GhostMiner

Hello Old Miner Don & good to hear from a reader I hadn't seen here before. Early on it was determined that each crew member would receive his share of the gold after a gold weigh was completed. Then it became their personal responsibility to take care of it as best they could. I did not put this in the journal but we dealt with several gold buyers and some of the crew converted part of their poke into good old U.S Dollars. Some held on to most of their gold. As you have read previously, there was a turnover of the members of the crew and Jacob considered the ones who left weak links in our mining machine. I'm not convinced of that and every man must make his own decisions under difficult and sometimes dangerous times. I still have gold from that season & right now I wish I had kept it all but sometimes you need to cash some of it in to live on. Cheers & thanks for reading the journal.

Around 24 grams to the yard. Not bad.

September 19 2002 The Gold Vault It was a beautiful morning. The sky was clear and the temperatures were warm. We ran the tom until noon and shut down for lunch after having run 30 yards of gravel. That put us at 100 yards which is what we like to run now before doing the cleanup. I could see visible gold in the black sands and there was a load of it. More than we had ever seen. Jacob told us he had finally hit one area of sloping bedrock as he worked the pit north. Then he backed the excavator back away from the sloping wall and got another five feet deeper and hit bedrock again. He was around 30 - 33 feet in depth. He said the wall looked to be traveling across the back of the pit to the west and he would start following it tomorrow and see how far it went. He had a good feeling about the dig site and so did the rest of us. Conor and I finished up the gold weigh while Jacob and Clay dug and hauled pay. We finished the cleanup around 6:00 PM and set the pan on the table near the scales. There was a lot of gold in that pan but we waited until Jacob and Clay finished up for the night around 6:30. Clay’s eyes glazed over when he saw the pan. Jacob gave me a smile and a wink and said to weigh it up. There were 77.4 ounces. Conor suggested we name the pit and I came up with a name that everyone liked. The Gold Vault. TO BE CONTINUED .................

September 18 2002 We got back to mining this morning. Conor and I got the tom set up while Jacob and Clay started digging and hauling pay gravel. The weather is sunny and warm and things are beginning to dry out. The creek is still running fast but the water is back within its banks. I test paned the first load of gravel before we started processing and the gold is there in spades. We let Clay bring down three loads before we started running at 10:00 AM so as to give a cushion for the transport of material and we won’t run out or have to wait on him. One of the Forest Service people came by this morning as well and checked on us. I showed him the repaired road and he also took a walk down along the creek to check the waters and floodplain. He seemed pretty impressed that we had already repaired the haul road and were ready to mine so quickly. He said there was a mining operation along the creek about ten miles west of ours and they had lost their small trommel in the flood. We had a good day and were able to process 70 yards of gravel. We are going to run until around noon tomorrow and do a cleanup. Jacob has gotten deeper into the dig site with still no sign of bedrock. The gold seems to keep getting better. TO BE CONTINUED ..................

Journal will resume tomorrow. Thanks to all readers.

We will be putting the metal detecting expert to work next.

