BULLY! It's time for a slightly easier addisonbr mystery cache!
The four men above need no introduction - they are simply the greatest of the greatest. And New York City recognizes that fact better than almost anywhere. Indeed, New York is one of just three American cities to properly honor all four in statuerrific fashion - along with (perhaps obviously) Washington, DC and (more interestingly) Portland, Oregon. (Okay, okay, we will also give a nod in the direction of Keystone, South Dakota - even though they're not really *statues*...)
The connections of these men to New York are not trivial. George fought many of the most pivotal battles of the Revolutionary War in New York City, and eventually took the first presidential oath of office in history on the steps of Federal Hall. Follow in George's footsteps with Alan2's brilliant 1776 series of multi-caches. Teddy was of course born and raised in Manhattan, and very active in city and state politics before assuming the highest office in the land. He was truly one of the last honest-to-God Renaissance Men. Abe spoke several times in New York City, including the influential and candidate-shaping Cooper Union Address. His funeral in New York was attended by over one million citizens. Thomas... okay, I admit, I haven't really found a great link to New York for our nation's most brilliant statesman. Um, his Vice-President was from New York? Look, three out of four really isn't bad.
This relatively simple mystery/multi hybrid asks you to track down each of the above pictured bronze tributes and assemble some simple data for use in calculating the final coordinates. Beware! New York City loves these men so much that in some cases one statue wasn't enough! Make sure you do your homework before going out into the field...
George - Out of all of the numerical digits stamped into the bronze (not stone) base of the statue, which digit is repeated most often? (Check both the north side and the south side.) This digit is Variable A. Behind the statue, on the steps, is a small brass marker with an image of a water faucet. How many drips of water are coming from the faucet? This is Variable B.
Thomas - On one facet of the bronze (not stone) base of the statue is stamped the year "1914". On the line above, two letters are set in superscript and underlined. What is the first letter formatted such? Convert this letter as per A=1, B=2, etc. This is Variable C. What is the second superscript, underlined letter? Convert this letter as well. This is Variable D. (Error check for Variable D - it is also the number of words that begin with the letter 'O' on the nearby "Furnald Lawn" sign 40 feet to the Southeast.)
Teddy - Stamped on one side of the bronze (not stone) base of is the identification of the foundry that cast this statue. How many letters lie between the words "Gorham" and "Founders"? This is Variable E. Teddy is facing a bus stop. Directly underneath a blue sign segment reading "Columbus Circle" is a white sign segment that contains a two-digit number. This number is Variable F.
Abe - There is a small plaque set into the sidewalk in front of this statue. How many times does the letter "W" appear on this plaque? This is Variable G. Near Abe's right foot on the west base of the statue is the statue's foundry stamp. What letter appears the most often in this foundry stamp? Convert this letter as per A=1, B=2, etc. This is Variable H.
For the final coordinates, assume North 40 degrees 46.X minutes. Assume West 73 degrees 59.Y minutes.
X = ( A + H ) * C * E
Y = ( B + G ) * D * F
You can check your answers on Geochecker.com.
Swageriffic! FTF gets a nifty colorized version of the South Dakota state quarter; the next few finders (at least until I run out) get a nifty gold-plated version of the same. Think of them as tiny little geocoins!
Good luck!
