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

[GhostMiner]

   July 30   2002     Part Five

 

   The going was not too bad as we made our way slowly up the incline shaft. I let Jacob lead the way and his pace was slow as to be expected for his age. There was bracing at many points all along the old tunnel but it occurred to me that if this thing collapsed neither one of us would ever be heard from again.

   At several areas Jacob stopped and shined his flashlight along the walls and ceiling but there was no sign of any quartz vein. Jacob said this area must have been worked by old timers as a placer gravel deposit and not hard rock. The lack of any tracks led him to believe it was a small, independent operation. 

   We were definitely climbing higher into the mountain. After a while Jacob needed to take a break. The air quality was poor and his breath was labored. I asked him if he wanted to turn back but he said no, he just needed to rest a few minutes. We had no idea how far this drift went or where it ended. These underground mine tunnels are full of frightening noises that get your attention. Low rumbles or falling stone and gravel with the occasional creaking timbers can get to you if you aren’t careful. You have to keep your mind in check and not panic at times. Then there are the periods of absolute quiet that can get to you just as much as the unknown noises. Jacob got his rest and onward we pushed deeper and deeper into the mountain.

   TO BE CONTINUED ...............

[GhostMiner]

   July 30   2002     Part Five     The Graveyard Train

 

   As we made our way further in the tunnel began to open up just a bit and we could feel fresh air. Jacob said we were getting near an opening. Sure enough, we shined the lights onto an old wooden ladder. It led upwards about 15 feet to a wooden hatch. 

   I went up first and pushed the cover off the opening. We were higher up on the mountain now and in the middle of nowhere. I climbed out onto the surface and shined the light around. I was standing in an opening surrounded by pine trees. I looked to the east and saw old mine car rails heading into the woods. Jacob climbed out and we both stood there in wonder. We were higher up the mountain and a bit east of our claims. We followed the rails for several hundred yards and the track began to descend down the mountain in a steep decline. As we walked the tracking there was a fairly sharp curve that was there to avoid a large rock outcrop. There was about a 100 foot drop off at the curve and we could see three old mine cars laying on their sides down in the ravine. Jacob said there must have been a bad accident out here at some time in the past. The tracking was all mangled up and the rails had rotted out. They were very old and probably dated back to the mid to late 1800’s.

   We walked a bit further and to our surprise came to a camp. There was a small fire going and a large tent and scattered supplies and tools. Jacob gave a holler and shined his flashlight into the campsite. A man slowly stood up from an old wooden chair. He looked to be in his sixties and was alone. 

   At first he looked startled but I quickly told him we owned the mine down below and had found the old tunnel leading up here. He motioned for us to come in. He was unarmed but I saw a rifle near his chair. I introduced myself and Jacob and he told us his name was Bill Anderson. He said he’d been mining out here for more than half his life. He told us there used to be some partners but they’d all been killed in a mining accident. He pulled out a bottle of whisky and offered us a drink. He gave us some cups and he poured us some whisky. We took a seat on a log across from him and he continued talking. Bill asked us if we’d seen the wreck of mine cars as we came to his camp. I told him that we did. He said his four partners were riding in them with loads of rich ore from the drift mine down below. They would hand carry buckets and push wheelbarrows up the tunnel and load the cars and ride them east and back down the mountain to a processing area at the lower creek. He said they couldn’t process ore at the lower area where we were now located because there were claim owners and he and his crew were working in secret. One day they were traveling too fast and the cars jumped the track and went into the ravine. They were all killed. Bill said he was not with them when it happened. He called it the Graveyard Train.

   TO BE CONTINUED ................

[GhostMiner]

 

[GhostMiner]

 July 30   2002     Part Six

 

   Bill went on to tell us how the wreck happened. He said it was late one night and the crew wanted to haul ore down to the creek so it would be ready to process in the morning. Bill told them it was too late and too dangerous and they should wait until morning when they could see better. The ties and track dated back to the 1800’s and were in very poor condition. He blamed himself for not stopping them from going on that death ride. He also blamed himself for not repairing the bad sections of track, especially on that dangerous curve. Bill was the crew leader and he had four dead miners on his mind. The brakes on the cars had given way early on the ride down and they ended up dropping into the ravine. Those dead miners haunted his brain every night. I didn’t know what to say. Jacob just shook his head and told him that accidents in mining are common and not to be too hard on himself.

