The Secret: A Treasure Hunt by Byron Preiss is one of the most famous treasure hunts out there. As a resident of New York, I’ve always been interested with Image 12 and Verse 10, which are thought to be in NYC. If you don’t know much about it, check it out here. I released a possible solution to the NY casque before, but I received another great solution by a man named George. I think his solution should get some consideration, so I’m going to show it to you guys. Along the way, I’ll offer a little of my own opinion. Let me know what you guys think in the comments.
I think we all agree it’s in NYC. But George think it is specifically Brooklyn. Co-authors Kelly and Mann are from Montreal, believed to be a casque location. JJP was born 20 minutes from the Cleveland find. Byron Preiss was born in Brooklyn. So Brooklyn makes sense.
Other reasons we know it is in NYC: the bird has an eagle face identical to the eagle in Ellis Island and the body of a gull. Ellis Island was originally called Gull Island. Also, George believes the orthodox church in the image refers to Brooklyn being called “The Borough of Churches.” I think the orthodox church is just another reference to Ellis Island since it looks exactly like it. However, the waves, he says may refer to the neighborhood Bay Ridge in Brooklyn, where he thinks the casque is.
According to this solution, the grey giant is actually the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge. The arched shape of the image actually resembles the bridge.
The arm is the bridge deck and the slender path is The Narrows. Meanwhile, George thinks the whirring is from the flap of bird wings. In his solution, there are a bunch of birds around. I think it could just as easily be cars, which are “abound.” But that’s not too important.
The sign nearby speaks of Indies native Alexander Hamilton. I think most of us agree with that. However, it is his opinion this specifically refers to the Fort Hamilton Library. This also refers to the line about 3 Vols. Fort Hamilton Library is made of 3 words. Word and volumes are of course associated with libraries. I think also the fact that volumes is abbreviated Vols. could be a reference to the fact that Fort Hamilton can be abbreviated Ft. Hamilton.
The walking part is straightforward. The branch in the text refers to the library. If you walk from the entrance of the library, there is a small plot of grass and shrubs as part of the Ft. Hamilton Triangle Park. The park is also called Pigeon Park, thus the whirring of bird wings.
What tricks a lot of people is the rhapsodic man and simple roots. In the vestibule of the library is a placard, which talks about Mrs. Gelstin of Shore Road, who with a capital of faith and 5 dollars, donated a collection of books to open the Fort Hamilton Free Library. Simple roots. I think it could refer to that, but also to a tree or bush, where the casque literally is.
As for the rhapsodic man, in 1901, the Ft. Hamilton Library became one of Brooklyn’s first Carnegie Libraries. Carnegie Hall is a famous place for music, so that’s rhapsodic man’s soil. But I really don’t know about this one? This line has always been a mystery to me. It could be Carnegie, but I feel like it’s a little bit of a stretch. But hey. What do I know?
Finally, the Isle of B is Bedloe Island, the former name of Liberty Island.
More clues can be found from the image. The reddish rectangle framed in gray resembles the main entrance of the Ft. Hamilton Library. In 1980, the door was reddish with a limestone door. I know all doors have the shape, but the coloring is pretty particular.
What’s more the 3 drops of water by the woman’s robe in the image may represent the 2 acorn shape lights by the library and the streetlight by the curb. The jewel is the casque. If you go to the casque site, the lights match the angle and perspective of the water droplets.
So what do you guys think? I believe everything in the image is supposed to be visible from the dig site. Since I don’t think you can see Lady Liberty or Ellis Island from the dig site, I hold a little suspicion. But in my opinion, there are a lot of interesting points in this solve.
He Who Wanders 
Happy 167th anniversary of the naming of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, New York!
The Secret, by Byron Preiss
verse 10/image 12
K.I.S.S. reveal
George C Manning
How I read verse 10…
In the shadow of the grey giant (Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge)
find the arm (bridge deck) that extends over the slender path (The Narrows).
In summer you’ll often hear a whirring sound (Pigeon Park),
cars abound (intersection of 95th Street and 4th Avenue).
Although the sign nearby speaks of indies native, the natives (Native New Yorkers) still speak of him of hard word in 3 vols
(Fort Hamilton Library).
Take twice as many east steps as the hour (22), or more (several), from the middle of one branch (Fort Hamilton Library) of the v (vestibule). Look down.
