleans from 1984 – 88.  I then began reading the different verses, and I arrived at the same conclusion that many of you have already discovered–I think this verse is the one connected to that particular image.  Several initial thoughts that I hope aren’t redundant:
1.  Is the top of the sleeve of the harlequin the outline of the Mississippi River through New Orleans?
2.  The US Court of Appeals is in downtown New Orleans.  Has some interesting statues on top of it.  Don’t know if it’s visible from the Cafe du Monde or not.
3.  ‘Sounds from the sky’:  The Mississippi River Bridge is a major thoroughfare in New Orleans and is easily seen from the Moonwalk in front of Jackson Square.  Also, Interstate 10 is elevated through the edge of the French Quarter.  Either could produce ‘sounds from the sky’; not sure how ‘near ace is high’ ties into it.
4.  If the ‘object of Twain’s attention’ is the Mississippi River, my first thought is that ‘giant step’ meant to go to the other side of the river.
5.  I don’t recall seeing a big flag pole or any other sort of pole across the river, but I DO remember seeing the Blaine Kern warehouse.  It’s the main producer for the floats in Mardi Gras.  If memory serves, its company logo was a big harlequin mask.
6.  Don’t know why the clock is set to 12:00:15.  All I thought about was degrees, minutes, and seconds.
7.  The skeletal hand in the image reminded me of both voodoo and a cemetery, both of which feature very prominently in New Orleans.
8.  ‘Preservation’ immediately made me think of Preservation Hall, and/or a museum, and/or a tomb, all of which can certainly be found in New Orleans.
These are just some random firings of the old brain I’d pass along to the True Believers.  I’m going to continue work on ‘A Treasure’s Trove’ in what little free time I have.  Let me know if you find a casque!
Keep on believin’,
Doc

o.k. whos the carpenter
A tiny addition in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park is getting big attention on the Web. A photo on the neighborhood site Richmondsfblog.com first published a photo of a teeny wooden door that mysteriously appeared at the bottom of a tree with a small, gnome-sized gap.
The door has opened up plenty of interest on the Internet—and spurred visitors to the urban oasis to explore the door that’s not on any map. It can be found by searching for the grove of old trees in the park’s concourse near the Golden Gate Band Shell between the de Young Museum and the California Academy of Sciences.
vid at link
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/my … 12844.html
http://richmondsfblog.com/2013/03/29/mi … -coverage/

It’s interesting to think of the role Twain has in this Cathay pearl puzzle. One might hope the significance is similar to how Melville could apply to the Araby ruby in Houston, which doesn’t really compare. Melville didnt even seem like a participant in a Persian framework, so its bothersome to even ask what from Twain would be expected as a good fit in recognition of Chinese culture?
I’ve found one humorous example or angle to consider. There’s a pair of Twain writings that compliment each other, parodies of Genesis, the Extracts from Adam’s Diary(1904) followed by Eve’s Diary(1905). Each book is humorously illustrated, Adam’s by Frederick Strothmann, and Eve’s by Lester Ralph. It is worth examination because there is so much division between Adam and Eve. Adam nitpicks Eve on her expert naming of things. In one select example she calls a creature a dodo; Adam doesn’t believe she is right. In the next book from Eve’s perspective, Lester Ralph draws a dragon like creature bounding down a hillside, and Eve claims that Adam would’ve called it a wildcat, while that is what she taxonomically labels a dodo!
Adams Diary:
Eve’s Diary p.30:
The two reasons why this example is worth consideration is that the pearl is positioned near the image 1 woman’s “Adam’s apple”, and the subtle reference to the extinction of the dodo as analogous to that of the dragon.

im gonna let MF tell you the answer to mark twain clue, cause he KNOWS and DIDNT TELL ANYONE…after I TOLD EVERYONE (well, like 124 people). what a hypocrite…holding out on people…tell me where it is or eat my shit wha wha wha…sound familiar….?

never once was mf ever close to even remotely understanding this puzzle…only person ive seen make any progress is Goonie.

“Little Jackie Paper grew up. And as we all know…. A dragon lives forever but not so little boys.”
Last known sighting of a dodo (not counting this forum) was in 1662.
Not sure about those dragons, though….I think they’re still around.
(Outside of the “Adams Apple” position of the pearl in the image, how does Adam’s Diary or Eve’s Diary and the illustrations within, point towards an object of Twain’s attention, other than the pearl?)

Mister EZ

(Outside of the “Adams Apple” position of the pearl in the image, how does Adam’s Diary or Eve’s Diary and the illustrations within, point towards an object of Twain’s attention, other than the pearl?)

Well good sir, I believe it has to do with finding the old location (where Preiss would’ve seen it in 1981) of the “Three Adam’s” sculpture which were designated to be placed at the very top of a colossal door.

erexere

Well good sir, I believe it has to do with finding the old location (where Preiss would’ve seen it in 1981) of the “Three Adam’s” sculpture which were designated to be placed at the very top of a colossal door.

Roger that…thankie, thankie.

probably just prophecy that i was meant to find it XD…as im from Niagara Falls…

anus905

probably just prophecy that i was meant to find it XD…as im from Niagara Falls…

There’s a barrel with your name on it…

…what you betting on mf? XD
he’s the one who is trying to get lucky…give him the barrel…lol.

anus905

…what you betting on mf? XD
he’s the one who is trying to get lucky…give him the barrel…lol.

You’d need permission to go over the falls in that barrel.
I don’t think that would stop you, though.

you cant get permission, actually.

ruenbo

Hi all,
First post here, and new to the hunt.
Tried to find if anyone has done the Twain to Ina Coolbrith connection.
Just across Taylor St. from the Ina Coolbrith park you will find both a pole and a step.
It also seems that you will get to the park using a 4×2 grid east and 3×2 grid north from where Park Presidio Blv. leaves Golden Gate Park on the north side. A grid using the main streets.
Anyway, just a theory.
I am living in Norway so doing onsite exploration is a bit difficult.
Cheers!

I looked into it a few month back and here are my notes about it. Notice that at certain time of day sun leaves a stripe reflection in the archway.
Another interesting area is top of the Russian Hill at Jones and Vallejo St.
http://tinyurl.com/yy8refoo
Great shot of Alcatraz:
http://tinyurl.com/y44nbcqy
Top of the stairs:
http://tinyurl.com/y3dgpxss
End of the cul de sac:
http://tinyurl.com/y2splc7z
A picture of the plaque would be cool.
Down the stairs:
http://tinyurl.com/y6tktb8a
Go down and next to the Ina Coolbrith Park at Taylor St. is a tall flagpole. I don’t know if this is on a private property or the pole was there then.
http://tinyurl.com/y57uuomr
How I got there:
viewtopic.php?f=32&t=770&hilit=coolbrith&start=3460

I meant for the solution of that clue in the primary sense relating specifically to the treasure hunt. I mapped out complete design of this one far beyond the treasure hunt.

the table does remind me of a candlestick
…and in the game “CLUE”……….a candlestick is a murder weapon ……….(don’t ask, just how my mind works, has no boundaries)

Goldengate

Back in 2006-7, the following method was used relating Verse 7 to New Orleans… but has anyone tried it with San Francisco?:
“To the place
The casque is kept.”
“Place” has anyone scoured a city map for street names that are “Places” like Telegraph Place, etc?
I took a look around and there are some interesting possibilities… while nothing jumped out at me, it may spark something for someone else.

I don’t think it’s a street. If it was part of a street name, it would be capitalized.

Ok, Ace is high could mean a ton of things. But one thing I was thinking was that the riverboat was famous for gambling, and ace is  high could just be for a straight or for blackjack, meaning gambling, or maybe Straight Street, or straight ahead.
grasping, always grasping…
wilhouse

At stone walls door
The Lyndon B. Johnson National Historic Site established/authorized in 1969 was recognized as a National Historic Park in 1980. It’s located in Stonewall, Texas. This location is LBJ’s home and final resting place. I’m not advocating that V7 is tied in anyway to the Houston casque just because it deals with a Texas location.
Johann emailed Priess at some point and got a response which justified his statement that V7 does NOT work for St. Louis. I wonder if Johann was making a connection to the Gateway Arch in St. Louis because LBJ is recongized on a plaque there:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ … Plaque.jpg
I can see the decoding of “stone walls” as LBJ and “door” as the “Gateway Arch” as one among many possible conclusions for this verse’s first line.

