GhostMiner

At night thousands of miles away and thinking of home.

July 11 2002 This morning we were hoping to get back on good pay gravel. I dug back into the hill a bit deeper with the excavator and took a pan for Jacob to wash. There were some fines but no coarse gold. I went down another five feet in depth. Jacob washed another pan with similar results. I could only get another five feet in depth without increasing the footprint of the digsite. Once again there was not much of anything to get excited about. Jacob took off his old cap and gave his head a good scratch. He was trying to decide whether to move the dig site over to the west about thirty feet and excavate at the same depth we had been getting the hot streak from. We talked it over and decided to move. It would mean a delay in washing gravels for the morning. We both were thinking the streak lay at a higher level for some reason. Maybe we could highgrade the streak for a spell and then spend some time gambling for bedrock gold at a later date. I worked the excavator for the morning while Jacob took pans to the wash tub. Sure enough, when we got down to about fifteen feet the gravels changed. Jacob washed a pan and hollered eureca. I climbed down off the excavator and had a look at the pan. It was loaded with fines and coarse gold. I went up the mountain and got the pump going and Jacob began feeding the trommel with the skid steer while I dug pay with the hoe. We worked until dusk and washed 150 yards of pay gravel. I took a look in the sluice box and there were lines of gold all in the top riffles. Jacob came over and he had a big grin on his weathered face. He said we were back in the channel. He figured there would be a lot more when we found bedrock. He figured to run a bunch of the higher gold first and then spend the end of the season trying to get deep. All the way down to bedrock. He said there might be a fortune underneath the top streak but was not sure how deep it was hiding. We would take the lower cost to mine material first, then go for glory. TO BE CONTINUED ...................

You are also reminding me of how much I missed while being thousands of miles from home. I actually had a panic attack at 2:00 AM many yrs ago. I woke up alone in camp before the crew was there & was thinking of my wife & daughter at home and 2500 miles away. It hit me that if something happened & they really needed me quickly it would be impossible to get there. Add to that no cell service. Not something I like to think about now. Sure, I have regrets sometimes.

You'll nave a hard time making it as a miner if you can't make the sacrifice. There is a big diference between playing a gold miner & being a gold miner. Living alone or with a few people off grid & giving up most comforts. Missing home so bad that some nights you cry. It ain't an easy life. There is good & there is bad. The highs & lows are hard to handle at times. It takes people with an iron will like Jacob sometimes. If you can have your family living with you it can be good or go wrong. It's way too dangerous to even consider having family on this mine. In most cases it's not practicle. I bought & paid for my home & retirement because of mining. No different than being in a touring rock band or on deployment in the military.

July 10 2002 We spent most of the day doing the cleanup and gold weigh. The results were disappointing compared to what we were expecting. We saw more fine gold than coarse in the final pan and the total was 10.7 ounces. Jacob thinks that the rich pay streak has vanished as quickly as it appeared. He told me to be thankful for the streak while it lasted and if we continue at a steady pace of washing gravel we may very well find another one. He reminded me that gold is a fickle friend. I am indeed learning that lesson. Tonight is peaceful and Jacob’s old truck is sitting just outside our camp. It is a monument to the old crew who worked so hard here and gave their lives for gold. Jacob and I had a drink of Irish whisky together and he reminisced about the old days. I always enjoy hearing about those times. Every now and then he gets in one of those moods to talk about them. I know that someday I will be doing the same to a younger generation of miners. TO BE CONTINUED .....................

July 9 2002 Part Three We knocked off work a bit early. We had washed 130 yards of pay gravel and pulled the matts from the sluice run. We had concentrates from 315 yards of gravels in the tubs. We could see some nice looking gold poking out of the black sand. We will spend tomorrow doing the cleanup together. We got cleaned up and had a quick supper. Jacob wanted to look over his old truck before it got dark. So did I. Then he told me something. He said whoever buried that truck probably didn’t know he had some gold hidden in the dashboard. It seems he had stashed ten ounces of gold in two containers. They were tucked up behind the dash in a little compartment he had made. Jacob told me to feel up under the dash on the passenger side. I shoveled out some of the gravel from the cab and got down on my back with a flashlight. There was a black metal box bolted up there. He said yep, that’s it. I got some wrenches and after spraying the nuts and bolts with penetrating oil they came loose and I dropped the box down to the floor. There was a rusty latch on the box which I broke loose by prying on it. When it opened there were two smaller boxes inside. They were wooden but had been wrapped in leather. Jacob was shaking his head and gave out a chuckle. He said he remembered wrapping the boxes with leather so they wouldn’t rattle. He told me to go ahead and open the boxes. There was the gold still sitting in them. I weighed it up and there was indeed ten ounces. Jacob was holding them and remembered he had kept a poke of gold in the truck for emergencies. Unfortunately he had never got the chance to get that gold. He handed me one of the wooden boxes and said it was mine because we were partners. That’s the way he was. TO BE CONTINUED .......................