And see simple roots (Gelston Fort Hamilton Free Library) in rhapsodic man’s soil (Carnegie), or gaze north toward the isle of b (island of birds).
My interpretation of BP’s wordplay…
‘Grey giant’ is the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge. ‘Grey’ because that’s how Canadian co-authors Kelly and Mann spell ‘gray’.
‘The arm that extends over the slender path’ is the bridge deck that extends over The Narrows, the tidal strait separating Brooklyn from Staten Island.
‘In summer you’ll often hear a whirring sound, cars abound’ is Fort Hamilton Triangle Park. Unofficially named Pigeon Park by the locals because of the expansive number of pigeons that live there. In summer when the babies leave their nests, they are fully feathered and the same size as adults. The ‘whirring sound’ is the sound that their wings make. ‘Cars abound’ because Fort Hamilton Triangle Park is basically a traffic Island between 4th and 5th Avenue, two extremely busy roads.
‘Indies native’, ‘hard word’, 3 vols’, ‘branch’, ‘simple roots in rhapsodic man’s soil’ (more on this later), also perhaps the image of a lion in the woman’s robe (universal symbol of library to every ‘Native’ New Yorker) is the Fort Hamilton Library (1- Fort, 2-Hamilton, 3 vols-Library).
‘Twice as many east steps as the hour’ is 22 steps, ‘or more’ is several.
‘The middle of one branch of the v’ is the middle of the library (branch) where there is a vestibule (v). This is important because there is a placard on the wall in this vestibule which I will discuss later.
‘Simple roots in rhapsodic man’s soil’ is what’s written on that placard.
‘The isle of b’ is the island of birds.
In 1981, Fort Hamilton Triangle/ Pigeon Park was basically a traffic Island paved entirely with cobblestones and covered, often literally inch by inch with birds. A Native New Yorker calls a traffic island, an ‘island’.
Furthermore, image 12 leads me to the exact same locations.
Let me explain…
Combined with JJP’s image 12…
The bird represents Ellis Island. Image 12’s bird’s head is a match with the eagles on the Ellis Island ferry terminal, however it has the body of a seagull. Ellis Island’s original name was “Kioshk” or Gull Island when it was purchased from the local Indian tribes.
The most obvious, the Statue of Liberty. Notice the hairline, it’s a match to the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge. Also the arched shape of the picture is a match to the Verrazzano Bridge tower.
So, Ellis Island to the Statue of Liberty to the Verrazzano Bridge.
I believe image 12’s church represents Brooklyn by its nickname, ‘The Borough of Churches’, and that the crashing waves represent the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bay Ridge.
In my theory, verse and image lead me down a short path only several blocks long. I begin at the Verrazzano Bridge at the end of 4th Avenue. I continue walking down 4th Avenue because the woman in image 12 is showing 4 fingers on her free hand.
I stop at The Roman Catholic Church of St. Patrick on 95th Street.
I realize this is not a Russian Orthodox Church like the one in image 12, however…
Perhaps the church in image 12 is a clever disguise. Instead of focusing on the architecture of the church’s exterior, I focus on the interior. After all, studying stained glass windows can’t be done from outside, it has to be done from the inside with the light shining through.
Inside the RC Church of St. Patrick I’m IMMEDIATELY struck by a blue bordered arch on the wall, the exact same shape as image 12.
In the center of the arch is a statue of Mother Mary in a comparable robe, and in almost the identical pose as the woman in image 12.
I’m further struck by the stained glass windows above her surrounding the church. The windows are not only the exact same shape as image 12, they also have dots/circles in the exact upper portion of the rounded arch, furthermore, those dots/circles are the exact same colors as they are in image 12.
What if artist John Jude Palencar used HIS archetype church, Saint Theodosius Orthodox Church, in his hometown of Ohio to represent the RC Church of St. Patrick in image 12? Visually, it’s a perfect match. And if he did, perhaps he drew upon the archetypes, symbols, shapes, and colors inside the RC Church of St. Patrick to create a large part of image 12. Perhaps Palencar’s secret within The Secret?
Exiting the church, I cross 4th Avenue to The Fort Hamilton Library (‘sign nearby’). The entrance door is a reddish brown with a limestone door surround that is a spot on match to the reddish rectangle framed in gray in image 12.
