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v. 16, n. 8 August, 2012 Going for the Gold

The News

Visit RMPTH On The Internet At http://rmpth.com

Contents

If we got one-tenth of what was promised to us inthese acceptance speeches there wouldn't beany inducement to go to heaven.

- Will Rogers

1 The Ames Monument2 About The News6 Rare Freedman Tag Found

6 Cell Phone Rescue7 September Annual Paul E. LangeCoin and Prize Hunt

8 Crusades Treasure Cache8 Cold Hard Cash10 Calendar of Events11 Calendars14 Colorado Mineral and Fossil Show15 Record Treasure Hauled From

Shipwreck16 Trading Post18 2012 Schedule of Events

19 Contact List

The Ames Monumentby Rick Mattingly

This month we will lead another club outing tothe Wyoming ghost town site of Sherman,home of the astonishing Ames Monument. TheAmes Monument is astonishing for a number of rea-sons, the least of which is that people today are al-ways shocked to find this huge monolith standing allalone in the high plains of Wyoming. Be that as itmay, the history of this amazing pyramid is riddledwith even more surprises.

First off, this monument stands along an abandonedsection of the original Transcontinental Railroad line,off the beaten path and out of site today. This area ofthe line was the highest elevation point of the awe-some engineering and construction feat resulting inthe rail connecting east and west. This is why themonument and the old rail town of Sherman werethere at all. However, the winters along this section ofline proved to be so vicious that the section was even-tually moved south a number of miles and runthrough a tunnel to escape the fearsome elements.For the same reason the town of Sherman also soondried up and blew away. Of course this weather'discovery' was actually not news at all to many, in-cluding the original railroad construction guide hiredby the railroad -- no less than mountain man "OleGabe" Jim Bridger. Bridger told the officials to notbuild the rails there as he was personally well awareof the weather phenomenon to be experiencedthrough this area.

Next, some visitors may not have realized that thenamesake of the monument is still to be found at

your local hardware store. Read on to find the sur-prising link to yesteryear.

The following information is from an issue of a Mas-sachusetts publication titled Mass Moments.

"May 10 1869: Ames Brothers Celebrate GoldenSpike

In 1869, officials of the Union Pacific Railroad drove

(Continued on page 3)

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Page 2 The News, August 2012

The News is the official newsletter of the RockyMountain Prospectors and Treasure HuntersClub (RMPTH): our mailing address is P.O. Box

271863, Fort Collins, CO. 80527-1863.

Opinions expressed in The News are those of theauthors and do not necessarily reflect those of the

club or its members. Publication of information inThe News constitutes no guarantee of accuracy. Useof any information found in this publication is at thesole risk of the user. NeitherRMPTH, nor its coordi-nators, nor The News, nor its editors or contributorsassume any liability for damages resulting from useof information in this publication.

Submiss ions

Articles, letters and short items of interest on pros-pecting, detecting and treasure hunting topics are

welcome and encouraged. All items submitted forpublication are subject to editing. Submittals for pub-

lication may be made in writing or, preferably, in AS-CII text format on IBM-compatible disk. If you havequestions about a submission, please contact the edi-tor for information.

Copyr ight

Unless otherwise noted, other nonprofit groupsmay reprint or quote from any articles appearing inThe News without prior permission, provided thatproper author and publication credits are given andthat a copy of the publication in which the article ap-pears is sent at no cost toRMPTHat the above mail-ing address. Clubs wishing to exchange newsletters

withRMPTHare invited to send a copy of their news-letter together with an exchange request.

About The New s Adver t is ing

Classified advertising for topic related items is freefor non-business ads. See the Trading Post sectionfor donation pricing of camera-ready display ads. Do-nations for ad makeup from sketches, etc., are avail-able on request.

About RMPTH

RMPTHis an independent nonprofit hobbyist socialclub, open to anyone interested in prospecting, detect-ing or treasure hunting. Its purpose is to provide aneducational and social forum of mutual benefit formembers.RMPTHholds a monthly meeting and con-ducts various field outings, as well as offers specialpresentations and seminars. Active participants have

voting privileges. The monthly newsletter, The News,is readily available on the Internet. Persons wishing toreceive the newsletter in hardcopy, mailed format arerequired to provide the amount of $24 per year re-quired to print and mail. Otherwise, no annual duesare charged as the social club functions strictly bydonation.

Discovery of Gold in Kansas Territory

In July, 1858, the first important discovery of gold in what is now Colo-rado was made in Arapahoe County. Green Russell and a dozen compan-

ions (mostly Georgians) had left their camp near the mouth of CherryCreek and were prospecting up the platte, when one of them, James H.Pierce, found a sand bar that panned out a hundred dollars' worth offree gold. A short time afterward they came across a rich deposit ofpay dirt in Dry Creek, a small tributary of the Platte about a mile southof Denver. Here they obtained placer gold to the value of $400.

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Page 3The News, August 2012

hit, the Ames Company made a fortune selling shovelsand picks to miners. Ames shovels were shipped toevery part of the United States and to the far corners ofthe world gold mines in Australia and diamond minesin South Africa. The Ames family grew wealthy. With thecoming of the Civil War, government contracts for shov-els and swords made them richer still.