I was up at the Legion of Honor earlier today and looked around at the bench/tree location that erexere has made some posts about.
The bench in question is along a back road that cars drive up to get to the museum’s parking lot. Walking there from the museum entrance does not feel like traveling to a contiguous part of the same area.
As you can see here, there are many similar benches and trees along that road. It looks like they are in the process of replacing the benches with new ones, working their way down from the top of the drive:
Here’s the tree highlighted by erexere. As you can see, it’s actually a bit farther away from the road.
The tree stump is worn and covered with lichen, so counting rings was not really possible:
Finally, here’s the bench. It has not yet been upgraded to the new design, but I have no idea of its vintage.
I’m new to The Secret, but I’m having a really hard time seeing this as a possible dig location. The site is not in the immediate area of the parking lot and museum, and there’s nothing to differentiate the bench or tree from many other similar benches and trees nearby. Almost any tree in that area has curved branches that can be construed as crossed arms from some viewing angle. Also, this might not be apparent from Google maps, etc., but changes in elevation make it so that when you’re down at that bench, you can’t actually see where the museum is. I had to refer to erexere’s posted image to confirm that I was in the right place.

A couple more notes from my walk around San Francisco yesterday:
-At the Legion of Honor site, has anyone considered “Object of Twain’s attention” as being the Joan of Arc statue? One of Twain’s major works was “Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc,” and the statue is right in front of the museum entrance, just across from El Cid. If you’re set on the Legion, I think this statue is a simplest local solution to the Twain line.
-Another SF solution for “object of Twain’s attention” occurred to me in Golden Gate Park. If Highway 1 is “ace is high”, well, it exits Golden Gate Park and crosses Fulton (steamboat inventor) right at the Rose Garden (“air smells sweet”). Oh, and GGP has plenty of these in the vicinity:
At the entrance to the Rose Garden, I found this:
“Philosopher, Statesman, Humanitarian” struck me as another take on “High posts are three,” with the high posts being exalted stations or positions in life, rather than literal poles or columns. These particular positions do encompass Education and Justice, but that feels like too much of a stretch to me.
Not sure how all of this would fit together though. If there were ever a giant pole and giant step at Fulton & Highway 1, they sure aren’t there now.

Cask 1
San Francisco – Reflection theory
Lines 1 and 2, Rodan’s Thinker, stuck on a problem at the door of the Palace of the Legion of Honor, heiress to sugar fortune or sweet cypress trees lining the roadways.
Lines 3 and 4, triple lamp posts along the parking lot.
Lines 5 and 6, Schools (Education) final four words of the Pledge of Allegiance, “and justice for all” to see [American flag = Betsy Ross] = BRMFP
Line 7, Sounds from the sky = seagull = “seek-ull” = seek “L”, Terminus marker of the Lincoln Memorial Highway
Line 8, Near ace is high = 15th hole of Golf course
Lines 9 and 10, Golden Gate Bridge
Lines 11 and 12, “pen” = Alcatraz to the north east
Lines 13 and 14, BRMFP + El Camino del Mar =
L.
Mare: broad, dark areas of the moon = sea.  Moon = “That’s one small step for man, one giant L for mankind”.
Lines 15 and 16, place = placer = pleasing/easy = restful bench on which to sit in reflection, facing the Golden Gate Bridge and the sea.
—
Notes: as with anything, it requires finding the right place to start.  It helps to find a way to avoid trapsing all over the city using up all you’re interpretations on a route.  Instead look for a small condensed area which connects with the bulk of the verse.  Here it’s about taking notice of the idiomatic and common phrase “at a stone wall” which connects with Rodin’s Thinker who is locked in thought.  Identify the familiar words from you’re old school days of saying the old Pledge.  Recognize the answer to the Twain riddle and starting from the entrance to the Palace, walk down to the parking lot past where the BRMFP and L marker once were located, through the golf course, and across the road to the bench.  The Ace has a numerical equivalent of 14 given that 10-J(11)-Q(12)-K(13)-A(?).  Near ace is high would be a number near 14.  Could be 12, 13, 15 or 16 depending on how you take the word “near” as it might mean just in the ball park instead of nearest.
Visual elements are all very puzzling.  The moon is a clear symbol.  The dragon’s pearl is symbolic of luck and protection.  I believe this resonates with some Classical Greek mythology if you’re into the Iliad and Odyssey you might call attention to the Aegis of Athena aka Pallas (name derived from defeating the Giant) aka Minerva.  I might conclude that the giant pole/BRMFP is being utilized as a metaphor for Pallas’ giant spear.
“Round the vast Orb a hundred serpents roll’d.” – Iliad p134.

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)?

indeed, i dont golf but cool
Hole-In-One=TRIANGLE
Eagle=DOUBLE CIRCLE
Birdie=CIRCLE
Par=Nothing
Bogie=SQUARE
Double Bogie=DOUBLE SQUARE
Triple Bogie=TRIPLE SQUARE
http://www.tydaniels.com/how-to-mark-a-hole-in-one/

Hey four21, your file isn’t producing anything, can you upload again please?

just for fun…
http://www.mediafire.com/view/?8bad3ya1ajnydv9
—  best viewed at 130%.
i am not proposing a solution by any means, but just musing. obviously, many connections are not discussed.
*fixed

i is what i is. i am what i am. i gotta be what i gotta be. plesae, dont cry gman….

I know this has been done to death, but flipping back over this one I was strongly drawn to Armstrong Square again. Just seems so simple and natural, with the Armstrong statue as clear a visual pointer as Ponce.
The dominant features of Image 7 are arches and moons. Considering that the mask is Armstrong, I still like this arch for the mask mouth…
…and Armstrong for the “giant step”. Games with Neil and Louis. The arch text reminds me of the arching “Preservation”. Also fits the idea of “Ace (A) is high”, and Armstrong sounds as if he’s from the sky.
It’s only a stone’s throw from Jackson – five blocks – where the verse could start, and the route passes Preservation Hall. Then there’s the 1929 date for the New Orleans Municipial Auditorium.  “It was constructed by the contractor George A. Caldwell, who also designed nine buildings on the Louisiana State University campus in Baton Rouge and three parish courthouses” – education and justice…?
I know the place has been torn apart, but there might be some mileage in doing the old clockface analogy on it. The giant pole is still a mystery – wondered about that chimney. Together with the arch they frame the 1929 auditorium quite nicely, though I don’t know what that building is or when it dates from…

A “post” is also a position–a job–a department. I personally don’t think the “high posts are three” refers ONLY to the church–but to the three major “posts” (positions) in government that are in Jackson Square. Education, Justice and Religion. It’s merely a nice pun that it also could refer to the three steeples on St. Louis Cathedral.

I see that does work – sort of – what exactly then are the 3 high posts Judge, Priest, teacher?
Still why ignore verse2 and its definte NO connection for a tenous possibility?

The posts are the departments in this case: education, justice and religion.  Not the people or the jobs. What is the “definite” connection in verse 3? I don’t see it.

yes indeed…how do you fit V3 to N.O.?

Actually, the first across makes a line horizontal and then without lifting the pen switch to making the vertical line to create a reversed L.  Image 1 has two specific mirrorings with the “G h” and the reverse of the southern portion of the Goldengate bridge.

Running north, but first across = draw a vertical line, draw a small horizontal line extending from the base of the vertical line = the letter L.
Who “ran the north” in the Civil War?
What is this object?  Not there now, but one just like it was located just to the right of a large step in front of the very large Betsy Ross Memorial flag pole in the parking lot of the Palace of the Legion of Honor in 1982.