Through this door and inside the vestibule is a placard that reads…
‘In the 1880’s Mrs. Gelstin of Shore Road, with a capital of faith and 5 dollars, donated a collection of books to open the Fort Hamilton Free Library. In 1901 it became a branch of the Brooklyn Public Library, and in 1905 with a 1.6 million dollar gift from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, moves to its new building. Fort Hamilton Library became one of Brooklyn’s first ‘Carnegie Libraries’.
Carnegie is probably best known for Carnegie Hall, one of the most prestigious venues in the The world of music.
Bingo! Simple roots in rhapsodic man’s soil.
From the middle of the library’s vestibule (middle of one branch of the v) I cross east on 4th Avenue. It’s EXACTLY 22 steps from curb to curb (twice as many east steps as the hour). I’m at Fort Hamilton Triangle/ Pigeon Park. Here there is an eagle-topped obelisk dedicated to local soldiers killed in World War I.
In summer you’ll often hear a whirring sound from the residents wings and cars abound from the busy traffic of 4th and 5th avenues. This small triangle park is similar to the shape of image 12’s woman.
Or more…Two or three steps from here I’m standing at an oval planter of grass and shrubs at the southern tip of the park.
The last line of verse 10 is the confirmer that This is my dig spot.
‘And see simple roots in rhapsodic man’s soil’ is telling me to look at the library from where I’m standing.
Looking at the library from here, I see 2 acorn shaped lights on each side of the door and an ornate streetlight at the curb. It’s a perfect match for image 12’s 3 ‘water droplets’, especially at night when they’re lit. Following the same optic, image 12’s ‘faceted jewel’ is literally IN the oval planter where I’m standing, representing the location of the casque. The angle and perspective are spot on.
Furthermore, if I ‘gaze north’ from this location, I’m looking directly at Fort Hamilton Triangle/ Pigeon Park (the traffic island paved in cobblestones and covered with birds), or ‘the isle of b’irds.
This oval bordered planter is my dig spot.
Combined with number play…
Looking at at image 12 , I’ve always been bothered by the asymmetry of the birds wings and the 5 panels over the 4 panels in the top of the arch.
The top of the birds right wing strikes me as unusual.
The border on the top of the arch doesn’t continue through it and there is an interruption of the border between the two wings.
The bottom border of the purple panel, the same, however, there is shading where the border would have been, almost creating a line.
The top of the right wing has detailed feathers where the left wing does not.
The effect is that the top of the right wing is isolated. Why?
I count 9 distinct feathers on the right wing.
This is over 5 distinct panels. Why 5?
Below those are 4 distinct panels. Why 4?
9,5 and 4??
So, where would Byron Preiss burry a treasure?..
I say, in my oval planter staring directly at a historic Brooklyn Library with the Verrazzano Bridge looming in the background, a location where ALL the features of image 12 are represented.
The church, with the statue of a robed Mother Mary framed in an arch, the arched stained glass windows with the exact same colorful dots.
The Fort Hamilton Library, with its rectangular red door and limestone door surround, with two lights, one on each side and the ornate streetlight at the curb.
Fort Hamilton Triangle/ Pigeon Park, with its eagle topped obelisk, and its famous ‘Welcome To Bay Ridge’ sign posted in the oval bordered planter, my dig spot.
All of these things are at one location…
95th Street and 4th Avenue, or as a Native New Yorker, like Byron Preiss would say…
9,5 and 4.
Respect ALL laws associated with The Secret.
– [ ]
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I have a solution for the New Orleans treasure, but dont know how to recover it. I can account for every line in the verse, and everything in the painting. It is buried at the base of the statute of winter in Jackson square park
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Hello everyone. This is the first time I have participated in a message board of any sort, but I went to the Ft. Hamilton library a few days ago, and I thought it might be interesting to report my findings. Having walked the site of Ft. Hamilton Library (which actually has “Ft. Hamilton Branch” written directly above the entrance) and the Ft. Hamilton Triangle (a.k.a. “Pigeon Park”) across the street, I think that George’s theory may be correct, and I wanted to fill in a few details that may or may not be compelling. I took a few pictures, but alas, I am not quite sure how to upload them to this post.
The door to the Ft. Hamilton Triangle was locked when I went, so I was only able to peek over the low fence. The park as a whole is indeed in the shape of a V, in the shadow of the gray Verrazano Bridge, and cars definitely abound as it is surrounded by roads on three sides.
I walked across the street and it is indeed twenty-two large steps (“or more”) from the library.
