Rocky Mountain Prospectors & Treasure Hunters Newsletter The News v. 17, n. 9 September, 2013 Going for the Gold Visit RMPTH On The Internet At http://rmpth.com Contents The Gold Coins That Never Were 1 The Gold Coins That Never Were 2 About The News Feds seize gold coins worth $80 million 3 UPS Aircraft Repair Checklists from Pennsylvania family 4 Colorado Treasure Tales 6 Father-Son Team Digs Into The From rt.com Past 7 Annual Paul E. Lange Detector federal judge has upheld a verdict that strips Coin & Prize Hunt a Pennsylvania family of their grandfather’s 8 The Many Survival Uses Of Coffee A gold coins — worth an estimated $80 million Filters — and has ordered ownership transferred to the US 10 Calendar of Events government. 11 Calendars 13 Good Reasons To Own A Metal A federal judge has upheld a verdict that strips a Detector Pennsylvania family of their grandfather’s gold coins — worth an estimated $80 million — and has ordered 14 Badger Unearths Medieval ownership transferred to the US government. Treasure 15 Raising Chicago Judge Legrome Davis of the Eastern District Court of 16 Trading Post Pennsylvania affirmed a 2011 jury decision that a box 18 2013 Schedule of Events of 1933 Saint-Gaudens double eagle coins discovered 19 Contact List by the family of Israel Switt, a deceased dealer and collector, is the property of the United States.

In the midst of the Great Depression, then-President

Franklin Roosevelt ordered that America’s supply of

double eagles manufactured at the Philadelphia Mint

be destroyed and melted into gold bars. Of the 445,500 or so coins created, though, some managed to escape the kiln and ended up into the hands of col- lectors. In 2003, Switt’s family opened a safe deposit back that their grandfather kept, revealing 10 coins among that turned out to be among the world’s most valuable collectables in the currency realm today.

Switt’s descendants, the Langbords, thought the coins "Patriotism is supporting your country all the time had been gifted to their grandfather years earlier by and your government when it deserves it." (Continued on page 3) - Mark Twain Advertising About The News Classified advertising for topic related items is free he News is the official newsletter of the Rocky for non-business ads. See the “Trading Post” section Mountain Prospectors and Treasure Hunters for donation pricing of camera-ready display ads. Do- T Club (RMPTH): our mailing address is 278 nations for ad makeup from sketches, etc., are avail- Sierra Vista Drive, Fort Collins, CO. 80524. able on request.

Opinions expressed in The News are those of the About RMPTH authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the club or its members. Publication of information in RMPTH is an independent nonprofit hobbyist social The News constitutes no guarantee of accuracy. Use club, open to anyone interested in prospecting, detect- of any information found in this publication is at the ing or treasure hunting. Its purpose is to provide an sole risk of the user. Neither RMPTH, nor its coordi- educational and social forum of mutual benefit for nators, nor The News, nor its editors or contributors members. RMPTH holds a monthly meeting and con- assume any liability for damages resulting from use ducts various field outings, as well as offers special of information in this publication. presentations and seminars. Active participants have voting privileges. The monthly newsletter, The News, Submissions is readily available on the Internet. Annual dues are $25 payable in June. Applicants joining in any month Articles, letters and short items of interest on pros- other than June pay partial dues of $2 per month for pecting, detecting and treasure hunting topics are months remaining prior to following June plus $1.  welcome and encouraged. All items submitted for publication 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 have questions about a submission, please contact the edi- tor for information.

Copyright

Unless otherwise noted, other nonprofit groups may reprint or quote from any articles appearing in The News without prior permission, provided that proper author and publication credits are given and that a copy of the publication in which the article ap- pears is sent at no cost to RMPTH at the above mail- ing address. Clubs wishing to exchange newsletters with RMPTH are invited to send a copy of their news- letter together with an exchange request.

CLUB MEMBERS TAKE NOTE

Club Hats, Shirts, Jackets, & Patches are again available. See Paul Mayhak at the club meetings to purchase your club items!

We will be running a 50/50 Drawing at each club meeting. At the end of each meeting Tom will split the pot 50/50 and a lucky member will go home with more money than they came with.! The remaining 50% goes to the club treasury.

Page 2 The News, September 2013 (Continued from page 1) remove their own items and transfer property back to Mint cashier George McCann and took the coins to the state. the Mint to have their authenticity verified, but the government quickly took hold of the items and re- "This is a case that raises many novel legal questions, fused to relinquish the find to the family. The Lang- including the limits on the government's power to con- bords responded with a lawsuit that ended last year in a victory for the feds.

Because the gov- ernment ordered the destruction of their entire supply of coins decades earlier, the court found that Switt’s family was illegally in possession of the stash. Even though they may had been pre- sented to the dealer by a Phila- Rarest of the rare—1933 Saint-Gaudens Gold Double Eagle delphia Mint staffer, Judge Davis agrees with last year’s ruling that fiscate property. The Langbord family will be filing an Mr. McCann broke the law. appeal and looks forward to addressing these impor- tant issues before the 3rd Circuit," Barry Berke, an "The coins in question were not lawfully removed attorney for the Langbords, tells ABCNews.com from the United States Mint,” the judge rules.

