TREASURE HUNTERS NEuISLETTER

$s.00 Yearly Subscription

vol. l, No.4
WINTER ,1972 B STATES ASSOCIATES, INC. P.O. BOX t438, BOULDER , COLO. BO3O2
TREASURE HUNTING IN MINNESOTA THE CABALLO MOUNTAIN TR.EASURE
COINS AS AN INVESTMENT SOME COINSHOOTING SITES

ALL ABOUT GOLD

sr,500,000 FRAUD

Oklahoma City Show

(See page 28)

This

is a publication for THers

REAL RECOVERIES AUTHENTIC TIPS AND LEADS TRUE, INTRIGUING STORIES

UPCOMING EVENTS

RECENT HAPPENINGS DETAILS DESIRED BY DEDICATET)

THing trn Minnesota

DIGGERS
(See story page 4)

v
Treasure Hunting And The Credibility Gap
ln an age when men are accomplishing the incredible fact of landing on the moon it seems difficult to lend credibility to our own field of treasure hunting. When each day widens the credibility gap between the government and the citizens of this country it's imperative that each of us as treasure hunters establish a more credible foundation for our field. Greats, near greats, fathers, grandfathers of treasure hunting, coinshooters, professionals, amateurs, who is who in this business called treasure hunting? The stories of treasures found are rampant, the size of some of the finds are astronomical beyond belief, and yet, who is to say. Some treasure hunters are pulling in "car loads of silver" and yet I know both Glenn and I are still looking for that first gold coin. ln short, when you get right down to it, treasure hunting is a very personalthing-to say you are a treasure hunter is a big undertaking, besides who would understand what you said if you referred to yourself as a coinshooter? Somehow we are all looking for our identity. for this is human nature. The world is full of questions such as, "Who am l, Where have I been?," and if you hunt treasure "What have I found?" lf you look for coins in a local park, you are a believer. lf you hunt for the Lost Dutchman, this is your experience of life. Take caution, however, that you never take credit for something you didn't find or do. As treasure hunters we are all vulnerable that our existence depends on the creditability that we personally lend to ourselves, others, our hobby and profession.

Hunter V. Pritchard

Security
as a result

your way, which also demands that you believe that you know the limits of those situations. lf one believes he knows the situation and can handle it, he feels secure. This feeling is what makes THing the potentially profitable endeavor it is. The truth of it is that nobody is totally secure, even if he believes that he is. The blithering idiot may feel secure while banging crystalized sticks of dynamite on a concrete floor. An old miser of years ago may have felt secure in his buried crocks of coins, never dreaming of the flash flood racing downstream towards his shack. How many people of yesteryears cached money away to tide them through their old age only to suddenly and early succumb to diptheria, typhoid, tornado, or conflict? How often have you read or heard of someone futowing about a treasure, and dying with that knowledge unused? He had a job. He had a wife and kids and responsibilities. The cache was elsewhere, too far away. lt had been there that long so it would stay there a while longer. He'd look for it when he had time. Only time ran out. Security. The poor fellow above would jeopordize his job if he took off a few days from work, and he couldn't dare do that, even though he was sure his Grampaw knewthe straight story about those hidden 1000 $20 gold pieces. Could the "real security" be somewhere outside the ruts we dig for ourselves? A qualified yes is probably the answer, for it would be utter chaos if everyone decided to throw ofi their yokes at the same time. lf a person has a family he should care for them. Still, today's THing is very much an expression of protest against the ruts in which folks become mired. lt seems to me that THers are usually people with the vision to see that "real security" is not within the self-imposed limits people usually forge for themselves. THing is a search, not for "security", but for new horizons. One does not know what he will find, and one does not know the limits of the search. lt is this sense of adventure that is making the THing field what it is today.

A majority of people search for "security" without really knowing what it is they seek, and they never find it. Security is the BELIEF you can rnaster any situations to come

H. Glenn Carson

Table of Contents
TREASURE HUNTING IN MINNESOTA

...w.

H. Mason

4 9
11

DON'T "POOR BOY" PADRE ISLAND

SALMON RIVER PLACER GOLD

Jimmie Hemphill

$1,500,000 TREASURE-A follow-up Hoax story in Vol. 1, No. 1 GULF COAST

on our

Spanish Gold

..

or

Modern
15 17 18

Dr. Gib Rail

TREASURE DRAMA

PIRATES BAHAMA-HUMBUG

L. Frank Hudson Hunter V. pritchard

EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT GOLD BUT WERE AFRAID TO ASK . .. paut Franklin
FORTHCOMING THing EVENTS

20
22

CIVIL WAR TREASURES OF TRTANGLE 1E _ Jenkins Ferry, poison

Springs, and Marks

Mill

....

W. W. Mosley

23 24 25 26
27 28

SOMETIMES. . .JUST

LUCK

TREASURE HUNTERS NEWSI,ETTER

. W. H.

Mason

SOMETIMES. .

.lT HURTS JUST TO THTNK

. Apache Jim
, . Hunter V. pritchard

THE ASSAYERS

CRUCIBLE

SOME REPORTED TREASURE FINDS IN 1971

Published Quarterly By

THE OKLAHOMA CITY TREASURE SHOW THE CABALLO MOUNTAIN TREASURE

Eight States Associates

Professional Treasure Hunters
Pearl Street P.O. Box 1438 Boulder, Colorado 80302

...ApacheJim

30

l918

AROUND THE CAMPFIRE-Letters from our readers. Perhaps of special Floyd Garnick Excel lent Coinshooting Sites
Results of the Privy Pirates Picture contest

32

36

MAKING CANDLEHOLDERS
COINS AS AN INVESTMENT

(303) 447-2222

wtrH oLD lN 1972

TNSULATORS Richard Lehman

38 39

.. ....

H. Glenn Carson

OLD TIME BOTTLE PUBLISHING COMPANY

MorethanPublishing

LynnBlumenstein
.

40 43 44 46
51

Hunter V. Pritchard
Publisher and Associate Editor

THE MANY MYTHS OF THE MAZATZALS . . .

Dave Thomas

H. Glenn Carson
Editor and Associate Publisher

AREWETO LOSETHE LOST DUTCHMAN? ........ H.GtennCarson MoRE oN EAST coAST TREASURE HUNTTNG .. Hunter V. pritchard
IN THE NEXT ISSUE_SPRING, 1972

Eight States Associates, lnc., is a professional treasure hunting organization. Our group includes pilots, parachutirts, scuba divers, geographers, and geologists. We will consider any project involving the discovery of treasure,
documented, and not well publicized.

No part o, this newsletter may be reproduced in any manner without the permission of the publisher, except short extracts where proper credit is given to Eight States Associates.

COPYRIGHT 1972, EIGHT STATES ASSOCIATES. INC.

providing that the information is factual,

SUBSCRIPTION

$5.00 PER YEAR

FOUR OUARTERLY ISSUES

The fourth issue of The Treasure Hunters Newsletter comes right when it should, in the middle of winter. Volume I is 2 will come with Spring. We hope the contents of this publication will warm the hearts of snowbound northlanders, soothe the sun-drenched readers in the south, and help whittle away the tedium of a few long winter evenings for all. Tell your friends about 8 States, if you will, for we need subscribers. We are trying to make this a useful publication for THers, ano we need that best of all kinds of advertising, word of mouth.

done, and Volume

Winter, 1972

Treasure

Hunting tn
O

Minnesota
by

W.H. Mason

"Treasure in MinnesotaT You're out of your cotton pickin' head-there ain't no

treasure in this State, it's all out West where

they's mining gold and silver, and where

there was outlaws.

your

head

lf there's treasure, it,s in !" With that rather direct, terse

This. picture. is_reposed at the location site, an old log cabin in north central Minnesota. Bill did not dilly-dally long wh-en he f irst came up with this intriguing find!

car and drove off, convinced,

much to worry about. When the hunting bug

comment the local sheriff walked back to his

guess, that

anybody dumb enough to be up to his knees digging out an old farm outhouse wasn,t

to re-invent the wheel, and tell you how to do it. But if you'll bend an ear l,d be proud to share a few thoughts with you about treasure hunting in Minnesota.
going
1849,

the state's towns and villages for parks

the library looking for the old town maps of

and

hit me some years ago lguess l'd resolved to confine my hunting to parks and beaches. Many trips to

The birth of the Minnesota Territory was it was a state by 1858. But our story

compa., =..,. econo-. ,. based on a hunter society of the I nc ,-: The British next dominated i-, .=,: : after 1763. lt was early 1800,s, :=l:..
missionaries, the Hudson Bay

the Northwest Company. The

fairground sites suddenly showed me that Minnesota had a lot to offer the treasure hunter who was prepared to do a little
thinki ng.

and treasure search doesn't start here. There were explorers, fur traders, voyageurs, missionaries as far back as 1 61 8. Our treasure hunting thinking has to start

in middle late 1600's. The

of England. But England exploited rhe -c.tive trade of the Great Lakes Reo'o" ,,,,:many posts. Today we have r:cords :::: indicate the trading posts of rhe FrencBritish
i

American influences supplanted the cr:,,,-

French fur

&

Now you fellows have, l'm sure, read the

works
4

Karl von Mueller and J. Cubit and Lobo in their now classic books, so l,m not

of

earth. Along with the

hunters were also our explorers. Where they camped. they lost things. When they traded with the lndians they gave material that would eventually find its way back into the

Americans exceeded 130 here ar.th=

nnesota.