   Bill said he was real surprised when we discovered the buried entrance on our lower claim. He was aware of us mining but stayed clear. He asked us if we were going to give him trouble and kick him out of the drift mine. Jacob shook his head no and said he didn’t care if he worked the vein and he could start coming out of the entrance and over to the creek to work the ore if he wanted. The only catch was he said he’d have to give us a third of the gold. Bill quickly agreed and said that would save him a tremendous amount of time and work. Jacob said he'd leave the adit open until we left for the season but it would be closed and buried before we left. Then we shook hands and headed back down to camp. 

   TO BE CONTINUED .................

[Mike Furness]

Well done guys. And no violence! LOL! Hope the agreement works out well for everyone..

[GhostMiner]

   July 31   2002

 

   Jacob and I discussed the meeting with Bill Anderson this morning before we started work. Jacob figured the guy to be honest and hard working. He appeared to be scratching out a living. He has already set up a gas powered rock crusher near our camp by the creek. He hauls everything out by wheel barrow.  It is hard work and he is living alone in a very remote area with no creature comforts. This is Jacob’s kind of guy. At least now he could process the ore from the drift mine in an easier and safer fashion. And we didn’t mind getting a little taste of his gold while we worked our current operation. As long as he doesn’t cross Jacob and get on his wrong side things would be fine.

   We got back to working the tailings dump and by days end had washed 170 yards of gravel. After a total of 380 yards of processing we were finally ready to pull the sluice mats and process the concentrates tomorrow. Hopefully it will be a good way to start August.

   TO BE CONTINUED ................

[GhostMiner]

   

   August 1   2002

 

   We had our cleanup finished around 1:00 PM and stopped for lunch. I actually felt like drinking my lunch as there was only 9.7 ounces in the gold weigh from the 380 yards of gravel we washed. Jacob shook his head and told me that running tailings is a crapshoot. Sometimes you can hit decent gold that the old boys missed and sometimes you don’t make enough to pay for the whisky and beans. I was expecting more gold and Jacob could see the disappointment in me. He, on the other hand, was as carefree about it as could be. 

   About the time we were finishing up lunch Bill Anderson gave us a holler from just outside our camp. He asked permission to come in and talk with us. At least he had the good sense to know that you don’t ever walk into someone’s mining operation & camp without permission. 

   We waved him in and he came over and took a seat with us. I offered him a beer which he happily accepted. He was smart enough not to ask us anything about our gold. Bill said he wanted to talk with us about the quartz vein in the drift mine. He believed the largest part of the vein had still not been worked. He had seen signs of it heading toward the north west but all the tunneling had stopped. He had been working north with only placer gravels and no quartz. He said the pay was sketchy and not all that rich. According to him he had talked with one of the crew from the 1960’s who had worked the tunnel and they had hit several rich veins. He said that crew had gotten into trouble because gold fever had taken over the camp and the crew had fight after fight until they disbanded and left the area. Bill wanted help in the form of manpower and money to do more exploration and chase the gold bearing quartz veins. He was convinced that there was a million dollar payday hiding in there somewhere. Jacob and I just looked at each other. Would it be worth it I was thinking? I sure wasn’t happy running old mine tailings.

   TO BE CONTINUED ..................

[GhostMiner]

11 minutes ago, GhostMiner said:

   

   August 1   2002

 

   We had our cleanup finished around 1:00 PM and stopped for lunch. I actually felt like drinking my lunch as there was only 9.7 ounces in the gold weigh from the 380 yards of gravel we washed. Jacob shook his head and told me that running tailings is a crapshoot. Sometimes you can hit decent gold that the old boys missed and sometimes you don’t make enough to pay for the whisky and beans. I was expecting more gold and Jacob could see the disappointment in me. He, on the other hand, was as carefree about it as could be. 