Oliver Ames's sons, Oakes and Oliver, Jr., grew-up inthe shovel-making business. Both boys attended localschools before entering their father's workshops to learnevery step of the manufacturing process. Oliver Sr. even-tually made his sons partners in the newly renamed firmof Oliver Ames & Sons. By the 1850s, the Ames brotherswere middle-aged men of wealth and influence. OliverAmes, Jr. was elected to the state senate in 1852 and1857; Oakes served in the U.S. Congress from 1862 un-

til 1873.

In January of 1865, PresidentLincoln called CongressmanAmes to the White House. Lin-coln believed that a transconti-nental railroad was the key totying a fragile union together.The competing efforts of theUnion Pacific and Central Pa-cific Railroad Companies weresuffering from infighting, poormanagement, and the inabilityto raise the huge amount ofcapital required. Lincoln ap-pealed to the Massachusettscongressman: "Ames," he saidin an oft-told story, "you takehold of this. . . .The road mustbe built, and you are the man todo it. Take hold of it yourself.By building the Union Pacific,you will become the remem-bered man of your generation."

The Ames brothers seized theopportunity. In 1866 Oliver

Ames took over as president pro-tem of the Union Pacific Railroad; he invested in CreditMobilier, a construction company that handled contractsfor the railroad. Oakes played an even larger role. One ofthe largest stockholders of Credit Mobilier himself, heused his position in Congress to influence legislationfavorable to the railroads.

Oakes and Oliver Ames were in Boston on May 10, 1869,when the "Golden Spike" was driven into the railroad tie

connecting the Union Pacific and Central Pacific lines.The Ames brothers knew that their shovels, their man-agement, and their money had been critical in bringingabout the historic event. For a brief time, it looked asthough Oakes Ames might indeed be "the rememberedman of [his] generation."

But there was trouble ahead. The Union Pacific Railroad,now headquartered in Boston, was deeply in debt andunable to pay many of its creditors. People began tocomplain that investors in Credit Mobilier had grownrich while contractors and workers went unpaid. On


the symbolic "Golden Spike" to mark the completion ofthe first transcontinental railroad. Telegraph wires at-tached to the spike and sledgehammer carried the newsacross the country. Reporters compared the event to thefirst shot fired on Lexington Green. Back in BostonOliver and Oakes Ames, the Massachusetts men whohad been instrumental in the success of the six-year pro-ject, accepted congratulations. The owners of the world'slargest shovel manufacturing company, the brothers hadsupplied many of the tools used to build the railroad.They had also arranged much of the financing. When thedetails of those arrangements were revealed, their repu-tations were ruined in one of the greatest financial scan-dals in U.S. history.

In the late 1860s, when the first transcontinental rail-road line was nearing com-pletion, Oakes Ames wasknown as the "King ofSpades." With his youngerbrother Oliver, he ownedAmes & Sons, the Easton,Massachusetts, companythat led the world in themanufacture of shovels,picks and other handtools. But the Ames' role inthe railroad enterprisewent well beyond makingshovels for the workers.Both brothers were ac-tively involved in raisingthe capital for the rail-road's construction. As aresult of their "creative"financing, Oakes Ameswould acquire a new nick-name "Hoax Ames."

The industrial history ofEaston, a small town 24miles south of Boston, be-gan with the discovery ofbog iron there in the late1600s. Easton was an important iron-producing centerthroughout the eighteenth century and supplied bothmen and muskets to the Continental Army.

In 1803 a blacksmith named Oliver Ames settled inEaston and took advantage of the town's tradition of ironmanufacturing to establish the Ames Shovel Company.From its humble beginnings as a one-forge blacksmithshop, the Ames Shovel Company would grow to be the

largest as far as the owners and many of their cus-tomers were concerned the finest shovel manufacturerin the country.

The early nineteenth century was a good time to be inthe business of making shovels and picks. The new na-tion was expanding at a rapid rate; major public worksprojects roads, bridges, canals relied on manuallabor, which meant a growing demand for hand tools.

In the Mississippi Valley, an Ames shovel was consid-ered so valuable that it was declared to be legal tender,accepted in lieu of cash. When the California Gold Rush

(Continued from page 1)

Ames Monument

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In wine there is wisdom,In beer there is freedom,In water there is bacteria.

- Ben Franklin

TREASURE HUNTERSCODE OF ETHICS

I WILL respect private property and do no treasurehunting without the owner's permission.

I WILL fill all excavations.

I WILL appreciate and protect our heritage of naturalresources, wildlife, and private property.

I WILL use thoughtfulness, consideration, and courtesyat all times.

I WILL build fires in designated or safe places only.

I WILL leave gates as found.

I WILL remove and properly dispose of any trash that I

find.

I WILL NOT litter.

I WILL NOT destroy property, buildings, or what is leftof ghost towns and deserted structures.

I WILL NOT tamper with signs, structural facilities, orequipment.

Gold Glossary

Flour Gold/Gold Dust - Gold that is so fine that it looksand feels like flour or dust. "The bread and butter of

prospecting." Nuggets are just a bonus

September 4, 1872, the New York Sun declared thatCredit Mobilier was the "King of Frauds."

An investigation began. It found that Credit Mobilier'sconstruction company had charged Union Pacific an in-flated sum for its work; Union Pacific had paid the billswith government funds. Shareholders in both the rail-road and Credit Mobilier had made fortunes. The result-ing financial scandal was long considered the most seri-ous in U.S. history.

Although many men were involved, the investigators fo-cused on Oakes Ames. Other legislators (especially thosewho had purchased Credit Mobilier shares from Ames)were happy to let him take the brunt of the scandal. In1873 the House censured him; he returned home toEaston a broken man and died a few months later of astroke.