With the closing of the War of 1812 the establishment of Fort Snelling at

fur

hunters came

confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesoi: Rivers a signif icant historical turning po irr
Treasure Hunters Newsletter

\vas reached.

of the
sota.

ln a sense, it was the beginning modern American period of Minnetrade,

The reorganization of the fur

from a hunter to a farmer. Many treaties were made, some were but diplomatic pretense. Promises were disregarded or forgotten or delayed in fulfillment. The last straw as far as the lndians were concerned happened in August, 1862 at the Lower Agency. The promised $47,000 in annuity
gold was delayed. Starvation was rampant in

governing frontier lands, and dealing with the lndians challenged our early arrivals from the East. The removal of the lndians to reservations and the payment of annuities to these tribes slowly, and not too successfully, attempted to change the role of the Indian

the Sioux Village. The requests for credit met with the suggestion that "the Sioux could eat grass." The few hot heads that started the lndian Uprising soon had the support of the wiser and reluctant elders. The Lower Agency near today's Redwood
Falls was the site of the f irst major outbreak.

The trader who made the "eat grass," statement was the first to be murdered,
beheaded and his mouth stuffed with grass. The whole Sioux Uprising is most interesting from a treasure hunting viewpoint. There was a great deal of plunder by the lndians, murder and destruction. Little emphasis has been placed by us on recovering the aban-

The contents of the jars in the f irst picture, somewhat closer.

doned and secreted gold and silver taken Many of these are important to treasure from the settlers. Artifacts of the battles hunting in Minnesota. Let's look at some between the Minnesota Militia and the specific events that give us some leads. lndians have very little time spent on them.
Post War year events cause a great expansion In the Minnesota economy. Agriculture, lumbering, iron mining, river use expansion. Early Explorers, Fur Traders, Voyageurs The Minnesota Historical Society has done an exceptional job of mapping recording the

value. Numismatic wholesale value would run close to $1350, and the retail value might exceed $3000.

This picture was taken even later, after the count. The cache consisted of silver dollars, half dollars, quarters, dimes, nickels, and one penny. There was approximately $500 face

camps, trading posts, and forts of early Minnesota. Artifacts have been found by
skin divers on the border waters where heavy trade laden canoes were capsized by the

turbulant waters.
Sioux Uprising1862

Treasure hunting takes on fascinating challenge for this era. The key here is research. The lndians plundered and murdered farmers and their families. Military campaigns against the lndians are well
recorded. Some the white man won, some he lost. Artifacts are plentiful at old battle sites, but unaccounted for gold seems to be a rare item, yet we know there was considerable gold and silver in the possession of the

lndians and traders, many who were slain. WHERE IS IT NOW?

Lumber & Mining Era

Northern Minnesota economics bloomed in the 1870's. Lumber companies paid their
men with gold and trade tokens good at the

company store. Many lumber towns and camps were mapped and for the researchoriented this should be great hunting. Artifacts, gold coins should be your bag. Mining camps were booming, the pay was poor but steady. The saving habits of the

there
Winter, 1972

European miners suggest that caches are if you can spend time working the old

homes in range towns.

ffi.w

--..*+;* ':iirr'': '!ffi qreffi iw:

ttl

$.{,}

r{: ht i
1i.
* J"* *iffi *'r -d-.
i *1

$
r

"n t ; ,!
g*

s!

Two separate caches, the one on the left in a tobacco can, were found in the Minnesota River area in a carved-out portion of an old, pre-Civil War log cabin. The can was hidden formerly where a ceiling beam had been. The beam had been cut off shorter than the others, and the can looked like a plug. lt was

hollow behind. The other can had a soldered bottom, and had a similar resting place, in the ceiling, but in Redwood County, in the basement ceiling. The house was occupied during the lndian uprising and was within 15 miles of the Redwood Ferry Massacre.

Ghost Towns

Minnesota has several hundred so ..: ji I "Ghost Towns". They were the skeletc-,: :: failure in agriculture, mining, politica -. road, real estate speculations, etc. Mcs::'* completely gone, but some we have 'c - -,: are virtually untouched. A new map c -i:

tory of Ghost Towns of Minnesota is r: :* published some time around the firs::1972. Coin shooting and small caches si-c- :
be worth while.

Farm

the small treasure, but for my time .-:

Y4.-

'11{i

:,';:

"r{

money the best. To give you an idea of ,,',-.research has showed me, 1.6 caches ;e section is not out of line. I know persors of $217,000 that has been found in Mir-:sota in the last five years.

The tobacco can cache was found in this old house.

Treasure Hunters Newsletter

\:'
a::

-\

-.

i-\.

!fi*

r --: .; ;-:.s-r;s c rurar nnesota takes "l special approach. You don't dress like you're city bred, you just come down to earth. Farm people generally are straightforward and don't bluff easily. But they're not dumb, and if you can make them see where they can make a dollar, you've got an

ear.

I generally start at the local feed mill and perhaps the local pub. lt's easy to get talking

r$
Bil! Mason in front of a cabin in Bolaka County. Notice the well-preserved logs with a brick veneer, the bricks of which are currently being stolen by local farmers, not THers. Biil has two caches from other sites, for a reposed

and generally rural folks like to talk. l've farmed for some years and if you know

will make a conversation easier. ln another article l'll tell you how I work farms from
lead, research, search and recovery.

what's going on in the agricultural business it

Great Fire

1880's, completely destroying towns (i.e., Pitt). Don't believe a metal detector has been near the site. The only evidence of a town is the overgrown basement depressions. Another forest fire in north central Minnesota killed hundreds of people and totally devastated the town of Hinkley. Stories of the unrecovered gold pay roll of the local lumber company was heard the other day^
Hmmmmmmm.

the

A great fire swept northern Minnesota in

shot.

This cabin was built in the 1860's. A very well preserved, small cache was found here in the basernent, upon ceiling joist !ogs. lt had been put in an area where there was so much junk a meaningful reading was impossible. Bill, on hanging down and leaning against a floor joist made of an old log. He poked at it and the thing fell off into his hands. Bill said he was "very surprised". He had been concentrating more on the skunks that occupied the place, and which seemed to resent his intrusion, and a cache recovery had really been rather unthought of at the moment.

his way out of the cabin, noticed

meta!

Winter, 1972

River Towns

steam engines were powered by wood. "Wood gangs" supplied all the fuel, they paid in gold. Their pastimes were drinking and gambling. lf you could find their old camp sites, it might prove interesting.
Crime

On the Mississippi, lower St. Croix and Minnesota, early steamboats used to deliver freight and carry passengers. These early

Lr

llved in small camps near the landinq, were

We've had counterfeiters, robberies, kid-

e"

in half and $100,000 supposedly

napping, and gambling here in our state. The Karpus-Barker kidnapping loot was divided
has never a group

I l

of counterfeiters who were making quarters out of silver, zinc and lead. people around there seem kind of quiet about what happened to all the loot. Gambling was big, and several caches have come to light in the
recent years in Minneapolis. l'd be willing to stake th;s state against any other for treasure hunting potential. They

left the state. Preston was the site of

may be "little", but a darn site more numerous and easier to find than the biE

Bill Mason located a. most remarkabre paper money cache on this farm, in an old ch.icken coop and a summer kitchen, now

on es.

bulldozed away. He did not pro.+it from the r."or.rv,-urlrlr. r.," had only a verbal contract (readers, take note!i'anJ-ve.Oal promises slide away on the grease of greed.

the two boys are standing is the exact tocatton ot a cache,__o!l_y part of a larger PRIVATE BANK DEPOS|T: tf you foil6w th.em gp to the right hand of the windmill the balance of the deposits "orn"r.,rn in . Itraight line of buried tin cans and fruit jars. Each cache had been put down *ith a
!ruher.e

rne Trutt Jars ran out. There had been much currency, buried from 1960-6b, but that in the cans was rotted beyond fltt recovery. $43,288.00 was the totai buried. ftreie was $38,5_65 in checks, non-negotiable because of age. Ihe. money went to iCleveland, Minne_ sota bank, where it showed credit for the faee value, but nobody seems to know what nappened to the money from then on.

posthole digger, and tin cans were useJwhen

Treasure Hunters Newsletter

Treasu re H u nti ng Trou bles

or Don't "Poor Boy" Padre lsland
by Jimmie Hemphill

Millions of dollars in coin lie in the Padre lsland Texas SurJ. This fact has been known for many, many years and I have seen proof in private collections of hundreds of coins

found there. Gold bullion has also been reported as far back as 1921. Alexander Muley reported in a story in a San Antonio newspaper that he saw in 15 feet of water off Padre (giving longitude and latitude)
bullion and coin. Naturally being stirred by the thought of gold - rarely found on the lsland - I under-

took a trip. Physically I was as prepared as I could be, having started a hiking program with a 65 pound pack that should have
sustained me a week

if necessary. Walking 4 to 8 miles a day for a month on the local

nature trail had raised many an eyebrow and considerable shaking of the heads, but I was

really going

to try to get this one. Even

equiping myself with a good grade of Ped-ometer and checking my strides to various calibrations against known checkpoints on the Nature Trail. Now Padre lsland is not a hospitable locale at its very best and modern progress has not helped the treasure hunter at all. Modern bathing houses and a multitude of chemical toilets plus telephone pole type fences are a boon to the family picnicker or week-end bather at the upper end of Padre. But try to check your distance in miles down the lsland from the one permanent fixed point that

