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

[GhostMiner]

10 minutes ago, rvpopeye said:

 Nice video of Gerry doing training !

 

Who's Gerry? Maybe you meant Jed or Jacob LOL.

[rvpopeye]

Our own nugget between the teeth Gerry taking a couple of guys that bought detectors from him out to learn how to find gold in the jungles of Nevada ! 

(or so I assume)

 

 I know I probably stunned you by posting on your thread , so I'll add an "OH MY!" for the diary entry.  🖖LL+P    ..... Live Long and Prospect 

[GhostMiner]

5 minutes ago, rvpopeye said:

Our own nugget between the teeth Gerry taking a couple of guys that bought detectors from him out to learn how to find gold in the jungles of Nevada ! 

(or so I assume)

 

And , I have a stinkin' badge so I don't need one either arrr !

I know I probably stunned you by posting on your thread , so I'll add an "OH MY!" for the diary entry.  🖖LL+P    ..... Live Long and Prospect 

Time for a cup of Bushmills. See you all tomorrow.

[Old Miner Don]

18 hours ago, GhostMiner said:

Time for a cup of Bushmills. See you all tomorrow.

You ever try some Pendleton?

[GhostMiner]

29 minutes ago, Bedrocker said:

You ever try some Pendleton?

Never have. I usually drink Tullamore Dew triple distilled Irish whisky.

[GhostMiner]

4 minutes ago, GhostMiner said:

Never have. I usually drink Tullamore Dew triple distilled Irish whisky.

 

[GhostMiner]

   August 5   2002     Part two

 

   Jacob and I walked together as Bill led the way. By the time we got to the Hidden Mine it was late afternoon. We knew we wouldn't have a lot of time to work before dusk but everyone was anxious to get our new venture started. We had carried a supply of digging tools up with us. We had shovels, pics, rock bars, and sledge hammers. We would still need to crush our ore samples and either carry the crushed samples down to camp or find a water source in this location. Bill had told us there was a seasonal stream and small pond up here. It was a bit further north and at a higher altitude. He thinks we could dig a small trench to get water flowing down to the mine site and store it in a small holding pond. This would be possible when the rain season came in late fall and also in late Winter or Spring. Everything would have to be done by hand using  old school methods. If the ore was as rich as Bill thought it would be worth the effort.

   The three of us got to work digging away at what Bill told us was the mine entrance. It was hard to tell how many feet and tons of rock and gravel that covered it. It would take a massive amount of work by us to find the adit. Around 7:00 PM we decided to head back to camp. We had hardly put a scratch in the slide that buried the gold. As we dug in horizontally more rocks and gravel would slide down from above and cover our progress. The three of us were worn out. 

   TO BE CONTINUED ................

[GhostMiner]

   August 5   2002     Part Three     Jacob Throws Me A Bombshell

 

   The three of us sat around a small campfire after a good supper of hash and beans. We were bending our elbows and talking about the Hidden Mine. After a small cup of whisky Jacob quietly said there was something he wanted to tell us. Then he took a long pause as he rolled one of his smokes. Finally, he continued. He came right out with it and I was stunned. He said that Jed had a son and his name was Conor. It seemed that Jed had gotten the girl who worked at the general store in town pregnant. They never married and Jed never knew his son because he was murdered. Jacob was made aware of it and had helped the mother out until she finally got married. Jacob’s nephew’s name was Conor. 

   Jacob told us that Conor had visited him several times when he was in Oregon and wanted to know all about Jed. They had kept in touch with each other and Conor was now 62 years old and had retired from a position with the railroad. Jacob said Conor was a good man and in a recent phone conversation while Jacob was in town he asked to come to the property to see the place where Jed and Jacob had made the big gold strike of 1936. He also wanted to work with us. He will be arriving in two days. I was more than surprised but happy for Jacob. I wondered what he would be like. Jed’s son, here on the mine.

   TO BE CONTINUED ................

[GhostMiner]

 August 6   2002

 

   We had a good breakfast of biscuits, bacon, and eggs and the three of us headed up the mountain to do some digging. Jacob told us this morning that any gold found with Conor’s help would come out of his percentage which was very fair. I really didn’t want any more partners and neither did Bill. Our gold cut would not be changed and it would be good to have another mine worker.

   As we approached the Hidden Mine I couldn’t help but wonder what that quartz vein was holding in gold values. Could it be as rich as Bill claimed? There was no denying that ore sample he had shown us. Was I allowing gold fever to take over my thinking process? Would we even be able to get into the drift this year? I know that rains will come in late September and into the Fall season. The temperatures will cool and then drop drastically by November. We may even be snowed out by then. We are going to need to work hard to at least see the ore. That’s all I am hoping for at this point. To confirm Bill’s claims of big gold deposits. I can rest easy then.

   It was still cool when we started moving rocks and gravel from the adit. I got up on the big slide fifty feet above the area of the supposed entrance and began pitching rocks off to the side and watched as they rolled down the hill to the east of the entrance area. Jacob and Bill were digging down near the bottom with shovels. It was hard work and by noon we were ready for a break and something to eat. We had brought up peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and plenty of water. After lunch we were right back at it. Jacob took frequent breaks while Bill and I settled into a slow and steady pace. By 6:00 PM we were worn out. There has been a bit of progress made but tomorrow Bill is going up the slide where I have been working in an attempt to help eliminate all the material that keeps coming down on the lower dig site. We could use a crew of ten or twenty people here. We are calling it a day and heading back down to camp.

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

[GhostMiner]

   August 7   2002     Part One     Conor Arrives At The Mine

 

   We had word that Conor would arrive this morning so after breakfast we all went down to the main road near the lower creek and waited. Around 10:00 AM a Ford pickup truck pulled off the main road and onto the north mine road where we were waiting. The driver pulled up and put his window down. He laughed and said that this must be the old Stevens Brothers Mine. Then he said hello to his uncle Jacob and parked the truck. 

  Bill and I introduced ourselves and we shook hands. Conor was wiry and looked to be quite fit. His grip felt like a vice. After we exchanged a few words I got in my truck with Bill while Jacob and Conor got in his truck and he followed me to camp.

   He was very excited to actually be on his father’s mine with his uncle Jacob. His truck was new and the bed was packed up with all kinds of equipment and camping gear. He said he would share a camper with Jacob and we helped him unload his gear. There was a portable generator, a tent for storing equipment, picks and shovels, a small recirculating sluice, and plenty of provisions. 

   It was past lunch time by the time he was off loaded and had his gear arranged in some order. Then we all sat at camp and I fixed up some lunch with hot dogs and hamburgers. After lunch we cracked open some beers and talked with Conor. 

   TO BE CONTINUED ..................