Rocky Mountain Prospectors & Treasure Hunters Newsletter

The News
v. 16, n. 8 August, 2012 Visit RMPTH On The Internet At http://rmpth.com Going for the Gold

Contents
1 2 6 6 7
8 8 September Annual Paul E. Lange Coin and Prize Hunt Crusades Treasure Cache Cold Hard Cash

The Ames Monument

by Rick Mattingly

The Ames Monument About The News Rare Freedman Tag Found Cell Phone Rescue

10 11 14 15

Calendar of Events Calendars

his month we will lead another club outing to the Wyoming ghost town site of Sherman, home of the astonishing Ames Monument. The Ames Monument is astonishing for a number of reasons, the least of which is that people today are always shocked to find this huge monolith standing all alone in the high plains of Wyoming. Be that as it may, the history of this amazing pyramid is riddled with even more surprises. First off, this monument stands along an abandoned section of the original Transcontinental Railroad line, off the beaten path and out of site today. This area of the line was the highest elevation point of the awesome engineering and construction feat resulting in the rail connecting east and west. This is why the monument and the old rail town of Sherman were there at all. However, the winters along this section of line proved to be so vicious that the section was eventually moved south a number of miles and run through a tunnel to escape the fearsome elements. For the same reason the town of Sherman also soon dried up and blew away. Of course this weather 'discovery' was actually not news at all to many, including the original railroad construction guide hired by the railroad -- no less than mountain man "Ole Gabe" Jim Bridger. Bridger told the officials to not build the rails there as he was personally well aware of the weather phenomenon to be experienced through this area. Next, some visitors may not have realized that the namesake of the monument is still to be found at your local hardware store. Read on to find the surprising link to yesteryear. The following information is from an issue of a Massachusetts publication titled Mass Moments.

Record Treasure Hauled From Shipwreck 16 Trading Post 18 2012 Schedule of Events 19 Contact List

Colorado Mineral and Fossil Show

If we got one-tenth of what was promised to us in these acceptance speeches there wouldn't be any inducement to go to heaven. - Will Rogers

"May 10 1869: Ames Brothers Celebrate Golden Spike In 1869, officials of the Union Pacific Railroad drove
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About The News

Advertising Classified advertising for topic related items is free for non-business ads. See the Trading Post section for donation pricing of camera-ready display ads. Donations for ad makeup from sketches, etc., are available on request. About RMPTH RMPTH is an independent nonprofit hobbyist social club, open to anyone interested in prospecting, detecting or treasure hunting. Its purpose is to provide an educational and social forum of mutual benefit for members. RMPTH holds a monthly meeting and conducts various field outings, as well as offers special presentations and seminars. Active participants have voting privileges. The monthly newsletter, The News, is readily available on the Internet. Persons wishing to receive the newsletter in hardcopy, mailed format are required to provide the amount of $24 per year required to print and mail. Otherwise, no annual dues are charged as the social club functions strictly by donation.

he News is the official newsletter of the Rocky Mountain Prospectors and Treasure Hunters Club (RMPTH): our mailing address is P.O. Box 271863, Fort Collins, CO. 80527-1863. Opinions expressed in The News are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the club or its members. Publication of information in The News constitutes no guarantee of accuracy. Use of any information found in this publication is at the sole risk of the user. Neither RMPTH, nor its coordinators, nor The News, nor its editors or contributors assume any liability for damages resulting from use of information in this publication. Submissions

Articles, letters and short items of interest on prospecting, detecting and treasure hunting topics are welcome and encouraged. All items submitted for publication are subject to editing. Submittals for publication may be made in writing or, preferably, in ASCII text format on IBM-compatible disk. If you have questions about a submission, please contact the editor 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 appears is sent at no cost to RMPTH at the above mailing address. Clubs wishing to exchange newsletters with RMPTH are invited to send a copy of their newsletter together with an exchange request.