Good critique maltedfalcon.  I was overtired when I strung together those last thoughts.  The tea garden doesn’t fit at all. All five points are correct.

The line “education and justice” has me thinking of the word ‘discipline’.  Its an interesting word in that it may refer to either education or punishment.

one thing to note.
golf holes are not fixed. they are constantly moved around the green to keep the wear and tear down in any one spot.
so you cant assume where the 15th hole is now is where it was in 1980

anus905

you cant get permission, actually.

Exactly….

second photo down a candidate for sounds from the sky?….
https://curthopkinswriting.com/2016/12/ … y-history/

MERLIN

second photo down a candidate for sounds from the sky?….
https://curthopkinswriting.com/2016/12/ … y-history/

Japanese clues suggest Sounds From The Sky is talking about a Radio or radio Tower in my opinion. The quote is “Sounds that cannot be heard unless you have a human machine to hear them”.
You need a radio to hear the Sounds from the sky

“At stone wall’s door”
Here is my take about the start of the verse:
The stone being the descriptive word make’s the type of stone unique that we should be searching for…..
In the image, the wall behind the Gal and table is black-ish in color and seems to have a faded white blended (or smeared ) appearance around the table, also on the right side of the Gal. JJP signature appears to be a faded white color with a thick underline to the signature.
IMO the black wall behind the Gal represents a blackboard with a smeared chalk look. JJP’s signature appears to be written in chalk.
Blackboards are made out of
Slate
(stone) The representation of a blackboard in the image gives us the stone we need to find (Slate).
The entrance of the Maritime Museum is made out of
Slate
, the stone adorns the entrance and on both walls surrounding the doors.
At the entrance you can see the Ghirardelli sign , Galileo Academy of Science (dome) and the entrance is at the end of Polk st. 11th president.
image hosting service
upload images

XeroDM

http://thesecret.pbworks.com/w/file/133 … 202019.pdf
X

Hey there! read your pdf, and checked out your pictures, Your spot (although) a little to the south of (about a foot) has been dug 3 times now, in the last 6 months.
and a hole directly behind the statue was made last year.

Choice

Again, as I posted after Gay’s rumored dig, if you consider the flag pole as giant pole then where’s the giant step? The small character has a 1/2 step he’s climbing. Then the alternative is taking a giant step or around 4 feet away from that corner. Note the head on the ledge that has similar expression to the woman in the painting with mouth semi-open. After 40 years I’m sure that area is overrun with roots so may be impossible to dig.
http://tinyurl.com/y4xj457a

The giant step is the base of the statue, as stated in the theory. We don’t believe that a non-specific clue would be given. A “Giant step” could be 2 foot for a child, or close to 5 foot for someone like me. Just too vague. We believe that the “step” is some like a stair tread/riser (riser/run) or step off a platform etc. This way it is very specific.
Probing was done all around the area, and yes… where we dug had tree roots that the diggers needed to work around (shown in photos). Any further out from the statue, and it would be impossible to dig. However, probing only made tree root sounds. Where we dug, although containing tree roots, allowed a hole of about 3-4 foot, and the ranger was suitably impressed with how determined the diggers were, saying that most people who dig throughout the park that he had supervised give up much earlier.
It should be noted that the hole dug up nothing perspex, ceramic or the like, so no remnants of a destroyed casque.
Probing was also done around the statue with varying degrees of tree roots.
Not impossible to dig, but it took 4 people chaging out a few times throughout the dig to get what we did done. Difficult at least!

XeroDM

The giant step is the base of the statue, as stated in the theory. We don’t believe that a non-specific clue would be given. A “Giant step” could be 2 foot for a child, or close to 5 foot for someone like me. Just too vague. We believe that the “step” is some like a stair tread/riser (riser/run) or step off a platform etc. This way it is very specific.
Probing was done all around the area, and yes… where we dug had tree roots that the diggers needed to work around (shown in photos). Any further out from the statue, and it would be impossible to dig. However, probing only made tree root sounds. Where we dug, although containing tree roots, allowed a hole of about 3-4 foot, and the ranger was suitably impressed with how determined the diggers were, saying that most people who dig throughout the park that he had supervised give up much earlier.
It should be noted that the hole dug up nothing perspex, ceramic or the like, so no remnants of a destroyed casque.
Probing was also done around the statue with varying degrees of tree roots.
Not impossible to dig, but it took 4 people chaging out a few times throughout the dig to get what we did done. Difficult at least!

So in the whole area you found the one spot where the least tree roots were….. Its almost like someone else had been there before and cleared the smaller root out of the way…
but to clarify.. since you did not find the casque in a spot that is known to have been searched before, does that mean somebody else got the casque or that your theory is flawed?

maltedfalcon

Hey there! read your pdf, and checked out your pictures, Your spot (although) a little to the south of (about a foot) has been dug 3 times now, in the last 6 months.
and a hole directly behind the statue was made last year.

I can say pretty confidently that the spot we dug had not been dug. Unless someone was an expert digger, and able to not disturb a complex matting of small but established tree roots that are likely to be older than 3 months. If someone dug right next to it and our hole did not touch the same earth, then I am happy to say that someone dug there, but they did not dig in direct line with the pole. A matter of 2-3 feet could easily yield a different hole. If someone came there, scraped the surface about 6 inches, encountered these roots and gave up, I wouldn’t consider that a hole.
As for the depression shown in photos, it was a scraping at best. The team pushed away surface dirt in that indent and found the shallow matting of undisturbed tree roots about 6 inches down, suggesting that if Dr Gay “dug” there, he probably started clandestinely in an attempt to bury the fake casque, found the roots and gave up, going to Huntington where the dirt was easier to dig. It took 4 people rotating through the dig, about 50 minutes to dig as deep as they did. It was hard work! Probing of the Dr Gay area felt similar to where we dug- big tree roots a little way down. A good exploration was done, and as far as we can tell, the Dr Gay site was not dug.
As for the other one, just North of ours, we couldn’t find any photos or suggestions of the digs. Happy to concede, but would prefer photos to back up claims. Remember, people can make an application for a permit, and not dig, or dig a small scraping and give up real quickly.
The spot at the rear of the statue was easire to dig, but still yielded at least one decent tree root a little way down.
The moral of the story is… where we dug… there was no casque.

Unknown

Unknown:
So in the whole area you found the one spot where the least tree roots were….. Its almost like someone else had been there before and cleared the smaller root out of the way…
but to clarify.. since you did not find the casque in a spot that is known to have been searched before, does that mean somebody else got the casque or that your theory is flawed?

Smaller roots were not cleared out of the way. They had to ask the ranger if it was OK to clear them out.
What we can say is we came up empty handed. Maybe someone dug there ages ago, found a casque and told no-one. Maybe my theory is flawed. There are gaps in my theory that I thnk need filling which may yield another spot. Or… I am way off.
It’s just not in the bottom of those two holes.

I think probing is problematic. After 40 years of being buried the Plexiglas is most likely deteriorated and brittle. If you have a long enough prob it most likely would go right through it. The same with the unglazed ceramic; a crack in the Plexi would introduce water into the cask and would turn the ceramic into mud in no time.
That being said it’s a fun spot to dig though! The standing character is holding an hourglass (clock) and a wreath (spiral). Connect the center of the two items and extend to the ground. That’s where the shadow of the clock meet. That’s where you should dig next!
http://tinyurl.com/y4xj457a

Again, as I posted after Gay’s rumored dig, if you consider the flag pole as giant pole then where’s the giant step? The small character has a 1/2 step he’s climbing. Then the alternative is taking a giant step or around 4 feet away from that corner. Note the head on the ledge that has similar expression to the woman in the painting with mouth semi-open. After 40 years I’m sure that area is overrun with roots so may be impossible to dig.
http://tinyurl.com/y4xj457a

XeroDM

4. I don’t care what Dr Gay claims, he did not dig in the area around the Verdi statue. We found no evidence of any fresh digs within a big area around the statue.
X

Hmmmm, My daughter (who has a degree in archeology) visited the verdi statue and found a fresh dig site next to the plinth under the end of the staff the next day.
I was there this week and still could see the depression.
and while I still don’t know if that is dr gays’ spot I do know that a permited dig happened at that spot less than 3 mos ago. so you finding no evidence makes me wonder what you were looking for..