Despite this decision, though, the attorney represent-  ing Switt’s family says the government has no right to

solutions recorded (marked with an S) by mainte- UPS Aircraft Repair nance engineers.

Checklists By the way, UPS is the only major airline that has never, ever, had an accident....

Just in case you needed a laugh.

P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement. emember it takes a college degree to fly a S: Almost replaced left inside main tire. plane, but only a high school diploma to fix

one: R P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough. After every flight, UPS pilots fill out a form, called a S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft. ‘gripe sheet,' which tells mechanics about problems with the aircraft. P: Something loose in cockpit

S: Something tightened in cockpit The mechanics correct the problems, document their repairs on the form, and then pilots review the gripe P: Dead bugs on windshield. sheets before the next flight. S: Live bugs on back-order.

Never let it be said that ground crews lack a sense of P: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 humor. Here are some actual maintenance complaints feet per minute descent submitted by UPS pilots (marked with a P) and the (Continued on page 17)

The News, September 2013 Page 3 Colorado Treasure "There comes a time in every Tales rightly constructed boy's life when he has a raging desire to go some- La Caverna del Oro (The Cave of Gold) where and dig for hidden treasure."

ong before the white man ever came to the - Mark Twain United States the legend of La Caverna del Oro, L the Cave of Gold, was passed down from gen- eration to generation by the Indians. When the Span- ish explorers arrived in the fifteenth century, monks translated the legend and the gold was eagerly sought Gold Glossary by the explorers. Drywasher - A common desert mining tool. The drywasher Caverna del Oro, 13,000 feet high upon Marble Moun- is like a highbanker but lacks the need for water. A dry- tain, was believed, by the Indians, to be plagued by washer operates by the use of wind. The light junk mate- demons. However, in 1541, three Spanish monks rial is blown off the top of the sluice in the drywasher and from the Coronado expedition forced the Indians into the gold stays on the bottom. The sluice riffles in a dry- slave labor to extract gold from the cave. Finally, the washer are backwards for better recovery. Indians staged an uprising against the monks and two of them were killed. However, the third monk, De la Cruz, convinced the Indians that he was able to sub- due the "evil spirits” lurking underground in the mine. With the help of the slave-miner natives, vast TREASURE HUNTER’S amounts of gold were brought forth from the subter- ranean passages. Later, when the Indians had served CODE OF ETHICS their purpose, De la Cruz and his small group of sur- viving Spaniards killed the Indians, loaded up their treasure on pack mules, and fled south back to Mex- ico. I WILL respect private property and do no treasure hunting without the owner's permission. The cave was then left unexplored until about 100 years ago, when it was found again by Elisha Horn. I WILL fill all excavations. Climbing on Marble Mountain, only a few miles from the town of Westcliff, Horn stumbled upon a skeleton I WILL appreciate and protect our heritage of natural clad in Spanish armor, with an arrow sticking out of resources, wildlife, and private property. its back. Painted on the rocks above the skeleton was a very old red cross, which can still be faintly seen to I WILL use thoughtfulness, consideration, and courtesy this day. Near the cross was the entrance to Caverna at all times. del Oro. I WILL build fires in designated or safe places only. In the 1920’s, the cave was explored again by a Colo- I WILL leave gates as found. rado Mountain Club led by a U.S. Forest Ranger. The

Ranger had been told by a 105-year-old Mexican I WILL remove and properly dispose of any trash that I woman that there was gold buried deep within the find. cave. The woman said that when she was a child, she could remember journeying to the cave where miners I WILL NOT litter. would come out with loads of gold. I WILL NOT destroy property, buildings, or what is left She claimed that within 500-700 feet of the cave en- of ghost towns and deserted structures. trance there was an oaken door, which was the en- trance to the rich Three Steps Mine. She explained I WILL NOT tamper with signs, structural facilities, or that the treasure lay behind this set of padlocked equipment. (Continued on page 5)

Page 4 The News, September 2013 (Continued from page 4) wooden doors. The Ranger and the club members Mineral Specimen Identification explored the many rooms and passages in the cave, As part of their community outreach, Metropolitan State climbing down as far as 500 feet into the cave, but did College of Denver, Dep. of Earth & Atmospheric not discover the wooden doors, nor any gold. Science, Professional Services Division offers FREE MINERAL SPECIMEN IDENTIFICATION. Participants However, they did find many other interesting items, will aid in the education of future Geoscientists! including a 200 year old ladder and a hammer which was made sometime in the 1600’s. Lower down on Details and specimen submittal forms with instructions the mountain, hidden amongst the aspen trees the can be downloaded club members found the ruins of an old fort as well from: as many arrowheads, which were scattered about the SPECIAL OFFER FREE MINERAL SPECIMEN hillsides. http://college.earthscienceeducation.net/MINPET/ MINID.pdf Many people have since explored the cave and have uncovered other old items including a windlass (rope and bucket), a clay jug and a shovel left by earlier ex- plorers or miners. In addition, one group found a hu- man skeleton chained by the neck to a wall deep down in the cave.

Nevertheless, no gold has ever been found (or at least, none that anyone is talking about.) Some people think that the entrance by the cross might have been an es- cape route, rather than the true way in, and the "real” entry to the cave lies hidden lower down on the moun- tainside. Regarding the mystery of the wooden door, behind which lies the treasure, some theorize that the door has since been hidden by a rockslide.