The triangle is directly east of the library, and I know this because — I’m not sure if this has yet been mentioned anywhere — there is a simple compass built into the ground in the middle of the park. In addition to establishing where the park sits in relation to the library, this simple compass invites you to stand on it and look north or any other direction you’d like, if you were so inclined.
There is a bird that is very similar to the one depicted in Image 12 that sits atop a war monument in the center of the park. In addition, an image of this bird, along with the label “Fort Hamilton Triangle,” is embossed on a plate outside the gates of the park.
The door depicted in Image 12 may either refer to the door of Ft. Hamilton Library across the street, but it may also refer to the plaques honoring the WWI dead that are built into the monument. The colors are very similar — a gray border with a dark rectangle inside. No red perimeter though.
As for “simple roots,” there is a tree in the northwestern corner of the park that is quite conspicuous. I looked at its base to determine if I could see roots, but I couldn’t. Perhaps the roots were more visible decades ago, or perhaps it doesn’t matter if the roots are visible at all because we get the point. If you asked me where I believed the treasure was buried in the triangle, I would say this tree, which also seems to line up well with the idea of walking east twenty-two steps (“or more”) from the library to locate the dig spot.
I’ll end with a couple of random thoughts:
Ft. Hamilton Triangle sits directly on the border of Bay Ridge, and actually has a “Welcome to Bay Ridge” sign in front of it at its southern end. Apparently, this is the southernmost welcome sign in the neighborhood. I wonder if the solution to the “Isle of B” clue is more simple than the standard Bedloe’s Island idea, and is simply saying, hey, check it out, Bay Ridge is right there, directly north, as indicated by the compass literally under your feet.
As for “3 Vols.” — perhaps this refers to the volunteers of WWI that the park honors. Pure speculation.
Most importantly — if you’re reading this Josh Gates, you are my special guy.
C
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And on the first day of the new time change, comes the time for new change, and getting this NYC buried casque out of the ground is the new change we are all craving. I wish you all well in trying to find this NYC buried casque, and say to you all –
Look for that V near the base of the arm
And 22 steps east later you will be more than just warm
Then Look Down slowly so you will not miss
The digging spot under manicured bricks
Where you can look north to see the isle of B.
Whose man’s soil grows simple roots, as you can see
As well as the grey giant, and an old rusty sign
That shows the Hard word and the “him” right behind
With summer whirring and cars blurring also there
So when you discover, and if you dare
To uncover this treasure under stone, in cold soil
You will need to dig quickly, with purpose & toil
But the reward will be something that you will reveal
Is the answer to this puzzle, that this treasure is real
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I’m listening. I’m unsure about manicured bricks. I went to the library yesterday and have a good idea where to dig. Could you share more?
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This buried casque is no where near a library. If you want to go dig a hole here in NYC, I would suggest you re-think your approach to the clues. Please note that this casque was buried back in 1981, so there has been some work done at this spot that has turned this spot into a more clean & modern looking spot then when Byron buried this in 1981.
One thing I can point out is reading the last 4 lines of the verse correctly from a grammatical standpoint – re-read what I wrote to see if you can figure this out. Gershwin has nothing to do with these clues, and if you read the grammar correctly, you will see what I mean by this.
Good luck with your hunt !!
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How do you know all of this? For simple roots I thought that might be a mathematical pun to mean “squares” or something like squares on the ground. ‘rhapsodic mans’ grammatically would be something like excited men (plural) or there’s also the Queens guess but you’re saying it’s not in NYC? I’m not from there, what is technically NYC and what isn’t?
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You have your apostrophe in the wrong place Ryan – it is man’s, not mans’. Check all of the grammar on the last 4 lines of the verse – this will tell you exactly what is being asked at this point in the verse from the book.
Look at a map on your NYC question – New York City consists of 5 boroughs. And I did not say this casque is not buried in NYC, I said it was not buried near a library, as Pam thought it was. It is in NYC.
Keep up the hunt Ryan, and have fun doing it !!
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“If you want to go dig a hole here in NYC, I would suggest you re-think your approach to the clues.” Sorry, I mistook this as you meaning it was incorrect to want to dig in NYC. Thanks for the heads up on the apostrophe; it turns out I was working with a bad copy of the verse and not the real McCoy.
“Where you can look north to see the isle of B.