A few years later Union Pacific hired the great Americanarchitect H.H. Richardson to design a monument to theAmes brothers. Located at Sherman Summit in Wyo-ming the highest point on the Union Pacific line, itwas originally visible to all passing trains. In the earlytwentieth century, however, the route was moved. Todaythe monument stands isolated and alone.

By contrast, the Ames legacy can be seen all over Easton.Although the shovel company passed out of family own-ership and moved to West Virginia in the 1950s, theAmes left a lasting mark on Easton's built environment.They hired H.H. Richardson to design Oakes Ames Me-morial Hall, the Ames Free Library, and the Old ColonyRailroad Station (now the Easton Historical Society),giving this small Massachusetts town a remarkable col-lection of architectural treasures."

Mass Momentshttp://www.massmoments.org/moment.cfm?mid=139

Yep, that's right -- The Ames Brothers immortalized onthe Ames Monument were involved in the family busi-ness of manufacturing shovels and related tools. Thesetools at your local hardware store today are marked"Ames - True Temper."

Another intriguing tidbit of history involved here is that asculpted bust of each of the Ames brothers is embeddedin opposing sides of the monument near the top. Thesebusts were sculpted by no less than August St. Gaudenswho would later go down in history as the designer of thebeautiful U.S. $20 gold coin, known today as theGaudens design.

But, the intrigue does not stop there. This enigmaticstone structure also gave rise to the oft repeated refer-ence to "Murphy's Law."

Below is the story as repeated from the excellent"Overland Trail" historic website:

"The Birthplace of Murphy's Law."

In 1885, a few years after Ames Monument was dedi-cated, an elected Justice of the Peace named "Billy" Mur-



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Property WantedFor Detector Hunt

RMPTH is looking for private property on which to holdan organized club detector hunt. Obviously, it would bemost ideal if this property is known to have seen some

past historical activity. If you have such property orknow of someone who does, please contact Rick

Mattingly to plan a club field outing event.

Mineral Specimen Identification

As part of their community outreach, Metropolitan StateCollege of Denver, Dep. of Earth & AtmosphericScience, Professional Services Division offers FREEMINERAL SPECIMEN IDENTIFICATION. Participantswill aid in the education of future Geoscientists!

Details and specimen submittal forms with instructionscan be downloadedfrom:SPECIAL OFFER FREE MINERAL SPECIMENhttp://college.earthscienceeducation.net/MINPET/MINID.pdf

Gold RushA Poem

By Ciena Higginbotham,Lake George Gem and Mineral Club JuniorProgram

There was once a fellow from the days of oldWho stumbled upon a chunk of goldHe tried to keep quiet but rumor got outEveryone knew there was gold, no doubt

People everywhere, came from all aroundHoping to find their own sparkling moundThey knelt in the stream and sifted awayThrough rock and sandsearching everyday

They searched and searched and searched forgoldHoping to find some before they are oldThey persevered and never gave upAnd soon they had gold in their cup

It all started when a fellow found goldAnd this is how the story is told

Ciena Higginbotham is 14 years old and an 8thgrade homeschooler. She lives in the beautifulRocky Mountains in Colorado. Shes always had afascination with geology and has been collectingrocks since she was little. She has attended theLake George Gem and Mineral Club Pebble Pupssince 2010. With the assistance of the group, shehad the chance to help write an article and earnseveral awards. Her other interests include writing,drawing, painting, and musical activities.

Refreshment Volunteers

August Rick MattinglySeptemberDick & Sharon FrenchOctoberJohnny & Jeanne Berndsen

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Cell Phone Rescue

In getting ready for the prospecting season you mightwant to be prepared by reading this article and themanuals that came with your cell phone so that you areprepared. Once, when prospecting I had my cell phone inmy shirt pocket.

Bending over a creek to pan my phone slipped out of mypocket into the creek! Quick action saved it. When you firstget your phone read the manual and understand how toremove the battery. This will be a critical first step you willneed to know how to do.

1. Turn your phone off. Don't be tempted to turn it back on!LEAVE IT OFF!2. Remove the battery.3. Remove the SIM card usually located near the battery slotand pat it dry. This contains all of your data and even ifyour phone is destroyed more than likely you can save yourdata. This doesn't apply to some phones like Verizon, Alltel,US Cellular, Sprint, etc.

4. Remove all peripherals and covers that can be removed.5. Dry your phone. Wipe off as much water as possible witha towel or paper towel without moving or jostling yourphone which can drive water deeper into it.6. If you happen to have been vacking (using a vacuum tosuck up gold) you can try to use it to suck up the water.This is where you can put a piece of cloth over the nozzle soyou don't inadvertently suck something out of your phoneother than water. Don't hold the phone too close to the vac-uum because the vacuum can cause damaging static elec-tricity.7. Have a plastic container with rice & lid in your prospect-ing kit. Place your phone in the rice overnight.8. After you remove it from the rice place your phone on

absorbent paper towels. If after 4 to 6 hours you see mois-ture on the towels repeat vacuuming and rice step. It is pos-sible to purchase commercial "wet cell phone emergency"kits. It's probably best to buy one "just in case" as you canwaste valuable time going to the store to buy one.