Hello fellow rabbit holers!
Not sure where to post this, but I will post it here as it has to do with Verse 07 (as well as Image 01)
Long time no post. Reason being that the theory I had a while back was in the middle of being tested. The Dr Gay saga (let’s not go into it) bumped our timeline, and the scuttlebut of an impending dig in GGP pushed us to get something done.
So, a small group of dedicated hunters explored the area around the Verdi statue, based on a reinforced theory I had back in November of last year. The area was then dug on Friday, April 12th.
I have posted a full report and fleshed out theory on the wiki here:
http://thesecret.pbworks.com/w/file/133 … 202019.pdf
I tried to upload it here but pdf’s are not allowed. Hopefully anyone who wants to view what we did can access it from there. If not, I can send it to people.
The theory starts in the North East corner of the park, walks past the horseshoe courts, Henry Halleck Statue, Hippy Hill, Tennis Courts, Nancy Pelosi Drv, MLK Jnr Drv, on to Verdi statue, then to the boys, the pole they are supporting, over the edge of the statue and into the ground. This path is backed by the loops of the dragon’s tail on the frontice of the dress. I don’t think anyone has explained why the dragon’s tail has loops below the arms, but no loops above. The theory looks at how these loops relate to the lines of the verse and important parts of the park.
I have posted the full theory so that people can see how thorough we were in reaching the spot and investigating it. It was not a shot in the dark, but a well thought out location, and that kind of rigor should be brought into people’s theories when they go out and dig.
I am extremely happy with the theory, and the dig crew did a fantastic job digging at the exact location we decided on.
To cut a long story short, the dig came up empty handed. No casque, no remnants, nothing.
The spot was at the end of the pole on the Verdi statue (photos in the report show exactly where the 2 holes were dug). A secondary hole was dug directly behind the statue.
What we learnt:
1. Straight-forwards theories that don’t involve jumping around, no chopping and changing the verse, no micro-fine brush-stroke details in the image, and involving 80-90% of the visual clues still exist, and this was untested. Obviously, this was incorrect, but they still exist.
2. No digs had been made here, even though people insist that digs have been made there. There is no way that people dug where we dug, given root structures, etc. So we’re not believing scuttlebut on the internet without firm evidence.
4. I don’t care what Dr Gay claims, he did not dig in the area around the Verdi statue. We found no evidence of any fresh digs within a big area around the statue.
5. We think we might be on the right track, but we need to fill in that last 5-10%. Any valid theory may need to fill in all of the blanks.
6. Our theory was wrong, and a casque was never buried in line with the pole on the Verdi statue.
Back to the drawing board!
X

Re: Verse 7
« Reply #291 on: Yesterday at 03:51:11 am »

Unknown

Giant step
still think it refers to, but not word for word (like the tweaking of the Wright saying) of “That’s one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind”.  While walking towards the Mississippi River away from J Sq, one of the last things you come to is this:
http://flickr.com/photos/scramberlee/236511485/
maybe it means just a real step that is huge

cw0909

treetops i like that gate way, ive never decided on what the iconic is in the img, the GH or the
GGP outline on dress, the TT in clev, was the start point,and i think the WT was the start point
in chicago, ive looked around going from pk to GH, and last summer i looked athis as ace high,
3 ace, 2 above 1 below…..  http://goo.gl/maps/bH5Aa  ….. hasnt helped me though

I’d just like to throw my support that GGP is going to be the iconic image and Gh is the more specific. I don’t know how that helps anything, but I can’t see the “Gh” itself being an iconic San Francisco confirmer as much as the matching outline of a major, known park.
I think this is a good example of what “solutions” would be reasonably accessible to someone with early 1980’s technology.  You could reasonably get to GGP with a map and match it to the image if you had a hunch and were comparing the various images with maps of major cities. Not to slight the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company, but I’m not so sure the reversed Gh = Ghirardelli would be readily available to you in the 1980’s through reference material.  That would be something you’d notice on the ground or would potentially be able to piece together if you were a San Fran local.
I know the theory has some holes in it, but I’ve always liked the reverse view of the Ghirardelli sign from Russian Hill Park, or at least the idea that the reversed perspective of the sign plays an important part in the view from the treasure ground. I’ve never really bought into the Gh = Great Highway stuff.

I like Russian Hill Park because it is in line with Alcatraz. There is an interesting panoramic photo on Google maps at the far end of Fisherman’s Wharf. Its a blue circle marker to differ it from a blue square for a photo. Note the outline of the hills behind Alcatraz Island. Also look back at San Francisco.
I think the alignment of the rocks at the top of image one would be a good confirmation if you were in the correct place at the top of Russian Hill Park steps.

treetops i like that gate way, ive never decided on what the iconic is in the img, the GH or the
GGP outline on dress, the TT in clev, was the start point,and i think the WT was the start point
in chicago, ive looked around going from pk to GH, and last summer i looked at this as ace high,
3 ace, 2 above 1 below…..
http://goo.gl/maps/bH5Aa 
….. hasnt helped me though

@Spiritr
My alternate solve (reverse verse 7) takes me back to the Galileo high. The only thing I need to figure out is the “posts are three”.
Direction is from Ghirardelli going south so boat masts or wharf sign don’t fit. Anything comes to mind since you went to Galileo?
Here’s the head of the dragon (a nod to my avatar!):
https://tinyurl.com/y7ox2pgh
https://tinyurl.com/y7nvufnq
Are these trees over 40 years old? Because “posts are three” could mean posts are tree.
https://tinyurl.com/y7ny6cxa
So near high (school) are 3 trees.

1. To the cask’s location:
2. Start from Coit tower, walk a couple of hundred feet
3. to Columbus statue
4. Go towards Joe DiMaggio Playground then north on Columbus Ave.
5. Get to Ghirardelli clock tower near KFOG
6. Close by is Galileo High and you can see Alcatraz
7. Near high school are 3 old trees
8. You’re at the destination. Sweet smell of success.

So here’s my line of thought on “Not far away High posts are three”
The way the verse is written, one will associate high with posts i.e. tall wooden posts. However I think this is an attempt to divert you from the real meaning.
If you substitute “not far away” with “near” then you can get completely different meaning.
Near high, posts are three. Now, high can mean high platform, planter, hill or even high school.

I believe its the 7th
its chinese have you read the book?
seagulls – constantly

http://www.lincolnparkgc.com/Lincoln_Pa … ecard.html
It is 15.  No, I havent read the book.  ..so, maybe it is Chinese.  The dragon and yinyang pretty much force the issue…I still like rye tho.

argue all you want, but cliff house from the flag pole does not take you to a giant step
or even a little one it takes you to the palace.
and you cant see the cliff house from the pole.
actually the plaque in the palace doorway states built by alma de brettville, spreckles and then talks about spreckles sugar
I sure hopes it a flag!

Education [and Justice
For all] to see
Must be aimed at focusing on the Betsy Ross, a reminder of the days when I would do the Pledge of Alleiance in grade school.
Looks like you’ll stand at a specific spot and dig in the direction of Twain’s attention on a Ledge?

education and justice
read about el cid

El Cid = “the” + “lord” when translated into its roots.  Does this resonate with Bowman’s addition to the Ledge of Alliegence of adding  “under God”?

I don’t see a barred window yet, I thought the main arch with columns in the background simulated the look of a barred gate.

I would rationalize the Japanese influence on the image as a reference to the memorial for the first naval landing of Japan which is nearby, not sure exactly, what do you think?

its not japanese at all
its chinese
and san francisco and chinese goes together like sourdough bread and butter

Interesting theory indeed falcon.  So, according to your calculations, the dig site will be right near where this pic is taken from….perhaps a few steps backwards….
Could our watch pedestal simply be the inverted version of the Memorial seen in the above pic? (sorry the pic is so big….scroll across on the bottom of this post and you can clearly see the memorial)
Standing where the flagpole once stood, and looking back over the fountain you get this great view of the Legion of Honor.
Is the arched doorway with the columns seen through it your “barred window”?
I’m liking this location A LOT….but then again, you had me sold on your GGP theory as well Falcon  ::)
Best of luck on your dig my friend……..let’s get us the 3rd!!!!!