The National Seashore had been pro- The last time I was here you could have claimed (and built) since I last tried Tarpon driven from Bob Hall Pier, near the head of and Shark fishing off the end of the Bob Padre to the Mansfield Pass cut, 70 miles on Hall Pier and I was surprised at the vast array the beach. Ahh, progress! and variety of cars, campers, dune buggies, Checking the speedometer all the way tents, mini-bikes parked within spitting dis- and allowing for curves and twists of the tance of each other or buzzing the gulls and road, I arrived at still a third straight away sandpipers into wearied frenzie. Driftwood National Seashore area, not unlike the one I for a fire to cook supper on was unheard of spent the night on. and the toilets every fifty yards or so, sure Having many years previously driven the saved many a trip back into the dunes but 19% miles before you hit Little Shell Beach, this was not the kind of outing for me. which requires 4 wheel drive to get through, There was no end to the people getting away I arrived at a sign forbidding traffic otherfrom it all! With darkness already setting in, wise. My intent was to leave the car and there was a twenty yard vacant space, ten pack on in from here. Much to amazement yards on either side of a chemical toilet. and distrust the beach population had not Trying not to park exactly downwind I thinned out! I hate to leave the automobile opened the proverbial rations of Vienna empty in THAT crowd, pack in and out to sausage, cheese and crackers, topped off find my car with no battery or wheels. with several candylike Space sticks. Knowing the rigours ahead I returned to the Rolling down the windows to the sea Ranger station to ask advice. Sure enough breeze and taking off my shoes I propped they told me of many autos, left overnight, both ends as comfortably as possible across that had been stripped. And I had planned the front seat knowing tomorrow would on staying several days. lf I found the gold, bring a fresher outlook and miles of peace l'd buy a new one, but if I didn't -. The and quiet. Rangers graciously said I could leave the car The night was only disturbed by teen-agers in their parking lot. Not to be daunted, I with flashlights chasing sandcrabs within agreed. yards of the automobile and the huge Now, how to get back to the 191/z mile motorized home that pulled up in the other point. A gentleman mechanic from Freeport ten yard space. With the jubilant bridge with a cut down dune buggy, who was using game going on in the tents to one side I a telephone at the Ranger station, offered hardly noticed the gasoline driven generator me a ride back to his fishing grounds even on the mobile home cutting in spastically as further down the beach. the party prepared a late dinner over the The morning clouds that normally burn clinking of glasses and banging of kitchen- off had built into some dark thunderheads in
ware.

the direction we were heading. Between

morning

some coastwise characteristic

the night's leftover

But dawn it did. The next day arrived with

clouds and the cry of feeding gulls culling

meals thrown to the wind. Eagerly I started back to the Pier to check

checking weather and speedometer we came across a mired down dune buggy clear up to its f lake f inished plastic body. ln that ground up shell and shifty sand you really can dig a pit and this guy had. Our efforts

my

mileage.

I had a

head start on the

be

morning bathing traffic, which must

were useless but this fellow had luck. A professional wrecker, who cruised for this kind of trouble, happened by and we left
him with able assistance.

dodged with care. All went well for a while until I was faced with the first blockade of sawed off telephone poles clear across the

The population was thinning out to

There

was there the last time you were on the

upper end

Frustration has just begun to set in.

Winter, 1972

the Bob Hall Pier.

beach and a paved road headed inland directing you to another beach area and
Ranger headquarters.

vehicle every couple of miles or so when the fisherman decided to turn off.

was, at last, ankle deep

in

loose

sand, 65 pound pack, and miles of primitive

beach ahead with thunderclouds over head

to keep me company. The miles had added up and I plodded along to my goal. No
Nature Trail will prepare you for walking on Padre. That is the shiftest substance to get a footing in I ever came across. With the soft

than I had ever remembered.

grass. This was the Padre

footing, my trusty Ped-o-meter was erratically clicking away and I was trying to add up all the percentages of mileage in my head. The clear Gulf water was coming in closer
was rolling up the dunes through the saw

I had only included a to blow directly into it anc ,, -,- , , li{uri to anchor out on the hillside l'd brought some sheet plas: : . - _ lrilllrllll for protection. Pulling a buried sapling half my legs and feet in it as :-=. - r out of the sand I placed a curved limb near under the shelter. Pawing o-i - -': ,the still buried base and with the poncho the light of a contrary .-: .:- -utL over it there was a low quonset effect. Only working flashlight I tried tc ---,, :,1 lu a coupla feet high but enough to snuggle into the hillside.
night. Traveling light
surplus poncho
n rlrr

irl,,

Waves broke and rolled up steep beach grades. The wind

under by the wind whipped campf ire. Here. miles from the nearest human, it was not devoid of life. The wild steers, that graze inland, began to come over the dunes down to the beach, and one young bull barreled

The rainwater in the saggirg :,- - : "

=

to look for my fortune on. lt must have

had come so far

been misfortune indeed, to the many castaways who had seen the endless stretches of

sand, shell, and waves and wind with no provisions and small hope of survival. My steps had become almost lurching stagger when the rescued dune buggy zipped up and offered a lift. I accepted. lt's hell to have to "poor boy" everything, I thought. We hadn't traveled far until I remembered to ask him to keep track of the speedometer. The humidity had completely clouded the instrument. To the best of my knowledge I

beyond. Receiving my thanks, the driver zipped on down the lsland.

forty miles down Padre lsland. This was known as the Devil's Elbow area and it certainly was. The devil to get there and now it might be the devil to get out. But I had arrived at my destination -and toofar
was nearly

whatever was right so

of the durndest walking l'd encountered. sleep and no hot meals lgath=.=: "l've always tried to be honest and do backpack and buckled up for the r.-:
if you could look out
back.

for a full five minutes without movement, he grudgingly turned down the beach to the rest of the herd. Well, I set down on a log and said, "God", having been on good talking terms with him in the past, "l may have just got myself into another pickle." One canteen was already empty and large desert one would have to a soaking. A can of spiced tomatoes :-: last the forty mile trek back through some breakfast. Weakened by two nights -'
vice versa,

remained paralyzed. I certainly was sorry there was not some high vegetation near, like a tree I could climb. After sizing me up, and

over the trail just back of the camp. Lean, wildeyed, head erect and nostrils f lared he stood twenty yards away. I thought he was going to challenge me for the territory at any moment. Not knowing if waving arms would scare him off or incite a charge I

comfort was impossible bet,,",==- -" sand and the dripping roof. I :--, - "r: on another limb of a sapling a.: ::: ' : rrl
myself to sleep.

fill the canteens (and I was g"j::-. roof was a foot lower nor., -.:

x,,il
r,rLrl

As the ground outside goi :::_' colony of ants poured throu:- -support to share my shelter .' . - that was my pillow was the - - ::' Awaking to a tingling scalp:-: flashlight I tried to find the c.-:: : discomfort. My new discomf or: !.. was OUtnumbered and no wa,, i without getting soaked I traded t'r-. a pile of wet, crushed shell and c::.the weary hours till dawn. With all the wood too drenched :: : undid a complete rainsuit from my c.:, I couldn't get into during the nigh:
-

-l

ri

:'

,r,

There was plenty of driftwood

here,

including parts of ships but I already knew in my heart that I had lost track of where I was and a futility overcame me as the vastness of the area and the energy needed to get back to my exact location came on me. Tired, hungry, and night coming on there was nothing to do but set up camp. Dragging timbers up the steep and wide beach took the last of my energy. To unpack the cooking kit and wait for a meal was too much. A cold and canned supper was the order as I needed energy and quick. The campfire and some rest restored me enough to start a shelter. I had chosen a campsite at the base of the dunes to give the wind the long sweep up the beach to miss me and in between a couple of smaller dunes on either side which sheltered

thunderheads slowly creeping up the coast. My transistor radio reported gale force winds for Kingville and the area. The first spatting
hiss from the

l'd only endured a mile when a : drive Bronco came up behind me -:: Shovelling a little sand from under the with three guys who had gotten :.. - :;shelter I burrowed in for the niqht with a f ishing f urther down the lsland ai _. :
it."

a little for me now I sure would appreciate

i:

fire foretold the kind of night

for me. The wind mounted until I thought I think l would the poncho would be ripped out but the back.

Lake. Believe me, I wasted no time in .,, .: for a ride. That Bronco was full of c=." : they let the tailgate down for me to r.: : but if they would have only attached : .- :.
have welcomed beirg

: -:
"

me from the wind-driven rain later in the

dunes must have def lected the worst. By the They stopped to talk to a Ranger frie-- skywide lighting f lashes you could see the 12 the way back who let me know defi. := foot waves battering the beach and when it that metal detectors were not allo,,,,,e: _ was black the phosphorescence of the waves National Seashores which eliminated = easily defined the shoreline. Seen through further attempts at the gold. But if yo- _.the rapidly quenching fire and the sheet of f igure a way and don't mind having ,: _" dripping rain pouring off the poncho, it was detector confiscated, try logging - :. a scene to remember. The wildness of nature down Padre lsland beach from the Bob -. was loose in a primitive setting and there was Pier. You could hit it rich. lf you're offs-:.= nothing to do but sit back as far as I could the charts now show it's 17 feet deep ,,,:and enjoy the greatest natural floorshow on the best rollers of the whole lsland co- - : earth. in on a steep beach. May your treasu.. :l The wind changed from back of the camp Padre not be troubles.

10

Treasure Hunters Newsletter

Salmon River Placer Gold

&"6

%,

Mffi

f,ffiwffiwi *ffiffirewd,*:fl'

i. @'*FiA.I:i%

, $u.@, le L ,.ll

tt;;.t*;il*: **,'l*i*.ii
l:t!:,"-iifitl:jt,1.i::1i:iltx!r;t,li.r,,;.,,,r:,,:.',r:iir

-]fi"&*

thousand watt power plant operates the flood lights for night underwater work. lnstalled Beebe winches are capable of lifting 20-30 ton boulders to expose new pockets of gold concentrates. The deck house has two bunks, butane heater, and cooking stove. On top of the deck house is a surge tank filled with water at a continuous head io
Gold is where you find it, the old timers to say, and they found a lot of it along the banks of the Salmon River in ldaho. lt was a rich area. in fact, and several millions in gold came out of the Salmon River area. Something the old-time gold-seekers were unable to do is get far into that deep, swift
used Winter. 1972

with

The larg_est known gold sluicing-jet lift equipped . barge in North America.