Day 3 We met a local historian today in an old three story grist mill. The building had been abandoned back in the early 1900’s and later used as a place to sell wood stoves. Then it was purchased by the man we were meeting.The first floor was full of old artifacts from the past. On one side of the old structure there were tall rows of wooden bookshelves that must have been fifteen feet high. They were crammed with books and small boxes of papers. The second floor contained even more boxes of historical records from all over the Pacific northwest. The man we met was Charles Newburger. He was in his late 60’s and had been involved with local history his entire life. We all took a seat at a massive antique library table. On the table was placed an old wooden crate. Charles opened the lid and proceeded to pull out old maps and some yellowed and stained documents. He said he had some interesting information to show us that may help in our search. He spread out an old map that dated back to the mid 1800’s. It was wrapped in old paper and folded inside some weathered documents. He pointed out a marking for an old road or wagon trail that led from Drayton Harbor east where it eventually met up with another trail heading north by north east. Charles told us that parts of the old trail still existed but most of it was gone or grown over. Also, some of it was now private property. Next he pulled out a very old and fragile piece of paper that looked something like a document or bill of sale. It was actually a ship’s Bill of Layden. Some of the documents had been torn off and there were some areas that were torn or could not be read. There was part of a date showing at the top and a partial name of a vessel as well as the captain. The only part of the captain's name that was legible was Wi and the rest was gone including all of the last name. However, the month and first three numbers of the year were still there which put the document in the time frame of the transported heist. Charles told us that this Bill of Layden came from boxes of old records once kept for not only the Drayton Harbor but also some of the surrounding ports. The records had been stored in an old warehouse and were damaged when part of its roof leaked for many years before he rescued the documents. Charles believed that the Bill of Layden was of Captain Shears vessel. It listed numerous items such as tea and rum but also numerous shipping crates of no description or markings.This was unusual.Then Charles pulled out a long yellowed paper. He smiled at us as he laid it out on the table for our team to view. It was the Captain’s Articles which were the rules of conduct and contract for the ship and sailors. This document was more legible as it had been wrapped inside the folds of the Bill of Layden. It read as follows here : I The Captain is to have two full shares ; the Quartermaster one share and one half ; the Doctor, Mate, and Boatswain one share and one quarter. II He that should be found guilty of taking up any unlawful weapon on board or to strike or abuse one another in any regard shall suffer what punishment the Captain and majority of the Company shall see fit. III He that shall be found guilty of cowardice shall suffer what punishment the Captain and majority of the Company shall see fit. IV If any gold, jewels, silver, & c be found on board of any prize and the finder does not deliver it to the Quartermaster within 24 hours he shall suffer what punishment the Captain and majority of the Company shall see fit. V Good quarters to be given when craved. VI He that shall be guilty of drunkenness shall suffer what punishment the Captain and majority of the Company see fit. VII No man shall open or declare to any person who they are or what designs they are upon, and any person so offending shall be punished by what means the Captain and majority of the Company see fit. At the bottom of this document there were three letters in signature which read C.W.S. Charles stated flatly that this likely represented Captain William Shears. Our team just looked at each other in total surprise by what we had just been shown. Charles said that he believed these documents represented the ships official Bill of Layden and Company Ships Articles concerning Captain Shears trip involving the gold heist and other articles. He also believed the old maps were duplicates of the originals used in transporting the gold. We now had even more evidence and perhaps a good area to start searching. TO BE CONTINUED .............

To put you in the mood.

You are very welcome.

It was placer un refined gold. Some called it ore but my definition of ore is gold held in host rock which it wasn't. In my continuing mining journal the beginning years were based on true events but added to. Kind of like what a movie is based on. All of the gold totals were real as well as some of the people but names were changed. Some parts were fictional or embellished accounts. Hope that helps. As far as the story my grandfather told me and my adventures in the treasure hunt, I hope to be able to have you watch it & the people described in a new streaming show soon. Cheers & thanks for your interest.

Day 2 Our team had a meeting arranged at breakfast with a retired harbor master from one of the ports in Washington. His name was Jim and he was in his mid 80’s. Jim had come forth with information he claimed to have concerning our search. He had contacted the research team several months ago and was now going to tell us what he knew or heard. Jim was straight forward and appeared to be a no nonsense individual. He told us that several close friends of his had known an old sailor whose grandfather had worked for a British merchant shipping company. This man's father who was called Cloudy had told him a wild story one night. Cloudy traveled all over the world on a British Trading vessel. They made numerous trips to the United States hauling all kinds of cargo. On one of the excursions the ship's captain who he knew well and had worked under for several years was suddenly removed at the last minute and another captain put in charge. His name? William Shears. The crew was not given a reason or explanation as to the sudden change but Cloudy thought it to be a bit strange. Also, the consignor, consignee, and holder of the Bill of Layden as well as the Bill of Laydon itself had been kept a secret. He remembered the crew being on edge about this as they were in effect sailing blind as they called it. But they were sailors and sail they must. Cloudy told his son that they eventually made their way up the coast of California and all the way north to the port of Bellingham where they docked briefly. He said that crates from some loading wagons were placed in the ship's hold and they sailed off north again until reaching Drayton Harbor. Somehow the crew had gotten hold of some leaked information about trouble on the waters ahead of them to the north off the shores of Canada. Captain Shears had now set anchor in Drayton Harbor off the coast of Washington and just south of Blaine. When it got dark a number of Jolly boats were dispatched layden with boxes of unknown cargo and goods. Neither the boats or the sailors who were on them returned. A lantern light was seen from shore and it went on and off several times. Then Captain Shears pulled anchor and headed south back down the coast. This was a fascinating story and we thanked the retired harbor master for relaying this information. Later that day our team disbanded leaving the metal detecting person, the two researchers, the producer / video person, and myself to begin the search. The meeting with Jim had been video recorded. We were to report to Jackson every day. The plan was to start doing some on the ground searching along the shores south of Blaine. We would be looking for any clues we might find and had another meeting scheduled for the next day with another man who was a local historian. I was getting pretty excited to be a part of this hunt.

