Claude Mariottini
Emeritus Professor
of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Several years ago I posted a puzzle on my blog that has been one of my favorite puzzles for years. The puzzle has nothing to do with the Old Testament, but I love it. So, I decided to give readers a chance to solve this puzzle. Amazingly enough, only one person gave me the right solution to the puzzle when it was posted in 2007.

It has been more than twelve years since I posted the puzzle and asked readers to find the name of the engineer. I have decided to invite a new generation of readers to solve the puzzle and discover the identity of the engineer.

Read the puzzle below and discover who the engineer is. As you read the puzzle, you must take into consideration that every fact is important and must be considered in solving the puzzle.

Who Is the Engineer?

On a train, Smith, Robinson and Jones are the fireman, brakeman and engineer, but NOT respectively. Also, aboard the train there are three businessmen who have the same names: a Mr. Smith, a Mr. Robinson and a Mr. Jones.

1. Mr. Robinson lives in Detroit.

2. The brakeman lives exactly halfway between Chicago and Detroit.

3. Mr. Jones earns exactly $20,000 per year.

4. The brakeman’s nearest neighbor, one of the passengers, earns exactly three times as much as the brakeman.

5. Smith beats the fireman at billiards.

6. The passenger whose name is the same as the brakeman’s lives in Chicago.

Who is the Engineer?

Solve the puzzle and give the rationale for your answer. You can leave a comment on the post or you can send an email with your answer.

The answer to the puzzle will be posted on Friday.

If you have not yet discovered the answer to the puzzle, here is The Solution.

Claude Mariottini
Emeritus Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

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