Barge is fully equipped newest and best equipment available. A iive

operate the Denver Jig. Winches on starboard and port sides facilitate the movement of the barge up or down stream. This operation can support-9-12 divers. Above the barge highway gb runs north and south along another prehistoric river bed. Large cracks in walls of canyon run down and across tfie Salmon making the bottom of the River look tike a washboard. lt is this fractured bedrock that catches and holds gold concentrates and nuggetts.
carded along with the tons and tons of black All that was washed out and discarded

Salmon River. They got into it far enough to know that it had a great deal of gold. They washed the sands and gravels along its banks, as far out as they could safely wade. and many a good strike was made. Still, there was something else the old-timers did not do very well. The bulk o{ the flour gold was dis_

sands.

during the frantic scramble for golden wealth. Yes, most of it washed right into the river. Much of that discarded material is lodged in the cracks of the river,s bedrock. 8 States, during the past years, have be_
11

come acutely aware of the feasibility of

prof

itably extracting f lour gold.

Good

profits can be made from sands far less rich

than those Salmon sands.

Even more interesting, suction

dredges

have been taking exciting values from river

bottoms for several years now. Not just flour

gold: wheat gold, pumpkin seed gold,

and

nuggets large enough to curl the uplifted eyebrows of the most casual observer.

When John Mock, of Lucile, ldaho,

showed 8 States what he had been doing in the Salmon for the past few years it would be hard to describe our state of excitement. That one man could find that sort of glittering wealth, and do it with virtually only his own two hands, prompted us to look into his operation.

8 States checked into the situation. lt did not take us long to find that the Salmon
River area was indeed gold rich. We read the ldaho State lease that John has on approximately ten miles of the river to all mineral

recovery rights, including gold, and noted

with interest that he

has the adjoining ten miles tied up in abeyance for future development. The equipment that John has developed upon the river was inspected. He has at

The Salmon River Canyon, north of White Bird, about 4 miles' Looking south from an air craft one can see why the river has some very good deposits. Although the steep canyon walls make it difficult to get down into, the Salmon can be mined and has been mined by prospectors and miners who floated down "The River of No Return" on crude log rafts to trade and live it up in Riggins,
Idaho.
son.

least as large a barge operation as can be found working in the U.S. today, if not anywhere. This is not to say it is anywhere near as large as one of the huge old dredges,

lt is the sort of set-up that would not incite picketing by local ecology members. The state of ldaho, of course, is all for it,
and hopes the operation will bring up the millions they know lie hidden between and beneath the boulders of the river's bottom. After all, they get 12Y,o/o of any net profits, and that kind of money doesn't hurt the coffers of any state's screamingly underfunded budget.

for they were immense.

This operation, however, is

EAT,

CLEAN, AND HAS THE FULL APPROV.

solve the day-to-day problems, let alone d: the mountains of hard dangerous task: involved in bringing up those nuggets. lt v,,* too much for any one man, even a man suqas John Mock, and he was realist enough :: recognize the fact. That was when John contacted 8 Stat*.

AL of the State Game and Fish Commission, the pollution boards, and the other various bureaus in any way connected. Close sur' vellience of John's operation brought complete state approval of the operation. lt was so far better than the terrible dredging messes of yesteryears there is no compari-

We listened with interest, as you

ce-

imagine. Our interest grew as we began check into the possibilities.

i:

The only problem was that John Mock

had been trying to do all of this interesting project mostly by himself, and it was driving him berserk. Life was too precious to try to

It soon developed that to fully wor-< John's barge would require at least half : dozen good divers. The river is swift. anc often as deep as sixty feet. lt is no place fo'
a

mateu rs.

That problem was beyond the scope of I States, so into the picture came Jim Smiti-

of the Colorado Divers World. He had th: knowledge, ability, and available divers
Everything began to jell. Even so, we began to realize somethinc Working full-time, that barge, with severe

times the minimum crew, full speeC, twenty-four hours of crushing labor a da, could not work that ten miles of river fc' many a year to come. We could not affo.d to build another barge or two and equip ri"
No way.

Two 35 foot pontoons have just been put into the water. These pontoons were marine corps bridge floating supports. The lifting capacity of each is 20 tons.
12

That is why this account. Here is som+ thing for those of you who are scuba divers those who have small sluice operations. l: would solve many a quandry of where tc take your set-up. Too many have attemptec to find a good spot only to find that private property, state laws, and already worked streams thwart the fondest hopes and determination. We are not

yet ready to actually

H

invite

Treasure

unters

ewsletter

that could come from the small change drawer if pockets such as some John has
taken out are found. The third month would
have

Basically a small operation would have Za mile of river to work. We would charge $600 for the f irst month's operation, which would include 12o/o of the $600 which we would have to pay the State of ldaho. First come would get f irst choice of which % mile, with advice from John Mock, if desired. lf more than $600 was taken, it would be the operators to keep, but he would have to declare it to the state and pay 12%oI the net profit. lf the operator wished to continue, we would ask $1,000 for the second month. Believe us,

to

be negotiated.

John Mock and mascot, Sugarfoot, sit on barge, still undergoing construction in November of 1968.
any small operations; we don't want any money from anyone right now, but we hope that some of you with such inclinations do
some serious thinking about this in the next

We believe this is something new. The barge operation is good by itself, but we feel that this offer to small operations is perhaps as intriguing an idea as has come along,

few months, before summertime. lf all this does interest you, we do hope you'll contact
John's section of the Salmon River is gold rich, it is as lovely a spot as a man could ever want to see, and accessible by a major state highway. lt is not so far from all sorts of civilization as to be unhandy, but not so close as to feel in any way crowded.

lf you have hankered to try some gold sluicing in a worthwhile spot we could not imagine a better place in which to try it. One does not have to work the deeper portions of the river. 8 States would buy any of the gold produced, if anyone desired to sell lt, and is equipped to extract flour qold from the black sands.

The River of No Return, north of Lucile, ldaho, about one mile. Here the canyon of the Salmon was hydraulic mined back in the 1870's and 1880's. In the middle of the picture, a private air strip is barely visible paralleling highway 95 between White Bird and
Riggins. lately. Nobody has to rush into it. of course. That's why we are putting it out even before we are ready to write up a single contract. We intend to keep it simple, straightforward, and with no small print. lt's the only way to do business. The stringent laws of the state of ldaho must be obeyed, to protect the

::,;,ffi]:

entire operation. think it'is.

lt can be a pleasureable, profitable undertaking, and we hope it is as interesting to many, many people as we

separates the fine gold and black sands from waste materials.
Winter, 1972
13

The new Denver Jig, bought in Denver, Colo. being installed. This piece of equipment

GX. t/J

,q*&

coMEs wrrx MINETAL 6 METAL ' {Esr 5aMPLEi

ltt|hite's

ALL tlEH

199.50
ldeal for
TREASURES

TRANSISTOR

4lbs.6ozs.
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and

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WHITE'S DETECTORS.

a free f rpp rraar'c cr rhcnriniinn i^ f ho "Treasure uro Hunters I-lr rnforc I\lorarcla++ar" ,^,^^^ ],^ . year's "Trax a subscription to the Newsletter" you when

\ \ . . PLEASE NOTE. We pay the shipping costs and qr \

'\

SENSITIVE

nttrchasp \/nrrr purchase alcn rennmmond your dctp.tnr you nnncido. detector frnm from rrc We also us. \A/p recommend that that rrnrr consider nrrlo.i^^ ordering your unit with waterproofed search coils (for salt and fresh water). All White's

)_
\\

SENSITIVITY UETEF

extra per loop. A waterproofed loop allows you to search beaches, streams, water-filled wells, and to operate your detector in wet grass right after that

search loops, beat frequency or transmitter/receiver, can be waterproofed at $1 0

summer rainstorm. We carry the complete line of White's units - all units are of the very highest quality, completely transistorized and very light in weight. "The bitterness of a poor instrument remains long after the sweetness of a low price is f orgotten."

UETAL CONIROL

ErGHr srArEs AssocrArES,

1918
Peorl Street

purchase of any Metal DetectNc.lt-iq.T?t' " -'tor grves you a year's subscription to the
Treasu re
H

unters Newsletter.

,/

P.O. Box 1438

Bouldet, Coiorodo 80302

lf you think we are advertising advent,.. we are, but it could be spiced with many

many an ounce of gold, too. Far rr: ". dependably, by the way, than many a C;
fornia 49er, or many a determined 59er v, :"Pikes Peak or Bust" painted on his v":-.., bound wagon. lf nothing else, it has duc=ranching beat all hollow! Contact us if in:=',
ested
!

"-:

***ffiff
THE TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE YOURS TRULY, HVP
GANDA AT THE BOTTOM OF

IN

SPITE OF THE

PROPA-

of the Salmon about a mile above the new Horseshoe-Bend bridge. The water is about 20-30 feet deep here with bedrock showing. Here in the 1870's and 1880's early miners took pumpkin seed sized gold nuggets out by the handfuls and worked the bedrock until it ran down into the water, where they were forced to quit.
The left bank
14

GIZE FOR BEING LATE, LATE, LATE WITH VOL. 1, NO. 4. WE HOPE ITS CONTENTS
W]LL MAKE UP FOR ITS
LATE ARRIVAL.