Also, the area near Blaine Washington and Drayton Harbor is very close th the Canadian border so to me it made sense that if they were offloading there it was a short haul to Canada. The one thing I didn't understand was why they didn't just sale farther north and either off load to a waiting ship or onto the shores of Canada directly. Or did they?

It wouldn't be hard to dig there but the research jived with my grandfathers story about trying to take a freight wagon into Canada. But they never made it. I've got to be honest, when my grandfather told me the privateers name I wanted to laugh. But he didn't make up stories. Then, when we were able to verify the captains existence and records it could not be disputed. Everything suddenly lined up. What I was learning was how extensive this criminal ring was and the stolen gold shipment was only a small part of the entire story. Pretty fascinating stuff here.

I have had several of what I refer to as "Great Adventures" in my life. My wife was amazed at some of the things I have done. I didn't meet her until I was nearly 30 years old. By then I had already lived what many would call a full life. Hitch hiking across the country to California with only $8 dollars in my pocket when I was just 18. Living along the way in abandoned buildings or sometimes off grid. Riding freight trains to far off locations. Playing in several rock bands. I had a tryout back in the day for third base position for the Houston Astros. I could have had a contract with them to start out in one of their minor league franchises but passed. I also boxed for a number of years and sparred with a number of professionals. Mining for gold in California. And just last year going on a treasure hunt and looking for something based on a story that was passed down through multiple generation of our family. I am not finished yet. For me, life is an adventure to be lived to the fullest. I really hope all of you readers will enjoy this particular journey that I was blessed to partake in. See you on Day 2.

Day 1 I was quite nervous when I arrived at Drayton Harbor just outside the town of Blaine Washington. I was alone and preparing to meet my team. I will use names that may or may not be the actual names based on authorization from each individual. There was Gary, the metal detecting expert, professional treasure hunter Jackson & assistant Dave, research team Larry & Frank, & film producer Nelson. Six people in all plus myself. I immediately felt outnumbered and was thinking to myself what I had started. There was no turning back now. There was a large motorhome parked near the water and we sat outside at a table looking out at the water. Pleasantries were exchanged and then Jackson asked me if I knew why we were all meeting at this location. My answer was a quick no. He proceeded to tell me that his research had indicated that this location, not Bellingham, was the area where Captain Shears offloaded the hijacked gold shipment onto the waiting freight wagon. He told the team that Bellingham was only a stop off point to pick up some stolen jewelry and coin plunder that had arrived days before. Evidently, there was more involved here than a simple gold shipment robbery. The heists were likely committed by a sophisticated ring of thieves. Then he turned over the meeting to researchers Larry and Frank. According to them, there had been multiple strong arm robberies in Nevada and northern California involving banks, gold shipments, and jewelry heists. This was all planned out by a master group of thieves and their henchmen. The stolen goods were stored in several clandestine locations with the intent to ship everything out in a large-scale move into Canada where a very wealthy criminal ring based out of England was waiting. The large treasure hoard was to be sold at a reduced value to its real worth. In other words, it was being laundered for pennies on the dollar. Larry and Frank told me that what my grandfather had told me was just the tip of the iceberg. They took out a briefcase and set it on the table. When they popped it open there were copies of old newspaper clippings as well as a number of very old police reports. I was blown away. These people had done a tremendous amount of research work and knew much more than I could have ever dreamed of. Jackson had lined up a place for all of us to stay for the night and eventually we all headed to our lodge. I was given copies of the research and spent quite a bit of time reading and rereading everything. What they didn’t give me was the plan for the treasure hunt and where it would begin. They told me that information would be disclosed the next day. TO BE CONTINUED ...............

