GhostMiner Posted February 13 Author Share Posted February 13 August 24 2002 Part Two We got to the hospital and carried Jacob into the emergency room. This was a small hospital and there was only one person in the room waiting to be seen. I explained what had happened to one of the workers and they got Jacob into a room quickly. He was still breathing but looked to be unconscious as far as I could tell. Conor began to cry and was going on about how much he loved his uncle. I told him that Jacob was as tough as they come and not to count him out. After about ten minutes a doctor came out and said they were taking him into the hospital for some tests. He suspected a possible blockage around the heart but couldn’t be sure until they did further work. Then a lady came over and took Conor to the office to get information on Jacob. I sat and waited for about twenty minutes and Conor came back out. We went to a little waiting room. After another hour or so the same doctor came back out to talk with us. He said Jacob had a clot in an artery and the blood flow to his heart had been compromised. Then he said it was good we got him there fast and they were putting him in intensive care. He didn’t think there would be surgery but instead they had started a course of blood thinner injections to deal with the clot which of all things was not near the heart but actually in his leg. It had not traveled to the heart yet and he said that probably would have killed him. However, he was in grave danger of the clot doing just that and they were attempting to dissolve it with the thinners. He would be kept immobile and monitored closely. Conor said he wanted to stay at the hospital with Jacob and I agreed. I told him I would watch over our camp tonight and be back at the hospital first thing in the morning. We shook hands and I told him to buck up and Jacob would beat this. Then I headed back to camp. TO BE CONTINUED ............... 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostMiner Posted February 13 Author Share Posted February 13 2 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gold Seeker Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 24 minutes ago, GhostMiner said: Rest In Peace Toby 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostMiner Posted February 13 Author Share Posted February 13 3 minutes ago, Gold Seeker said: Rest In Peace Toby Amen. Last song he performed. 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dig4gold Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 Yes, sad news to hear of Toby Keith's passing. He had been dealing with stomach cancer for a while. RIP Toby. D4G 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostMiner Posted February 15 Author Share Posted February 15 August 25 2002 Part One It was weird this morning without anyone in camp but me. I didn’t get much sleep last night and what I got was restless at best. I had some oatmeal and coffee and headed for town. I didn’t know what to expect. When I got there they told me Jacob was in intensive care. I was not allowed to go there at this time. So I went to the small lounge which adjoined a little cafeteria and found Conor who was sitting at a table looking forlorn. He perked up when I came in and sat down across the table from him. I asked him if there was any word on Jacob. He told me he was waiting for a doctor to come and talk with him. He hadn’t heard anything at all last night. He looked exhausted. We sat around talking for about an hour when the doctor finally came into the room. Jacob introduced me and the doctor told us how Jacob was doing. They had him on a heavy course of blood thinners and were keeping him quiet. The doctor said that Jacob was extremely dehydrated and was getting iv’s as well. It would take several days for the blood thinners to start dissolving the clot. If Jacob came out of that ok then he would be moved to a general room for a few more days. He also said they were going to do some tests on Jacob’s heart to determine its condition. He said Jacob’s pulse was strong and he seemed to be in good health for his age. I asked if we could visit him and he said yes but only for ten minutes. The doctor walked us to his room and announced to Jacob that he had some visitors. Jacob was sitting up in bed and drinking juice. When he saw us he smiled and gave us one of his winks. He said he needed some Irish Coffee. The doctor laughed and said none of that for you today. Then the doctor left us alone with him. Jacob said he was feeling pretty good and wanted to check out of the hospital and get back to mining. Conor and I looked at each other and chuckled. We told him they needed to fix him up first and then we’d make up for lost time. Jacob told us to get back to mining and he’d be ready to go back to camp soon. We talked for a little bit and then a nurse came in and said it was time for us to go. Jacob pulled me close and whispered to me. He asked me to smuggle in some Bushmills. He said it would do him good. I laughed and told him I’d never get away with it and we’d have some whisky when he got back to camp. I told him it wouldn’t be long and to listen to what the doctors and nurses told him. Then we shook hands and we told him we’d be back in to see him in the evening. TO BE CONTINUED .................. 6 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Furness Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 Good thing you refused the whiskey. He is/was dehydrated and whiskey would dehydrate him again. Counter productive to saving him! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostMiner Posted February 16 Author Share Posted February 16 August 25 2002 Part Two We stopped for supplies after visiting Jacob and got back to camp late morning. Neither one of us felt much like mining but I asked Conor if he would like to feed the trommel while I dug up gravels. After all, it’s what Jacob would have wanted us to do. So I fired up the water pump and trommel and Conor fed the beast as we called it. I did some digging with the excavator adjacent to the stockpile of pay and before you knew it was 3:00 PM and we had washed 100 yards of gravel. I signaled to Conor that we were shutting down. Then we washed up and got something to eat before heading to the hospital to check on our mining partner. The day had gone extremely smooth. We got to the hospital just as supper was being served to Jacob’s area. They told us we could stay for an hour this time which I figured was a good sign. Before I went in I asked the nurse how he was doing. She said he is feeling pretty good and wanted some canned stew and a cup of Bushmills whisky. She said instead of that he’s getting beef broth, pudding, & tea. Conor and I had a good laugh on that and we went into his room. The first thing Jacob asked was if I had brought his whisky. I had come prepared. I gave him a wink and told him to eat his supper and I had a surprise for him. After he finished the meager meal I pulled a small flask out of my back pocket. It contained a double shot of his beloved Bushmills. There was a grin on his face from ear to ear. He downed the whisky in two swallows and said it was the best medicine he’d had since being in the hospital. Then we all had a good talk and before you knew it the hour had passed and they kicked us out of his room. Conor and I drove back to camp in good spirits and we were hoping Jacob would be back with us soon. TO BE CONTINUED .................. 6 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostMiner Posted February 17 Author Share Posted February 17 Going back to the ending of the first mining season of 1936 & the death of Jed Stevens. EPILOGUE At this point there were no further writings in the journal. Several days after the last entry Jed Stevens was found dead. His body had been discovered by some hunters about twenty miles from his claims. He had been shot through the back of the head and was lying on the ground near a large boulder. There was a small hole that had been dug out underneath it but when the hunters searched there was nothing there. He was identified and law enforcement notified his brother of his tragic death. Evidently he had been murdered for his gold. The perpetrators were never found. It is said that his ghost haunts the mine to this day. A NOTE TO READERS : Be sure to watch for the next edition of this series as the miners return to the claims and resume their adventures in the search for gold. See you up in the Sierra Nevada mountains. GhostMiner 3 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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