AND HGC, HAVE TO APOLO.

ffiff***
Treasure
H

unters Newsletter

fl

t
$ $
d

t
I
I

$1,500,000,000
Treasure
By

A follow-up on our Spanish Gold or Modern Hoax Story

Dr. Gib Rait

December 1970 a doctor friend of mine il am also a Doctor in West Texas) sent a man to me who had quite a story to tell. Dr. Ball wanted me to hear the story knowing of my interest in treasure hunting. He referred : man whom I shall call Mr. King to me with

Father LaRue was the only one knowing where all seven of the caves or excavations were. Natives were used to fill each cave

and in whlch he had found the seven keys to the seven treasure troves. He stated that he and two partners had worked on the keys

ln

with all the accumulated treasure as well as golden church artifacts that had been fashioned there. Father LaRue expected trouble from the Spanish militia and
look-outs were posted on the Southern end

and these troves

for over 1 5

years. One

a story of Father LaRue's treasure. lwill relate it as Mr. King told it to me. I cannot Organ mountains, the dust they raised could guarantee accuracy of Mr. King's remarks be seen for miles. The lookouts reported this except to say this is the story he told. to Father LaRue in plenty of time for each ln about 1738 a Frenchman was engaged of the 7 caches to be sealed and completely to be married and instead was shipped off to hidden. The soldiers arrived at this small the wars by the French government. When community and demanded gold be the he returned his fiance had meanwhile mar- turned over to them. Father LaRue refused ried someone else. He was so disillusioned and a battle immediately ensued with the that he went to Spain and became a Catholic priest being killed immediately. The Spanish
became more interested in women and booze than was proper for a priest and was banished by the church to a small lndian settlement in the Organ mountains, now located in New Mexico, north of El Paso,
Texas, and east Las Cruces, New Mexico. This community, consisting of some 3 or 4 Priest. Soon after priesthood he was sent to Mexico City for duty there. lt appears he personnel and natives were tortured by the soldiers but none revealed any of the hidden caches. After searching for some time the soldiers returned to Mexico City. Rumors of
persisted

of the Organ mountains to await the arrival of trouble. When about 1000 Spanish soldiers crossed the plains south of the

Spanish speaking partner had been to Spain and read the archives indicating the truth of the Father LaRue story. The other partner was a lawyer who was managing the legal aspects of the treasure hunt. With much research and over 15 years of work, Mr. King

stated he had located

ca ves.

all

seven treasure

He showed me a glossy 7" by 9" photograph in black and white which

appeared to be several bars of gold, each bar some three by three by twelve inches, many similar bars of silver and an 1872 Winchester leaning against a rock. This picture appeared on the front of the Treasure Hunters

Newsletter, in Spring lssue, 1971. I asked Mr. King what was a 1872 Winchester doing in a cave supposedly sealed in about 1748?
He stated that apparently cowboys had been

this treasure filtered out and

throughout this area to this day.

killed by lndians and buried in the caves as they found three skeletons with cowboy habitat of that period. I wondered why the
lndians didn't keep the rifle. Neverless
he

National Geographic magazine retired in Los Cruces, New Mexico to spend his remaining hundred natives and a few Spanish people, days hunting for this treasure which he had was to be collecting point for gold and silver been so certain existed. Part of his belief was mined throughout New Mexico, Colorado, strengthened by the story of a Mexican part of Arizona and perhaps part of Utah. sheepherder who had brought out some gold From this point the gold was to be brought bars which he sold for a pittance in Las down the Rio Grande River and returned to Cruces and later was tortured to death, when Spain after reaching Yera Cruz, Mexico. For he refused to reveal the hiding place. Memsome three years Father LaRue collected bers of the family passed this bit of informatons of gold and silver but failed to return tion along arld Father LaRue's treasure any to Mexico. An emissary was sent from became very real indeed. the church demanding that he release the gold for shipment. Father LaRue by this All of the treasure sites are now on time had decided he was no longer a priest government property, six being located on and told the church - "forget it." The the northern end of Fort Bliss property near emissary returned to Spain with the message. El Paso and one of the sites being in the ln the meantime the small community was southern part of the White Sands Missile busy secreting the treasure trove into seven Range. Entry on the Missile Range is separate caches. Seven silver bars were cast absolutely forbidden and it is nearly and directions engraved on each bar with impossible to get legal access to the Fort secret symbols for locating each of the Bliss area. Mr. King however had discovered treasure caches. one of the treasure troves several years ago,
Winter, 1972

of

ln the early 1930's an editor of

the

continued to describe the treasure to me. One room contained bars of gold stacked

like cordwood and he had counted 1600 bars, each bar weighing some 40 pounds. He
had seen literally thousands of very small silver bars all with Spanish marking on them and stated he had removed 80 of these small bars. I asked, "Why not gold and why not take out more?" He said it was 28 miles on foot through some of the roughest country in the United States and all food and water must be carried on your back. Under these circumstances one doesn't have room for much gold. He had removed 80 of the very small silver bars but through the years had given these away. He and his partners had estimated that the gold and silver value, not

counting artifact value, would be approximately 1.5 billion dollars for the total of the 7 caves. He explained further that the government would immediately
claim 50% of the treasure, the remaining to go to the finders.
15

&e.::

*u'.!9
T

to the surface, like very dead fish. The accompanying article should say a great deal to the unwary-especially anyone who has been approached by somebody promoting this scheme.
aspects began floating up

Spanish gold it is not, hoax it seems to be. I states was very interested in this story until many, many negative

Gold would not be purchased by the U.S" Government but would be placed on deposit in the Federal Reserve Bank in El Paso and sold to the highest bidder on the world market at the current market price. At that time it was some $43.00 per ounce. Silver could be sold, either as artifacts or as silver

bullion since the Federal Government has no restriction on the sale of silver. I remembered the story of Dr. Noss taking some gold bars to the Denver mint for sale and the mint simply confiscated them, so I asked Mr. King what would prevent the Federal Government from doing the same to us, assuming that I got in on this deal. He stated that letters were on the way from the Department Of The lnterior assuring us that the treasure would not be confiscated and that it would be disposed of at fair dealings to all

government would take At any rate I declined his kind c"=' :,.$750,000,000.00. My 1% woutd be wished him all success. He depar-:.: :' $7,500,000.00 this was my figuring. Mr. slightly disappointed apparently. l- .: : -King told me my share would be one month he returned with anoth:- :*-, $900,000.00. This discrepancy of 6.6 from a lessor government off icia I :' - - , million dollars was never fully explained to Department of lnterior, stating t-=: me. request was being investigated ail --rpossibly plans could be arranged ':' . Nevertheless, I was eager to go get the moval of the treasure trove. He sho,,,,=: -,. treasure. "lf I pay $5,000.00", l asked, this letter as further evidence that r..,,: :". the
l

share would be 1% of $750,000,000.00 since

$5,000^00 for this interest??????

"when do we start?" He explained that just

concerned. He showed me a letter he had received from then Representative George Bush, wherein he stated he was sure the Department of lnterior would very shortly give permission to enter the government property and remove the treasure. So, now

I told him that when he could shov,., -= : had the authority to give us permission to letter from the President of the U-::: enter these government properties? Why did States, guaranteeing that I could keep he have to have the money today since we share of the treasure and I could go ir. =-: didn't even have permission to start for the see the caves or at least one of them, th=treas u re ? had the money ready. He laughed and s. :
understand why that gun showed up in those pictures. Why was not even one small gold bar available for me to see? Why wouldn't he take me into the area and let me see it first hand? Or, why didn't he have even one small silver bar left, and
his

as soon as permission was granted we would start, that I needed to pay the money right then. Several problems began to darken my enthusiasm. What would prevent the government from taking all of the treasure? Who

to move upon the treasure imm:: =-. ly and again asked for my payment s::-:ready

bulldozers could be hired, and equip-=-" made ready for instant entry into the ar.. :r:
soon
as

government permission waS r'0c:

, ,. -

lstill didn't

its gets to the nitty gritty. "What is this

going

he would come back and show me some :the treasure after they removed it. I thouS-that would be the end of it but a year lai=he called me one night and as enthusiastic ::
ever. stated that he was sure the governm:-: would very shortly issue a permit to eni:" the Fort Bliss property. I wished him Gc,:
speed. Treasure Hunters Newsletter

treasure. Unbelievably quickly for my unmathematical brain, I calculated that my

16

to cost me"? I asked, innocently. For 5000 dollars, you can have 1 % interest in the

why didn't Dr. Ball want to give

Gulf Coast Pirates

L. Frank Hudson
The writer has spent many years in build-

-g up a very large research file on the : rates of the Gulf Coast states, which runs

'om the Florida Keys to the Rio Grande 3iver in Texas. There have been so many c rates in the past that it would be impos: cle to list them all in one short article, so crly a few of the scoundrels will be dealt
jiles, items in the National Archives, Coast Guard Archives, old manuscripts and letters he soon gets a much different picture of
pirates than the rosy picture painted verbally cy writers of fiction. Pirates are often made io seem heroes instead of the foul characters they actually were. The accounts that follow are based upon actual research in which the

.',ith here. When one digs into old newspaper

author has tried to omit the f iction. BRU BAKER: His real name was Brewster Baker' He was a minor leaque pirate when compared to
Jose Gaspar,

number

of ships. At one time he

of

but he did loot a considerable

was

supposedly an associate

Gaspar. He had headquarters somewhere in Kettle Bay and is

supposed to have buried approximately three million dollars in loot on the east bank of what is now Lemon Bay, but which was known as Kettle Bay in those daYs.
HENRY ROSSI
He was formerly one of Jean Laffite's men who struck out on his own after Laffite left

west side of Tampa Bay. lt is known today as Ross lsland. His village consisted of eight or ten shacks built on a low, worn-down