Discovery of Gold in Kansas Territory In July, 1858, the first important discovery of gold in what is now Colorado was made in Arapahoe County. Green Russell and a dozen companions (mostly Georgians) had left their camp near the mouth of Cherry Creek and were prospecting up the platte, when one of them, James H. Pierce, found a sand bar that panned out a hundred dollars' worth of free gold. A short time afterward they came across a rich deposit of pay dirt in Dry Creek, a small tributary of the Platte about a mile south of Denver. Here they obtained placer gold to the value of $400.
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the symbolic "Golden Spike" to mark the completion of the first transcontinental railroad. Telegraph wires attached to the spike and sledgehammer carried the news across the country. Reporters compared the event to the first shot fired on Lexington Green. Back in Boston Oliver and Oakes Ames, the Massachusetts men who had been instrumental in the success of the six-year project, accepted congratulations. The owners of the world's largest shovel manufacturing company, the brothers had supplied many of the tools used to build the railroad. They had also arranged much of the financing. When the details of those arrangements were revealed, their reputations were ruined in one of the greatest financial scandals in U.S. history. In the late 1860s, when the first transcontinental railroad line was nearing completion, Oakes Ames was known as the "King of Spades." With his younger brother Oliver, he owned Ames & Sons, the Easton, Massachusetts, company that led the world in the manufacture of shovels, picks and other hand tools. But the Ames' role in the railroad enterprise went well beyond making shovels for the workers. Both brothers were actively involved in raising the capital for the railroad's construction. As a result of their "creative" financing, Oakes Ames would acquire a new nickname "Hoax Ames."

hit, the Ames Company made a fortune selling shovels and picks to miners. Ames shovels were shipped to every part of the United States and to the far corners of the world gold mines in Australia and diamond mines in South Africa. The Ames family grew wealthy. With the coming of the Civil War, government contracts for shovels and swords made them richer still. Oliver Ames's sons, Oakes and Oliver, Jr., grew-up in the shovel-making business. Both boys attended local schools before entering their father's workshops to learn every step of the manufacturing process. Oliver Sr. eventually made his sons partners in the newly renamed firm of Oliver Ames & Sons. By the 1850s, the Ames brothers were middle-aged men of wealth and influence. Oliver Ames, Jr. was elected to the state senate in 1852 and 1857; Oakes served in the U.S. Congress from 1862 until 1873. In January of 1865, President Lincoln called Congressman Ames to the White House. Lincoln believed that a transcontinental railroad was the key to tying a fragile union together. The competing efforts of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific Railroad Companies were suffering from infighting, poor management, and the inability to raise the huge amount of capital required. Lincoln appealed to the Massachusetts congressman: "Ames," he said in an oft-told story, "you take hold of this. . . .The road must be built, and you are the man to do it. Take hold of it yourself. By building the Union Pacific, you will become the remembered man of your generation."

The industrial history of Easton, a small town 24 The Ames brothers seized the miles south of Boston, beopportunity. In 1866 Oliver gan with the discovery of Ames Monument Ames took over as president pro bog iron there in the late -tem of the Union Pacific Railroad; he invested in Credit 1600s. Easton was an important iron-producing center Mobilier, a construction company that handled contracts throughout the eighteenth century and supplied both for the railroad. Oakes played an even larger role. One of men and muskets to the Continental Army. the largest stockholders of Credit Mobilier himself, he used his position in Congress to influence legislation In 1803 a blacksmith named Oliver Ames settled in favorable to the railroads. Easton and took advantage of the town's tradition of iron manufacturing to establish the Ames Shovel Company. Oakes and Oliver Ames were in Boston on May 10, 1869, From its humble beginnings as a one-forge blacksmith when the "Golden Spike" was driven into the railroad tie shop, the Ames Shovel Company would grow to be the connecting the Union Pacific and Central Pacific lines. largest as far as the owners and many of their cusThe Ames brothers knew that their shovels, their mantomers were concerned the finest shovel manufacturer agement, and their money had been critical in bringing in the country. about the historic event. For a brief time, it looked as though Oakes Ames might indeed be "the remembered The early nineteenth century was a good time to be in man of [his] generation." the business of making shovels and picks. The new nation was expanding at a rapid rate; major public works But there was trouble ahead. The Union Pacific Railroad, projects roads, bridges, canals relied on manual now headquartered in Boston, was deeply in debt and labor, which meant a growing demand for hand tools. unable to pay many of its creditors. People began to complain that investors in Credit Mobilier had grown In the Mississippi Valley, an Ames shovel was considrich while contractors and workers went unpaid. On ered so valuable that it was declared to be legal tender, accepted in lieu of cash. When the California Gold Rush (Continued on page 4)
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September 4, 1872, the New York Sun declared that Credit Mobilier was the "King of Frauds." An investigation began. It found that Credit Mobilier's construction company had charged Union Pacific an inflated sum for its work; Union Pacific had paid the bills with government funds. Shareholders in both the railroad and Credit Mobilier had made fortunes. The resulting financial scandal was long considered the most serious in U.S. history. Although many men were involved, the investigators focused on Oakes Ames. Other legislators (especially those who had purchased Credit Mobilier shares from Ames) were happy to let him take the brunt of the scandal. In 1873 the House censured him; he returned home to Easton a broken man and died a few months later of a stroke. A few years later Union Pacific hired the great American architect H.H. Richardson to design a monument to the Ames brothers. Located at Sherman Summit in Wyoming the highest point on the Union Pacific line, it was originally visible to all passing trains. In the early twentieth century, however, the route was moved. Today the monument stands isolated and alone. By contrast, the Ames legacy can be seen all over Easton. Although the shovel company passed out of family ownership and moved to West Virginia in the 1950s, the Ames left a lasting mark on Easton's built environment. They hired H.H. Richardson to design Oakes Ames Memorial Hall, the Ames Free Library, and the Old Colony Railroad Station (now the Easton Historical Society), giving this small Massachusetts town a remarkable collection of architectural treasures." Mass Moments http://www.massmoments.org/moment.cfm?mid=139 Yep, that's right -- The Ames Brothers immortalized on the Ames Monument were involved in the family business of manufacturing shovels and related tools. These tools at your local hardware store today are marked "Ames - True Temper." Another intriguing tidbit of history involved here is that a sculpted bust of each of the Ames brothers is embedded in opposing sides of the monument near the top. These busts were sculpted by no less than August St. Gaudens who would later go down in history as the designer of the beautiful U.S. $20 gold coin, known today as the Gaudens design. But, the intrigue does not stop there. This enigmatic stone structure also gave rise to the oft repeated reference 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 dedicated, an elected Justice of the Peace named "Billy" Mur(Continued on page 12) Page 4