Whose man’s soil grows simple roots, as you can see”
Are you saying the isle of B’s man’s soil grows simple roots? I was under the impression that the dig spot (Look Down) is where the rhapsodic man’s soil growing simple roots was and that you could look North to see the Isle of B. Can you clarify this please? Thanks.
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Read the last 4 lines of the book verse –
And see simple roots
In rhapsodic man’s soil
Or gaze north
Toward the isle of B.
If you see the grammar here, you will see the most important word in this clue (not clues) is “OR”.
This one little word melds these 4 lines into one clue, the way that Byron wants us to understand this clue.
Let me know if you now understand what Byron is saying here in the verse.
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Initially I took it to mean that from the middle of one branch of the V, you take 22 steps East (whatever that is) and you could look down at the ground to see simple roots in rhapsodic man’s soil OR you could gaze (look) North to the Isle of B.
After re-reading it with your input I guess I could also interpret it as on one branch of the V you look down and see simple roots in rhapsodic soil. on the OTHER branch of the V you would end up gazing north to the isle of B. So that OR isn’t referring to what you can see from the dig spot, but what you see depending on which branch of the V you take. Which would make sense if one branch sent you up say Shore Rd and the other towards McKinley park or any of the other streets that would make a V with Shore Rd. In either case it’s hard to figure out at what point you take the 22 steps East from.
Coincidentally I’m interested in McKinley park because it’s 22 streets up Fort Hamilton Pkwy and that’s also 74th street. I think there is a 74 in the water of image 10, but it’s hard to tell. I just wouldn’t have a clue from there. Go look for squares in the ground to dig up? lol.
Anyway if there was a different interpretation to your OR then I don’t think I caught it.
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image 12*
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When Byron uses “OR:, he is saying that each set of 2 lines represents the same thing.
The “Look Down” clue has no connection to the last 4 lines. Byron is just saying “Look Down”, meaning you are on the spot to dig. If Byron was using correct punctuation, he would have put a period after “Look Down.”
And see simple roots
In rhapsodic man’s soil
OR gaze north
Toward the isle of B.
Take away the OR, reverse the 2 sets of lines, and find the true meaning of what Byron wants us to read.
As for that whole V thought process you wrote about, all I can say is that 22 steps east is spot on from the middle section of one branch of the V – just as Byron implies in the verse. Which means that the V isn’t really as big as you think it is in your solution as shown on your last post.
The 74 in the water is just the longitude of NYC, and is not a clue to help you find the dig spot, just the city the painting refers to.
And if you find this spot, you won’t dig up squares – they will be rectangles, or bricks at this time – which were not there when Byron buried this casque.
Hope I helped you out on this. Good luck in your hunt !!
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If I may ask, how is it that you know where it is and haven’t dug it up yourself? How do you know what Byron meant?
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I’m fairly certain that I have the location now, although the specific V is a bit fuzzy as you can mistake many things for a V. I would want to walk around the area to narrow it down. Anyway the site is in Manhattan not far from Central Park and I don’t think anyone could dig there without getting arrested as there’s just no cover. I guess I’ll just sit and wait for someone to dig it up to confirm. I get the rhapsodic man’s (3 volumes) soil now obviously with the indie native (not really) nearby. Thanks for all the help 🙂
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Glad I could help you out Ryan – Happy Hunting !!
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So I’ve been pouring over the verse and image like a madman this last week trying to nail down my location and I keep waffling back and forth between two places very close to each other. Each fits the clues and images fairly well, but neither seems to fit them exactly. I’ve got a good guess on what the colored dots and bird mean and it fits both my spots depending on how I interpret it (the print quality is not great). And the fact that so much has changed in the last 40 years doesn’t help. Do you have any more hints you’d be willing to divulge?
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Based upon your earlier post saying you thought the spot was near Central Park, and now saying you have 2 solutions close to each other, I would say based upon what you have found, the only thing left is to get out and walk around to see the clues come to life in front of your eyes. If you have not done this yet, you will never know if either of your solutions is something to build on.
As you probably have also seen thru searching for things on the web, there are maybe dozens, if not hundreds of points of view on where the NYC casque is buried from other people, and if you feel like maybe no one else has your specific view on the clues as you interpret them, then continue with your search. I will say that my solution seems spot on (if you have also noticed, all of us NY’ers think we all have the correct solution to this buried casque – lol), and I at first could not believe that I was the first person in almost 40 years to come up with my solution, but it sure seems like that may be the case. Does that make me a genius interpreter, or maybe just another crazy know-it-all NY’er ??