TIPS Do not leave your phone wet for an extended period oftime. Dry it out as soon as possible. Do not switch the phone on. This is important as it willprevent a charge from running from the battery to thephone which may subsequently cause the phone to shortcircuit. Don't heat the battery or it could leak or explode. Lithium-

ion batteries are sensitive. If you use ahairdryer, make sure to remove the battery first. Note that itis not recommended to apply heat to the phone. Do not use a hair dryer! Using a hair dryer might forcemoisture deeper into your phone. It might overheat youphone, too! Do not apply too much heat to your phone, as mentionedabove. You don't want to melt or burn yourphone.


Rare Freedman Tag

Found

Columbia m an f inds ra re f reedman s tag in

Lowcoun t r y

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Avery rare tag worn in the late 1700s by a Low-country free person of color was unearthedrecently by a relic hunter from Columbia.Hal McGirt, who discovered the piece of history inFebruary at a Cooper River plantation site, said todaythat he was advised that the tag, circa 1783, might be

worth $20,000 to $30,000. But, he said, the tag willnot be marketed and will stay with the family thatowns the property on which it was found.

He did not reveal the exact site where his metal detec-tor helped turn up the City of Charleston Free BadgeNo. 320. While tags once worn by slaves are some-

what common, freedmans tags are quite rare, hesaid.

McGirt said hes been a relic hunter for 40 years andthat he always turns his findings over to propertyowners.

Determining the history belonging to the object,thats where the fun comes in, McGirt explained.

The Post and Courierhttp://www.postandcourier.com/article/20120523/PC16/120529618/columbia-man-finds-rare-freedman-s-tag-in-lowcountry

Columbia relic hunter Hal McGirt found this City of CharlestonFree Badge, circa 1783, at a Cooper River plantation site. The

rare tag could be worth more than $20,000.

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September 8 Paul E. Lange Detector Coin & Prize Hunt

Just a few additional notes about the upcoming hunt:

Please follow the directions to the Mioseks provided above and remember that bathroom facilities will be limited. We want tothank Bob and Darlene in advance for opening their property to the club once again for this annual event.

Remember, a fun event like this with good friends is hungry business! So, bring your favorite foods for thepotluck after the hunt. The club will provide eating utensils, plates, cups, napkins, and coffee.

Also, this year we will have a Swap Meet after lunch , so bring your items for sale or trade!

2012 ANNUAL PAUL E. LANGE DETECTOR COIN & PRIZE HUNTSATURDAY, September 18 2012

10:002:00Bob & Darlene Miosek Property

3413 Meining Road Southwest of Berthoud, Colorado

This fun detector hunt is open to all. Cost for active RMPTH members and immediate family will be $10 per adult,$5 for 13-16 of age and no charge for 13 or younger. Fee for non-member adults will be $20 and $10 for

non-member children 16 and younger. The field will be planted with colored pennies which will be redeemed forantique coins, and prizes. This will be a hunt based purely on luck rather than skill, with easy to locate

and recover targets for all.Come join us for a fun hunt and collect your coins and prize finds!

Map to Miosek Property southwest of Berthoud, Colorado2011 Annual Detector Coin Hunt

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Scores of gold coins are put on display near Herzliya on Tues-day, along with the jar in which they were found. The hoard wasunearthed during an excavation at a Crusader fortress in Apol-

lonia National Park.

Cold Hard Cash

Repairman f inds $250,000 gold s tash in AC

un i t . .. and retu rns i t to ow ners

By Daily Mail Reporter10 July 2012

Arepairman who was fixing an air conditioningunit got more than what he bargained for whenhe came across a secret stash of gold. When

the Sacramento man opened the malfunctioning unit,he expected to find nothing more than an electricalproblem or a clump of dust. But, instead, the mandiscovered $250,000 worth of gold. The 180 ouncesof gold were stashed inside jars stowed away insidethe unit.

But, rather than keep the treasure for himself, theman decided to return the jars to the owners of the

house.

The man, whose name has not been released, was notready to talk about the incident when he was con-tacted by Fox40.

Similarly, two weeks ago, a couple from Tennesseefound $13,000 in a bag on top of a trash can andhanded it into police.

Crusades Treasure

Cache

1,000-year -o ld hoard of go ld c o ins dug up at

Crusades s i t e

One o f the b igges t co l lec t ions found in Is rae l

w as h idden in ceramic jug a t ba t t leground

HERZLIYA, IsraelJuly 11, 2012

A1,000-year-old hoard of gold coins has beenunearthed at a famous Crusader battlegroundwhere Christian and Muslim forces oncefought for control of the Holy Land, Israeli archaeolo-

gists said on Wednesday.

The treasure was dug up from the ruins of a castle inArsuf, a strategic stronghold during the religious con-flict waged in the 12th and 13th centuries.

Arsuf, which overlooks the Mediterranean sea, wasthe site of a famous 12th century victory for England'sKing Richard I known as Lionheart over Muslimleader Saladin.

About 80 years later, in 1265, the Muslim army re-turned under a different general, and lay siege to thecity for 40 days. When the outer walls fell, the knights

retreated to the castle, which was eventually de-stroyed.

The stash, Tal believes, belonged to the Knights Hos-pitaller who inhabited the castle.

It may have been payment they were due to pay forleasing the land, or perhaps profits from industrialactivities, he said.

The gold coins weigh about 400 grams (14 ounces) intotal. Some were minted two centuries earlier inEgypt, and they will be studied over the next six

months, Tal said.