Galveston lsland in 1818. He established his headquarters on a fairly large island on the

lndian mound at the southern end of the Years passed and the shallow lagoon has island. His ship was anchored in a fairly large nearly filled up with silt. The remains of the lagoon near the center of the island. The old ship was dug into by a dragline operator lagoon's entrance was on the east side, as he dug drainage ditches over the island. lt towards the bay. As were most pirate craft is understood that a heavy ship's anchor and of the day it was a shallow draft, three- two cannons were uncovered along with masted schooner with two decks. lt was some of the wood from the ship's hull. The built for speed. A lookout was maintained wrlter found where someone had dredged a on the island from a crow's nest in a tall pine ten foot square hole ten feet deep in one of tree at all times. Whenever a likely looking the canals. There were many rotten ships prize was spied sailing down the bay a signal timbers on shore. The diggers had unwas given and the schooner took off in doubtedly been looking into the rumor that pursuit. says the old ship carried over two million The crew did a little commercial f ishing on dollars in gold at the time she was sunk. the side whenever prizes were scarce. Some smuggling went on. Pirating was their princiGasparilla, Edmond Castor, Louis Aury, pal business. Lafitte, and Ed Patterson were other Jean Due to the fact that many shipowners known Gulf Coast pirates. There are well were complaining to the Navy Department concerning them, and some many stories in Washington about their ships being lost at good THing possibilities. Naval action put a sea, a ship from the naval anti-piracy squadsomewhat abrupt end to such plrates, and ron at Key West was sent to Tampa Bay to the last Gulf Coast pirate was captured and investigate. Upon entering the bay they hung in 1834. Records do not show any of discovered Ross and his motley crew in the the scoundrels being sent to prison. They process of transferring cargo from a mereither escaped into obscurity, were killed in chant ship to his own schooner. Upon battle, or were hung. sighting the Navy vessel the pirates fled up 8 States can probably induce Frank Hudthe bay towards their base. The deep draft pursuer could not follow them into their son to use some of his material on Gasparilla shallow harbor, but they did open fire and or Jean Lafitte Let us know if you would soon sank the schooner. right in the middle be interested in such a story. There was a of the shallow harbor. Most of the pirates good deal of money taken by these bloody escaped into the mangroves as a shore party rascals, in their time, and much of it got of sailors and marines landed. Seven, how- buried. Some in small caches, some in pretty ever, did not make it into the mangroves. good chunks. Such men lived bloody, brutal They were captured and hung from the lives, and often they came to an abrupt end. limbs of some nearby tall pine trees. The Their accumulations, in many cases, have village and everything in sight was burned by remained right where they were put down a long, many years ago, the attack party. thing, have been restoring an ancient synagogue in the Hebron area' ln clearing material down to bedrock they came across five Hebrew iar:s of estimated 9th century B' C'

Frank Aragon, an Arizona Highways Mag- lucky find not to easily be repeated. Aragon azine mail clerk, found a rather nice little returned to the bank, but he had cleaned out treasure in the branch office of an Arizona the entire cache the first time' bank. He noticed that the wrappers of some

rollsofnickelsWereextremelyfaded.HeH\creation,The.fiveearthenwareiars.w11e brokeopenonerolland40LibertyHeadfrRJMfilledwithsilverjewelry,undoubtedly nickelsrolledout.Aragonpurchasedfiveffi}Kcachedbys-o*:wealthymanandfor9otten morerolls,allwithfadeJwrappers,andeachWAssyrians,Persians,_Greeks,,Romans,Cru. oftheadditionalrollsalsohadlibertyDw,'.,,(lJsaders,Arabs,andTurksallbuiltatopthe same site, some buildings right nickels. There was onlv one Jefferson in the \f\t-i!rZrrurrr in udttr date from ranged lll coins rallgcu lne COtrlS OUnCn. The entire entlfg bunch. 1gg3 to 1g12, from an about good conditional to fine'

atop the

\Pl)'-

Some remarkable and interesting archaeEven though there were no key dates in logical finds are being made in lsrael these them, the rolls were quite a treasure trove, a past few years. lsraeli specialists, for one silver jewelry?
Winter,

other, and those jars remained hidden. This_is what makes treasure hunting so great. There are things to be found, and one never knows just what he may find. How would you like to find five jars of 900 B.C.
17

]972

Treasure Drama Bahama

r Humbug!
by Hunter V. Pritchard
Treasure hunting the Bahamas, FORGET

lTl Our spirlts

were high as Marty

Casey

(dlver mentioned in article on Sunken Ships in Bahamian Waters, Vol. 1, No. 1, TREASURE HUNTERS NEWSLETTER) ANd I
boarded the Eastern Airline flight in Miami, bound for Freeport, Grand Bahama lsland.

We were going after a Spanish ship sunk

almost three hundred years ago near Memory Rock in the Bahamas. Marty had
previously dived on the ship and had been instrumental in recovering some of the lesser artifacts listed in the first issue. Touch down! The jet had barely rolled to a stop as we bounded off the plane with our metal detectors and scuba gear in hand. We

scurried past overly dressed, fur-coated (in the Bahamas, yet) gringos from New York and their even more nothern friends from Canada as we exited toward customs. As we were hand-carrying all our equipment and clothes we had hopes of breezing through
customs. Not so. . . "Marty Casey, have you ever been in the Bahamas?" asked the immigration off icial.

(Unexso) examines an old plate off a sunken ship. Unexso is headquartered at Freeport,
Grand Bahama lsland.

Robert Farrelly, Secretary of the lnternational Underwater Explorers Society

mirror. "Hunter Pritchard, have you ever in the Bahamas?" A "no" promptly the plane. The extensively damaged p,:-* planted me beside Marty. Pondering our and crew crash landed on an abandonec :' fate, in a very hushed conversation, Marty strip, West End, Grand Bahama lsland. With hardly time to tell the story, reconstructed the story of his role in the 1969 bombing of the Haitian capital, Port Marty, persona-non-grata, via Eastern
been

An

aff irmative reply found Marty seated on

bench next

to a wall with a two-way

Au Prince. The details of this aerial invasion of Haiti cannot be dwelled on here. Suffice it to say, the Haitians returned fire, hitting

lines, back to Miami.

Clutching hastily-scribbled directions -how to locate the ship, I managed to h:kick, and slide all the equipment over to :-{
customs inspection area.

"Mr. Pritchard, what is your business the Bahamas?" echoed through my ears ?! my bags were systematically dumped a-,: searched. Knowing that l'd better come uE
with a story compatible with the
scuba

g*-

and metal detectors scattered on the table. sized up the objective, seized the initiatiue looked squarely into the eyes of the custorr,s
i

ns

pector.
ex-

"Sports diving," I blurted, which

plained the diving equipment but somewhai ignored the metal detectors. "What is this, Mr. Pritchard?" "That's a metal detector." "What does it do?"

shot. Bar shot was effective in destroying masts, sails, and rigging of an opposing ship.
18

Ships' spikes, pottery, a cannon ball, and bar

Treasure Hunters Newsletter

Today's trash-Tomorrow's treasure. This "roadside target" gives left side road-driving Bahamians a chance to "centralize" their trash. lf you can get your metal detector into the country, these unique spots might be good spots to check for rings.

"lt

finds metal."

"What metal are you looking for?" "Oh, coins - you know, beach combing." I proceeded to demonstrate how a metal detector worked by flnding the chief inspector's watch. By this time I was the last person in the customs area other than the
i

ns

pectors.

With the location of the chief inspector's watch came the question, "How much does one of these instruments cost?" Realizing that the tightly packed audience of customs

officers were not about to take up the treasure hunting hobby, I bypassed the idea that I might make an on-spot detector sale. "Gentlemen, this instrument you see on the table with the extra loop would run
about $300." "Mr. Pritchard, we will require $300, cash deposit, to guarantee that you do not sell your detector while visiting us here in the
Baha

"Will you accept a personal check, or an American Express car d?" "No. We require this bond to be paid in American dollars or Bahamian currency." Alas, it's the old empty wallet trick as I
fumbled for my billfold, exposing its rather barren condition to the now broadly grinning chief inspector.

that my metal detector would be returned

upon my leaving the Bahamas. As forshadowed by previous events, my luck was not to change. The salvage ship blew one of its two diesel engines just prior to departure and a hurricane off the coast of Cuba made diving impossible.
Several days later as I prepared to leave for the mainland I found that it was necessary to be escorted to the plane by customs authorities. Only at the last minute was I permitted to surrender that little piece of paper indicating ownership of my metal

Exit Hunter Pritchard, front door, with

newly shuff led bags of snorkel, flippers, face masks, and one piece of paper guaranteeing

mas."

detector. As I boarded the plane my escort smiled and uttered * almost mechanically, "We trust you enjoyed your stay in the Bahamas, Mr. Pritchard."

Diving

in

Bahamian waters

is a

beautiful

visibility is better than 100 feet. Fish and sealife of every description abounds. For the treasure hunter numbers of wrecks are available, most in less than 30 feet of water. The spiriting of artifacts and treasures away from their sunken resting places, however, may be
more than a somewhat frustrating problem.

experience. The water is clear, warm, and the

Gold Sampling Analysis

gold being located in his region by old timers. He decided to find out if there was anything to the stories. Al ran the sample and the assay reported $3.00 to the ton. Not bad when Al tells us that anything around
Winter, 1972

One 25 pound sample sent in to 8 States Associates for Al McGowan to analyze has proven valuable to the sender. The sender had long heard reports and stories of flour

$2.00 to the ton is very profitable indeed.

