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

[GhostMiner]

   May 17   2002     Part Five

 

   We sat quietly and watched the two men walking around the area between the creek and camp. I couldn’t believe the situation I was in. I had my gun drawn and was sitting next to an 85 year old man with a loaded Thompson machine gun. After what seemed like an eternity we watched the two strangers talking with each other. They were too far away for us to hear anything. Then they slowly made their way back up the mountain.

   Jacob said they were casing the camp for a possible robbery. I told him we couldn’t jump to that conclusion and needed to take it easy. Jacob wanted to follow them but I talked him out of it. It was dark and the terrain was not good. All I needed was for him to take a fall and break something. I told him to stay put and I would see if I could trail them for a while and see where they were going. I would give him three blinks of my flashlight followed by three more when I was coming back down the mountain so he would know it was me. That, I hoped, would keep me from being shot. I thought about waking the others but decided against it. As the two strangers drifted up the mountain and out of sight I started up the mountain behind them. 

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

[GhostMiner]

  June 17   1950

 

   We suffered a partial collapse of the drift yesterday and are re timbering one section. There was no danger to the crew. The assays have faded once again to poor. I still have the option to do two more raises into the quartz zone if needed. The investor we have is leaving this decision up to me but is in this venture for the same reason we are, which is a sizable strike. That, I believe, will only occur on a drop zone of the bedrock which remains elusive. 

   TO BE CONTINUED ..............

[Mike Furness]

4 hours ago, GhostMiner said:

Jacob said they were casing the camp for a possible robbery.

Jacob has a vivid imagination based on his prior experiences years ago. I hope he is 'dead' wrong about the 2 campers motivation!

[GhostMiner]

May 17   2002     Part Six

 

   I tried to hustle up the mountain without using my flashlight and without breaking my neck on the rough terrain. I was also trying to keep as quiet as possible. As I neared the rise where the two strangers had disappeared from view I could hear them talking. I immediately stopped and tried to hear what they were saying. I was below them and at the base of a rock outcropping. 

   I was just able to make out what they were talking about and it made my skin crawl. They were planning on coming back to our camp later that night and robbing us. Jacob’s instinct had been right. I’d heard enough by now and I quietly backed away from the outcropping and eased back down the mountain. I gave Jacob the signals with my flashlight and got back to where he was waiting. It was just after midnight. I told Jacob what I had heard. He nodded and said his instincts had warned him that these guys were up to no good. Now we needed to get back to camp and wake Vern and Jim. So much for getting any sleep tonight. 

   TO BE CONTINUED .............

[GhostMiner]

4 minutes ago, GhostMiner said:

May 17   2002     Part Six

 

   I tried to hustle up the mountain without using my flashlight and without breaking my neck on the rough terrain. I was also trying to keep as quiet as possible. As I neared the rise where the two strangers had disappeared from view I could hear them talking. I immediately stopped and tried to hear what they were saying. I was below them and at the base of a rock outcropping. 

   I was just able to make out what they were talking about and it made my skin crawl. They were planning on coming back to our camp later that night and robbing us. Jacob’s instinct had been right. I’d heard enough by now and I quietly backed away from the outcropping and eased back down the mountain. I gave Jacob the signals with my flashlight and got back to where he was waiting. It was just after midnight. I told Jacob what I had heard. He nodded and said his instincts had warned him that these guys were up to no good. Now we needed to get back to camp and wake Vern and Jim. So much for getting any sleep tonight. 

   TO BE CONTINUED .............

   Yes, even in the year 2002 I was now learning what Jacob had warned me about based on his experience on lonely gold mines in the Sierra Nevada mts. Things can go south quickly and without much warning. Being isolated and with no way to communicate with the outside world you are on your own. Just like 1936. I remember wondering what had I gotten myself into?  

[GhostMiner]

   June 20   1950

 

   Particularly interesting in the area of consideration is a capping of rhyolitic boulders and debris resting conformably on bedrock and overlain by the gravels containing values. This capping, as opposed to andesitic flows common to the area, indicates that gravel deposition in the channel flows common to the area, indicates that gravel deposition in the channel occurred in Eocene geology, measurably increasing the property’s potential. With due regard to sound mining practice and possible bedrock contour fluctuations, we are presently making every reasonable effort to bring our working level into accord with gravel elevations and to begin complete analytical washing operations.  

   TO BE CONTINUED ............

[GhostMiner]

Just now, GhostMiner said:

   June 20   1950

 

   Particularly interesting in the area of consideration is a capping of rhyolitic boulders and debris resting conformably on bedrock and overlain by the gravels containing values. This capping, as opposed to andesitic flows common to the area, indicates that gravel deposition in the channel flows common to the area, indicates that gravel deposition in the channel occurred in Eocene geology, measurably increasing the property’s potential. With due regard to sound mining practice and possible bedrock contour fluctuations, we are presently making every reasonable effort to bring our working level into accord with gravel elevations and to begin complete analytical washing operations.  

   TO BE CONTINUED ............

   Readers - they are about to fire up the washplant.

[GhostMiner]

5 hours ago, GhostMiner said:

   Readers - they are about to fire up the washplant.

   I also think this entry in the log was written in part by the geologist who was helping out from time to time. I have no way of knowing for sure.

[GhostMiner]

   May 17   2002     Part Seven

 

   We got back to camp and woke up our partners. They were beyond surprised when we told them what was going on. Jim wanted to go to town and get the sheriff’s deputies out here. Jacob became hopping mad when he heard that. He stated that real miners handle their own troubles. He said the deputies would not want to come out here even if we asked them. There was no proof of a robbery being planned. Jacob also said the deputies would never go traipsing out in the dark woods looking for two suspects who might be armed. It would be too dangerous. He also said that even if the deputies went out in the night and found the two men all they would have to do is deny everything and the law wouldn’t be able to do a thing. I have to admit that I agreed with Jacob and the others did as well. So I asked him what we should do.

   Jacob told us to get our spotlights set up and point them in the four directions away from camp. We all had them in our trucks and campers. He said that would help to light up the mountain some and also warn the thieves we were ready for them. He told us to take positions on all four sides of camp away from where the spotlights were placed. He said to make sure we were well hidden and in total darkness. That would give us a big advantage if the goons came calling. 

   I have to admit that Jacob’s plan was a good one and I now could understand how he and his crew had survived out here for so long back in the 1930’s. We all had weapons and walkie talkies. We took our positions taking care to hide ourselves as best we could. I’m sure that if or when the thieves come down the mountain they are going to be quite surprised. I was also thinking of how unreal all of this was to me. It just didn’t seem possible that this was happening. I prayed that the thieves would not come down here and start trouble. The last thing I wanted was to shoot anyone or have one of us get shot.  Now we sit and wait. 

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

[GhostMiner]

   May 18   2002     Part One

 

   Last night the entire crew sat out in the dark outside of camp to see if the thieves would attack us. They never came. I sent everyone to their campers at 5:00 AM and I stayed out until daylight guarding camp. It remained quiet and the crew slept until about 9:00 AM. Having got no sleep at all myself I am pretty tired but we will have a meeting this morning to figure out a plan to keep ourselves safe. I can’t believe this is happening to us but Jacob takes everything in stride. We will have breakfast, then the meeting. After that I think we will go up to the site and try to get some work done. Perhaps the thieves now understand we are on guard and will leave us alone. That is what we are hoping for. 

   TO BE CONTINUED ..............