"The study of these coins will contribute to our under-standing of how large-scale economic interactions

were made at the time," he said.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/48154827/ns/

technology_and_science-science/

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In Roughing It, Mark Twain wrote:

The sagacious reader will know now, without beingtold, that the speculative miner, in getting a 'fireassay made of a piece of rock from his mine (to helphim sell the same), was not in the habit of picking outthe least valuable fragment of rock on his dump pile,but quite the contrary. I have seen men hunt over apile of nearby worthless quartz for an hour, and atlast find a little piece as large as a filbert, which wasrich in gold and silver-and this was reserved for afire assay! Of course the fire assay would demon-strate that a ton of such rock would yield hundredsof dollars-and on such assays many an utterly worth-less mine was sold.

Denver Ci ty Assay Of f i c e Pat t ern

Gold Tok ens

The dies for the Denver City Assay Office pattern goldtokens were engraved by Winslow J. Howard, a jewelerand watchmaker who arrived in Denver City early in 1860.Luckily, Howard was also a collector. He managed to col-lect an example of a pattern or coin from each of the four

Colorado minters. It is believed that the actual striking ofthe coins was done by Cord Brothers Jewelers. It is prob-able that a $10 coin was also produced, but no examplesare known to have survived. Beside the physical evidenceof the few patterns that do survive, little else is known ofthe Denver City Assay Office.

Colorado Territorial Goldhttp://www.rfrajola.com/mayergold/mayergold.htm

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Calendar of Events

MAP TO TH E MEETING PLACE

Pul liam Comm uni ty Bui ld ing

545 Cleveland Avenue , Lovela nd, Colorado

Directions:The Pulliam Community Building is situated on the west side of Cleveland Avenue in Loveland,

Colorado. Park at the rear of the building (west side). Entry to the meeting room is fromthe doorway on the south side of the building (not the main entrance on Cleveland Avenue!).

RMPTH DUESRMPTH is an unincorpo-

rated Social Club withno income generated. Allexpenses are covered bydonation. Members arerequested to considerdonating a minimum of$1.00 at each monthlymeeting to cover club

expenses.

Augus t Meet ingWednesday, August 1. We will meet at the PulliamBuilding in downtown Loveland at 7:00PM. Refer tothe adjoining map for directions.

Meeting Agenda6:00 - 7:00 Planning & Social Hour7:00 - 7:30 Business, Announcements & Find of

the Month Program7:30 - 7:45 Break7:45 - 9:00 "Gold and Silver Refining

Presentationby RMPTH member David Emslie

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Au gu s t 2 0 12Su n M o n Tu e W e d Th u F r i Sa t

1RMPTH PlanningSession 6:00PRMPTH Meeting 7:00P

2 3 4

5 6 7 8 9 10 11Ames MonumentTour and VedauwooDetector Outing

12 13 14 15 16 17 18Vics Gold PanningOuting

19 20 21 22 23 24 25Lucite Hills GemOuting

26 27 28 29 30 31

Se p t e m b e r 2 0 12Su n M o n Tu e W e d Th u F r i Sa t

1

2 3 4 5RMPTH PlanningSession 6:00PRMPTH Meeting 7:00P

6 7 8Annual Paul E.Lange Coin & PrizeHunt

9 10 11 12Colorado Mineral &

Fossil Show

13Colorado Mineral &

Fossil Show


Fossil Show


Fossil Show

16Colorado Mineral &Fossil Show

17 18 19 20 21 22Off-Road DetectorOuting

23 24 25 26 27 28 29

30

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RMPTH Field Outing Statement

NOTE: The Coordinators and participants stay in touchand continue to review and plan upcoming presentationsand outings for the year on a monthly basis. Our editorRick Mattingly needs timely event information for each

issue of The News. Please get information about any par-ticular event to him by the 15th of the month to meet the

printing deadline for the next issue.

Planned trips, outings, activities, and meeting programsare in the newsletter and on line at the clubs website.

Planning is a work in progress and additional outings andactivities are added and sometimes deleted on an ongo-

ing basis. Events planned in the upcoming month areemphasized to the attendees at the monthly meetings.Contact the Presentations Coordinators or Editor if youhave any suggestions or ideas throughout the year for

fieldtrips, outings, and programs.

The best made plans may change at the last minute dueto the illness of the Trail Boss, weather, land access, ve-hicles breaking down, wrong meeting sites, etc. Please

be understanding of extenuating circumstances and con-tact the coordinator or Trail Boss of a specific event ifthere is any question of an event being cancelled or

changed at the last minute.

phy in Laramie, Wyoming talked to Albany County Sur-veyor W. O. Owen, and learned that the monument hadbeen built on "vacant" government land, not on a railroadsection. Encouraged byOwen and by lawyerlyadvice from "Bill" Nye(the humorous founding-editor of the LaramieBoomerang newspaper),Murphy went to the landoffice in Cheyenne andfiled a Desert LandHomestead claim to getlegal right to the landwhere the monumentstands.

Murphy then wrote for outdoor advertisers to bid onleasing spaces on "his" pyramid. He also gave notice tothe railroad company that its "rock pile" was trespassingon his "farm" and gave them a deadline to move it or loseit.

At first embarrassed railroad principals could not be-lieve they had built and publicly dedicated their gloriousmonument on government land or that Murphy couldnow own it and lease advertising space on this monu-ment. However, checks of documents and records soonconvinced them that all the law was on Murphy's side.The red-in-the-face railroad authorities realized that eve-rything that could have gone wrong, certainly had gonewrong!