In wine there is wisdom, In beer there is freedom, In water there is bacteria. - Ben Franklin

Gold Glossary
Flour Gold/Gold Dust - Gold that is so fine that it looks and feels like flour or dust. "The bread and butter of prospecting." Nuggets are just a bonus

TREASURE HUNTERS CODE OF ETHICS

I WILL respect private property and do no treasure hunting without the owner's permission. I WILL fill all excavations. I WILL appreciate and protect our heritage of natural resources, wildlife, and private property. I WILL use thoughtfulness, consideration, and courtesy at 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 left of ghost towns and deserted structures. I WILL NOT tamper with signs, structural facilities, or equipment.

The News, August 2012

Gold RushA Poem

By Ciena Higginbotham, Lake George Gem and Mineral Club Junior Program There was once a fellow from the days of old Who stumbled upon a chunk of gold He tried to keep quiet but rumor got out Everyone knew there was gold, no doubt People everywhere, came from all around Hoping to find their own sparkling mound They knelt in the stream and sifted away Through rock and sandsearching everyday They searched and searched and searched for gold Hoping to find some before they are old They persevered and never gave up And soon they had gold in their cup It all started when a fellow found gold And this is how the story is told

Mineral Specimen Identification

As part of their community outreach, Metropolitan State College of Denver, Dep. of Earth & Atmospheric Science, Professional Services Division offers FREE MINERAL SPECIMEN IDENTIFICATION. Participants will aid in the education of future Geoscientists! Details and specimen submittal forms with instructions can be downloaded from: SPECIAL OFFER FREE MINERAL SPECIMEN http://college.earthscienceeducation.net/MINPET/ MINID.pdf

Ciena Higginbotham is 14 years old and an 8th grade homeschooler. She lives in the beautiful Rocky Mountains in Colorado. Shes always had a fascination with geology and has been collecting rocks since she was little. She has attended the Lake George Gem and Mineral Club Pebble Pups since 2010. With the assistance of the group, she had the chance to help write an article and earn several awards. Her other interests include writing, drawing, painting, and musical activities.

Property Wanted For Detector Hunt

Refreshment Volunteers
August Rick Mattingly SeptemberDick & Sharon French OctoberJohnny & Jeanne Berndsen

RMPTH is looking for private property on which to hold an organized club detector hunt. Obviously, it would be most ideal if this property is known to have seen some past historical activity. If you have such property or know of someone who does, please contact Rick Mattingly to plan a club field outing event.