Here is the reversed view of the possible dig site showing the Giant step over the balustrade from the parking lot.  Maybe the balustrades themselves are our watch pedestal?  I really like this area!!!
Dig it up Falcon!

No way, its Japanese with lil’ bit of Chinese thrown in for good measure.  More of Rye and butter.  Im confident in your iconic and general area discoveries, and i think you might have your hands on a casque someday, but there are some nitty gritty things to cover still..at least for me there are several options despite no giant pole being there now.
How many holes is that course?  Which is the 14th hole?
Okay, this is interesting,
near Ace is high
says to me “Near 14” and the 15th hole happens to be the hole directly between the Giant Pole and the view of Golden Gate Bridge running north and across the bay.  The number 15 is certainly near 14.
sounds from the sky
has me curious.

Appreciate the theory. Always fun to see new thoughts.
I think Malted Falcon was saying… well, I don’t want to put words in his mouth. What I’m saying is that in the Cleveland solve, Preiss referred to steps as “steps.” If he’s going to then refer to steps as “step” in another verse… what are we even doing here? If you have a master’s in communication from Stanford and yet you can’t keep from shifting between plural and singular… that’s nutso. It’s like trying to solve a cryptogram where the letter “A” represents both “B” and “C”
My main issue with your solve is that there is no “smoking gun.” By which I mean, all of the conclusions drawn are based on generalizations found everywhere. There have to be 10,000 lampposts that are near steps in SF, it’s built on hills. There are many parks, coastlines, rocks, monuments, etc. that sort-of match the shape of the woman and her shoulders. There are three high posts everywhere: A common architectural style is “high point in the middle, then two symmetrical points on the side.”
Also, have you ever dug on a hillside? Hills aren’t formed because soft soil stacks up. They are a thin layer of topsoil on cliff rock.
Again, I really enjoyed your theory and I like your name, too. I do think that a random hill being represented in the picture is far-fetched, though: How would anyone in 1980 be able to recognize a hill that Preiss took a polaroid of, sent the polaroid to JJP, had JJP make the hill, then had it resized by the printing process (none of these images were done in the exact dimensions of the original book pages.) That’s why Preiss chose extremely distinct landmarks in the Chicago/Cleveland solves: It would be impossible to expect someone to recognize a nondescript hill after all of the conversions required by publishing.
Keep posting though, I love your thoughts!

Yeah! what he said…. ditto
That being all said… that hill/ park (especially the other side, has had quite a few people consider it and check it out.
that being said, it is a possibility
but what drunknerds was saying once you are there, there is no stand out Ah ha! this is it object or view or clue.
Just a lot of well this could be that or this could be that….
so after exploring the area most people move on…
Feel free to prove us all wrong!

Interesting read – possible “stone wall’s door”
http://www.sfcityguides.org/public_guid … =&topic=B#

My office was a couple of blocks from the Dominican college in SR. Took many traffic school classes there! I just don’t see it’s importance in SF.
I’m scared of your mother superior and her ruler tho!
Now if you consider the “cone” on her dress with a couple of birds nipping at it to be the Vatican’s cone of Belvedere (Belvedere island horn over the rose) then maybe!
https://imgur.com/a/CNPe5H4

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

Don’t blame it on eggnog! Are those christmas lights around her head? Wish there were 11.

How about 12 moons
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Saint … 22.4652695

Now that’s eggnog!

prospector

What a great find on the photos.
I was driving up the Great highway and looking up I saw what looked like an old stone wall up on the hill above the Cliff House. I took a photo at the stop light. I haven’t looked over that photo yet.
It looks like the one in the old cliffhouseproject photos.

Is this the wall you saw? There is also a stone wall and what appears to be a door? Good luck!

Goonie68

Is this the wall you saw? There is also a stone wall and what appears to be a door? Good luck!

Oddly enough, I have been looking for a wall exactly like that. I bought a copy of the 1982 edition and was able to tease out a few things that I thought were something else. Do you or anyone else know if and what the history of any digging was in that area of Sutro heights?

Oddly enough, I have been looking for a wall exactly like that. I bought a copy of the 1982 edition and was able to tease out a few things that I thought were something else. Do you or anyone else know if and what the history of any digging was in that area of Sutro heights?
Not sure if any digging has happen on that site, Maltedfalcon might have better info on if any diggings went on there?

MERLIN

The air smells sweet – “Dolce far Niente” is an Italian phrase meaning “It’s sweet doing nothing”. This structure was build about 1881 under the direction of Adolph Sutro.
http://www.cliffhouseproject.com/enviro … /dolce.htm

What a great find on the photos.
I was driving up the Great highway and looking up I saw what looked like an old stone wall up on the hill above the Cliff House. I took a photo at the stop light. I haven’t looked over that photo yet.
It looks like the one in the old cliffhouseproject photos.

Thanks Goonie.

Great pics Goonie! – I had not seen the wall from that angle yet – thank you

Just noticed that p 193 states that Houston is a Giant step, and the Corporate Giants are Persian. Hmm.

At stone wall’s door
The air smells sweet
Has anyone ever thought of the word petrichor?

erexere

At stone wall’s door
The air smells sweet
Has anyone ever thought of the word petrichor?

The writers of Dr. who.

erexere

At stone wall’s door
The air smells sweet
Has anyone ever thought of the word petrichor?

I do, but not for these puzzles.

I’m telling you guys, Liberty Pole is definitely NOT to obvious.  Or the airport.  Just follow the verse.

again,
The object of Twain’s attention is,  either a Huckelberry tree (i might be dumb ) or  A WHITE PICKET FENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Tom Sawyer.
any thoughts?

Nothing new here, just rewriting a summary of my view:
The Pledge of Allegiance ends with the words “..with Education and Justice for all,” which matches the words of lines 5 and 6 as indication that there is a US Flag involved.  The proposed site of the Palace of the Legion of Honor makes a good fit as the then location of the Betsy Ross Memorial Flagpole.  The tops of the triple-masted light posts match exactly the top of the watch on the table in the picture.  Near ace is high, offers a few options: in cards the Ace high beats the King, which is numerically considered the number 13 and implying the Ace is 14, thus the line could be “near 14” which might have something to do with the golf course adjacent to the Palace, but also the King is near the Ace, thus the number 13 could be the answer, or a the simple alternative of the letter K, being nearest Ace-high gives us “Near the letter K” which in turn could point to the next letter in the alphabet, “L”.  The pen strokes of “running north” and “first across” might indicate making the letter ‘L’.  The letter ‘L’ appears on the markers for the Lincoln Memorial Highway.  The site of the Betsy Ross Memorial Flagpole is also the western terminus of the Lincoln Memorial Highway.  The object of Twain’s attention is a riddle.  Twain is a nom de plume or “pen name” for writer Samuel Clemens.  The object of his attention is his “pen”.  This object is in jewel’s direction.  This is a clever reference to Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary (Pen).  Looking at a simple road map one can see the locations of the Palace of the Legion of Honor and Alcatraz (a place of dishonor? The duality of honor and dishonor as a Yin and Yang?).  This line helps indicate that when standing at the giant flag pole and looking in the direction of Alcatraz (no line of sight from that spot, but use of map helps see the direction to go in) it lines up almost perfectly with the final terminus marker for the Lincoln Memorial Highway.  Sadly, the flagpole has since been removed and the terminus marker has been lost, replaced, and relocated.  I believe the intended location for this casque is found by following this line from the flagpole to the “L” terminus marker and directly over the balustrade at the base of the wall separating the parking lot from the golf course.