La Caverna del Oro sits at 13,000 feet on Marble Mountain, just over Music Pass to the northeast of the Great Sand Dunes.



Property Wanted For Detector Hunt

RMPTH is looking for private property on which to hold Refreshment Volunteers an organized club detector hunt. Obviously, it would be most ideal if this property is known to have seen some September — Barb Schuldt past historical activity. If you have such property or October — Dick & Sharon French know of someone who does, please contact Rick Mattingly to plan a club field outing event. November — Ted & Faye Croswell

The News, September 2013 Page 5 know you’re in the cargo.”

Father-Son Team Digs From treasurer hunters to history preservers

Into The Past When the Hawleys first began searching for sunken steamboats, they were basically treasure hunters, Minick By TIFFANY RONEY said. He said their driving question when sifting through Reflector-Chronicle archives was, “What boat would be most logical to have Wednesday, July 10, 2013 stuff that would be of value still on it?” With this ques- tion in mind, the Hawleys looked through the manifests,

or archival records, for a boat with valued cargo. he engine of a steamboat built in 1819 rose above

4th Street in Abilene. “If it’s going taking lumber upstream, you wouldn’t mess

T with it,” Minick said. “If it was taking salt pork, you Unlike when it rode the Missouri River in its heyday, the wouldn’t mess with it. If it contained all kinds of goods steamboat was not floating on water. Instead, it was held for a frontier settlement – hmm, maybe. That’s how you by ropes to a tow truck, on its way from a local me- would sort out which ship you’re going to look for.” chanic to a Kansas City museum.

Because the Missouri Packet had no cargo of value, the The engine belonged to a steamboat known as the Mis- Hawleys did nothing with the boat and moved onto the souri Packet. Steamboat Arabia, which they had read of in books be-

fore coming across it in the archives. After a year of From Refrigerators To Steamboats searching up and down the river, the Hawleys found

what they were looking for. “I used to be in the refrigerator business, but this routed it out,” Bob Hawley, co-owner of Arabia Steamboat Mu- Since the boat sank in 1856, seum, said. property in Kansas had changed

hands, and the Hawleys realized, Hawley and his son, Dave, have like with the Packet, the Arabia spent the past 25 years re- was actually on someone’s per- searching and excavating an- sonal property. Hawley con- tique steamboats and setting tacted the property owner, Nor- them on display in his museum, man Sortor, and told him there which is located in the Kansas was a 19th century boat on his City River Market. property.

Though the museum derives its Hawley said he offered Sortor 15 name from a boat called the percent of profits from the Steamboat Arabia, the Missouri cargo, and Sortor agreed to let Packet is the first boat the Haw- them dig. Four weeks into the leys uncovered. They learned of project, Sortor changed his the boat through the archives in mind – he traded the 15 percent the National Personnel Records for museum artifacts. Center in St. Louis.

When Hawley and his team Joe Minick, antique engine re- started digging for the boat, they storer and Abilene resident, said ran into water about 10 feet more than 400 steamboats sunk down. He said their largest ex- on the Missouri River alone, and pense in excavating the boat was they are recorded in the ar- getting rid of the water. The chives. team used 20 pumps 24 hours a

day to reach the boat, according to a video on the mu- After learning of the Packet through the archives, the seum’s website, www.1856.com. Hawleys looked to local newspapers from the early

1800s for headlines like, “steamboat sunk last night When the cargo rose to ground level, Hawley and his south of bluff,” Minick said. team found extensive cargo on board: barrels of salt,

leather shoes, a wool coat, a container of gooseberries Then, using maps of where the Missouri River used to and shiny brooches and jewelry, among other items. be, they took a metal detector out to the area described They had to dig 45 feet below the surface to get every- in the newspaper and verified the location by drilling thing off the boat. Altogether, from the excavation to into the ground with a core drill. They found the Packet transporting the boat to their museum, the team spent on personal property near Boonville, MO. The land $1.4 million. owner agreed to let them dig.

“As the story that I’ve heard, some of the first things that “If you hit wood, well, you know you hit a ship, which they brought out is a big wedgewood dish, and, ‘Oh wow, would be the deck,” Minick said. “And if you start bring- wow, look at that,’ and then here came another case, ing up pieces of beaver hat or jewelry or something, you (Continued on page 9)

Page 6 The News, September 2013 2013 ANNUAL PAUL E. LANGE DETECTOR COIN & PRIZE HUNT POT LUCK LUNCH AND TAILGATE SWAP MEET SATURDAY, September 7 2013 10:00—2:00 Bob & Darlene Miosek Property 3413 Meining Road Southwest of Berthoud, Colorado

This fun detector hunt is open to all. Cost for active dues-paid RMPTH members, immediate family and guests will be $10 per adult, $5 for 13-16 of age and no charge for 13 or younger. Fee for non-member adult guests will be $20 and $10 for non-member children 16 and younger. The field will be planted with colored pennies which will be redeemed for antique coins, and prizes. This will be a hunt based purely on luck rather than skill, with easy to locate and recover targets for all. Remember to bring your membership card!