The News, August 2012

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Rare Freedman Tag Found

Columbia man finds rare freedmans tag in Lowcountry Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Cell Phone Rescue

n getting ready for the prospecting season you might want to be prepared by reading this article and the manuals that came with your cell phone so that you are prepared. Once, when prospecting I had my cell phone in my shirt pocket. Bending over a creek to pan my phone slipped out of my pocket into the creek! Quick action saved it. When you first get your phone read the manual and understand how to remove the battery. This will be a critical first step you will need 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 slot and pat it dry. This contains all of your data and even if your phone is destroyed more than likely you can save your data. 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 with a towel or paper towel without moving or jostling your phone which can drive water deeper into it. 6. If you happen to have been vacking (using a vacuum to suck 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 so you don't inadvertently suck something out of your phone other than water. Don't hold the phone too close to the vacuum because the vacuum can cause damaging static electricity. 7. Have a plastic container with rice & lid in your prospecting 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 moisture on the towels repeat vacuuming and rice step. It is possible to purchase commercial "wet cell phone emergency" kits. It's probably best to buy one "just in case" as you can waste valuable time going to the store to buy one. TIPS Do not leave your phone wet for an extended period of time. Dry it out as soon as possible. Do not switch the phone on. This is important as it will prevent a charge from running from the battery to the phone which may subsequently cause the phone to short circuit. Don't heat the battery or it could leak or explode. Lithiumion batteries are sensitive. If you use a hairdryer, make sure to remove the battery first. Note that it is not recommended to apply heat to the phone. Do not use a hair dryer! Using a hair dryer might force moisture deeper into your phone. It might overheat you phone, too! Do not apply too much heat to your phone, as mentioned above. You don't want to melt or burn your phone.
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very rare tag worn in the late 1700s by a Lowcountry free person of color was unearthed recently by a relic hunter from Columbia.

Hal McGirt, who discovered the piece of history in February at a Cooper River plantation site, said today that he was advised that the tag, circa 1783, might be worth $20,000 to $30,000. But, he said, the tag will not be marketed and will stay with the family that owns the property on which it was found. He did not reveal the exact site where his metal detector helped turn up the City of Charleston Free Badge No. 320. While tags once worn by slaves are somewhat common, freedmans tags are quite rare, he said. McGirt said hes been a relic hunter for 40 years and that he always turns his findings over to property owners. Determining the history belonging to the object, thats where the fun comes in, McGirt explained.
The Post and Courier http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20120523/ PC16/120529618/columbia-man-finds-rare-freedman-s-tag-inlowcountry

Columbia relic hunter Hal McGirt found this City of Charleston Free Badge, circa 1783, at a Cooper River plantation site. The rare tag could be worth more than $20,000.
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The News, August 2012

2012 ANNUAL PAUL E. LANGE DETECTOR COIN & PRIZE HUNT SATURDAY, September 18 2012 10:002:00 Bob & 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 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. Come join us for a fun hunt and collect your coins and prize finds!

Map to Miosek Property southwest of Berthoud, Colorado 2011 Annual Detector Coin Hunt

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 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 have a Swap Meet after lunch , so bring your items for sale or trade!

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Crusades Treasure Cache

1,000-year-old hoard of gold coins dug up at Crusades site One of the biggest collections found in Israel was hidden in ceramic jug at battleground HERZLIYA, Israel July 11, 2012 1,000-year-old hoard of gold coins has been unearthed at a famous Crusader battleground where Christian and Muslim forces once fought for control of the Holy Land, Israeli archaeologists said on Wednesday. The treasure was dug up from the ruins of a castle in Arsuf, a strategic stronghold during the religious conflict waged in the 12th and 13th centuries. Arsuf, which overlooks the Mediterranean sea, was the site of a famous 12th century victory for England's King Richard I known as Lionheart over Muslim leader Saladin. About 80 years later, in 1265, the Muslim army returned under a different general, and lay siege to the city for 40 days. When the outer walls fell, the knights retreated to the castle, which was eventually destroyed. The stash, Tal believes, belonged to the Knights Hospitaller who inhabited the castle. It may have been payment they were due to pay for leasing the land, or perhaps profits from industrial activities, he said. The gold coins weigh about 400 grams (14 ounces) in total. Some were minted two centuries earlier in Egypt, and they will be studied over the next six months, Tal said. "The study of these coins will contribute to our understanding 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/

Scores of gold coins are put on display near Herzliya on Tuesday, along with the jar in which they were found. The hoard was unearthed during an excavation at a Crusader fortress in Apollonia National Park.

