13 August 2023 , 15:14
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Treasure hunters have been left confused after finding a mysterious note inside a container that washed up on the banks of the River Thames.
The message, a four-line poem, has sparked debate among mudlarks, who have a passion for hunting riverbeds hoping to find historical treasures. It read: "Wide and heavy, Filling out the town, North of Freehold, I can be found." According to reports, the poem was printed by a computer in a calligraphy font and then laminated.
Chris Green, who discovered the message at the end of July, published a post on Facebook asking the passionate community to come together trying to decode the poem. He wrote: "I have a bit of a puzzle for you today. I was on the Thames last week and found this message in a bottle.
The message was in a clear container"It looks like some kind of cryptic clue but it's too tricky for me, so I need to call on the collective brain to try and solve this one! I could be wrong but does this have a hint of the US about it? Maybe our friends across the pond can help?"
An investigative commenter said that it could be from a town in New Jersey, while another speculated that there is also a Freehold in Massachusetts, reports Mail Online. However, others pointed out the message could refer to Freehold in Lancashire, located more than 200 miles from where the container was found.
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Treasure hunters have been trying to decode the messageSomeone pointed out that since "Wide" and "Heavy" are both capitalised, there might be some hidden meaning behind the words. Other people, though, said it could either refer to an online game or point to some place in London as one said the note looks too pristine and it is unlikely that it travelled across the Atlantic.
Earlier this year, a couple found a message in a bottle with the contact details of the person who had first put it in the sea. Annie and Katie Carrmax discovered the note was from Troy Heller and it included his address and phone number.
At the bottom of the note it read: "P.S. Whoever finds this, call me or write to me." It was found in Sebastian, in Florida, US, about 13 miles from the pier where he had chucked it in the water.
Using the old contact details for Troy, of Louisville, Kentucky, Annie and Katie carried out an online search and found a man with the same name living in Mount Washington. Troy said he was having lunch when he received a call from a number in Florida he did not recognise.
After missing the call, Annie and Katie sent Troy a text message that promptly caught his attention. Troy, who was 10 years old when he tossed the old Pepsi bottle into the Atlantic Ocean, said: "As soon as I saw it, I remembered writing it."
Despite the note only travelling several miles from where he threw it in the sea, Troy said he was stunned it had survived for nearly 40 years. Annie and Katie sent the note back to Troy and he later framed it alongside a photo of him throwing the Pepsi bottle into the sea as a young lad. Troy said: "It's something you never thought would happen. I thought I'd just throw it out in the ocean and just see where it went, you know? It's just amazing that it finally found its way back."