Map to Miosek Property southwest of Berthoud, Colorado 2013 Annual Paul E. Lange Detector Coin Hunt

September 7th 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 to thank 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 the potluck after the hunt. The club will provide eating utensils, plates, cups, napkins, and coffee. Also, this year we will again have a Swap Meet after lunch , so bring your items for sale or trade!

The News, September 2013 Page 7 trash collects at the bottom and a screen filter is not The Many Survival Uses fine enough to remove it all. The coffee filter will get everything. Of Coffee Filters • Use when waterproofing or polishing your shoes. It is lint free and will not leave surface fibers like cloth.

• In the kitchen hold any chopped foods to be added By Jeff Mann – August 19, 2013 later or for weighing chopped foods. Makes it easy to

put on the scale. Use one coffee filter for each food here are many things you can do with Coffee type. Filters and it requires very little money. I like • Clean glass, polish chrome – coffee filters will not the big once available at Sam’s, and any dollar T leave marks or fibers. They are lint free and great for store. Every Survival Kit & Bug-Out-Bag should have any general cleaning. these added. I have listed some of my uses below. • Put baking soda into the filter and tape or tie the There are many other uses that did not come to mind top closed. Use the baking soda ball in as I wrote the cooler or refrigerator to absorb odors. this. This ball will last for 30 days. Re-use it in

other coolers. • Pre-Filter any water These are just a few uses that coffee fil- needed for ters have in survival kits and Bug-out- drinking, Backpacks. Throw some in yours and cooking, or they will save you time and energy. 1,000 cleaning filters cost about $8.00 when in the woods or trails. This Survival|Guide will help save PioneerLiving.net your water http://www.pioneerliving.net/the-many- filter. survival-uses-of-coffee-filters/ • Recycle fry- ing oil. After frying, strain used frying oil through a  coffee filter. It will be ready for it’s next use.  • Use as a “snack bowl” for chips, nuts, popcorn, etc. Just trash or burn once done. • Use to start fires, rip it up and it will burn with just sparks. • To sprout seeds. Just dampen the coffee filter, put the seeds inside, fold the filter over once, and place it into a zip lock baggie until they sprout. • When storing a cast-iron skillet. Put a coffee filter in the skillet to absorb moisture and prevent rust. You can stack others with it and use a filter for each. No rust! • Stop the washout of dirt in your potted plants. Place the coffee filter at the bottom of the pot covering the drainage holes. Then put the dirt in over top of the filter. Water can leave and the filter will keep all the dirt in your pot. • Use under any grease filled foods. Coffee filters will soak up grease and make the food much better to eat. Then use the grease filled filter to start your fire. • Great for stopping bleeding on small cuts and nicks. Much better than toilet paper for razor cuts on your face. • When sewing or embroidering, use as a backing for soft fabrics. The coffee filter is easy to tear away once complete. • To filter gas when near the bottom of the can. The

Page 8 The News, September 2013 (Continued from page 6) here came another case, her come boots, here come – ‘Wait a minute, we’re getting into more than just treas- ures,’” Mincik said. “Everybody should get to see this; Last week, I stated this not just us.’ And then the guy progressed into, ‘Okay, we’ve got to preserve this.’” woman was the ugliest A Packet Of History woman I had ever seen. I Speeding forward to the summer of 2013, the Hawleys found themselves in Abilene to get the Missouri Packet’s engine fixed so the engine could join the Steamboat Ara- have since been visited by bia in their museum.

The team found this boat, the Missouri Packet, near her sister, and now wish to Boonville, MO, using the same old-map method they used to find the Steamboat Arabia. Like the Steamboat withdraw that statement.. Arabia, the Packet had sifted beneath the surface of someone’s personal property.

Though they found the boat more than 25 years ago, the Hawleys only began to work on it this summer. For a quarter of a decade, they left the find fallow. - Mark Twain

“We left it there when we found it,” Bob said. “It wasn’t worthy of excavation, and it didn’t have cargo on it.”

This year, though, the Hawleys returned their hand to the Packet. They had already put the boilers away in storage, but they shipped the engine to Abilene, to be refurbished under Minick’s care.

Minick met the Hawleys through the Steamboat Arabia refurbishing project, which Minick worked on with his late friend Fred Schmidt, a musical instrument repairman who had a love for antique engines.

Schmidt was writing an article about steam engines, and someone told Schmidt they had heard of the Hawleys digging up a steamboat, so they might have been a bene- ficial source for his article. Schmidt set up an appoint- ment with the Hawleys for lunch, and they told him all about the Arabia and the cargo they had unearthed from it, as well as and their desire to preserve its contents.

Hawley told Schmidt he wanted to open a museum, put the boat inside and have a big paddle wheel running in a puddle of water so visitors could get a sense of what the boat was actually like. Schmidt shared the dream with Minick.

“He said, ‘Joe, we could do that,’ and I said, ‘Fred, what are we getting ourselves into?’” Minick said. “And he said, ‘No, we could do it,’ and so we bid on the project and got the bid, of course, and went from there.”

With the Packet’s engine refurbished, the Hawleys are ready for their next hunt. They are in the process of planning a dig for a steamboat they read of in the ar- chives that is reported to be loaded with cargo. Accord- ing to the archives, the steamboat was filled with trading beads and other items settlers used in trading for furs with American Indians.