“ My Grandfather’s Tale Of A Privateer And Hijacked Gold Shipment “ The Beginning The realization of what I wanted to do hit me in the Spring of 2022. I actually was seriously contemplating putting a team of treasure hunters together to look for a supposed lost gold shipment that had occurred nearly 160 years ago. Then it was pointed out to me that the value of this gold in today’s currency would be somewhere between 5 & 8 million dollars. Could this even be possible? Would anyone take me seriously? It all started one cold Winter night early in 2022. I had been posting this information on several websites. It was just before dinner time when the phone rang. I didn’t recognize the number and figured it was probably some scammer or spammer trying to sell me something or get my information. I let the answering machine take a message. It was someone who I had actually heard of before and I was somewhat familiar with his work. I googled the name to dig up further info on him and told my wife who had called. Her response was why would he bother calling me? I explained everything and she thought I should call him back. What would I even say? After all, the only thing I had was my grandfather's story that had been handed down to him and then my father who had scoffed at it. The only concrete thing I actually had was the research that had been done on the name of the privateer. That and my grandfather's word that what he told me was true. I decided to return the call. To my surprise the person I spoke with did not make fun of the story or try to shoot it full of holes. The first thing he wanted to know - was I on the level and did I believe it? I answered yes. Then he went on to tell me that he had personally verified my information about the privateer and he was real. He also had information on certain times when this privateer was actually sailing on the west coast of the United States.This had caused him to dig deeper and he was able to verify that my great great grandfather was indeed a partner in a fairly large scale gold mining operation in the northern Sierra Nevada mountains of California. This verified for me what I had been told. He also told me he had in his possession a list of gold shipment robberies that had taken place and they fit the time period. Several were by Black Bart himself. There were several other’s done by unknown robbers. He told me that to cut to the chase he was of the opinion that what I was told was true. He was not able to verify the amount of gold in the stolen shipments but explained that the values were most likely in the $5 to $10 million area in today’s currency. Possibly more. He wanted to meet with me to further discuss a treasure hunting venture. We set up a meeting for a week later. He flew into an airport near me and I picked him up and took him directly to my house. He was all business but also quite pleasant. I told him I had been getting ready to personally fund a treasure hunt. He was impressed by my conviction and offered me a deal where he would supply some key personnel on the research end. He would take a small percentage if we found anything and he also recommended several people he had previously worked with for a team. I would still be able to pick people as well and would be involved in the decision making. His percentage was very reasonable and we seemed to hit it off right from the start. The two of us spent the next day drawing up a Memorandum Of Understanding and we took it to my lawyer. Then he left and told me to call him when I was ready or if I had any questions. My lawyer advised me to request several small changes and when that was done our agreement was complete. I was to help lead a treasure hunting group in the quest to find an actual lost gold shipment. I had no idea what an adventure this was going to become. TO BE CONTINUED ............

No worries. That's why I started that response with an LOL. Just taking a short break.

So my small crew of treasure hunters did indeed spend the last part of Summer 2023 as well as early Fall out in the state of Washington. We hired a purported expert metal detectorist ? that was with us part of the time. He (or she) (we aren't allowed to disclose the name) seemed to know what they were doing. Lord knows I am clueless on that subject. I am also not allowed to disclose the brand of detector at this time but it is a well known company and the detectors used were quite expensive. There was a producer with us on certain days when we had significant things to film and record. Of course now everyone might want to know what we found (if anything.) And where exactly did we search? I guess we had better go back to the beginning and start there so it all makes some sense. We'll start with some further preliminary info and then get into Day one. I will say that it took me a lot longer to get this hunt started. I learned some very valuable lessons along the way such as who is reliable and who is not. I spent a year and a half of my own time and money before I ever stepped foot in the state of Washington. TO BE CONTINUED .............

I was in the path of the total eclipse. Pretty cool. Temperature dropped 15 degrees for a short period of time. As the eclipse got completed it went dark and fast but only for several minutes. I could hear large groups of people cheering from everywhere.

Just an old man talking with two woman. No cause for young men to start shoving him around.

He was thinking that he wanted to talk with two ladies at the bar. Should not be a reason for two young guys to start shoving an old man around.

Well, it has been just over 2 yrs since this story was posted and I have much to tell everyone including my adventures looking for this treasure last yr. Expect more to come on all this very soon. Cheers.

I was referring to another comment. No problem.

He was the real deal. I only wish some of you could have known him. When you're insulting Jacob you're walking on the fighting side of me as Merle put it.