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The Brig Mary Celeste - A Ghost Ship? Mystery Cache

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LHollo777: doesn't appear to be much interest in this one any longer, time to go

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Hidden : 10/1/2008
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size:   small (small)

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Geocache Description:

The Mary Celeste was a 103-foot, 282-ton brigantine. In November of 1872 under the command of Captain Benjamin Briggs, she left Staten Island, NY headed to Genoa, Italy with a load of alcohol.

In December of that same year, The Mary Celeste was discovered drifting toward the Strait of Gibralter. A rescue party boarded the ship and discovered nearly everything in good order except the Captain, Benjamin Briggs, his wife, Sarah Cobb Briggs and their 2 year old daughter, Sophia along with the crew of 7 were missing. The last entry in the ship's log indicated that the voyage was uneventful and even the impression of a sleeping child remained in the infant's crib. Many theories have been proposed over the years to explain the mystery of the disappearance of everyone on board, some of which can be read on the link at the top of this page but the fact remains that no sign of the crew or the Briggs family was ever found.

Your mission is to locate the cenotaph, which is one of a handful over 5 feet tall, memorializing Captain Benjamin Spooner Briggs and his family which is located in Evergreen Cemetery on the corner of Route 6 and Converse Road in Marion, MA. The above coordinates are for the main gate on Route 6. There is a gate on Converse Road also. Once you locate the cenotaph, the small cache container is located "X" feet away at "Y" degrees True North. Be sure to use the coordinates of the cenotaph when projecting a waypoint for the cache and not the "given" coordinates.

 

On the same cenotaph a Captain Joseph and his wife Maria are also memorialized. To find "X" add together the total number of months that Captain Joseph and his wife lived before they too were lost at sea and subtract 67.

Also on the same cenotaph is a poem that reads

"the tear that we shed

tho in silence it rolls

shall still keep their memory

bright in our souls"

 

multiply the number of letters in the first line by the number of letters in the last line and add 4 to get "Y".

 

 

 

 

Benjamin Spooner grave

Capt. Joseph Gibbs Grave

 

When in the correct area, the cache should be relatively easy to find and no stones need to be moved or climbed on.  Please try to remember that while you are playing a game while visiting here, others may be paying their respects and/or mourning a loss so please be respectful of their feelings and their privacy even if it means coming back another time to do this cache. For more information on the story of the Mary Celeste, may I suggest the book "Ghost Ship, the mysterious true story of the Mary Celeste and her Missing Crew" by Brian Hicks. http://www.randomhouse.com/book/79634/ghost-ship-by-brian-hicks

 

 

 


 

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Gur prabgncu vf bire 5 srrg gnyy, eryngviryl gnyy naq guva. Zbfg TCFe nyybj lbh gb cebwrpg n jnlcbvag naq fbzr rira unir n unaql yvggyr pnyphyngbe.

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)