The News, September 2013 Page 9 Calendar of Events September Meeting RMPTH DUES Wednesday, September 4. We will meet at the Pulliam Building in downtown Loveland at 7:00PM. Refer to the adjoining map for directions. RMPTH is an unincorpo- Meeting Agenda 6:00 - 7:00 Planning & Social Hour rated Social Club with 7:00 - 7:30 Business, Announcements & Find of no income generated. All the Month Program 7:30 - 7:45 Break expenses are covered by 7:45 - 9:00 “Battery Facts” by Batteries Plus $25 annual dues. Mem- bers are requested to consider minor donations at each monthly meeting to cover refreshments. Visit RMPTH On The Internet At

http://rmpth.com

MAP TO THE MEETING PLACE Pulliam Community Building 545 Cleveland Avenue, Loveland, 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 from the doorway on the south side of the building (not the main entrance on Cleveland Avenue!).

Page 10 The News, September 2013 September 2013 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Labor Day RMPTH Planning Annual RMPTH Coin Session 6:00P & Prize Hunt RMPTH Meeting 7:00P 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Grandparent’s Day Denver Gem & Min- eral Show 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Denver Gem & Min- Historic Fort Lara- eral Show mie WY Tour 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 1st Day of Autumn

29 30 October 2013 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 4 5 RMPTH Planning Off-Road Detector Session 6:00P Hunt RMPTH Meeting 7:00P 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Columbus Day

20 21 22 23 24 25 26

27 28 29 30 31 Halloween

The News, September 2013 Page 11 RMPTH Field Outing Statement

NOTE: The Coordinators and participants stay in touch and continue to review and plan upcoming presentations and outings for the year on a monthly basis. Our editor Rick 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 programs are in the newsletter and on line at the clubs website. Planning is a work in progress and additional outings and activities are added and sometimes deleted on an ongo- ing basis. Events planned in the upcoming month are emphasized to the attendees at the monthly meetings. Contact the Presentations Coordinators or Editor if you have any suggestions or ideas throughout the year for fieldtrips, outings, and programs.

The best made plans may change at the last minute due to 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 if there is any question of an event being cancelled or changed at the last minute.

Very rare specimen of Native Gold on matrix from Leadville, Colorado!

The Native Gold is a mesh of fine semi- crystalline growth and is quite solid all the way through. In other words, there is no give to the mesh. It sits atop the Quartz matrix and peeks out in veins all the way down to the bottom. This impressive speci- men was found in July of 2008 by Ed Muceus during a collecting trip at the Ibex #3 in about 10,600 feet of elevation.

From the Ibex #3 Mine, Leadville, Lake County, Colorado. Measures 5.5 cm by 4 cm by 1.6 cm in total size. Ex. Vorpahl, Bernardi Mineral Collections

The Mineral Gallery, Inc.

Page 12 The News, September 2013 hunts where there are prizes galore, and they even Good Reasons To Own A have special hunts for kids.

Metal Detector 7. Metal detecting opens up interests in other hob- bies. A large number of metal detector users found

themselves and family members becoming enthusias- 1. Metal detecting is one of the few hobbies that really tic coin collectors. And why not? A penny recently “pays for itself ” with every day finds such as old and sold for $41,000! You will want to look closely at each new coins, diamond rings, gold jewelry, valuable rel- coin you recover in coin books or online. Coins are ics and even buried and hidden treasures. Jars of often worth far more than face value. coins, metal boxes with paper money, gold coins and valuable jewelry were all buried for safekeeping and 8. You can now vacation closer to home. There are while many of them have been rediscovered with a dozens of places of interest for metal detector users metal detector, there's lots more still waiting to be within a short drive from your home. In fact, you can found. start right in your own city or town. You can arrange

weekends for places where people vacation and hunt 2. Searching for treasures with a metal detector has for their lost coins and jewelry. Weekend camping proven to be a great “stress buster” for thousands of trips gives your whole people. Problems family a vacation with seem to disappear more places for you to when your detector use your metal detec- discovers a buried tor. target. You can get away from everyone if 9. Hundreds upon you want solitude, or hundreds of treasures you can meet new that have been lost people to join you for and discarded can be company. discovered with a

metal detector. The 3. Using a metal de- popular television tector can be good for show, Antique Road your health. Getting Show, has shown mil- out, breathing in fresh lions of people that air, and walking, as treasures come in all you must, to find dif- New Treasure Commander X2 sizes and shapes. Old ferent treasures is a toys, banks, lead soldiers, pens, watches, jewelry, lit- great form of exercise. Plus, bending down to dig up a erally anything you find might be an unexpected treas- target is an excellent way to trim your waistline. ure. You may easily discover treasures in the ground

but also in antique shops and general stores on your 4. You will certainly make more friends on your quest way or coming back from a treasure hunting outing. for valuables and treasures. Many people have been interested in obtaining a metal detector and will find 10. Metal Detecting for treasures is one this countries ways to talk to you about what you are doing, where fastest growing hobbies and has been for the last ten you bought it, what you found, etc. Many of these peo- years. There are numerous treasure hunting clubs ple might also share a story or two about interesting and groups in many cities and towns that welcome areas they know you might find old coins or relics. newcomers with open arms. These clubs go treasure

hunting to areas that have been well researched. They 5. You'll learn about your local history and may even have get-togethers, travel to interesting places and find yourself reading books about the area you're liv- share their knowledge freely. If there are no clubs in ing in. There are probably books containing lots of your area it means you can be the first to search out historical information that go back 50 to over 100 all the good areas years or more. You may even start going to the library more often.