Okay, this post is attached (sort of) to my Image 1 post.
I believe this points to GG Park in SF. There are a ew blanks here, and wthout access to the park (I’m east coast) it cannot be verified.
This is my theory for Shakespeare Garden in GG Park.
“At stone wall’s door
The air smells sweet”
—The bust of Shakespeare is in a wall (brick) at the back of the Garden, behind a door that is usually closed.
“Not far away
High posts are three”
—Not really sure about this one
“Education and Justice
For all to see”
—There are supposed Shakespeare quotes on the wall here, wondering if this gives reference?
“Sounds from the sky”
—Again, hoping being there gives reference
“Near ace is high
Running north, but first across”
—This is a big clue. RTE 1 (from the south) runs north through the park, turns east, then north again. This puts us in the PARK
“In jewel’s direction
Is an object
Of Twain’s attention”
—Could be alot of things. Think this helps with locating SF as City, could also help with Shakespeare?
“Giant pole
Giant step
To the place
The casque is kept”
—Again, could be a few things. Need to be there to verify any of it. But also think the 2 G’s for Giant are a clue to Golden Gate
I know this is alot re-hashed stuff, maybe some new ideas thrown in, but I feel like this is the place.

I am currently reading “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” for high school.
The object of Twain’s attention could be a number of things,
river, raft, canoe, white picket fence, apple core (perhaps a bar or pub named “the apple core bar and grill”),  “The Great American Novel” is a book that he wrote, we could be looking for a “great american” statue?
By the way,
sounds from the sky, IS AN AIRPORT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

regulus

sounds from the sky, IS AN AIRPORT!

The SFO airport cannot be heard from San Francisco, as it is located 20 miles to the south in South San Francisco (another city entirely).  There is Crissy Field which hasn’t been an airfield in xxx years, probably wasn’t one even back in 1980.
Even standing directly under the Golden Gate Bridge — which you cannot actually do — the cars are too high up to hear the traffic.  There is a park and information center at one end, and a trail around the water’s edge, but I don’t remember hearing any sound from the sky.

Fenix

one last thing, not sure if it has been mentioned here so forgive me if it has…i believe that
Giant
pole
Giant
step
these Giants may just be a SF confirmer referring to the SF Giants
fenix

I would have to agree with this connection to verse 7 and image 1. The word Giant twice (Giants) steer you in the direction of the city’s baseball team. The book has an image of a SF Giants Jersey. Maybe this is a hint to have us think of the connection. When I read the post for verse 7 no one really made an attempt to discuss this connection except Fenix, I would be curious to hear others thought on this…..

Unknown

Unknown:
The part of the verse that ends Giant pole Giant step I believe is covered by the Speaker Tower and Preiss’ playing around with the SF Giants. Remember, in the Boston verse the term step was used to mean street block. I don’t believe it means Giant Block by any means. I used the “6” and the Large “S” on the sea monster to mean 6 steps or 6 blocks from my starting point at Pier 43. I believe BP used Giant in a creative way to mean Giant pole (East Speaker Tower) and Giant step (distance from tower to the buried casque).

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.

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.

It appears that he used the word Giant twice to hint to the baseball team which ties the verse to SF, like you said in Chicago to guide us or to make an easy connection to the city. The pole and step are how you see to use it with the surroundings that you are in or where the verse takes you from your starting point.

Curious connection. Not much to go on really…”running north but first across”. The word ‘running’, easily applicable to running from jail or running in a marathon. Inspired by true events, you may recall Clint Eastwood’s role as Frank Morris in Escape From Alcatraz? Back in 1981 the organizers established a course called he Escape From Alcatraz Triathalon. First you must swim across from Alcatraz to SF and then bike north across the GG Bridge.

By an amazing co-incidence, I just watched a TV program of that event on UK satellite sports channel. They even cycled into GG park and out again.
http://www.escapefromalcatraztriathlon. … course.htm
…until they reach the dreaded Equinox Sand Ladder (400 steps up the cliff).

so do you think this notion is worth consideration?what could be the application?

I can’t remember, has anyone looked at Fort Point in connection with this verse? Take a look here:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Fort+Point/@37.8104668,-122.4775583,287m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x7fed369d97026b39
Fort Point is directly under the San Francisco side of the Golden Gate Bridge. If we go with “Ace on High” = Highway 1, then “Sounds from the Sky” is easily traffic passing overhead when you’re at the fort.
Fort Point has a prominent flagpole and several stone stairs and step-like structures. There is also a large step down to the rocky shore surrounding the fort, though the rough surf in the area makes that an unlikely burial place. The main courtyard has three large towers.
Elements in Image 1 that get me excited about this location are:
-The vague match between the outline of the woman and the outline of the fort seen from above, with the pearl in a location matching one of the fort’s three towers.
-The resemblance of her hairline to the San Francisco side of Golden Gate Bridge
-The resemblance of the table leg to a cannon’s barrel; there are a number of old cannon on display at Fort Point.
-This is a stretch, but her fingers are arguably pointing to the fourth square on each of her sleeves: Fourth Point (ouch, I know).
None of this indicates an actual place where you might dig, but I’ll probably head out to the area in the next couple of weeks to see how close a match I can spot on the cannons and also look for a match on that barred window in the image. Finding some rationale for “Education and Justice” and “Object of Twain’s Attention” would be nice too, maybe on a plaque. If I get any of that I’ll take this whim more seriously.

treetops – take pictures. We love pictures here. Someone might spot something you miss in them.

Unknown

Unknown:
A place there is below, from Beelzebub
As far receding as the tomb extends,
Which not by sight is known, but by the sound
Of a small rivulet, that there descendeth
Through chasm within the stone, which it has gnawed
With course that winds about and slightly falls.
The Guide and I into that hidden road
Now entered, to return to the bright world;
And without care of having any rest
We mounted up, he first and I the second,
Till I beheld through a round aperture
Some of the beauteous things that Heaven doth bear;
Thence we came forth to rebehold the stars.
/* End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Divine Comedy, Longfellow’s
Translation, Hell, by Dante Alighieri */

This, from the end of Dante’s Inferno, describes Dante’s return to the surface of the earth after passing through a “door” in the stone in the lowest part of Hell beneath the Devil’s feet. I think this provides a little context for the passage through the ground to the other side of the Earth idea that is jokingly referred to as digging a hole to China.

Here’s another example of what I think is meant by stonewall’s door and the air is sweet:

we should use those moving webcams to find the casque in GGP!  those would prove helpful!  Thanks Sonoran!
-regulus

Unknown

Unknown:
Prior to 1983, the road now called MLK Jr. Drive was named “South Drive”.

The profile looks more like Lincoln to me than JFK, which is convenient considering there is a street called Lincoln Way forming the southern border of the park.

jimerson

I believe this entrance is made of wood, not stone.

jimerson

Prior to 1983, the road now called MLK Jr. Drive was named “South Drive”.
http://www.sfgov.org/site/recpark_page.asp?id=30236
under “Park History (pdf)”.

jimerson

Did you confirm with Tea Garden management that this is really an antenna? I believe it is a decorative spire.

jimerson

I do not see the letter A in these photos. Do you mean the peaked roof resembles an A?

Hi
jimerson
.
Thank you for the welcome. And thanks for testing our theories too. You brought up good points.
Your right. That entrance is all wood and probably has no stone construction, including the fences that extend both directions from the gate. I think this is a play on words. “At stone wall’s door” is the place you stand to experience the next seven lines of the verse, the main entrance. To get to the Tea Garden main entrance if “stone” = jewel, “wall’s” = the Tea Garden wall, and “door” = entrance, then we are standing at the entrance to the wall that leads to the jewel. At stone wall’s door= At jewel’s Garden wall entrance.
Nice find! “Education” always seemed like an obvious match for the de Young Museum. But, “Justice” never seemed to be a perfect match to MLK Dr., but it was my first choice of my known theories. Thanks for catching that one.
I agree. The pagoda antenna is not really an antenna. These antennas or
finials
are Buddhism symbols found on Japanese pagodas. My theory is BP knew that the antenna was not a real one and used some latitude because it looks like an antenna. He used that latitude again in this verse when he refered to the Drum Bridge as a paddlewheel.
Some lighting seems to bring out the “A” more, interestingly it jumps out the most in black and white photos. The letter A is formed by the red and gold decorative work under the overhang.

