We are all now well aware of the COVID-19 outbreak of 2019 and 2020. And many are aware of the influenza outbreak that ended in 1920. But very few are aware of the mysterious illness that engulfed the banks of the Raritan River in 1720.
Oddly confined to the Raritan Bay and several miles inland, modern scientists now believe the virus began in a strain of bat that feasted on a particular species of mosquito that required conditions with both saltwater and freshwater like the lower Raritan, before spreading to other animals such as humans, and eventually going airborne.
However, the people of the time had no knowledge of viruses and mutations, and did not know to remain socially distanced or wear masks. When people in the area began exhibiting symptoms, most attributed it to witchcraft. And as the hysteria grew, the townspeople took to locking up those who exhibited symptoms. The thinking went that if the people died, they were consumed by their love for Satan and had succumbed to the local witches. But if they lived, it was because they had allowed the Lord into their hearts and repented.
But the jails soon filled up, and the locals began to confine those who fell ill into crude, makeshift cages that resembled crates. They would leave those affected in the crates with enough food and water to last them two weeks, and then come back and check on the prisoners. As barbaric as the practice was, it likely saved the residents from total annihilation—it was an extreme experiment in social distancing. Families were allowed to go check on their loved ones after two weeks, hoping that they would be alive.
But some folks didn’t have family. And with the sheer number of people being placed into the crates, some fell through the cracks. Legend has it that there are still some crates out in these woods holding those who exhibited symptoms. And if that is true, it most certainly includes some people who recovered and lived—only to meet their demise, locked alive in the crates.
There is nothing at the posted coordinates except the Runyon family cemetery, which is the final resting place of one of the earliest prominent families in the Piscataway area. No doubt several of those buried here spent a harrowing two week period in a crate.
This is the bonus cache to my Socially Distanced Halloween series. To find the coordinates, assume 40 33.ABC, 074 2D.EFG. In each of the regular caches in this series, the log will have a clue as to the final coordinates that will allow you to find this cache. In case one is missing, the sum of A-G is 29.
This is a large container and contains a log and pencil with plenty of room for swag or trackables and there is a coin for the FTF. Be prepared to go through some significant overgrowth to get to the cache. I hope you enjoy finding this series as much as I did creating it!
The other caches in the series that will allow you to gain the coordinates to this one are: