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

[GhostMiner]

   June 11   2002

 

   We all took turns on watch but there wasn’t much left on the mountain to sabotage except more of the layflat hose and the tom. We got up and running  before noon and Jacob had weighed up yesterday’s work. We had an ounce.

   The weather was hot, dry, and dusty. I had to fight the urge to have a cold beer later in the afternoon. We worked the day without incident and the reliable old tom processed 28 yards of pay gravel. Jacob took a look at it and panned a bit of the cons which seemed to be loaded with coarse gold. He said we might have hit a honey hole in the gravels. We sure were hoping so as we all needed to see more gold. 

   After supper we were all sitting around the campfire except for Vern who went up on first night watch. Jacob was in a rare mood and drinking whisky and rolling smokes. He told us he was going to shoot the next hooligan who messed with our equipment. I think he actually meant it but hoped that would not happen. He said he didn’t care as he had led a long life and was ready for his time to come to an end some day. I knew what he was talking about as he had confided in me previously but the crew knew nothing. 

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

[GhostMiner]

 June 12   2002

 

   The night had remained quiet and we got to work shoveling gravel into the tom. When we broke for lunch Jacob had the concentrates all cleaned up and there were 6 ounces of gold in the pan. He grinned and told us to shovel like hell because we were in a sweet spot. If only we had our trommel we could make a real killing I figured. But we went back to work and did the best we could. The heat was relentless. By the end of the day we had processed 35 yards. I figured that to be a very good days work in the heat. We were all worn out.

   Jacob took a few scoops of the concentrates and told us they were loaded with gold. He said maybe we didn’t need any trommel and had himself a good laugh. The rest of us looked at him and I thought he had gone mad the way he was laughing so hard. Jacob stopped and told us we didn’t seem to understand and that we had hit a jackpot. An area of concentrated gold deposit. Sizeable tonnage. Whatever you want to call it he said. Then he began to laugh some more. He said he’d seen this kind of thing several times on these claims. We might just have ourselves a gold strike. 

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

[GhostMiner]

   June 13   2002

 

   It was another peaceful night on the claim. The only movement I heard was a black bear who had ventured near camp and circled us a few times until Jacob let loose with the Thompson to scare the critter away. It no doubt smelled the remnants of our supper but was too timid to come all the way into camp.

   We got to work early and tried to send as many yards through the tom as possible before the heat came on. And come on it did. With a vengeance. By noon it was over 90 degrees and we took a short break for lunch. This time I gave in to my yearnings and had a cold beer as did the rest of the crew including Jacob and man, did it taste good.

   Jacob had the gold cleanup done and we drank out beers and looked at the pan of gold. All 11 ounces of it. And from only 35 yards of gravel. It was unbelievable but it was real gold. I even asked Jacob if he was tricking us and he just laughed and said to enjoy the view.

   We got back to shoveling gravel and worked until dark. I didn’t have any sweat left in my body and had drank gallons of water. The entire crew was shot to all heck but we had processed 44 yards of pay gravel. We were all pretty damn proud of ourselves as we sat down to supper. We were becoming a rough and tough crew like the old timers. 

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

[Gold Seeker]

I'm assuming in 1936 they got their drinking water (when they drank water) from the stream, but in 2002 where did ya'll get your drinking water from, surely not from the stream??

[GhostMiner]

18 hours ago, Gold Seeker said:

I'm assuming in 1936 they got their drinking water (when they drank water) from the stream, but in 2002 where did ya'll get your drinking water from, surely not from the stream??

A pipe that comes down out of the mountain that is potable & is still there to this day.

[dig4gold]

On 6/1/2023 at 10:12 AM, Gold Seeker said:

surely not from the stream??

If the stream is way up in the mountains... then why not?

D4G

[GhostMiner]

19 minutes ago, dig4gold said:

If the stream is way up in the mountains... then why not?

D4G

We don't know the source but it's been tested & is pure. We've drank it for years. Cold & delicious. 

[Gold Seeker]

22 minutes ago, dig4gold said:

If the stream is way up in the mountains... then why not?

D4G

If the water is spring water and not to far from the source, then I would agree, but even with run off from a spring the further you get away from the source unless it's been piped in or if the stream is from rain or melting snow runoff the chances of getting sick from bacteria, viruses, or more likely Giardia is not worth the risk, I have no problem drinking from most any stream if I have a "filter straw" or "water filter bottle", I'm just not going to risk drinking unfiltered water unless it was a life saving/survival type situation, or as I mentioned it's coming from underground spring and only very close to the source. 

[GhostMiner]

1 minute ago, Gold Seeker said:

If the water is spring water and not to far from the source, then I would agree, but even with run off from a spring the further you get away from the source or if the stream is from rain or melting snow runoff the chances of getting sick from bacteria, viruses, or more likely Giardia is not worth the risk, I have no problem drinking from most any stream if I have a "filter straw" or "water filter bottle", I'm just not going to risk drink unfiltered water unless it was a life saving/survival type situation, or as I mentioned it's coming from underground spring and only very close to the source. 

Tested & pure. Some prefer to bring in water from town. To each his own. Been drinking it many years & never ever sick.