Kellyco 6. Searching for treasures with metal detectors is a http://www.kellycodetectors.com/ perfect way to get your family involved in doing an activity together. More and more families are joining  metal detecting clubs, attending planned treasure

The News, September 2013 Page 13 fallen from a horse." Badger Unearths Another grave held the skeleton of a woman with a Medieval Treasure coin in her mouth. According to ancient religious be- liefs, people were often buried with coins to pay a fer-

ryman to transport them across the river that sepa- By Marc Lallanilla, Assistant Editor rated the living world from the realm of the dead. August 15, 2013

This badger-assisted archaeological find isn't the first ome archaeologists pore over old maps and time historical artifacts have been discovered in un- manuscripts to make historical discoveries. usual ways. The Dead Sea Scrolls were found in 1947 Others rely on pick axes, trowels and other S by a Bedouin shepherd boy who was searching for a tools. sheep that had strayed from his flock. He threw a

rock into a cave and, instead of a bleating lamb, But archaeologists in Germany simply turned to badg- heard the sound of pottery breaking, leading to the ers, the digging mammals that are the bane of garden- scrolls' discovery. ers everywhere. A badger living in the And earlier this month, countryside near the the buried remains of town of Stolpe re- the residents from Bed- cently uncovered a lam, Europe's oldest remarkable site: the insane asylum, were 12th-century burial uncovered during the ground of eight peo- construction of the ple, two of whom Crossrail subway line were apparently in London. Slavic warlords.

The archaeological Two sculptors who finding in Germany is live in the area had significant because it been watching a occurred at a place and badger digging a time of conflict between large sett (den). heathen Slavic tribes Upon closer exami- and Christians, said nation, they noticed Thomas Kersting, an a pelvic bone inside The grave of a medieval Slavic warlord, with a bronze bowl at his feet, was archaeologist at the the sett. "We pushed uncovered in Germany by a digging badger Brandenburg Depart- a camera into the Credit: Felix Biermann, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen ment for Monument badger's sett and Protection. took photos by remote control," Hendrikje Ring, one of the sculptors, told Der Spiegel. "We found pieces of One of the warriors' graves appears to have been jewelry, retrieved them and contacted the authorities." robbed of its sword, Kersting explained. "If someone

went to this grave and opened it in full view of the lo- One warlord was buried with a two-edged sword and cal castle and took out the sword, that's a sign that a large bronze bowl at his feet, The Local, an English- something's not working anymore," Kersting told Der language news site, reports. "At the time, such bowls Spiegel. "It highlights the time of upheaval when the were used to wash the hands before eating," archae- rule of the Slavic tribes was coming to an end." ologist Felix Biermann of Georg-August University in

Göttingen told The Local. "The bowls would be a sign that a man belonged to the upper classes." Follow Marc Lallanilla on Twitter and Google+. Fol-

low us @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original The same warrior also wore an elegant bronze belt article on LiveScience. buckle in the shape of an omega, with the head of a http://www.livescience.com/38899-bad...al- stylized snake at each end. "He was a well-equipped ground.html warrior," said Biermann, who is leading the team ex- cavating the site. "Scars and bone breaks show that  he had been hit by lances and swords, and had also

Page 14 The News, September 2013 Raising Chicago Gold Glossary he city of Chicago was founded in 1833, on the coast of Lake Michi-

gan and within the Mississippi River watershed. Its location -- near rivers which lead south and adjacent to a conduit eastward as well -- Flour Gold/Gold Dust - Gold that is so fine T that it looks and feels like flour or dust. lent itself to rapid growth. Only 200 people were living in Chicago at its founding on August 12 of that year, but it quickly grew. By 1840, well over "The bread and butter of prospecting." 4,000 people lived there; by 1860, Chicago had 112,000 residents. For its Nuggets are just a bonus. first century, it was widely regarded to be one of the fastest growing metro areas in the world.

But growth comes with a price, especially in a city which is just five hun- dred feet or so (182 m) above sea level. When it rained, it flooded. Every- where. Chicago, into the 1850s, did not have a working municipal sewage system. So water just collected and collected. Where water sits, disease Gold Facts brews, as Chicagoans quickly learned. Typhoid fever, dysentery and cholera struck the city year after year. In 1854, a cholera outbreak killed as much Symbol: AU as six percent of the city's population. Fixing the problem, though, came with a problem unto itself -- how do you build sewers where the buildings Atomic Number: 79 already are? Atomic Weight: 196.967 Melting Point: 1063° (1945° F) The solution: Raise the buildings. Specific Gravity: 19.2

