BACKGROUND:
Soren Adam Sorensen (Samuel Adams) was born near Aarhus Denmark
in 1879 to Hans and Sofia Sorensen, and immigrated to the U.S.A.
with his family at age four, and grew up in Perth Amboy, New Jersey
where his father operated a saloon.
In 1904 Adams found himself employed as a salesman for a dye
company. One of the products he sold caused workers to sneeze, and
Sam found a way to extract this derivative from the dye and called
this new powder Cachoo. He was inundated by requests for
this product from his friends and so, he decided to sell his
interest in a hotel in York, Pennsylvania, and used the money to
launch the Cachoo Sneezing Powder Company in Plainfield, New
Jersey.
Within a few years, the sneezing powder craze that swept the
country had subsided, and Sam set out to innovating new products.
He also changed the name of the company to the S.S. Adams
Co., to reflect that he was no longer a one product company.
The Exploding Cigarette Box , the Snake Nut Can, Itching Powder,
the Stink bomb, and the Dribble glass all entered the Adams line in
the next decade.
In 1928, Sam invented the prototype of what was to become the Joy
Buzzer, a mechanical device placed in the hand, which emitted a
loud vibrating buzz, when a button on the buzzer was depressed.
This would usually occur when two people shook hands. He took the
prototype to Dresden, Germany, where a tool and die maker created
the tooling to make small parts for the item, which was now just
3.2cm (1-1/4 inches) in diameter and 1.8cm (3/4 inch) thick. The
success of the item allowed him to greatly increase his staff and
purchase a stately new factory building in Neptune, New Jersey, all
during the Great Depression.
Sam and S.S. Adams went on to create many more successful
novelties: The Bar Bug in Ice Cube, The Money Maker, The Squirting
Nickel, The Jumping Coin, Laughing Tissue as well as an extensive
line of magic tricks and puzzles. He claimed to have devised over
600 different items, and patented about 40 of them. He continued to
lead the S.S. Adams Company until his death in Asbury Park, NJ at
the age of 85.
THE
PUZZLE:
Answer the questions to solve for the formula below.
A) In 1932 the Adams Company received a patent for one of
their most famous gags. Which one?
- Joy Buzzer=8
- Money Maker=7
- Dog Dirt=6
- Exploding Pen=5
B) (NH4)SH+H2O.
- Itching Powder=3
- Disappearing Ink=4
- Stink Bombs=5
- Sneezing Powder=6
C) What is the nickname of the town Sorensen grew up
in?
- The City by the Bay=3
- The Windy City=4
- Beantown=5
- City of Brotherly Love=6
D) At what pH level does 'Disappearing Ink' become
colorless?
E) In what year did Mr. Sorenson die?
- 1960=0
- 1961=1
- 1962=2
- 1963=3
F) In 1930 the SS Adams Co. passed on an offer of
exclusive rights to one of todays most popular pranks. That
decision cost the company about $50,000 in the first year. What was
the product?
- Razz Cushion=7
- Imitation Poached Egg=8
- Rattlesnake Eggs=9
- Two Headed Nickel=0
N35° 06.ABC
W89° 56.DEF
THE
CACHE:
This is a two-part Mystery-Multi. The first stage will lead you
to information concerning the location of the second stage, which
is a very short drive away and is a small container holding a
logbook, some small trade items and a FTF prize. Enjoy!