   About the time we were finishing up lunch Bill Anderson gave us a holler from just outside our camp. He asked permission to come in and talk with us. At least he had the good sense to know that you don’t ever walk into someone’s mining operation & camp without permission. 

   We waved him in and he came over and took a seat with us. I offered him a beer which he happily accepted. He was smart enough not to ask us anything about our gold. Bill said he wanted to talk with us about the quartz vein in the drift mine. He believed the largest part of the vein had still not been worked. He had seen signs of it heading toward the north west but all the tunneling had stopped. He had been working north with only placer gravels and no quartz. He said the pay was sketchy and not all that rich. According to him he had talked with one of the crew from the 1960’s who had worked the tunnel and they had hit several rich veins. He said that crew had gotten into trouble because gold fever had taken over the camp and the crew had fight after fight until they disbanded and left the area. Bill wanted help in the form of manpower and money to do more exploration and chase the gold bearing quartz veins. He was convinced that there was a million dollar payday hiding in there somewhere. Jacob and I just looked at each other. Would it be worth it I was thinking? I sure wasn’t happy running old mine tailings.

   TO BE CONTINUED ..................

Checking the post.

[GhostMiner]

   August 1   2002

 

   We had our cleanup finished around 1:00 PM and stopped for lunch. I actually felt like drinking my lunch as there was only 9.7 ounces in the gold weigh from the 380 yards of gravel we washed. Jacob shook his head and told me that running tailings is a crapshoot. Sometimes you can hit decent gold that the old boys missed and sometimes you don’t make enough to pay for the whisky and beans. I was expecting more gold and Jacob could see the disappointment in me. He, on the other hand, was as carefree about it as could be. 

   About the time we were finishing up lunch Bill Anderson gave us a holler from just outside our camp. He asked permission to come in and talk with us. At least he had the good sense to know that you don’t ever walk into someone’s mining operation & camp without permission. 

   We waved him in and he came over and took a seat with us. I offered him a beer which he happily accepted. He was smart enough not to ask us anything about our gold. Bill said he wanted to talk with us about the quartz vein in the drift mine. He believed the largest part of the vein had still not been worked. He had seen signs of it heading toward the north west but all the tunneling had stopped. He had been working north with only placer gravels and no quartz. He said the pay was sketchy and not all that rich. According to him he had talked with one of the crew from the 1960’s who had worked the tunnel and they had hit several rich veins. He said that crew had gotten into trouble because gold fever had taken over the camp and the crew had fight after fight until they disbanded and left the area. Bill wanted help in the form of manpower and money to do more exploration and chase the gold bearing quartz veins. He was convinced that there was a million dollar payday hiding in there somewhere. Jacob and I just looked at each other. Would it be worth it I was thinking? I sure wasn’t happy running old mine tailings.

   TO BE CONTINUED ............

[GhostMiner]

 August 2   2002     Part One     The Graveyard Of Men And Dreams

 

   Last night we sat at the campfire talking and drinking beer & whisky with Bill Anderson. We got to know him better and seemed like an alright guy. He had been prospecting and mining out in the Sierra Nevada for many years. He’d had good times and bad times like most miners have. He was haunted by the mining tragedy that had taken place on the mountain where all four of his partners died. 

   He called the claims here the graveyard of men and dreams. He was aware of the dark history here and talked about it not knowing that Jacob was a part of that history. He told us that he found out about how many men had died out here while chasing their dream of finding gold. It was all true. Jacob was as haunted by the tragic memories as he was. There were many nights where even I would wake up in the middle of the night thinking I heard distant gunfire or trespassers coming close to camp. This place could get to you in a heartbeat if you let it.

   Bill said he had nothing left to live for except gold. He had a fever that would never pass. It consumed all his thoughts and he craved gold. It had cost him his wife, family, and then his partners. I thought to myself as he spoke that gold can be as evil as it can be glorious. I didn’t want to admit it but I had the fever just like Bill and Jacob. There was no saving my soul now. I silently wondered if I would someday become a part of the tragic history here.

   TO BE CONTINUED ...............