Spiritr

I’ve been living here on 32nd and Geary for the last 24 years

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.

Spiritr

proof me wrong

Spiritr and Josh,
Addressing you both, because it’s senseless to see people go rounds while not really making a dent in the reality of things.
Josh, I understand a little better, though that’s saying I’ve seen little to convince me of anything he’s done so far as being a factual or satisfying assessment of any of these puzzles -that’s not to say he’s wrong, I’m just being opinionated here. I am really amazed and excited for Josh’s traveling to various sites, because that’s a great way to get ahead in this game and I hope he one day finds the right setup of ideas that leads to a casque.
Spiritr, hello, I haven’t much become acquainted with your ideas yet, but I noticed you are on the SF scene, and I love that you’re digging into this puzzle. I didn’t react to you’re statements as if you’re trolling, which is why I did my best to clarify my position on each point. The puzzles are difficult. Being at it for a long time, I’m more familiar with leaps of my own logic than any facts that might support any real progress, so that’s why I’m doing more in terms of laying out my idea, then supporting it with a reason.
This idea that image 1 is referring to Latin/Mexican culture is perfectly fine. I would agree except there’s something about the Yin-Yang symbol and the book’s introductory portions that outline the arrival of the dragon and it’s fair folk from East Asia. I’ve seen depictions of the Quetzalcoatl that would otherwise convince me that this puzzle dips into Latin origins, but I’m going to stick with the Litany of the Jewels poem that helps us trace the Pearl to Cathay.
Maltedfalcon and a couple other people have been known to scour the Legion of Honor area for clues. While there’s some support for that area being a justifiable outcome, there’s still very little in terms of a real strong Chicago Fence, Cleveland Wall or Montreal Legeater match. In an effort to start from scratch, I’m still casting a wide net on things like idiomatic usage in the verse and bold simplifications of the image such as the fingers pointing to 3 and 4 blocks on the sleeve, or the table being approximately the same ovalish shape as the circular pool in the Legion parking lot when viewed from the archway in front of the Thinker. I doubt many things here as well. Symbolically there’s a rose rising up over the top of that table. I prefer to think it means a garden area found up in a higher plane of elevation, but it may just as well be a reference to someone having the word ROSE in their surname. Is there a plaque or marker that mentions the daughter of Alma de Brettville Spreckles, being Alma Emma Rosekrans?
Anyway, I continue to be unsure of about the Legion of Honor area, but there has been evidence to support a plan that might derive from a biblical origin or East meets West mythological framework. Perhaps there is some kind of Latin/Mexican idea yet to be uncovered. Who knows… We keep looking for clues, right?

I wouldn’t know if the Secret has anything to do with San Francisco for certain, but it’s been a long held consideration that the casque is somewhere in SF. Reading about these major events and chapters about the impact on the Chinese immigrants was informative. It’s a history that may be something to consider.

Why is impact on Chinese immigrants be informative? I just don’t see anything related to Chinese immigrants in Verse 7
If you’re referring to image 1
Clearly it’s Mexican/Latino, wearing a dress with a Spanish dragon on it.

wtf lol was that a troll post? or are you serious? i honestly cant tell sometimes.

the earthquake (and fires) are a very important part of the puzzle.

From the LotJ, the Pearl is chaste, perfect as the silver moon. If I apply a Yin-Yang or mirror/flip methodology to the numeric value of pure silver, “999” becomes “666”. The 666 is a perfectly natural fit to the biblical Dragon/Hell. Using that as a contextual push, I am moved to consider the two art objects present in 1982 at the Legion of Honor, The Thinker and The Shades by August Rodin, as part of his Dante inspired masterwork “The Gates of Hell”.
It is the combination of items, cherry picked as they may be, which has my interest glued to the Legion of Honor:
Gates of Hell sculptures
The Thinker demonstrates perpetual ponderance as an expression of the idiom, to be at a stone wall
run into a stone wall, (to come to a barrier against further progress. We’ve run into a stone wall in our investigation. Algebra was hard for Tom, but he really ran into a stone wall with geometry.)
The Shades are a triple figure of the biblical Adam, standing at the very top of the Gates could be a good subject for the line “high posts are three” or even an object of Eve’s/Rodin’s/Twain’s attention (see Twain’s humorous Diaries of Adam/Eve).
The Spreckles plaque literaly at the door across from the Thinker, may be representative of sugar, giving rise to the “air smells sweet” because sugar is the key ingredient for Ghirradelli’s sweet smelling chocolate.
At this point, Ineven wonder if there’s not some grasp for similarity between Dante’s last name and the chocolatier.
Compare:
Dante Alighieri
D. Alighieri
Ghirradelli = d. aliGhier…having an unused “r” and missing a third “i”, a hint of anagram bait…

The track I followed is based on Verse 7 paired with Image 1 and working within the bounds of SF. The Secret describes the Pearl as belonging to the dragon from Cathay (China). I’m tuning in on the air smells sweet line as it would seem a good reference to the aromatic Ghirradelli chocolate factory, but possibly be a deeper reference to what product gives bitter chocolate it’s sweetness. The earthquake book’s note about the Spreckles Sugar Factory burning down got me thinking more about the Palace of the Legion of Honor, built/owned by the Spreckles family.
This plaque on the stone entrance just beyond the Thinker is my target,

so……..am I misinformed ….or something?
Legion of Honor ? on 34th?
so new suggestions is we should look into cemeteries now?
is this something new?
I’ve been living here on 32nd and Geary for the last 24 years and from what i recalled, it’s still a cemetery until somewhere in the early 2000 when they rebuild the road and install those fucking speed bumps.
For that new big supermarket that operated less than 2 years at the corner.
https://richmondsfblog.com/2013/10/29/halloween-special-what-or-whom-lies-beneath-the-legion-of-honor/

erexere

From the LotJ, the Pearl is chaste, perfect as the silver moon. If I apply a Yin-Yang or mirror/flip methodology to the numeric value of pure silver, “999” becomes “666”. The 666 is a perfectly natural fit to the biblical Dragon/Hell. Using that as a contextual push, I am moved to consider the two art objects present in 1982 at the Legion of Honor, The Thinker and The Shades by August Rodin, as part of his Dante inspired masterwork “The Gates of Hell”.

so, the idea was to apply the Asian Y+Y- to the Verse “silver moon” , and tried to come up with a Western Hell/Dragon solution ?
as long as it make sense to you, hey, no one can proof you wrong on this one.
but if it’s .999 then it’s imperfect, and as a proud silver collector for years, let me tell you every country product different silver, only country that use .1000 Silver was Japan, I don’t recalled any country that does .999, Mexico is .980, the US.925, where in China, .900, it’s the tradition, culture, and history.
so let’s use the Japanese silver , which is the perfect 1000 , flipped over, now we have 0001
what direction i should go now?
should I take it as….”the one” or simply we see 1 dragon on the dress?

Not to be too technical, just
fine silver
is often stamped “999”, the decimal point or % symbol are omitted.
Legion of Honor is more than a cemetery. There’s a lot of ground to cover. I don’t see enough evidence yet to truly rule out my idea-in-progress. I’m not maintaining any delusion on the matter. I’m doing only what I can to express reasons for an approach that may be logical to one standard or another. The point is to investigate at this stage, not th be persuaded to any extreme belief.

you from around the bay?

No, never been.
I’m up in Oregon.

it’s not too far

JoshCornell

wtf lol was that a troll post? or are you serious? i honestly cant tell sometimes.

proof me wrong

drunknerds

As usual, malted falcon has done the legwork for us. Pun intended, you’re welcome.
Egbert told malted Preiss seemed about 5’10”

Yeah, but how large of a step would a giant take? 7-8 feet?

gManTexas

Yeah, but how large of a step would a giant take? 7-8 feet?