A top-level railroad lawyer was sent with a black valise,from Omaha headquarters to Laramie, with order to getclear title to the monument at any cost. The U.P. lawyerwas joined by lawyer John Riner of Cheyenne, lawyerJohn Symons, Laramie City land agent, and railroaddetective Nate Boswell, the former sheriff of AlbanyCounty, law-men all!Murphy was tricked into meeting alone with the fourpowerful railroad negotiators who locked the door whenhe entered the room. The four legal experts then fright-ened Murphy into thinking he had broken the law byfiling a homestead on the land. They told him all the wit-nesses who signed his homestead claim could becharged with perjury. They told Murphy he would surelylose his J. P. position, ruin his reputation, and riskprison.

Then they switched tactics and "generously" promisedMurphy they would try hard to keep the matter quietand save him from all those troubles--if only Murphywould just sign a relinquishment of his homestead claimand promise to never tell anyone. Their bluff workedfine.

In the shadow of the four lawmen, Murphy signed therelinquishment of his claim. In exchange, the railroadgave Murphy the deeds to two vacant residential lots onSouth 8th Street in Laramie, worth about $385.00 as"legal consideration."

Alas, mild-mannered Murphy (who left Laramie soonthereafter), later learned that the railroad lawyer hadbeen carrying $15,000 in cash in his black valise to payfor the relinquishment, and had authority to pay twicethat amount if necessary. Murphy had the law on hisside and could have profited monumentally. Even forMurphy, everything that could have gone wrong, had

gone wrong!

The story of Murphy using the lawto tease the giant Union Pacificcorporation spread on whispersacross the continent from onerailroad worker to the next. It wasa great story: Murphy paid his$9.75 homestead fee and, withthe law on his side, got a goodlaugh, a good scare, and two resi-dential lots worth $385.00 (then)--but also lost a fortune!

The words "Murphy's Law," eventually became code-words for the story's moral: "Everyone must expect, andaccept in good humor, that 'Whatever can go wrong, will

go wrong.' "

Overland Trailhttp://www.over-land.com/ames.html

History Stranger than fiction!

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Learning To Use a Gold Pan is

Challenging and Fun To Do

A gold pan is the FIRST piece of equipment you will need to find gold, and the LAST one you will use to finish cleaning your gold,that is still the most portable, cheapest, and efficient gold finding machine out there. Learning to use a gold pan isn't hard, but ittakes a little practice. Just like learning anything new, you aren't going to pick one up and automatically know how to use it. How-

ever, it doesn't take a long time to learn its' ins and outs, either. Even separating gold from black sand isn't all that complicated aslong as you remember that speed and angle are everything in gold recovery, no matterwhat the piece of equipment is that you are using.

All gold recovery equipment that is based on water is patterned after the gold pan. Eachpiece of equipment developed over the centuries is merely an attempt to take the princi-ples of the gold pan and make a larger version that will move more material as efficientlyas the gold pan will. However, without the gold pan, the deposits would not have beenfound. Prospecting with a gold pan will tell you quite accurately where a deposit shouldbe, and simply following the float up hill will point out the deposit on a mountain side.

Even in the desert, a gold pan can find gold for you. Dry panning for desert nuggets hasbeen used for centuries as well, and the dry washer is patterned after the gold pan's usein desert conditions, although without quite so much dust being kicked up. HEEHEE.However, panning for nuggets in the desert can be faster than using a pan in the water, if

you know the techniques. The principle of dry panning is the same as wet, to get thegold to the bottom of the pan. But without the aid of specific gravity to help you, the technique needs to be finessed a bit. You willneed to put less material in the pan, shake it down, and then spin the sand off before you can turn the pan around and blow the restof the sand off the nuggets. Simple, right?

I know many prospectors who have buckets of concentrate in their garages and can't get the gold out simply because they won'tlearn to use a gold pan. Other types of separation equipment can be expensive, time consuming, and not always as effective. In-vest in a good gold pan with a wider bottom that isn't crowned (that means flat), and learn to use it. You'll be able to put clean goldinto a vial anytime you find gold in a stream or river, and amaze everyone around you. It's also helpful to see the volume of gold youare getting to tell if you should move to another spot or not, thereby increasing the amount of gold you find. After all, your objectiveis to find more gold.

Thanks to Gold Prospectors of Colorado

Spectacular fort sutler token found by RMPTH member Tom Warne.Very rare example and worth some serious bucks.

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Record Treasure Hauled From

ShipwreckAnalysis by Amanda OnionWed Jul 18, 2012 09:42 AM ET

Deep-sea explorers have pulled up 48 tons of silver treasure fromthree miles below the surface of the North Atlantic in what may bethe deepest, largest precious metal recovery in history.

The haul was retrieved from the S.S. Gairsoppa, a 412-foot steel-hulledBritish cargo ship that sank in February 1941.

The expedition, by Odyssey Marine Exploration, a company specializingin shipwreck exploration, recovered 1,203 bars of silver, totaling 1.4 mil-lion ounces. Viewers will have the chance to follow the pursuit of the losttreasure on an upcoming Discovery Channel special produced by JWMProductions.

The cache has been transported to a secure facility in the United King-

dom, which contracted the project under the Department of Transport.Under the contract, Odyssey will retain 80 percent of the net value of re-covered goods, after expenses, according to a press release.

The Gairsoppa was a merchant ship that was torpedoed by a German U-boat during World War II. Since the U.K. government had insured theprivately owned cargo under the War Risk Insurance program, it had paidout the owners for the lost silver and then became owners of the lostcargo.