No, not raze. Raise, as in to lift up. If the city could figure out a way to ele- MOH’s Scale of Hardness: vate four- and five-story (and larger!) buildings a few feet, they could install 2.5 - 3 new foundations, allowing for the construction of a municipal sewage sys- tem. A few years later, they did exactly that. In January of 1858, the first Karat building -- a four story high brick structure weighing 750 tons -- was placed on two hundred fifty jackscrews (this is what a jackscrew looks like) and successfully lifted more than six feet over its original height without damag- 24K = 100% Pure Gold ing it. 18K = 75% Pure Gold 14K = 58% Pure Gold Over the next decade, much of central Chicago was similarly lifted so that the sewage system could be constructed. Most impressive, perhaps, was the 10K = 42% Pure Gold lifting of a row of buildings 320 feet (nearly 100 m) long on Lake Street -- accomplished by roughly six hundred men over the course of five days. One Troy Weights hotel, the Briggs House, required dozens of men, as seen above (larger ver- sion of what appears to be an engraving here), and survived the lifting just fine. In other cases, the city also had to raise the sidewalk, roads, and any- 1 grain = 0.0648 grams thing else installed too low for a sewer system to run underneath. 24 grains = 1 penny weight (DWT) = 1.552 grams In general, the lifting was successful; there are few reports of damage. 20 DWT = 1 ounce = (Ironically, many of the buildings lifted -- including the Briggs House seen above -- were destroyed by the Great Chicago Fire of 1872). And the city 480 grains = 31.10 grams took the lifting as an opportunity to do something else: it gentrified. Wooden frame buildings, which were looked at as lesser, poorer structures than the brick and iron ones, were lifted -- and then removed, driven out of the city. As Wikipedia notes, the practice of putting these buildings "on rollers and moving them to the outskirts of town or to the suburbs was so common as to be considered nothing more than routine traffic." YOUR

Bonus fact: If you're ever in Chicago, try the garlic and onions. The word ADVERTISEMENT "Chicago" comes from a Native American word, transliterated into French as "shikaakwa" (say it aloud), which over time became the term we know to- COULD BE HERE! day. "Shikaakwa" means either wild garlic or wild onion, both of which were plentiful in the region before settlers of European descent arrived in the Call Rick Mattingly area. at 970-613-8968

Now I Know http://NowIKnow.com  or [email protected]

The News, September 2013 Page 15 Trading Post

FOR SALE: Keene high banker/ 3 in. suction dredge. Near new 10 HP motor [less than 10 hours] with 330 GPM pump. All hoses included with extras. Retails for over $2,000. About Trading Post Sell for $900 firm. Contact Darrell 970 669 2599. The News runs classified ads in Trading Post FOR SALE: Jewelers propane/oxygen torch, many cabo- for three consecutive issues. Trading Post ads chons, beads and tools. Contact Ann at for topic related items up to 10 lines (or 70 (970) 6667-3705. words) long are free. To place an ad in Trading Post contact Rick Mattingly at (970) 613-8968 FOR SALE: Tekonsha Prodigy Trailer Brake Controller - 1 evenings to 4 Axles - Proportional, Model 90185. High quality, popu- or e-mail at: [email protected] lar brake controller at a great price. Proportional brake controller. Includes digital display, 3 boost levels, battery protection and continuous diagnostics. Easily transfer be- tween different automobiles and using this brake controller Commercial Advertising it is simple and easy. Comes with mounting bracket, vinyl Specifications cover, and instructions. Requires separate purchase of pro- (Monthly Donation Rate) portional wiring adapter for your make and model tow vehi- cle that is available off the Internet. $45 includes shipping Full Page (8 1/2" X 7") $30 within the U.S. E-mail Nick Kerpchar at Half Page (3 1/4" X 7") $20 [email protected] One Third Page (3" X 4") $15 Business Card (2 3/4" X 1 1/2") $ 5

FOR SALE: A "MUST HAVE" T-Shirt for every Prospector and Treasure Hunter. Quality 100% cotton tees. See and order from: Ads must be received by the 15th of the http://BestBlackandGold.com. preceding month. Contact Rick Mattingly for in- formation on this service at FOR SALE: Minelab SD2200 Gold Nugget Metal Detector: (970) 613-6968 evenings or e-mail at: 10-1/2" Mono Super Coil, 10-1/2" SD Series Super Coil, two [email protected]. batteries w/wall & car charger, headphones, backpack, waist battery pack, signal enhancer, extra lower stem, in- struction booklet & video, carry case. Ready to go for the gold: $1900. Contact Paul at (970) 482-7846.

FOR SALE: 5HP pump motor, Gold King 3" Hi-banker with dredge attachment w/adjustable stand, Gold Grabber Hi- banker, 125 feet hose, Rock net and steel cable, misc. fit- All mistakes and tings and valves & large metal bucket. Prefer to sell all to- gether for $1,350 but negotiable. Call Eric Stickland at (303) 833-6848 or misspellings were [email protected].

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

WANTED: Federal or state duck stamps; mint or used. Con- that you could have the tact John Hart at (307) 778-3993. pleasure of finding them. YELLOWSTONE FAREWELL Wyoming adventure novel. Diamonds, Gold, Volcanic activity, Prospecting. Factual ge- ology; Fictional story. $18.00 + $4.00 S&H. Spur Ridge Enterprises, POB 1719, Laramie, WY 82073. Internet: http://yellowstonefarewell.com/

NOTE: Purchase arrangements are between the buyer and seller only and involves no financial benefit to RMPTH.