Any chance that you might be thinking a little off from the meaning of giant step? It just seems so unrealistic for anyone to determine what the proper distance that a giant step requires.
Might it be something like a planter or ledge that you you could take a large step to land on? Similar to the steps you can hop in Cleveland?
Just a thought.

@Bingo, probably, but maybe we test this, if nothing, to rule it out.
I like Portals of the Past. Giant pole and step together.

That’s my pick for San Fran:
15 rows down to the ground (trees)
in the center of 21 (
)
3 stand watch (3 fountains)
As the sound of friends (music concourse)
Here are a sovereign people (homeless population here in the 80s)
Namesakes meeting (golden gate bridge)
Out of curiosity, anybody have an idea which tree it is?

The first line:  At stone wall’s door
Initially it brings us to the Thinker statue at the Palace of the Legion of Honor.  Thinker, stuck in thought, epitomizes the idea of hitting a stone wall.  Whether his “door” is the arch of the Palace or the complete art piece titled The Gates of Hell, is still uncertain.  The Three Shades, also of The Gates of Hell where they would be posted at it’s very top, were at one time standing on a tall pedastal at the end of the parking lot next to the terminus marker for the Lincoln Memorial Highway.
Final sense of the first line is to return to the idea of where or what one does when they stop to do some serious thinking.  A bench.  I believe a bench which is facing the bay and the Golden Gate Bridge is where we will find the SF casque.

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

OK… here we go..
“At stone wall’s door
The air smells sweet”
Cafe du Monde is located in Jackson Square
at 800 Peter street.  It is (has been for over
a hundred years) an al’fresco coffe and cruecent
cafe.
To link this location into the image (7) see…
http://www.sidewalkastronomy.com/sidewa … html#gotop
which ties to the moon and stars of the crescent portion of the clock.
Preservation Hall is at 700 Peter Street, less than a block away.
To further confirm the French Quarter of New Orleans, I do not
know if this has been noted, but one quarter of the clock face
is hidden by the mask. (This is reinforced by the ability to read three
corner numbers of the four corners)
“Not far away, high posts are three,
Education and Justice for all to see”
Acrosss from Audubon Park (Due West from Jackson Square)
are Loyola, Tulane Universities and Newcomb College.
(All within a small city block)  This is due west, following the
natural flow of the river.
It saids ‘not far away’ so while this is not the site for the casque,
it does motivate you to walk in that direction.
“Sounds from the sky”  Can inamge that he is referring to the
abundant balconies of the crowded street usually jammed with
partiers and bead throwers.
“Near ace is high”  Near ace is either King or Queen or Jack
(poker cards)  During the current two or three blockwalk,
across from Preservation Hall are the River Boat docks –
and specifically the dock for the ‘Creole Queen’
I assume with the proximity of the water level, the boats do
tower above the streets that hug the shore.
“Running North from first across in Jewel’s direction
Is an object of Twain’s attention”
As already discussed about the flow of the river,
I believe that this is simply a confirmer of both
the city and the choice to be walking west.
“Giant Pole”  Canal street and Decauter. (1982 site)
See my lengthy post from earlier this week.
A scant three blocks from Cafe du Monde
and within sight (I assume) of the Preservation Hall.
“Giant Step – To the Place the Casque is Kept”
wish I knew…..  from 1982.

“Giant Step – To the Place the Casque is Kept”
Simon Saids!!
It is one giant step due west from the Liberty Monument.
In the green island medium of Canal Street!
see the 1975 photo.
Construction and floods….  who knows what there is
left to find…
Any takers?

And another found change to document,
across the street towards the river from
this site WAS the Planetarium….
now its is the IMAX theater.
(next to the aquarium)

wilhouse

Stone Walls door, I know that is stonewall Thomas Jackson, but could it be referring to Jackson Square?  There are gates on either side called Jackson’s Gates.   Here’s a good site:
http://www.atneworleans.com/body/qt-jackson-square.htm
For air smells sweet, the square is right next to cafe du mond.
High posts could refer to the towers of st louis cathedral, which has three towers, across from the square.
Nearby is the Cabildo. It served as the Louisiana Supreme Court’s home.  Here’s a link:  http://lsm.crt.state.la.us/site/cabex.htm
Object of Twain’s attention would be the Mississippi River.  The riverboat is there too. That would be a good place to bury the casque, as any other place would be hard to dig at.
wilhouse

here’s some stuff we talked about a long time ago. perhaps some of it is still relevant. perhaps not…
wilhouse

Good stuff Wilhouse from a few years ago…
same starting point with similar observations
The Cabildo is where the death mask of Napoleon
is (was ?) displayed.
Moving from Cafe du Monde to the Cathedral is
traveling away from the river.
“Running North but first Across
In jewel’s direction”  this should direct
one to first travel west and then
north with Cafe du Monde as the start.
If there are four gates of square, the
‘door’ closest to Cafe du Monde would
satisfy the first two lines.
I found the Liberty Monument and worked
backwards through the directions.
I have found nothing else to qualify as
a Giant Pole.  and yes, not too many
places to bury – but as long as the the
Preservation Hall is in direct sight, the image
should be in play.
Giant Step works like ‘seven hops’ from
Cleveland.
The mainthing to remember is that the Liberty
Monumnet is not in its 1982 location today..

drom

n00b here
image 7 and verse 7 both seem to be NOLA.
Most of what I am seeing seems way more simple than most of what has been postulated on the web.
Referencing
Common Stuff:
D5/6 – Arch at entrance to Louis Armstrong Park
F5 – boy on statue at Lafayette Sq
29/90 – Lat/Long for New Orleans
Stuff I haven’t seen (or not as much)
F5 – touching circles and hour hand resemble layout of duncan plaza
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Duncan+Plaza/@29.9532274,-90.0786408,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x8620a5e05020211b:0x2896631845e7a6f7
H4 – mask resembles face statue in Elks Place – I think this used to be in a public pool or fountain but can’t find info
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/81/68/b2/8168b210c0be3949a15a4f6a31e5d44e.jpg
L8 – curves and width change on checkerboard resembles curve and width change on Basin St near park
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Duncan+Plaza/@29.9616397,-90.0703849,18z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x8620a5e05020211b:0x2896631845e7a6f7
N9 – creature face resembles open-mouth horse at Jackson Square monument
C6 – moon and stars similar to iconic water meter covers
Here’s where I think I am on to something that hasn’t been discussed as much –
I think that Verse 7 may be the NOLA verse that matches this image, and that it may be all about the Jackson Square Area.
At stone wall’s door
Entrance to Jackson Square
The air smells sweet
Jasmine on fence and gate
Not far away High posts are three
Cathedral Spire’s on St. Louis Cathedral
Education and Justice For all to see
Museum & Courthouse flanking St. Louis (in 1982)
Sounds from the sky
Calliope on Steamboat
Near ace is high
Steamboat is docked near Harrahs
Running north, but first across
River runs north here, after a W>E leg
In jewel’s direction
Jewel is toward River ?
Is an object Of Twain’s attention
the Mississippi River
Giant pole
Flag Pole
in different location in 1982
http://imgur.com/kGOFkeA
Giant step
one step away? Or reference to Moon Walk
To the place The casque is kept.

I moved Drom’s observations above, to this thread. I find it fascinating. I know we have been thinking forever that this verse goes with SF, but Drom makes some pretty good points. I really like “stone wall” referring to Andrew “Stonewall” Jackson, and “Giant step” referring to the Moon walk, which is next to Jackson Square. Granted the “ace is high” cannot refer to Harrah’s, since that was after 1981. Curious to hear what others think about this.

Andrew Jackson’s nickname wasn’t “Stonewall”. Stonewall Jackson was Thomas Jonathan Jackson, a Confederate general.

Ahhhh, thanks Frisco. Any thought that BP is still referring to Jackson?

I’ve seen stranger connections from Preiss, if some of the stronger theories for other jewels are correct. One name is probably sufficient in some cases.