Don't Back Down

The fourth challenge takes place in two locations. Opening the phone provides the first clue from Laird: The photograph you are looking at is called a stereograph. This particular one is of a union navy patrol boat on the James River in Virginia. Stationed aboard was a young inventor. It is his place with the Muckers that will find you your next clue. The second location will come up as we proceed.

When this challenge starts, there isn't a lot of detail. Just a mostly empty hangar and a helicopter. If you click on the helicopter, out comes your Visa card and you're presented with a map, so you're going to have to figure out where to go before you do that - no automatic search this time around. I guess somewhere along the way, the designers decided to make things a little more challenging.

So in order to find out where to go, a good search is probably "young inventor muckers". You'll find a good result in Thomas Edison just by looking at the search results - he's all over the place. But it doesn't tell you where to go. For that, you'll have to do some reading of the results themselves.

It's actually easy enough to find, however. The answer is Edison's labs in Menlo Park, NJ, and that sounds like a good destination to start. So let's proceed.

• Click the helicopter. Your Visa card comes out automatically, and you're presented with a map.
• Now you'll need to select a destination. This is where you'll use the search result. Click Menlo Park (it's just under New York).
• Click Enter Lab.
• You can click both the light and the telegraph. It's up to you, it doesn't hurt and you can get something later by doing so.
• Click the right side of the screen near the stove.
• You can click the phonograph to listen to a song. It's up to you, it doesn't hurt and you can get something later by doing so.
• Click the jar on the shelf to retrieve the washer. Click the washer to store in your pack.
• Click the box to load a cartridge in the viewer. Click the viewer to watch.
• Click the Next button a few times (probably 7) to get to the clue.
• Use your Morse code skills to decode the message. Make sure you get the codes right or you won't decode it properly (trust me on this one).
• If your skills aren't very good, it says Civil Disobedience.
• Use your favorite search engine to find the author of this essay and where it was first published.
• In case you can't, it was published in Concord, outside of Boston.
• Click Exit Viewer.
• Click on the left side of the screen near the stove.
• Click on the top part of the window where you see the helicopter waiting. You won't be able to leave the lab until the helicopter there, and the helicopter won't be there until you have everything you need. If you don't see it, try going back and doing the steps I've just described.
• On the map, click on Concord, outside of Boston.
• Click Enter.
• Woops. You're in jail. Sorry. Just kidding. That's what is supposed to happen.
• Click on the bedpost.
• Click on the mattress.
• Click on the rope under the bed. Click again to store in your backpack.
• If you turned on the light, clicked the telegraph and played the phonograph, you'll see an old boot under the bed that you can pick up and store in your pack. It doesn't seem to do anything, at least at this point, but if you want it, do those things and pick it up.
• You can click the paper to view it. It's up to you.
• Click Go Back.
• Click your backpack.
• Click the rope. Click the washer to tie them together.
• Click the keys on the wall to bring them closer.
• Click the washer, but do not release the mouse button!
• While holding the button, move the mouse "up", then let go of the mouse button. It takes a few throws, but it isn't that bad. Pretend you're at the fair playing the ring toss game.
• As mentioned in the comments, you can also click (and release), then move your mouse along, and click again (and repeat). I've found that this works pretty well - it's like you're making several little throws instead of one big one. You just have to be quick and keep the cursor on the washer.
• Pick the keys up off the floor by clicking on them.
• When the door opens, click on the bench to go through.
• Click the puzzle piece to pick it up.
• You're done!

That's it for this week. Check back for next week's challenge summary.

Looking for other challenges? Check out the Treasure Hunters Challenge entry. If you want to discuss the overall game theory, discuss it there please, and leave this for challenge-specific information.