Page 16 The News, September 2013 (Continued from page 3) WEEKEND & SMALL-SCALE MINER’S CODE OF ETHICS S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground.

P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear. I WILL respect other prospector’s claims and not work S: Evidence removed. those claims without the owner’s permission P: DME volume unbelievably loud. I WILL have on-site all necessary permits and licenses S: DME volume set to more believable level.

I WILL build fires in designated or safe places only, and P: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick. in accordance with current State and Federal guidelines S: That's what friction locks are for.

I WILL be careful with fuels and motor oils and be cog- P: IFF inoperative in OFF mode. nizant of their potential destructive effect on the envi- S: IFF always inoperative in OFF mode. ronment P: Suspected crack in windshield. I WILL remove and properly dispose of all trash and S: Suspect you're right. debris that I find - I will not litter

P: Number 3 engine missing. I WILL be thoughtful, considerate and courteous to S: Engine found on right wing after brief search those around me at all time

P: Aircraft handles funny. (I love this one!) I WILL appreciate and protect our heritage of natural resources, wildlife, fisheries and private property, and S: Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right and be respect all laws or ordinances governing prospecting serious. and mining P: Target radar hums. I WILL NOT remove stream bank material, destroy S: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics. natural vegetation or woody debris dams, nor discharge excess silt into the waterways P: Mouse in cockpit. S: Cat installed. I WILL NOT refuel motorized equipment in the stream And the best one for last I WILL NOT allow oil from motorized equipment to drip onto the ground or into the water P: Noise coming from under instrument panel. Sounds like a midget pounding on something with a I WILL NOT prospect in areas closed to prospecting hammer. and mining S: Took hammer away from the midget



Offer Your Assistance To Any Of Our Program Coordinators

The News, September 2013 Page 17 Rocky Mountain Prospectors and Treasure Hunters Club 2013 Schedule of Events

Month Meeting Program Trip/Activity

Bottle Hunting January No Trip/Activity Scheduled By Rick Mattingly

Relic Hunting February No Trip/Activity Scheduled By Tom Warne

South Pass, Wyoming History March Colorado School of Mines Museum Tour By Rick Mattingly

Detecting Clinic at Lions Park - RMPTH Prospecting DVD Overview & Advertised and Open to the Public April Patent Searching Wyoming Geologic Survey Tour & By Rick Mattingly Diamond Prospecting Clinic Phoenix Mine & Argo Mill Tours ‘Let’s Go Gold Panning On The Arkansas’ Event Ghost Towns of the Rockies Prospecting Clinic at Lions Park - May By Preethie Burkholder Advertised and Open to the Public Clear Creek Gold Outing GPS, Compass & Map Clinic Clear Creek Gold Outing Detecting England June Diamond Hunt Outing By Ed & Mia Edwards State Annual Gold Panning Championships

Burrows Cave By Russell Burrows Butcher Knife Draw WY Gem Outing July GPAA Presentation South Pass, Wyoming Gold & Detector Outing By Rick Messina - President Casper Eldora Ski Resort Detector Outing Chapter GPAA and State Director

Ames Monument Tour and Vedauwoo Detector Outing August Meteorite Hunting Vic’s Gold Panning Outing

Annual Coin & Prize Hunt Battery Facts September Denver Colorado Gem & Mineral Show By Batteries Plus Fort Laramie Wyoming Tour

Gold & Silver Refining Presentation October Off-Road Detector Outing By David Emslie

Annual “Show & Tell” & November Local Detector Outing Silent Auction

Annual Find of the Year Awards & December Flatirons Mineral Club & Model Train Show Christmas Party

Good Hunting in 2013!

Page 18 The News, September 2013 Rocky Mountain Prospectors & Treasure Hunters Contact List

RMPTH Coordinators Home E-Mail President Bud Yoder ———————– [email protected] Vice President Tom Warne 1-970-635-0773 [email protected]

Treasurer Dick & Sharon French 1-970-482-2110 [email protected] Secretary Heidi Short 1-970-532-1167 [email protected]

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

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

Volunteers/Coordinators Joe Johnston 1-303-696-6950 [email protected] Find of the Year Betsy Emond 1-970-218-0290 ———————– Paul Mayhak 1-970-482-7846 [email protected]

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

Club Historian Barbara Schuldt 1-970-407-1336 ———————– Club Meeting Greeter Barbara Schuldt 1-970-407-1336 ———————– Club Librarian Joe Johnston 1-303-696-6950 [email protected] Bryan Morgan 1-970-416-0608 [email protected] Panning Demos Darrell Koleber 1-970-669-2599 [email protected] Bob Smith 1-303-530-4375 [email protected]

Meeting Setup Shane Menenti 1-970-590-9183 [email protected]

Paul Mayhak 1-970-482-7846 [email protected] Door Prize Johnny Berndsen 1-970-667-1006 ———————–

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

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

Let’s Go For The Gold !

The News, September 2013 Page 19 The News Rocky Mountain Prospectors & Treasure Hunters Club 278 Sierra Vista Drive Fort Collins, CO. 80524

SEPTEMBER, 2013 ISSUE