The Odyssey expedition has so far managed to recover an estimated 43percent of the total lost silver treasure. The company hopes to recover the

balance of the silver within 90 days.

Recovering the loot, however, has been no easy task.

"With the shipwreck lying approximately three miles below the surface ofthe North Atlantic, this was a complex operation," Greg Stemm, OdysseyChief Executive Officer said in the press release. "Our capacity to conductprecision cuts and successfully complete the surgical removal of bullionfrom secure areas on the ship demonstrates our capabilities to undertakecomplicated tasks in the very deep ocean."

Odyssey began its search for the sunken cargo ship in the summer of2011 and confirmed its location by September 2011. The company saysso far they have found no human remains, but in the event that they dothey "will be treated with the utmost respect and the U.K. Department forTransport will be immediately notified."

The marine exploration company is also in the process of exploring an-other British sunken ship, the S.S. Mantola, which is believed to hold anestimated 600,000 ounces of additional U.K.-insured silver.

More information on the Gairsoppa project, including pictures of the op-eration, can also be found on Odyssey's website.

Gold Glossary

Flumes - Flumes are like sluice boxes, theydo not have riffles though and are usedsolely to transport water in areas where a

ditch would be impossible (cliffsides, rockyhillsides). Two flumes were built in theconstruction of the China Ditch.

Symbol: AUAtomic Number: 79

Atomic Weight: 196.967

Melting Point: 1063 (1945 F)Specific Gravity: 19.2

MOHs Scale of Hardness:2.5 - 3

Karat

24K = 100% Pure Gold18K = 75% Pure Gold14K = 58% Pure Gold10K = 42% Pure Gold

Troy Weights

1 grain = 0.0648 grams24 grains = 1 penny

weight (DWT) = 1.552 grams20 DWT = 1 ounce =

480 grains = 31.10 grams

Gold Fac t s

YOURADVERTISEMENTCOULD BE HERE!Call Rick Mattinglyat 970-613-8968or [email protected]

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All mistakes and

misspellings wereintentionally made sothat you could have the

pleasure of finding them.

Trading Post

About Trading Post

The News runs classified ads in Trading Postfor three consecutive issues. Trading Post ads

for topic related items up to 10 lines (or 70

words) long are free. To place an ad in TradingPost contact Rick Mattingly at (970) 613-8968evenings

or e-mail at: [email protected]

Commerc ia l Adver t i s ing

Spec i f i ca t i ons

(Month ly Donat ion Rate)

Full Page (8 1/2" X 7") $30Half Page (3 1/4" X 7") $20One Third Page (3" X 4") $15Business Card (2 3/4" X 1 1/2") $ 5

Ads must be received by the 15th of thepreceding month. Contact Rick Mattingly for in-

formation on this service at(970) 613-6968 evenings or e-mail at:

[email protected].

FOR SALE: 23-foot Forest River Sierra bumper pulltravel trailer with slide out. Has all the comforts ofhome. Great condition and not used enough - Need tosell ASAP! Price $7995. If you have any questionsplease call Jennifer Lange at 970-980-5776.

FOR SALE: Minelab SD2200 Gold Nugget Metal De-tector: 10-1/2" Mono Super Coil, 10-1/2" SD SeriesSuper Coil, two batteries w/wall & car charger, head-phones, backpack, waist battery pack, signal enhan-cer, extra lower stem, instruction booklet & video,carry case. Ready to go for the gold: $1900. ContactPaul at (970) 482-7846.

WANTED: 12 Gauge Home Security Shotgun. Moss-berg, Winchester or Remington. 40 cal & 45 cal AutoPistol. Ruger, S&W, SIG, Glock. Guns must be in ex-cellent working condition. Call (970) 222-2323 orleave message with make, model & asking price. I willreturn your call.

WANTED: Silver coins - all dimes, quarters, half dol-lars, and dollars dated 1964 and before. I will pay18x face value for silver coins. $1.80 for dimes, $4.50for quarters, $9.00 for halves and $18.00 for dollars.Contact Zach at (970) 308-8391.

WANTED: Used lapidary equipment. Call Kathie 970-221-1623

WANTED: Federal or state duck stamps; mint orused. Contact John Hart at (307) 778-3993.

YELLOWSTONE FAREWELL Wyoming adventurenovel. Diamonds, Gold, Volcanic activity, Prospecting.

Factual geology; Fictional story. $18.00 + $4.00 S&H.Spur Ridge Enterprises, POB 1719, Laramie, WY82073. Internet: http://yellowstonefarewell.com/

NOTE:Purchase arrangements are between the buyer and

seller only and involves no financial benefit to RMPTH.

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WEEKEND & SMALL-SCALEMINERS CODE OF ETHICS

I WILLrespect other prospectors claims and not workthose claims without the owners permission

I WILL have on-site all necessary permits and licenses

I WILLbuild fires in designated or safe places only, andin accordance with current State and Federal guidelines

I WILLbe careful with fuels and motor oils and be cog-nizant of their potential destructive effect on the envi-ronment

I WILL remove and properly dispose of all trash anddebris that I find -I will not litter

I WILL be thoughtful, considerate and courteous tothose around me at all time

I WILL appreciate and protect our heritage of naturalresources, wildlife, fisheries and private property, andrespect all laws or ordinances governing prospectingand mining

I WILL NOTremove stream bank material, destroynatural vegetation or woody debris dams, nor dischargeexcess silt into the waterways

I WILL NOT refuel motorized equipment in the stream

I WILL NOT allow oil from motorized

equipment to drip onto the ground or into the water

I WILL NOTprospect in areas closed to prospectingand mining

Offer Your Assistance To AnyOf Our Program Coordinators

Do not put your phone in an oven or microwave to dry itout. Be warned that manufacturers of most modern cellphones place liquid damage indicator stickers that willchange colors in the presence of a liquid inside theirphones. This helps technicians know that you havedropped your phone in water, as most cell phone insurancecoverage policies don't cover water damage.