Not sure, but I will say this – the painting panels at the top are a map of where you should geographically be when you start your walk thru the clues, and if you figure this out, you will find the slender path is the exact spot that you see it as it shows in the painting. Once you find the slender path, all the other clues will fall right into place and are all within eye-sight of the buried casque spot. Again, this is my solve on this puzzle, and I am not sure if this insight will help you out, but just remember, this book was made with both kids and adults in mind, so the clues are much simpler to interpret than it seems everyone seems to be aiming for. NY’ers might be know-it-alls, but this casque is still buried somewhere here in the 5 boroughs, so how much do we really all know ??
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Yeah, I had figured out the top panels were putting you at a starting point. From the “map” I got a line between two points so it’s not an exact spot; however, that line crosses directly over one of my potential spots. So geographically it gives me a place to start, but who knows if I’m interpreting it correctly. Did your interpretation give you an exact spot? The way I interpreted it might be too difficult for a kid to work out so maybe I should go back and look for something simpler. Coincidentally one of my spots does have rectangular tiles over the dig spot like you said. I’m about 4-5 hours drive from NYC unfortunately but I’m eager to get out and scope my potential spots, but I’ll probably wait a bit for COVID to continue dying down (hopefully). I really do need to get feet on the ground as I can only do so much from streetviews and old maps, haha.
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You are correct – no way you are really going to be able to solve anything definitively without doing a physical, on the ground walk-through of your solution.
Also remember, Byron did this in 1981 – there was no internet, google maps, etc – for him to use. You might be able to get a general starting spot using online research, but unless you walk thru what you found – which is exactly what Byron had to do – you are just going to drive yourself crazy trying to get anything solid, not being able to walk around and see your clues in your own eyes.
Keep hunting as best as you can, and when NYC gets over the COVID-19 curve (which is a big part why I have not found the best time to go dig this cask up yet), come visit NYC and walk thru your interpretation – which is exactly what Byron wanted everyone to do. Finding the real treasure – the buried casque – was only part of the riches you will find in your hunt for it’s location. Happy hunting !!
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You’re quite correct about the real treasure. I’ve learned far more about the geography and history of NYC in the last two weeks than I’ve accrued throughout my life. I actually know where the ESB and Chrysler buildings are now, lol. I kind of want to go sightseeing to all of these places now that I’ve researched them.
Personally I don’t have much interest in digging up the NYC cask. Seems like way too much trouble. For me solving the puzzle is what gives me my rush. As long as someone digs it up and it’s near my spot I’ll be happy. One I may actually try for is the Montreal cask. I’ve been playing around with that one when I need a break from this one. I have a couple ideas there. I’m wondering if the Canadians would go easier on arresting me than the NYPD would, haha. Thanks for your help, Euey, and if you want to stay in touch or let me know how your dig and potential arrest (lol) go feel free to reach out. Again, thanks for the help. email is *K* between my first and last at gmail.
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Hi Ryan, my name is Linda and I also have been working on this treasure hunt, I have come up with a few different ideas, thought I would share and see what you think. I got some hints from the Japanese man who had actually got hints from Byron Preiss himself. I will add link at the end of this message.
Line 6: whirring sound, Byron says it is something that needs the power of humans to run.
I think either helicopters or the ferries
Line 12: Of him of Hard word in 3 vols, Byron says you must play with words and the start is chicken. Eventually, you will end up at the name of the person who is referred to by him.
This one drove me crazy for a while but I think it is Henry Hudson, if you look him up in wikipedia you will see in the small profile on the right hand side of page, Henderick is Dutch for Henry, and the name Henderick has every letter of the word chicken in it.
Line 19: rhapsodic man’s soil, Byron says; Rhapsodic man is man of epics, from the the rhapsodic, think of a famous song then you will know that the rhapsodic man is the man that wrote that song.
Every one automatically thinks of the song “Rhapsody in Blue” by George Gershin, but he is not an immigrant, he was born in Brooklyn, and the whole book is based on immigrants.
I think the rhapsotic man is Irving Berlin and the song is “God Bless America” he was an immigrant, and being brought to New York as a child he lived and died in Manhatten. Rhapsodic man’s soil ? I think so !
I have a lot more thoughts on the rest of lines of verse but I will start with these for now.
Please let me know your thoughts after reading this.
Below is the link to the Japanese hints
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Hi Ryan!