We still have this service available to anyone desiring to use it. Send a representative 25 pound sample to 8 States and we can have Al let you know if you have something
worthwhile.

lf you do have something worthwhile we can also help you get set up with a flour gold

set-up help Ior 10% of the prof its. We feel that in this time of rising gold prices this system is going to make some people some money from sources the old timers could not tap, namely bars rich in flour gold.

recovery method that has proven economically workable. Al will offer the required

Contact us

if

you feel that you have

We can be

access

to this sort of bonanza.

of help.
l9

Troy Weight

Everything You

24 grains = 1 pwt. -pennyl,,,: rr 480 grains = 20 pwt. or 1 o_-,:,: 5760 grains = 240 pwt. or I2 c _- mr

Always Wanted
To Know About Gold.
by Paul Franklin

The grain alone remains the

same

dupois weight but the

pound (lb.) differ.

iulltlrllll

ounce

.fi,ltill

Avoirdupois Weight 1 ounce = 437.5 grains troy 1 lb. or 16 ozs. = 1.21b3 tbs.

..

cheati ng.

You can see by the above that if yo_ :r: -oflrrm gold by avoirdupois weight you r,,,.- : mu
Metric Weight 31.103 grams = 1 Troy ounce 1000 grms. = I kilogramme =
32.1 50 Troy ounc=:

To change

Kilogrammes into troy ounces multiply 32.1507 or grammes into troy ounces multiply by .03215.
What is the most sought after and tightly controlled metal in the world, forbidden to

silver) and later distilling off the mercury.

The result is called amalgam or sponge gold. Refining is frequently done by electrolysis. Gold is also soluble in (Aqua Regia) 3 parts hydrochloric and 1 part nitric aclds.

One cubic inch

has been estimated that all the gold vaults - yet is found lying loosely on the mined since the time of Columbus amounts ground? What is so valuable that a strong to only little over 70,000 tons, this amount man can easily carry $80,000.00 and so could be contained in a vault measuring only cheap, that in many areas it is no longer 54 feet on each side. lt has a value, at the worth mining? What is so scarce that its lack off icial rate, of 80 billion + dollars. The first is causing a world crisis - yet its official appeal of gold was strictly ornamental but price, as of 1934 has not changed until now? soon its versatility recommended it above all The answer to all the above questions, of other metals. lt was almost as soft as lead, so course, is the metal Gold, Aurum, Au. for malleable that it could be hammered cold by short, Atomic No.76, Atomic weight 197. the most primitive methods. One ounce of
wealth? What metal lies

ing the United States - and yet the most widely and openly smuggled commodity there is? What is the measure of a country.s

private ownership in many countries includ-

troy. At the new valuation of $39.00 dollars per ounce a foot of gold would be worth

would weigh 17,28O ounces or 1,44O pounds

approx. 10 ounces, therefore a cubic fooi

of pure gold weighs

in heavily

guarded

It

$656,640.00; not something you can toss, in pair of saddle bags, on your horse and

away.

The melting point is 1063 " centigrade, gold can be hammered into a translucent 1945.4" fahrenheit in the pure state. The sheet five millionths of an inch thick coverboiling point, just in case you are interested, ing 100 square feet of area. lt is so ductile
or 1712. F. The specific gravity is 19.32, this means gold is almost ig and one third times as heavy as an equal mass of
is 2600'C.

that one ounce can be drawn into 50 miles of thin gold wire or used to plate a thread of copper wire 1,000 miles long. Alloyed with
different amounts of silver (which is always
and

and growing importance in technology be_ cause of it resistance to corrosion. lt is of

course, a monetary standard.

water at a given temperature. Gold has been known and highly valued from the earliest times. lt is one of the most ancient metals used in the arts and of great

found with gold), platinum, palladium

ly

lt occurs chief-

copper, gold comes in white, red yellow and green hues. Pure gold alone remains the same color no matter what the viewing light conditions are, differing from pyrite, copper, brass etc. in this peculiarity. There always seems to be doubt as to the weights used in weighing precious metals. The following is fact not f iction. For weighing precious metals, such as gold, platium. silver etc., Troy weights are used exclusively. The U.S. Standard troy pound was copied in 1827 trom the lmperial troy pound of England for the use of the United States

chlorine refining. lor Russians

ing process) and turn out a beautiful polished ingot of 999.9 purity. To get this consistant purity of four nines the gold must be electrolytically refined twice and take at least 24 hours against the three or four hours
The Swiss go the one better and triple refine to

sayers and Refiners in thousandths. Thus 900 fine would be 90% pure gold with 10?6 alloy, 500 fine, 50% gold, 50% alloy; The normal standard accepted by the gold markets of the world is 9g5 parts per thousand pure gold or better. United States Assay Office and Mint bars usually run from 9g5 to 999.75 fine. The Russians however use electrolytic refining (more costly and time consuming than the cheaper chlorine refin_

The purity of gold is expressed by

As_

sands and quartz veins from which it is obtained (1) By mechanical methods, such as "washing or panning." (2) By dissolving the crushed rock (containing the gold) in sodium or potassium cyanide solution followed by

as native gold alloyed with silver, copper, lead, or other metals (60%-9g%1, in certain

precipitation
20

(3) By dissolving the gold in mercury (quick-

of the gold by zinc

metal.

Mint, and there deposited.

States Gold Regulations.,, lf you are at all interested in Gold, I suggest that you write
Treasure
H

prefer 19 Kt. gold. China used to make jewelry out of 22 Kt. and sometimes 24 Kt. gold. lf you want to convert Karat into fineness multiply the Karat No. by 41.666 to get the fineness in thousandths. Now comes the nitty gritty, ,,The United

The fineness of gold used in jewelry is usually expressed in Karats, 24 Karat being pure gold, 12 Kt. being 50% gold and 50% alloy. The usual standard in the U.S. (for ordinary jewelery) is 14 Kt, while Europeans

absolute pure 1 000 fine bar.

unters Newsletter

:::

- ^$cn, D.C.20402 Att.

S:ates Government Printing

Superenclosing 15 cents

):cuments, ^g for the latest revision of the :r:asury Gold Regulations.

Q.-We recently found approximately $50,000.00 in United States gold coin,

buried during the Civil War. ls this large
amount legal to hold or selll? A.-(5a.20(a) Yes to both - Gold coin of recognized special value to collectors of rare and unusual coins may be acquired, held, and transported within the Unitecl States without the necessity of holding a license therefor. Gold coin made prior to 1934 is considered to be of recognized special value to collectors of rare and
unusual coin.

O.-We recently discovered a large hoard of

bullion hidden at a mine that

was

', : , -E portion will consist of ': . , r-estions, with answers from - . .-:
-,:.asury Gold Regulations," part
caragraph shown.

abandon in the early 1900's. How can we legally dispose of this gold? A.-Apply (leaving the gold hidden where it is) for a license to transport the material to a recognized, licensed, bullion dealer (such as Handy & Harman or Engelhard Minerals & Chem. Corp.). Write to the

-:: is natural gold? - :. - 'r i "Gold in its natural state" -..-: gold recovered from natural , - -::s rvhich has not been melted, -: ::4, or ref ined, or otherwise treated , . ^.:irng (to the melting point) or by --=- c:l or electrical process.
:

Director, Office of Domestic Gold and Silver Operations, explaining the situa-

tion.

,,:;t is bullion? :r : 8) "Gold bullion" means any gold - :r has been put through a process of
. ::: or condition that its value depends
-=:,n9, or refining, and which
rtsform.
is in such

in gold certificates. Can we legally hold these? Sell them? A. (54.83) Yes to both questions. As of April 25, 1964, a general license was issued which permitted U.S. citizens to
$10,000.00

Q.-We recently found, in an old family safe,

O.-ln an old ghost town jewelry store we recovered some 45 ounces of scrap gold
and filings. Can we legally keep this scrap
gold?

A.-(54.18)

acquire, hold, dispose

of, export

and

-- ^.-rrly upon the gold content and not

-::r

import gold certif icates issued before Jan. 30, 1934. Such certificates issued are not now redeemable in gold - but may be exchanged for their dollar face amount or sold to a numismatist.

Yes - Unmelted scrap qold may be acquired, held, transported within the U.S., or imported in amounts not exceeding at any one time 50 fine troy ounces of gold content without the necessity of holding a license therefor.

I think you will see by the foregoing that it is not to hard to live with the United
States Gold Regulations. They have become more lenient in the past f ive or six years and we will probably see an end to them in the not to distant future. Treasure hunters have nothing to fear if they f ind gold in any form, (except from the descendents of the legal owners) it can be disposed of no matter its form. Note as of March 1968 The U.S. Mints

panned 110 ounces

of

rJggets in Mexico . Can I bring

gold dust and Q.-On a recent trip into a old Nevada town, it back to

tre United States? 5: 1 9 (a) Yes - Gold in its natural state '-21 be acquired, transported within the -.S,, imported or held in custody with : -. the necessity of holding a license :-:i'efor.

in an old

abandoned assay office, we

found an assay ingot weighing approx. 10 ozs. This small bar showed on its markings that it was made in 1865 and showed

the Assayer's names, the fineness of the gold and silver content along with its
value

in dollars. ls this

considered bul-

lion? ls it legal to keep? At the site of an old mining operation we A. (54.35) Yes, and it is legal to keep. Under a ruling dated Aug. 21 , 1965 The Direcf ound 150 ounces of gold amalgam. Can tor, Office of Domestic Gold and Silver rve keep or sell this gold as we choose? Operations may issue or cause to be i54.19(b) Yes - Gold amalgam which reissued licenses or other authorizations, sults from the addition of mercury to permitting the acquisition, holding, gold in its natural state can be held or transportation of gold bars which the sold if the amount so held does not Director is have been of recogsatisfied exceed 200 ounces at anv one time.

and Assay Of f ices no lonqer buy or sell Gold. Newly mined gold may be exported
from the United States without a license.

