After I posted about Byron Preiss’s The Secret (A Treasure Hunt), there has been much discussion about where exactly the NYC treasure might be buried. Just the other day, I received an email from a reader who thinks he knows where the treasure is buried. As a reminder, here is the verse and image associated with the NYC treasure:
In the shadow
Of the grey giant
Find the arm that
Extends over the slender path
In summer
You’ll often hear a whirring sound
Cars abound
Although the sign
Nearby
Speaks of Indies native
The natives still speak
Of him of Hard word in 3 Vols.
Take twice as many east steps as the hour
Or more
From the middle of one branch
Of the v
Look down
And see simple roots
In rhapsodic man’s soil
Or gaze north
Toward the isle of B.
And here is where the reader thinks the treasure is buried. If you look from “simple roots,” this is what you would see:
This is Battery Park. It is in the shadow of the grey giant, the World Trade Center, which was still standing in Preiss’s time. The Immigrants statue has an arm that points down a path that was once slender. There are many cars whirring in the Battery Park Underpass underneath the park. Nearby is the Alexander Hamilton US Custom House. Hamilton of course was from the Indies. The middle of one branch of the V would be the WWII Memorial. If you take twice as many east steps as the hour (22 steps) or more, you end up by a tree. North of you is the Isle of B, the Battery, which was once an island. From this place you can see many images in the picture: Lady Liberty, Ellis Island, the bird, water, and so on.
The powers that be won’t allow anyone to dig, not legally anyways. Regardless, what do you think? Is this where the treasure was buried?
He Who Wanders 
Ive given up finding the casque but can’t help but read everyone’s thoughts and solutions. I’ll add mine.
Whizzing….FDR drive and cars driving by or the heliport
Grey building….not twin towers but The American Civil Liberties Building ( next to TRS Building On Water Street.
If you look at ports in Brooklyn that are opposite this part of manhattan, the feathers on the bird resemble the layout of the piers.
Id guess the casque is in what is now the Vietnam Memorial Park ( built 1985). Not sure if trees that are there now are original….but they could, and if you can guess where to stand among them and find the V……who knows?
I’m sure it’s illegal to go digging there.
All the other clues point to manhattan and Brooklyn in general so I’m sure this verse is for NY.
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Are you sure the grey giant is World Trade Center… because the book was published in 1982 and the there were twins tower at that time, there in New york, but after 9/11 it was reconstructed…So how do we know if it’s there? Maybe we should look in the past again, when there were twins towers, what you think? I don’t know a lot, but I believe, the grey giant is not World Trade Center.
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I agree with you. Now I am new to this but a simple google maps search of some of the key text led me to believe it’s prospect Park as well. Just look at the Google map view of the area to confirm. Now it would be where is the casque? The grey giant i believe is the empire state building which on the map can be seen from prospect Park. Remember these clues had to be simple enough for a teen to figure out. I am disabled and therefore cant try this out for myself also I live in Alabama. However if someone from the city would like to collaborate I would be more than willing.
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Definition of insanity; Digging the same place for 38 years and expecting this time to find a casque. Image 12 Verse 9 is in Burlington, Vermont. Image 2 Verse 10 is in Staten Island
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hello, ive been on and off looking into the hunt and haven’t found anyone comment as recent as you. would you like to exchange ideas sometime? i like your theory about Vermont and am intrigued by the possibility because I live in NH
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Hi! This is what I have on Image 12 Verse 9
The casque for Image 12 Verse 9 can not be retrieved.
A two to five-foot environmental cap has been placed over it. Vermont State and Local laws do not permit the damage of public parks. Digging up the grass at a public park could get you a prison sentence and/or thousands of dollars in fines.
CRAZY!
I believe the casque for Image 12 Verse 9 was buried in Waterfront Park and Battery Park in Burlington, Vermont,
Verse 9
The first chapter
Written in water
Lake Champlain’s the Battle of Plattsburgh
Near men
With wind rose
Lake Champlain Navy Memorial
Behind bending branches
And a green picket fence
Trees and fence along Island line trail
At the base of a tall tree
You can still hear the honking
Trees by the fence / Lake Street Parking Lot
Shell, limestone, silver, salt
Lake Champlain tri-color snail; area limestone, silver & salt deposits
Stars move by day
Sails pass by night
Reversed Stars pass by night & Sails (sailboats) move by day
Even in darkness
Like moonlight in teardrops
Teardrop roundabouts on College Street
Over the tall grass
Years pass, rain falls.
Image 12
Reverse the image; the bottom of Vily, Russian Winter Fairy’s dress matches the south end of Waterfront Park Three teardrops are three street lights that form a triangle. The monument honoring the battery that repealed the British invasion during the War of 1812, at the south end of Waterfront Park is represented by the gem.
Casque location
Go north from Battery monument, halfway between the two legs of the triangle extending from streetlamp north of the Historical Trolly Tours building to the two streetlamps at the south end of Waterfront Park is where I believe the casque is buried.
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Image 12 is matched with verse 9 not verse 11 and is buried in Waterfront Park and Battery Park in Burlington, Vermont not the waterfront park in NYC called Battery Park. Verse 11 is matched with image 2 and is buried in the outfield of Staten Island Yankees ballpark on Staten Island, NY.
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I doubt any of that is correct. The Staten Island ballpark didn’t even break ground until 2000.
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It was only a redo of the stands in 2020. The ball field has been there since 1886 and before that, it was a Cricket pitch. The New York Metropolitans of the American Association played at the St. George Grounds in 1886–1887 and the New York Giants played there while awaiting the construction of the second Polo Grounds.
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On Facebook, join “The Secret: A Treasure Hunt New York City”.
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Does anyone have thoughts on “The natives speak Of him of Hard word in 3 vols.”?
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Did you read the possible solution here: https://andrewlaydenegg.com/2019/11/06/the-secret-another-solution/
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Thank you. I’ll check that out 🙂
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Thanks! By chance, do you have a link to Frank “Cheech” Leone’s solution to painting 12??
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I’ve read it, but didn’t save the link.
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I think rhapsodic man soil is you, the person will be rhapsodic when they find it
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Yup ! Peter minuet
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Refers to Alexander Hamilton / Alexander Hamilton Ave that starts at the entrance to the ballpark the casque is buried in. Image 2 Verse 10 Image 12 Verse 9 is in Burlington, Vermont
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Hamilton fought in the battle of Brooklyn..which took place on the ground that is now prospect Park…it has to be right
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I think this phrase refers specifically to the plaque at Old Glory lookout, aka George Dewey’s lookout. The sign misspells a foreign word/place Manila as Manilla. “erected by the citizens and school children of Bay Ridge and Fort Hamilton September 28th, 1899 in honor of the homecoming of Admiral George Dewey, USN, after his victory in Manilla [sic] Bay, May 1st, 1898.” The painting appears to have the same geo coords in the water that match here, and there are 3 eyeball/dew drops (volumes) looking up at the statue of liberty.
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Could isle of B men Blackwell island?
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B is the Bayonne Peninsula
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The immigrant statue wasn’t place there until after the book was published
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From what I read, it was there when Preiss was there. However, it was not officially finished until the year after. Even so, that could still be an issue. You’re right
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Hey thanks for replying!! So in the research that I’ve done it didn’t get dedicated and placed until 1983, the sculptors family had to fight to get it out there because of his death
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Ahh really? It was my understand that it was already placed there, but not dedicated until 1983. Perhaps I’m wrong. Fair enough
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