Cold Hard Cash

Repairman finds $250,000 gold stash in AC unit... and returns it to owners By Daily Mail Reporter 10 July 2012 repairman who was fixing an air conditioning unit got more than what he bargained for when he came across a secret stash of gold. When the Sacramento man opened the malfunctioning unit, he expected to find nothing more than an electrical problem or a clump of dust. But, instead, the man discovered $250,000 worth of gold. The 180 ounces of gold were stashed inside jars stowed away inside the unit. But, rather than keep the treasure for himself, the man decided to return the jars to the owners of the house. The man, whose name has not been released, was not ready to talk about the incident when he was contacted by Fox40. Similarly, two weeks ago, a couple from Tennessee found $13,000 in a bag on top of a trash can and handed it into police.

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Denver City Assay Office Pattern Gold Tokens

In Roughing It, Mark Twain wrote: The sagacious reader will know now, without being told, that the speculative miner, in getting a 'fire assay made of a piece of rock from his mine (to help him sell the same), was not in the habit of picking out the least valuable fragment of rock on his dump pile, but quite the contrary. I have seen men hunt over a pile of nearby worthless quartz for an hour, and at last find a little piece as large as a filbert, which was rich in gold and silver-and this was reserved for a fire assay! Of course the fire assay would demonstrate that a ton of such rock would yield hundreds of dollars-and on such assays many an utterly worthless mine was sold.

The dies for the Denver City Assay Office pattern gold tokens were engraved by Winslow J. Howard, a jeweler and watchmaker who arrived in Denver City early in 1860. Luckily, Howard was also a collector. He managed to collect an example of a pattern or coin from each of the four Colorado minters. It is believed that the actual striking of the coins was done by Cord Brothers Jewelers. It is probable that a $10 coin was also produced, but no examples are known to have survived. Beside the physical evidence of the few patterns that do survive, little else is known of the Denver City Assay Office. Colorado Territorial Gold http://www.rfrajola.com/mayergold/mayergold.htm

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Calendar of Events
August Meeting Wednesday, August 1. We will meet at the Pulliam Building in downtown Loveland at 7:00PM. Refer to the adjoining map for directions. Meeting Agenda 6:00 - 7:00 Planning & Social Hour 7:00 - 7:30 Business, Announcements & Find of the Month Program 7:30 - 7:45 Break 7:45 - 9:00 "Gold and Silver Refining Presentation by RMPTH member David Emslie

RMPTH DUES
RMPTH is an unincorporated Social Club with no income generated. All expenses are covered by donation. Members are requested to consider donating a minimum of $1.00 at each monthly meeting to cover club expenses.

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!).
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August 2012
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1
RMPTH Planning Session 6:00P RMPTH Meeting 7:00P

2 9 16 23 30

3 10 17 24 31

4 11
Ames Monument Tour and Vedauwoo Detector Outing

5 12 19 26

6 13 20 27

7 14 21 28

8 15 22 29

18
Vics Gold Panning Outing

25
Lucite Hills Gem Outing

September 2012
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 9 16
Colorado Mineral & Fossil Show

3 10 17 24

4 11 18 25

5
RMPTH Planning Session 6:00P RMPTH Meeting 7:00P

6 13
Colorado Mineral & Fossil Show

7 14
Colorado Mineral & Fossil Show

8
Annual Paul E. Lange Coin & Prize Hunt

12
Colorado Mineral & Fossil Show

15
Colorado Mineral & Fossil Show

19 26

20 27

21 28

22
Off-Road Detector Outing

23 30
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29

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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 particular 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 ongoing 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, vehicles breaking down, wrong meeting sites, etc. Please be understanding of extenuating circumstances and contact 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.

A top-level railroad lawyer was sent with a black valise, from Omaha headquarters to Laramie, with order to get clear title to the monument at any cost. The U.P. lawyer was joined by lawyer John Riner of Cheyenne, lawyer John Symons, Laramie City land agent, and railroad detective Nate Boswell, the former sheriff of Albany County, law-men all! Murphy was tricked into meeting alone with the four powerful railroad negotiators who locked the door when he entered the room. The four legal experts then frightened Murphy into thinking he had broken the law by filing a homestead on the land. They told him all the witnesses who signed his homestead claim could be charged with perjury. They told Murphy he would surely lose his J. P. position, ruin his reputation, and risk prison. Then they switched tactics and "generously" promised Murphy they would try hard to keep the matter quiet and save him from all those troubles--if only Murphy would just sign a relinquishment of his homestead claim and promise to never tell anyone. Their bluff worked fine. In the shadow of the four lawmen, Murphy signed the relinquishment of his claim. In exchange, the railroad gave Murphy the deeds to two vacant residential lots on South 8th Street in Laramie, worth about $385.00 as "legal consideration." Alas, mild-mannered Murphy (who left Laramie soon thereafter), later learned that the railroad lawyer had been carrying $15,000 in cash in his black valise to pay for the relinquishment, and had authority to pay twice that amount if necessary. Murphy had the law on his side and could have profited monumentally. Even for Murphy, everything that could have gone wrong, had gone wrong! The story of Murphy using the law to tease the giant Union Pacific corporation spread on whispers across the continent from one railroad worker to the next. It was a great story: Murphy paid his $9.75 homestead fee and, with the law on his side, got a good laugh, a good scare, and two residential lots worth $385.00 (then)-but also lost a fortune! The words "Murphy's Law," eventually became codewords for the story's moral: "Everyone must expect, and accept in good humor, that 'Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.' " Overland Trail http://www.over-land.com/ames.html History Stranger than fiction!