Thank you so much for contributing to this post, my roommate and I recently got into the Secret Treasure so we’re still kind of new to all this. I was curious now that COVID has calmed down (just a little bit) if you’ve gotten a chance to go check out your site! We live in the city so all of this stuff is really fascinating to us lol.
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Sorry to pop in on the discussion so late – I am curious about the colorful tiles in the arch – does that play into your solution? I’m a Canadian so not exploring for me, but I’ve been following this for 15 years
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Hey divekick, the whole top portion of the painting with the panels is a map showing where you need to be to start, so you can find all of the items mentioned in the verse. There are clues within the polka-dot panels and the bird, and the one maroon and two beige panels are just there as filler and have no real meaning. They are probably just red-herring clues to throw you off. The small strip going from left to right at the bottom of the panels is referring to the “slender path”, and the panel showing the grey rectangle outlined in red is a visual that you can see from this starting point. There is no way you would be able to find this starting spot with google earth, and you would need to be physically in NYC on the ground to be able to see how this part of the painting shows this mapping, so trying to go more into details here would be a lost cause trying to translate that to you.
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I figured as much in regards to being in New York, Thanks for taking the time to reply. I love watching the layers unfold, even if I get limited participation.
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Are the polka dots linked to either constellation maps, or say an old subway map? The polka dots have always driven me nuts
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No. All you need to see on these polka dot panels is contained within those three panels. I know there have been a number of interpretations on what these three dotted panels represent, but the two outer panels – red & dark blue – do not portray the mapping info to the solver the same way the light blue dotted panel does. However, all three dotted panels show what they need to know with regards to the starting location of the buried casque treasure hunt, and once you see what they are saying, you will see it is as simple as 1,2,3 !! Please also note that the bird also ties into the info that the three dotted panels are showing you.
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Euey, I’ve gotten a lot out of your posts and I’d like to thank you very much for that. I’m still confused as to why you would want to dig in the cold ground vice the hot ground. Do you believe the red around the object means “it’s not buried here”? I’m pretty confident in the location to within 100 feet and believe that the NYC casque will not be retrieved any time soon (for various reasons).
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Hey Bill, not sure I totally understand your posting and what you are exactly asking me on this, but the info I have gathered over the past year or so with regards to where I think the buried casque is, if this casque is still there in the spot – the place I believe it is buried has been somewhat been updated on the surface – it is kinda available to be dug up with some good timing and some good luck that no one could interfere while trying to dig this buried casque up. If I do have a chance to dig this up, the soil will be cold, since the casque could be 3 feet or more underground at this time, and this being winter in NYC, the soil will be that much colder. Happy hunting Bill !!
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I’m not sure we are thinking the same place since the renovations did not have bricks. There are two v’s around where this was buried and Preiss knew this and deliberately had Palencar draw certain features to confuse the searchers. However, I think the red outline is saying do not dig at one of the v’s. I know I’m in the right place because I went there last week and someone else showed up looking for the treasure… could not believe that happened.
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Is it possible to inconspicuously poke into the soil with something?
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I believe you’re the first person I’ve seen who’s said they definitely know where the NYC casque is after figuring out all the clues. Hope you’re right. Would be great to finally see it found. But is retrieval even possible if it’s all been bricked over?
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Image 12 Verse 9
Waterfront Park / Battery Park, Burlington, Vermont
Image 2 Verse 10
Richmond County Bank Ballpark, Staten Island, NY
In summer
You’ll often hear a whirring sound
Ground keeper mowing the ballfield
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These solutions seem plausible, but the fact that all the clues cannot be seen from the proposed site is telling. My solution ( my daughters too) on this blog takes into account all the images and verses, even the colorful mosaic panels in the painting. It’s a fact that this puzzle is all about immigration, and the Battery is where it all took place prior to Ellis is.. From Battery Park the clock tower, minerats, eagle, et al can be seen from my proposed site. (There have been some changes in the40 years or so since the treasure was buried). Also the “ twice as many steps” clue works perfectly with the eagle statue in the park. Alas , it’s NYC, so only a Josh Gates or someone similar could cut the miles of red tape surrounding any dig attempt. CHEECH
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Please write a letter to Josh Gates and see if he can get you permission to dig. We all want to know and then celebrate if your right !!!
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Haha you’re right. We need someone big like Josh Gates to help us dig. The city probably won’t let one of us dig
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