** Lost Gold At The Dead Man's Mine ** A Miners Journal **

[GhostMiner]

I haven't been out there to see this in person but here are a few images of the collapsed drift tunnel that was recently found at the Whiskey Jack.

[GhostMiner]

2 hours ago, GhostMiner said:

I haven't been out there to see this in person but here are a few images of the collapsed drift tunnel that was recently found at the Whiskey Jack.

Who's up for an adventure?

[Old Miner Don]

1 hour ago, GhostMiner said:

Who's up for an adventure?

Well Ghost Miner I'm curious.

Are you talking about meeting and do something together kind of adventure?

[GhostMiner]

5 minutes ago, Bedrocker said:

Well Ghost Miner I'm curious.

Are you talking about meeting and do something together kind of adventure?

Yes. I would like to get out there and do some more testing this summer. Maybe spend a wk or two on some areas of interest. That's if my eye allows it.  

[Old Miner Don]

1 minute ago, GhostMiner said:

Yes. I would like to get out there and do some more testing this summer. Maybe spend a wk or two on some areas of interest. That's if my eye allows it.  

Well that's possible. I would consider it. I am a day's drive from that area.

[Cascade Steven]

GM: If I was a little closer to the area I would definitely be interested. 🙂

[GhostMiner]

1 minute ago, Cascade Steven said:

GM: If I was a little closer to the area I would definitely be interested. 🙂

You are way closer than me LOL.

[matt]

I'm in! I would only be able to spend a few days at a time, but I'm not too far from you.

[GhostMiner]

 JULY 31   1936

   Part Two

   I asked Whiskey Jack if he'd like to stick around while we tried to find the old drift. He said sure as he didn’t have anything better to do. We all took the picks and shovels up to the proposed area and started to work. Jack said it wasn’t very deep and if we were directly below that boulder marker at the top we should find it. They had timbered the adit and left a few timbers laying near the opening when they left so he said they were probably still there. The four of us fanned out a bit and started about 20 feet out from the hill as Jack directed. After several hours of digging Jacob said he found a timber. We went over and started digging the area and pretty soon we found another timber and the top of the drift. We shoveled out the area which looked to be backfilled and maybe also covered by slides over the years. We finally got it opened up enough and we had a look in.

   Whiskey Jack came over and let out a hoot and was stomping his foot on the ground saying there she is. He said it went back in about 50 feet or so and they had stopped for the year and never returned. He remembered the tunnel to be in very stable ground and they hadn’t needed to set much support timber.  By now it was getting near dusk and I called it a day. We went back down to camp and fixed up some beans and bacon and I pulled out a bottle. I asked Jack if he wanted a cup. He grinned and said he didn’t get that name for nothing. We fixed him up a place to sleep in one of the tents and Whiskey Jack and me drank a few cups together and talked about mining. 

   Jack told me he had mined for a good part of his life and had worked for several big companies. He said the big company that had worked our area leased out claims to smaller companies and got royalties as well as selling the water to them. He said he had worked one summer on the flume crew when water was brought 20 miles from higher up the mountain with the hand dug ditches. He got off that crew eventually and helped run one of the mining crews and ran a big monitor set on a tripod for one season. He said some of the old toms were 500 to 1000 feet long. He’d seen one of the forkers get hit by mistake from the blast of water from a monitor and get sent sliding down the tom on the side of the mountain breaking several bones in his body. He said the big companies controlled everything including the law. They ran the towns. He said he noticed we had armed guards here and he said the old companies had them too. He’s seen a thief get shot for stealing gold one day. 

   Jack told me our crew was getting a reputation in town. People were saying there is a rough bunch of miners on the mountain not to be messed with. The town folk figured us as a mean bunch that stared down outlaws and spit in their eye. 

   Whiskey Jack was full of old stories about mining back in the old days and I loved listening to them. Sarge and Ben were on watch duty and the crew had all retired for the night but Whiskey Jack and me sat up drinking Irish whiskey until deep into the night.

   TO BE CONTINUED ....................

[GhostMiner]

3 minutes ago, matt said:

I'm in! I would only be able to spend a few days at a time, but I'm not too far from you.

Yes, for sure! Bring a pick & shovel.