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phy in Laramie, Wyoming talked to Albany County Surveyor W. O. Owen, and learned that the monument had been built on "vacant" government land, not on a railroad section. Encouraged by Owen and by lawyerly advice from "Bill" Nye (the humorous founding -editor of the Laramie Boomerang newspaper), Murphy went to the land office in Cheyenne and filed a Desert Land Homestead claim to get legal right to the land where the monument stands. Murphy then wrote for outdoor advertisers to bid on leasing spaces on "his" pyramid. He also gave notice to the railroad company that its "rock pile" was trespassing on his "farm" and gave them a deadline to move it or lose it. At first embarrassed railroad principals could not believe they had built and publicly dedicated their glorious monument on government land or that Murphy could now own it and lease advertising space on this monument. However, checks of documents and records soon convinced them that all the law was on Murphy's side. The red-in-the-face railroad authorities realized that everything that could have gone wrong, certainly had gone wrong!
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The News, August 2012

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 it takes a little practice. Just like learning anything new, you aren't going to pick one up and automatically know how to use it. However, 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 as long as you remember that speed and angle are everything in gold recovery, no matter what the piece of equipment is that you are using. All gold recovery equipment that is based on water is patterned after the gold pan. Each piece of equipment developed over the centuries is merely an attempt to take the principles of the gold pan and make a larger version that will move more material as efficiently as the gold pan will. However, without the gold pan, the deposits would not have been found. Prospecting with a gold pan will tell you quite accurately where a deposit should be, 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 has been used for centuries as well, and the dry washer is patterned after the gold pan's use in 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 the gold 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 will need 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 rest of 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't learn to use a gold pan. Other types of separation equipment can be expensive, time consuming, and not always as effective. Invest 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 gold into 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 you are getting to tell if you should move to another spot or not, thereby increasing the amount of gold you find. After all, your objective is 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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The News, August 2012

Record Treasure Hauled From Shipwreck

Analysis by Amanda Onion Wed Jul 18, 2012 09:42 AM ET

Gold Glossary
Flumes - Flumes are like sluice boxes, they do not have riffles though and are used solely to transport water in areas where a ditch would be impossible (cliffsides, rocky hillsides). Two flumes were built in the construction of the China Ditch.

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

The haul was retrieved from the S.S. Gairsoppa, a 412-foot steel-hulled British cargo ship that sank in February 1941. The expedition, by Odyssey Marine Exploration, a company specializing in shipwreck exploration, recovered 1,203 bars of silver, totaling 1.4 million ounces. Viewers will have the chance to follow the pursuit of the lost treasure on an upcoming Discovery Channel special produced by JWM Productions. The cache has been transported to a secure facility in the United Kingdom, which contracted the project under the Department of Transport. Under the contract, Odyssey will retain 80 percent of the net value of recovered goods, after expenses, according to a press release. The Gairsoppa was a merchant ship that was torpedoed by a German Uboat during World War II. Since the U.K. government had insured the privately owned cargo under the War Risk Insurance program, it had paid out the owners for the lost silver and then became owners of the lost cargo. The Odyssey expedition has so far managed to recover an estimated 43 percent 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 of the North Atlantic, this was a complex operation," Greg Stemm, Odyssey Chief Executive Officer said in the press release. "Our capacity to conduct precision cuts and successfully complete the surgical removal of bullion from secure areas on the ship demonstrates our capabilities to undertake complicated tasks in the very deep ocean." Odyssey began its search for the sunken cargo ship in the summer of 2011 and confirmed its location by September 2011. The company says so far they have found no human remains, but in the event that they do they "will be treated with the utmost respect and the U.K. Department for Transport will be immediately notified." The marine exploration company is also in the process of exploring another British sunken ship, the S.S. Mantola, which is believed to hold an estimated 600,000 ounces of additional U.K.-insured silver. More information on the Gairsoppa project, including pictures of the operation, can also be found on Odyssey's website.