Chances are, if the sticker under the battery is triggered,then the internal stickers you can't access have probablybeen tripped as well. This will result in you paying a voided-warranty fee in the long run. Youshould be aware that warranties don't cover water damage,only insurance does, and even then, not all insurance com-panies or plans will honor water damaged phones. It is alsoworth noting that these liquid damage indicator stickershave been known to change colors in extreme humidity aswell. Even if all these steps are followed, minerals dissolved inthe water can precipitate on solder and component pins,causing corrosion or short-ing. Component pins are

packed so closely together inmodern cell phones that evena small encrustation can cre-ate a short, rendering thephone inoperable. Do not put the phone (orany electronic or metal con-taining object) into the mi-crowave. You will destroyelectronic components andpotentially the microwave,and perhaps start a fire inyour house. Not good. For the semi-mechanicallyinclined: remove screws and,at a minimum, crack thecase open to allowmoisture to escape. Cellphones are normally some-what waterproof, so they canbe used in the lightrain and in humid environments. Removing your cell phone from the water quickly and im-mediately removing the battery gives you the best chance ofsaving your phone.

Dry-All for Cell Phones http://www.dryall.com/wet-cell-phone

-Dries all wet phones to 0% humidity.-Recovers wet cell phones.-Dries phones that have been submerged

Radio Shack, Pep Boys and Walmart are a few places whereyou can purchase Dry-All.

From the Internet


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Month Meeting Program Trip/Activity

January East Coast Silver Treasure FindBerkely Lake Detecting

No Trip/Activity Scheduled

FebruaryGold Wheel Recovery Systems Presentation

By Darrell KoleberNo Trip/Activity Scheduled

March Historic Gold Scale Presentation GPS, Compass & Map Clinic

AprilFound Explosives Safety Presentation

Prospecting, Detecting & More Clinic at Lions Park -Advertised and Open to the Public

Berkely Lake Detector Outing

MayGold and Platinum in Wyoming

By Wayne Sutherland, WGS

Lets Go Gold Panning On The Arkansas EventClear Creek Gold OutingKeota Ghost Town Outing

JuneDetecting Presentation

By Tom Warne & Rick MattinglyEldora Ski Resort Detector Outing

July Spanish Treasure Trails PresentationTeller City Ghost Town TourNorth Park Sand Dunes Tour

Eldora Ski Resort Detector Outing

AugustGold Refining Presentation

By David Emslie

Ames Monument Tour and Vedauwoo Detector OutingLucite Hills Gem Outing

Vics Gold Panning Outing

SeptemberCripple Creek Historic Video

By Johnny Berndsen

Annual Coin & Prize HuntColorado Mineral & Fossil ShowDenver

Off-Road Detector Outing

OctoberRailhead Camp Presentation

By Rick Mattingly

Off-Road Detector Outing

NovemberAnnual Show & Tell &

Silent AuctionLocal Detector Outing

DecemberAnnual Find of the Year Awards &

Christmas PartyFlatirons Mineral Club & Model Train Show

Good Hunting in 2012!

Rocky Mountain Prospectors and Treasure Hunters Club2012 Schedule of Events

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Rocky MountainProspectors & Treasure Hunters

Contact ListRMPTH Coordinators Home E-Mail

Coordinator Robert Crain 1-970-484-6488

Coordinator Bryan Morgan 1-970-416-0608 [email protected]

Coordinator Rick Mattingly 1-970-613-8968 [email protected]

The News Staff

Editor-in-Chief Rick Mattingly 1-970-613-8968 [email protected]

Assistant Editor Dick French 1-970-482-2110 [email protected]

Internet Web Site

Web Master Rick Mattingly 1-970-613-8968 [email protected]

Volunteers/Coordinators

Find of the MonthJoe JohnstonBetsy EmondPaul Mayhak

1-303-696-69501-970-218-02901-970-482-7846

[email protected]

[email protected]

Presentations Johnny Berndsen 1-970-667-1006 johnnyberndsen.com

Club Historian Peggy Stumpf 1-307-632-9945 [email protected]

Club Librarian Joe Johnston 1-303-696-6950 [email protected]

Panning Demos Bryan MorganDarrell Koleber

1-970-416-06081-970-669-2599

[email protected]@yahoo.com

Setup &Refreshments

Volunteer Needed!

Door PrizeTom WarneJacob WoottonJohnny Berndsen

1-970-635-07731-970-980-60161-970-667-1006

[email protected]@yahoo.com

General Information Contact: Rick Mattingly at 1-970-613-8968

Visit RMPTH on the Internet at: http://rmpth.com

Lets Go For The Gold !

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The NewsRocky Mountain Prospectors &Treasure Hunters Club

P.O. Box 271863Fort Collins, CO. 80527-1863

AUGUST, 2012 ISSUE

RMPTH0812

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