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The Morley Shipwreck Traditional Geocache

Hidden : 7/9/2010
Difficulty:
4 out of 5
Terrain:
5 out of 5

Size: Size:   micro (micro)

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Geocache Description:

You are seeking a micro cache magnetically attached to the hull of the George Morley, sunk off the Evanston coast in 1892. This cache about 150 yards from shore in 20 feet of water.

In 1892, a year before Chicago hosted the World's Colombian Exhibition, the freighter George Morley caught fire on her way to Chicago. Desperate to save the boat, the crew attempted to dock her at the now defunct Greenwood Pier, but the fire department didn't have hoses long enough and ordered her abandoned.

The Morley was pushed into the lake and burned down to the waterline, flooding the hull and dooming the ship. Today, over a century later, her original wooden beams are still easily visible in Lake Michigan’s clear waters.

To access this five-star terrain cache, you’ll need a snorkeling mask and a boat. You might be able to tie a kayak to the nearby buoy, but remember to bring a bowline.

The cache was placed at roughly 20 feet via breath-hold diving. Please snap a picture of the cache and post in your review in lieu of signing a log, which we've removed due to the challenges of staying dry underwater. Also, please do make your best efforts to replace the cache in its original location, as this is a heavily visited site.

As an extra incentive, included in the micro cache are a few pearls. Please take one for your party and leave the others for the next adventurer.

P.S. enjoy the YouTube video courtesy of MrJweiland (visit link)

Enjoy!

Note 7/13/10 Congratulations to aadler and EMHopper for FTF honors!

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Sbyybj gur ohbl yvar gb gur uhyy, gura qvir fgenvtug qbja gur jerpx'f obj. Gur pnpur vf zntargvpnyyl nggnpurq gb na veba ornz ng gur irel sebag bs gur Zbeyrl, nobhg n sbbg nobir gur fnaql obggbz naq fyvtugyl gb bar fvqr.

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)