Gold Facts
Symbol: AU Atomic 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 Gold 18K = 75% Pure Gold 14K = 58% Pure Gold 10K = 42% Pure Gold Troy Weights 1 grain = 0.0648 grams 24 grains = 1 penny weight (DWT) = 1.552 grams 20 DWT = 1 ounce = 480 grains = 31.10 grams

YOUR ADVERTISEMENT COULD BE HERE! Call Rick Mattingly at 970-613-8968 or rickmatt@q.com

Page 15

The News, August 2012

Trading Post
FOR SALE: 23-foot Forest River Sierra bumper pull travel trailer with slide out. Has all the comforts of home. Great condition and not used enough - Need to sell ASAP! Price $7995. If you have any questions please call Jennifer Lange at 970-980-5776. FOR SALE: Minelab SD2200 Gold Nugget Metal Detector: 10-1/2" Mono Super Coil, 10-1/2" SD Series Super Coil, two batteries w/wall & car charger, headphones, backpack, waist battery pack, signal enhancer, extra lower stem, instruction booklet & video, carry case. Ready to go for the gold: $1900. Contact Paul at (970) 482-7846. WANTED: 12 Gauge Home Security Shotgun. Mossberg, Winchester or Remington. 40 cal & 45 cal Auto Pistol. Ruger, S&W, SIG, Glock. Guns must be in excellent working condition. Call (970) 222-2323 or leave message with make, model & asking price. I will return your call. WANTED: Silver coins - all dimes, quarters, half dollars, and dollars dated 1964 and before. I will pay 18x face value for silver coins. $1.80 for dimes, $4.50 for quarters, $9.00 for halves and $18.00 for dollars. Contact Zach at (970) 308-8391. WANTED: Used lapidary equipment. Call Kathie 970221-1623 WANTED: Federal or state duck stamps; mint or used. Contact John Hart at (307) 778-3993. YELLOWSTONE FAREWELL Wyoming adventure novel. Diamonds, Gold, Volcanic activity, Prospecting. Factual geology; Fictional story. $18.00 + $4.00 S&H. Spur Ridge Enterprises, POB 1719, Laramie, WY 82073. Internet: http://yellowstonefarewell.com/
About Trading Post The News runs classified ads in Trading Post for 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 Trading Post contact Rick Mattingly at (970) 613-8968 evenings or e-mail at: rickmatt@q.com Commercial Advertising Specifications (Monthly Donation Rate) Full Page (8 1/2" X 7") Half Page (3 1/4" X 7") One Third Page (3" X 4") Business Card (2 3/4" X 1 1/2") $30 $20 $15 $ 5

Ads must be received by the 15th of the preceding month. Contact Rick Mattingly for information on this service at (970) 613-6968 evenings or e-mail at: rickmatt@q.com.

All mistakes and misspellings were intentionally made so that you could have the pleasure of finding them.

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

Page 16

The News, August 2012

WEEKEND & SMALL-SCALE MINERS CODE OF ETHICS

I WILL respect other prospectors claims and not work those claims without the owners permission I WILL have on-site all necessary permits and licenses I WILL build fires in designated or safe places only, and in accordance with current State and Federal guidelines I WILL be careful with fuels and motor oils and be cognizant of their potential destructive effect on the environment I WILL remove and properly dispose of all trash and debris that I find - I will not litter I WILL be thoughtful, considerate and courteous to those around me at all time I WILL appreciate and protect our heritage of natural resources, wildlife, fisheries and private property, and respect all laws or ordinances governing prospecting and mining I WILL NOT remove stream bank material, destroy natural vegetation or woody debris dams, nor discharge excess 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 NOT prospect in areas closed to prospecting and mining

(Continued from page 6)

