The Lost Letter Mystery Cache

This cache has been archived.

The Petoskey Stones: The site is no longer appropriate for hosting a geocache. With great regret, I am archiving this one.

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Hidden : 6/13/2005
Difficulty:
3 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size: small (small)

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Geocache Description:

THE LOST LETTER

NOTE: The cache IS NOT at the coordinates listed above.

It can be found within two miles of the given coordinates. You will need to solve the following puzzle in order to obtain the proper coordinates. Good luck!

This cache is located in a quiet neighborhood. I suggest that you park a block or two away and walk to the cache location. You will understand why when you get there. The cache is located in a small forgotten San Jose City park. Please be stealthy and do not disturb the neighbors. They are used to having this place all to themselves.

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Internal Memo
Bureau of Code Analysis
Department of Elucidation
Case #37121-SJC
June 11, 2005 - San Jose, California:

During a recent equipment refit at the U.S. Post Office Mail Processing and Distribution Facility in San Jose, workers made a strange discovery. The workers had just finished unbolting the facility's oldest mail sorting machine, and had begun to move the machine, when a worker discovered an envelope that had been trapped between the massive sorting machine and the north wall of the facility.

Upon examining this envelope, the workers noticed that it bore no postmark, so there was no indication of when this letter was sent. They also discovered that this envelope was addressed on both sides of the envelope. Strangely, the addresses on the two sides were not identical.

The workers handed the envelope over to a postal worker, who in turn, delivered it to the director of the facility.

With hope of discovering the secret of this envelope, the director slit it open. Inside was a single slip of blue paper. On one side, the following was written:



Realizing that this was no ordinary correspondence, the director turned the envelope, and its contents, over to the local authorities. A San Jose Police Detective had the envelope examined and ran the addresses. He discovered the following:
  • Both sides of the envelope bore stamps. Neither stamp was canceled.
  • Both stamps bore the portrait of Benjamin Banneker. The stamps were issued in 1980.
  • No fingerprints were found on the envelope, or its contents, other than those of the postal employees.
  • The 'Auzerais House' was a local hotel. Its operation could be traced back to 1877. At some point it was moved from Santa Clara Avenue to its current location on Empire Street. It has been a designated Historical Site since the 1990s.
  • The streets and zipcodes used in the return addresses listed on the envelope are valid for the city of San Jose.
  • There are no records of anyone named 'C. Field' residing at any address, on either of the streets listed, at any time during the past thirty years.
  • Efforts to locate a 'John Smith III' proved fruitless.


While the envelope itself has already been thoroughly examined for clues, facsimiles of its two sides are provided here for further examination and archival purposes:





###END OF MEMO###---###CASE: 37121-SJC###


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Additional Guidance:

If it has been raining, wear your old shoes!

There may be a dog on the other side of the fence. Tread quietly or he may start barking.

Checksums:
Add the digits of the latitude, then add the digits of that result, let this value be 'A'.
Add the digits of the longitude, then add the digits of that result, let this value be 'B'.
A + B = TWELVE

Additional Hints (No hints available.)



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