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Treasure In Search Of The Golden Horse
For those who participated in the puzzle :In Search of the Golden Horse Treasure" by Dr. Crypton Posts made here not specifically pertaining to Treasure will be deleted!
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Robert Wealleans
IP: 68.4.50.37 Jul 8, 08 - 10:56 PM |
Some things you should know about Treasure
I participated in the Treasure contest from 1984 to 1989. I also knew Tony Catenada, a DA and fellow attorney. We actually collaborated for a while in the contest. After the contest was over, I spoke by telephone to Sheldon Renan who produced the video and told him that Tony & Nick (Captain Nemo) had uncovered a word "festoon" using the cipher symbols of Mary Queen of Scots. Mr. Renan said "Hold on to that word!". Tony asked me what I thought it should signify. I explained to him that the first seven numbers on the rabbit card had the same symbol which indicated a seven letter word and perhaps "festoon" was that word. Taking that bit of advice, Tony & Nick found the other three words of which each word length was determined or confirmed by the similar symbols surrounding the numbers. Considering all of this and the actual solution about Route 24, that solution is 100% accurate. Tony and Nick did find the box at the Tennessee Pass site and Sheldon Renan told me they had deliberately reburied the box so that some future solver could find it. I've seen the tree at the Pass in 1990 and it matches the tree figure on the map and it is precisely where it should be from the monument (23 degrees from South--license plates on car in video)and 100 paces. An interesting side note to this puzzle is the fact that Tony's friend, another DA, who also "wasted" five years looking actually flew out to Philadelphia and purchased the golden horse from the charity for cash because he wanted the satisfaction of having the golden horse as a souvenir. Yes, it was very unsatisfying that a complete solution was never published. They lost so much money doing this treasure hunt. You would think that Paul Hoffman would have relented after so many years and let us know how he structured it all. The puzzle was obviously too difficult. Those ciphers while genuine are too obscure for the general public and it is too bad that the contest did not last for 7 years or more because Tony & Nick would have gotten it. Did you know that Tony & nick solved "The Last Bag of Silver" worth $25,000? They did and dug it up in a campground after solving a very elaborate puzzle. But, after all that, I'd relish another big treasure puzzle to come along. It was a lot of fun despite the frustration. I love puzzles, I guess. Cheers to Tony wherever you are (63 now)and to all of you seekers! Best regards, Rob |
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Ixnei
IP: 71.193.177.124 Jul 9th, 2008 - 3:41 PM |
Re: Some things you should know about Treasure
Certain things in this post leave me a bit perplexed (or perhaps the proper word is skeptical). First, let me start off by stating that *ANY JOE* who worked on this puzzle would have known *EXACTLY* what to use a 7 letter word for. With that fact duly noted, let me continue. I've worked on other puzzles of this genre, and one thing that almost every one of them has in common (save this TISOTGH debacle) is that small puzzles (~5-25 letters) lead to and confirm bigger puzzles, and the solutions of the bigger/master puzzles make it very clear that the overall puzzle has been solved. This I would claim is the *MARK* of a well designed puzzle - complex, connected, consistent, complete. If we buy this Nemo solution, along with my movie rabbit card solution, then we see nothing resembling even a semi-involved cryptographically challenging puzzle typical for this genre. For X's sake, only 15 letters with a state name was all that was needed to find it, with no confirmers or cross-confirmers - only a ******** of red herrings (degrees/steps not necessary - and besides, yours don't even jive with those published in the solution [26 degrees, 150 degrees). I have the Nemo solution that was published in his Treasure magazine venture, and every time I read it, I wonder WHY WAS THE TREE PHOTO NOT INCLUDED? WHY WAS THE BACK OF THE MONUMENT PHOTO (June 11, 1980) NOT INCLUDED? WHY NO MENTION OF THE KEY BEING "LAO" and not "MAP". Read my other posts here, and you will see further questions I've had concerning this. Ever heard of Gillogly? I have, and he summed up the whole situation about 15 years ago very accurately (I also conversed with him, and got his personal cut on the whole thing). BTW, he's the same guy who cracked the KRYPTOS puzzle (Although 2 separate "spook" groups came in AFTER THE FACT to claim they had done it first. Typical, 6 fig govt stalkaz resorting to any tactics to avoid being beaten in the crypto field - just see RSA for further proof. What was Nemo's job, again?). Finally, if you really knew Nick, you might want to be a bit more respectful and learn how to spell his name correctly for future reference (Castaneda, not Catenada). I call shenanigans on this poast! Also, FWIW, a *LOT* of other big puzzles have come along - go do a WEB search and get cracking on them yourself! |
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Robert Wealleans
IP: 207.200.116.138 Jul 9th, 2008 - 5:23 PM |
Re: Some things you should know about Treasure
Well, pardon my typos! But you're the sort of person who would never believe anything. Tony liked puzzles but was not very good at them except in garnering infdo from other treasure seekers. Nick was the real brains and he had already figured out what FESTOON meant by the time Tony got back to him (per Tony). I've been to the site, seen the tree, inspected the monument (1990). It's all or was there. Take a trip to Vail sometime and go up to the pass. Like I said, your beef is with Paul Hoffman. not me, Tony or Nick. BTW, the outhouse across the road from the monument, at least in 1990, is the last place on earth you'd want to take a leak/dump! And, I've seen the other contests worth millions with diamonds and other stuff hidden...just didn't have the time. Adios! |
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Ixnei
IP: 71.193.177.124 Jul 10th, 2008 - 2:43 AM |
Re: Some things you should know about Treasure
YOU: "But you're the sort of person who would never believe anything." I think you pegged me there! I am quite a skeptic in most matters - but I'm not a skeptibunker. I do believe things when I've seen proof, concrete or logical. These sort of puzzles stand on their own merit; it really has nothing to do at all with belief on my part. Take a look at Masquerade, The Merlin Mystery, among other puzzles of the genre that have been solved or have published solutions. After looking at the elegance and intricacy involved in their solutions, you'll see what I mean about the puzzle standing on its own. You'll also start to see things like consistency, completeness, correctness, complexity, connectivity. If you'd cared enough to read my other post (that you cross-posted your wall-of-text into, without adding any commentary), you'd see that I propose a solution for the movie version rabbit card, which is very much in agreement with Nemo et al. I am fully well aware, that two different rabbit cards, using two different sets of inputs and shuffles (but same key "LAO"), both stating more-or-less the same thing, indicate the card cypher has been cracked and is "correct". But really, you think that the rabbit card, "TN" and the visual clue of a 4 limbed tree was it to this puzzle? If you'd ever read Dr. K's critique of Masquerade, you'd see that his biggest fault with that puzzle is that it could be solved without completely cracking the code (by "guesswork"). These three things involve so much guesswork it's sickening. For his puzzle to be exactly what he had criticized only a couple years prior to his writing TISOTGH is beyond perplexing, as well as completely illogical. YOU: "But, after all that, I'd relish another big treasure puzzle to come along." ME: "Also, FWIW, a *LOT* of other big puzzles have come along - go do a WEB search and get cracking on them yourself!" YOU: "And, I've seen the other contests worth millions with diamonds and other stuff hidden...just didn't have the time." In the words of Spock - Illogical! As to your spelling mistake, I was going to let it slide at first. But come on - you made 3 separate mistakes in it. If you had really worked with Tony you'd have gotten his name right. So I'm still calling hijinks to this whole posting trail! FWIW, I'd really like to see your reply to JCG here. However, I suspect it will not be forthcoming any time soon... |
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