Do not put your phone in an oven or microwave to dry it out. Be warned that manufacturers of most modern cell phones place liquid damage indicator stickers that will change colors in the presence of a liquid inside their phones. This helps technicians know that you have dropped your phone in water, as most cell phone insurance coverage 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 probably been tripped as well. This will result in you paying a voidedwarranty fee in the long run. You should be aware that warranties don't cover water damage, only insurance does, and even then, not all insurance companies or plans will honor water damaged phones. It is also worth noting that these liquid damage indicator stickers have been known to change colors in extreme humidity as well. Even if all these steps are followed, minerals dissolved in the water can precipitate on solder and component pins, causing corrosion or shorting. Component pins are packed so closely together in modern cell phones that even a small encrustation can create a short, rendering the phone inoperable. Do not put the phone (or any electronic or metal containing object) into the microwave. You will destroy electronic components and potentially the microwave, and perhaps start a fire in your house. Not good. For the semi-mechanically inclined: remove screws and, at a minimum, crack the case open to allow moisture to escape. Cell phones are normally somewhat waterproof, so they can be used in the light rain and in humid environments. Removing your cell phone from the water quickly and immediately removing the battery gives you the best chance of saving 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 where you can purchase Dry-All. From the Internet

Offer Your Assistance To Any Of Our Program Coordinators

The News, August 2012

Page 17

Rocky Mountain Prospectors and Treasure Hunters Club 2012 Schedule of Events
Month
January

Meeting Program
East Coast Silver Treasure Find Berkely Lake Detecting
Gold Wheel Recovery Systems Presentation By Darrell Koleber

Trip/Activity
No Trip/Activity Scheduled

February

No Trip/Activity Scheduled

March

Historic Gold Scale Presentation

GPS, Compass & Map Clinic

April

Found Explosives Safety Presentation

Prospecting, Detecting & More Clinic at Lions Park Advertised and Open to the Public Berkely Lake Detector Outing Lets Go Gold Panning On The Arkansas Event Clear Creek Gold Outing Keota Ghost Town Outing

May

Gold and Platinum in Wyoming By Wayne Sutherland, WGS

June

Detecting Presentation By Tom Warne & Rick Mattingly

Eldora Ski Resort Detector Outing

July

Spanish Treasure Trails Presentation

Teller City Ghost Town Tour North Park Sand Dunes Tour Eldora Ski Resort Detector Outing Ames Monument Tour and Vedauwoo Detector Outing Lucite Hills Gem Outing Vics Gold Panning Outing Annual Coin & Prize Hunt Colorado Mineral & Fossil ShowDenver Off-Road Detector Outing

August

Gold Refining Presentation By David Emslie

September

Cripple Creek Historic Video By Johnny Berndsen

October

Railhead Camp Presentation By Rick Mattingly

Off-Road Detector Outing

November

Annual Show & Tell & Silent Auction Annual Find of the Year Awards & Christmas Party

Local Detector Outing

December

Flatirons Mineral Club & Model Train Show

Good Hunting in 2012!

Page 18 The News, August 2012

Rocky Mountain Prospectors & Treasure Hunters Contact List

RMPTH Coordinators Home E-Mail Coordinator Coordinator Coordinator Robert Crain Bryan Morgan Rick Mattingly 1-970-484-6488 1-970-416-0608 1-970-613-8968 brymorg@frii.com rickmatt@q.com

The News Staff Editor-in-Chief Assistant Editor Rick Mattingly Dick French 1-970-613-8968 1-970-482-2110

rickmatt@q.com
dickyf99@comcast.net

Internet Web Site Web Master Volunteers/Coordinators Find of the Month Joe Johnston Betsy Emond Paul Mayhak Johnny Berndsen Peggy Stumpf Joe Johnston Bryan Morgan Darrell Koleber Volunteer Needed! Tom Warne Jacob Wootton Johnny Berndsen 1-303-696-6950 1-970-218-0290 1-970-482-7846 1-970-667-1006 1-307-632-9945 1-303-696-6950 1-970-416-0608 1-970-669-2599 1-970-635-0773 1-970-980-6016 1-970-667-1006 cjoej1@peoplepc.com pjmcolo@q.com johnnyberndsen.com circlestar@yahoo.com cjoej1@peoplepc.com brymorg@frii.com gutshot1016@yahoo.com goldigger48@msn.com jacob-wootton@yahoo.com Rick Mattingly 1-970-613-8968

rickmatt@q.com

Presentations Club Historian Club Librarian Panning Demos Setup & Refreshments Door Prize

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

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

Lets Go For The Gold !

The News, August 2012 Page 19

The News
Rocky Mountain Prospectors & Treasure Hunters Club P.O. Box 271863 Fort Collins, CO. 80527-1863

AUGUST, 2012 ISSUE