July 9 2002 Part Two I couldn’t believe what I was looking at. Jacob cut a gentle slope into the facing of the wide trench. We hooked a chain up and slowly pulled it out and onto the surface. I had the water bypass open on the trommel and we took a few minutes to look it over. It was rusted and dented. The windows were broken and the interior was half filled with gravel. Jacob figured that the thugs that had murdered his crew had buried the truck so it wouldn’t be found. They had worked the claims for a few years and eventually hightailed it out of the area. Jacob said he didn’t know who they were but had heard rumors that they were wanted for a number of felonies. We pulled it out of the way and got back to work. Jacob said we could look it over more closely after we shut down for the day. TO BE CONTINUED .............

July 9 2002 Part One We started work around 8:00 AM. Once again Jacob was running the excavator. Suddenly I noticed that he stopped digging and was climbing down off the machine. He approached the cut he was working and was staring down at something. I walked over to see what he was looking at. I could make out what appeared to be metal. I asked Jacob what he thought it was and he just shrugged. He said he couldn’t tell but it was definitely metal. Maybe an old piece of scrap? Jacob climbed back on the excavator and started to carefully dig around the object. It was in the hill about ten feet or so below the surface. After about another twenty minutes of careful excavation it became clear what the object was. Jacob let out a slew of swear words and climbed off the machine to get a closer look. Then he looked directly at me with an amazed look. He said it was his old truck. TO BE CONTINUED ..................

More diggin' commin'

July 8 2002 Jacob and I had breakfast this morning and talked about getting back to work. Around 8:00 AM I got water flowing down to the trommel. Jacob loved to run the excavator and began digging up a nice pay pile while I fed the beast with the skid steer. We figured to run a nice steady pace around 20 yards an hour. It was a little slow but we didn't want any breakdowns and figured to just ease back into a routine. Then after a few days we would bump up production. By 2:00 PM we had washed close to 120 yards and the temperature was 115 degrees. We pushed through until 5:00 PM without a single break. We decided to shut down for the day. We had fed 185 yards into the hopper. Jacob and I talked it over and we were now going to do cleanups every other day. So we shut everything down and walked down to camp. I pulled off my sweat soaked shirt and boots. Then I jumped straight into a nice little hole in the creek where the water pooled up to waste high. Jacob was hosing himself down with a pump and some hose we had placed in the creek. Man, that water was cool compared to the air temperature and felt good. Eventually I climbed out of the creek and pulled a cool beer from a six pack, I handed one to Jacob as well. I drained mine in about a minute and grabbed another. We cooked up hot dogs and beans. I never tasted better food. We were finally mining again and I was working with a legend. Jacob brought out the whisky and we had a couple of shots and I chased mine with more beer. My partner rolled a smoke as the sun was setting on the mine. What a life we had out here in the Sierra Nevada. I now considered myself an outlaw. We were free from the rules of society and pretty much did as we pleased. I am beginning to understand what it must have been like back in the old days with Jed’s and then Jacob’s crew. I watched the sun set and the stars come out of the black sky. How could I ever explain the feeling of complete freedom out here? Would anyone understand? TO BE CONTINUED ..................

July 7 2002 We ended up turning the three thugs over to the law. Jacob wanted to handle things his own way but I was able to convince him to do the right thing. We took today off and got some much needed rest. Some good food for supper and a cup of whisky together by the fire before turning in. It is quite a relief having those guys behind bars. Now we can turn our attention back to full time mining. We are thinking that as long as we keep things quiet out here we can end the season on a high note with plenty of gold in our jars. We will see how it goes. I have kept all of this from my wife who would have been sick about all the trouble. Also, we have not heard a peep from Jim or Vern. Jacob said they are no longer welcome out here and I think I agree. They deserted us when we needed them most. TO BE CONTINUED ...................

google it. Plenty of them on youtube.

So I finally am back on the website. For some reason starting yesterday I lost the site & got http error 500. I tried everything I knew to get back on with no luck. So just now I called my son in law & asked him to try pulling up the forum which he did right away. Then he sent me a link from his phone & it allowed me to get back on. I also googled a link from my computer & got back on which it wouldn't allow before. Wierd. It was like I was frozen out for some reason. More journal tomorrow. Cheers.

Corona. No whisky LOL.

Corona.

Here's a story I have only told to several people but what the heck. This took place in August of 2019 on a mining claim in the northern Sierra Nevada mts of California. I had been driving my truck for days when I hit town and stopped at my storage building to get my camping gear. I was tired and by the time I got to the mine it was getting dark. Not wanting to set up camp in the dark I decided to just sleep in the back seat of my Ford F150. It was hot & being the thirsty devil I opened up a six pack of cold beer I had picked up in town. The rest of my crew would be arriving in a day or two so I was alone on the mine. I turned on the radio and drank a few beers while I listened to some good Country music on the satellite radio. Other than the radio it wa stone quiet and all the stars were out. Well, it got to be midnight & I had killed the six pack. Time to crawl in the back seat of the truck and get some sleep. But first I took a pee and for some stupid reason let out a loud Bigfoot call. That broke the silence and as I got into the truck to go to sleep everything was quiet for a few seconds until I got an answer. It was loud and very close. Just near a little creek to my west about 50 yards or so. I was scared as hell and wished I had not done that call. Before I could decide what to do I heard a heck of a ruckus over on the west side of the creek about 75 ft up the slope of the mountain. It was a bunch of whooping and a big pine was shaking like crazy. I got out of the truck and slowly walked over that way. All I had on me was bear spray and a 9MM semi auto for protection. As I got a little closer I could make out what looked like a giant ape shaking the pine and throwing rocks down to the creek which was completely dry. I realized that I was seeing a Bigfoot. It continued to shake the tree which was fairly large but on a slope and tipping towards the creek. After about 15 minutes of this the tree crashed to the ground and the thud was loud. I couldn't believe it. I was frozen in place as I watched. Finally, whatever this thing was started to walk up the mountain which was quite steep. That was it. I went back to the truck, crawled into my sleeping bag, & locked the doors. I slept on & off that night. Each time I woke I half expected to see the ugly face of Bigfoot staring in my window at me. Luckily that never happened. That's a true story.

July 6 2002 Part Eight Night Of The Living Dead As I approached Jacob he turned and looked at me. He was now the Jacob I was used to and perfectly sane. He gave me a wink and put his index finger to his lips as a warning for me to keep my mouth shut. A gigantic wave of relief came over me all at once and I nearly passed out. He spoke to me in a very quiet level and his tone was mischievous. He had knocked the guy in the head with the butt of his Thompson and gagged him. He was tied and unconscious. It had all been a setup. Jacob explained that he could not risk me tipping his hand in any way and figured that with me not knowing any more than the crooks he would be able to pull off his devious plan. I was somewhat angry for not being in on this plan but the relief I felt was stronger than the anger. Jacob whispered that we now must pull off the rest of his scheme. He told me to untie one of the other goons from the tree and cover his head with a pillowcase he had brought out. Then he said to bring him to the pit. I did as instructed. The entire time the man was begging us not to shoot him. I told him it was out of my hands and that my partner was a crazed old man who would kill the rest of them and enjoy doing so. His legs were shaking when I pulled him along and we stopped where Jacob was standing with the Thompson. Jacob gave him the same spiel in a very loud and menacing voice telling him he was about to die like his friend. He asked him if he would like the hood on or off for his execution. By now the man was begging Jacob not to shoot him and he would tell him anything he wanted to know. Jacob gave me a grin and one of his winks. TO BE CONTINUED ..................

July 6 2002 Part Seven The silence seemed to last for an eternity. There were no more cries from the guy in the pit. Then Jacob began hollering out that he had gotten what was coming to him and there were two more hooligans to kill. He was talking wildly and out of control. He was yelling he would shoot each man one at a time. Then he hollered for me to come to the pit. I glanced at the two men tied to the tree. They were terrified. I slowly walked over to where Jacob was standing. He was staring down at the man who lay there face down and motionless. It was murder I was thinking to myself. Murder over gold. We had crossed the line and now I was an outlaw just like Jacob. My life would never be the same. What would I tell my wife? I could never go home again. We had sold our souls for gold. TO BE CONTINUED ...................

Yes, I think for working the exposed bedrock it's worth a try.

Nice to see you got at least something for your labor. I have only metal detected once for about an hour with a Gold Bug. That was 11 yrs ago. Lately, I have been reconsidering. The eastern area of our mines have acres of exposed bedrock left by the old hydraulic operators of the 1800's. I'm thinking there must be a good way to work that area to see if anything is left. Posiibly metal detecting along with a battery powered vac. The virgin ground left out there was tested by us back in 2019 & 2020. The values in that area from bedrock to 15 ft above bedrock are anywhere from 1 - 3 ounces per hundred yards of gravel. There are lots of pickers but nothing I would call nuggets. Also plenty of coarse & fine gold. Not sure if detecting would be worth the effort.

July 6 2002 Part Six After a couple of minutes Jacob had one thug at a time climb out of the hole and I tied their hands behind their backs. As I finished tying the first one Jacob shoved him back into the pit with the muzzle of the Thompson sending him crashing into the gravel on his side. The thugs were trying to act tough but were starting to break down. Each one was treated in the same manner. He told them they all had tombstones in their eyes now. I kept looking over at him for a signal of some kind indicating he might be bluffing but there was none. After what must have seemed like an eternity to the goons Jacob ordered two of them out of the pit. He instructed me to take them over to camp and out of sight but not earshot and tie them to a tree. I stood there guarding them with my 9MM semi auto. They were shaking. Then I heard the unthinkable. Jacob was now talking to the guy in the pit in a loud voice. He said he was judge and jury here and their sentence was passed and about to be carried out. He told the man that he had threatened and disrupted our mining crew and had vandalized our equipment and cost us a fortune in lost gold. He said all three of them were now sentenced to death. Because they had not spoken up he said they would be shot to death because hanging was too much work for them. The men I was guarding were now crying and begging for mercy. They wanted me to intervene. I was frozen in place. I could hear the guy in the pit begging Jacob not to kill him. It got quiet for a moment. Then I heard the unmistakable burst of a number of rounds from the Thompson. TO BE CONTINUED ...............

Be sure to watch for the concluding episodes of the last part of the 2002 mining season here.