O,-On a trip to Central America we unearthed a quantity of old gold coins of various countries. Can we bring these

nized special value to collectors of numismatic items at all times since prior to April 5, 1933. Gold bars manufactured after Dec. 31, 1900, shall be presumed

that you may have about this article or gold in general. Please
contact Paul at 8302 East Moneterey Way, Scottsdale Arizona.
85251.

Paul Franklin is a numismatist appraiser dealing with assay bars and ingots. He also specializes in and collects pioneer coins. Paul will be most happy to answer questions

coins back to the U.S. and sell them? (54.20(d) Yes - Gold coin made prior to

not to be of such recognized special value to collectors. Application for a license

under this paragraph shall be executed on form TG-32 and filed in duplicate with the Director, Office of Domestic Gold
and Silver Operations.

1934 may be imported (into the U.S.) without the necessity of obtain a license
t

herefor.

a.
Winter, 1972

.But Were Afraid

To Ask!
21

We will first mention the GULF COAST TREASURE SHOW to be put on by Long John Latham's fine crew in Houston, Texas, April 28-29-30, at the Albert Thomas Con-

vention Center.

STATES ASSOCIATES

Forthcoming
your name, address, brand of detector to be used, how long you've been THer, whether or not you're a TH club member, and an advance entry fee of $7.00 (until May 1st), or a late entry fee of $10.00 at the Hunt site. This info should go to Tom Williams,
P. O. Box 468, Holdenville, OK 74848.

will be there, and hope to meet as many old friends as possible, and intend to make some new friends. There should be plenty going
on.

Exhibits* Demonstrations*Slide
(such as the one

shows

States Asociates will have)* Entertainment*Treasure hunting tips

THing
EYg nts

turers and dealers*Displays of recovered treasure *Coins*Gems and minerals* GO LD*S I LVE R *Relics*Camping equipmentxRecreational vehicles*Old bottles*
Antiques* Collectors items.

and information* Metal detector manufac-

The SUN-COAST

HISTORICAL

IL=^i:#l,i"lylTI:,x'"i:L,,H$
State Treasure Hunters March 19th, in the Sarasota-Bradenton area. The public is invited to participate. All inquiries or requests for hunt applications should be sent to P. O. Box 1846, Braden-

Admission: Adults
cents

subscription with each adult ticket. 8 States

hopes to see you there.

- $1.50 Children - 50 Free True Treasure magazine -

ton, Florida 33505.

Those of you anywhere close to Okemah, Oklahoma will probably be interested in the

sth ANNUAL

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

TREASURE HUNT. lt is affiliated with the Prospector Club lnternational and will be held on Sunday, May 28th. There will be

prizes, trophies, displays and demonstrations. The hunt site is at Territory Town, USA - l-40 at Highway 48, five miles west

HUNT will be held at Tuckahoe Acres, located on lndian River Bay. lt will be fun for the whole family on April 29, or April 30th if it rains Saturday. Send for full information to Paul B. Marvel, R. D. 1. Box
83, Frankford, Delaware 19945.

DELAWARE'S FIRST

TREASURE

June

2, 3, 4.WlLDCATSHOW,Galveston,
@

of Okemah, Oklahoma. There are free campsites, you can buy, sell, and trade at the contest, and everybody is welcome, Send

Texas. Moody Convention Center. For further info. contact E. E. "Serge" White,
51 1 S. Oak

fr ti'
ilr

St. La Margue, Texas 77568.

{'

What, Jimmy Waits using the anciernt method of "doodlebugging", and gir,ing up his reliable, modern, electronic meta! detectors? Don't you believe it It's a propogandistic trick designed to misguide nosy-rosy curiosity seekers who might otherwise conclude that James has marked the cache with a trash can, intending to come back late at night. Who knows what those needles are pointing at, for this guy comes up with some good ones!

22

Treasure

unters

ewsletter

[fr,uil

War Treasures
STEELE/S ROUTE
.
/v1AR. 23
-

nf Triangle 15
,i, "r

/rrAy 3, t664ra in and mod here

;:ri"1,, Po;ron Springs, and Marks Mills

",lc s ley

3o.:t.

r./

\\c ,?.

a\ !

-- --^:.ed Seven Years Ago, the great ,r- -:Te to this part of the country . -: :ccupation of Camden, Arkansas, ' : i864. General Steel and the Union " : -: -te from Little Rock. Arkansas and - ::.:red a route in the form of a - . .,:ich covered 15 towns and battles: . i:ck, Benton, Malvern, Rockport, :. ::,a, Hollywood, Okolona, prescott, - -' Prairie De Ann, Battle of poison ;, -:mden, Prinston, Tulip, Leola, and -. =erry.
found civil war treasures from one :' r,s route to the other. Some, dis-.: some lost, and some expended dur. -rumerous skirmishes and battles that , : :ce. After the numerous treasures, , ,"d cannon balls, both loaded and r :.3i we have found, I stillthink one of : : r.est thrills you get is to locate and dig - . :^ell or ball. While these battles were - . : -ge compared to some others, I can - -: : r three battle fields within a radius of - - es from Camden. ln the years I have
,

+ t
hard rains rutdc a'ossing

t t I

6attle of
t_Jenkrns Ferry
Rebs Failod toFrsh Steete back 0c riu

JiFFicul+

hrtr-EfcJ
0ko{oxa

)Arkadelphia

er

--

Uttt.

-:=: these battle fields I have never come - = rvithout some treasures or M innie
:,

Eattte

Canden

tle PoisonSprixg,

-' said many times before when you are : nunting you meet new friends and : often
:-ange stories about what you have found exchange finds. Sometimes you
'[E l.;rrr!.Cn/ .

W.W. Mosley, Garrett dealer, Camden, Arkansas, displays relics found in the Triangle 15 area.

coin your own names of places you hunt.

as the

One place on the battle f ield we have coined "hog pen". We won't go into detail as

to the origin of the name. We hunt winter and summer. Always take a little plastic bag to slip over our Hunter Detector in case of rain. This is to keep rain

out of the speaker. The bags that come in rolls are usually the easiest to handle. you
simply tear one off . I would say the one tip for do,s and don,ts while using the metal detector is to pin point the object so you get it out without damage. Without due care, often a good find is ruined with a shovel. With the Garrett it is easy to pin point the find. ln one single shot pistol that I found, the

bullets show plainly after I cleaned out the

barrel. The bullet mold shown in the picture

when lost was closed and after about 6 months of soaking in oil it finally opened. So you have to be patient with some things
to achieve the best results.
Winter, 1972
23

Sometimes.

This couple of jars shows what THing is all about.

A dump truck operator emptying his load noticed he had more than dirt and concrete aboard. Fifty-two silver dollars was
his

catch, and this was his tenth load today. This truck driver carried his find to a local

coin dealer for valuation and sale.

mohey

He

Jusf Luck!

wouldn't tell exactly where he found this

us the

obviously, but casual inquiry gave general area the coins must have

originated in. A late night search produced the partially excavated basement of an old house in the Urban Renewal area of the city. With a Garrett Hunter and a screen, my partner and I worked into the early hours, swatting mosquitoes and trying not to attract the attention of the police, or at least
50 hippies
was found
less

than 500 feet awaY.

We dug and screened. Finally the catch

all broken by the front end loader. Some of the coins had been carefully rolled into

all silver, all in glass Mason jars,

window shade material, others just loose in the jars. All coins were from general circulation dating from 1888 to 1948. $1.00, 50
cents, 25 cents, 1 0 cents.

Two of the wrecking company employees had been searching in the basement before we arrived on the scene. A purchase was made from them at a prof it for them and for
us.

Total base value of the recovered silver was $1,285.00. Unfortunately, we feel there was more down there, but it just got too hot to be around after everyone got talking to the wrecking crew.
WHM - Minnesota
24

Just under $1300, face value, is spread out on the old door. lt's enough to make one and all grab metal detector and head for the
boon-docks.
Treasure
H

unters

ewsletter

Sometimes.
by Apache Jim

that place sure had to have a lot of money. Of course, my informant remembered an important appointment back in town as soon as I mentioned the fact that it would take a day or more to cut all the big weeds around the place before I could start using my detectors. However, he had known the present owners, from whom I had gotten permission to clear off the place and make story. And if there was room for further doubt, even the bartender himself had admitted after I paid for the fourth round of drinks, that the original owners had been
very rich people.

'Bout three weeks ago,

had finished

winter mountains of Colorado and my teeth

were chattering like hail on a tin roof . Now this is the time when a man's mind wonders around to other stories that led you into situations just as bad or worse. Sitting there about as miserable as a man can be, and looking down those miles to the X on
man

checking out a location for a fellow down in the southwest New Mexico, with no results. and was just drifting along over back roads in the general direction of home. Well, somewhere, I had heard there was an old mining camp high up on the mountain north of Cooks Peak. Now that country is fenced in, posted, and locks on all the gates. but as I was driving along, here was this open gate and no keep-out signs around. Darn if that old rig didn't cut through that opening like a hungry horse heading for the corral. Sure enough, that poor excuse for ever being

friends

my search. After all, even the fellow's closest at Kelly's Bar had backed up his

top of your dry warm camper, a

called

a road, led right in

towards the

foothills of that mountain range. Two miles further, and I would have been well on my way into those mountains but right there those two ruts came to a twenty foot deep wash, and that old trace must have went
straight up from there, because there wasn't a track found in a mile circle of that drop off. That soil is powdery kind that hangs in the air an hour after you drive over it, and is

proof, like a blind sheep chasing a wolf. I wondered how many times I had been

suddenly feels he hates the whole world and everyone in it. Me, I thought about all those phony stories of treasure I had read about. and been told, and how stupid I had been to go tearing off after them without a speck of

to clear the yard and around the bulldings where my machines could be used properly, and two days to scope every inch of that place. However, I had stayed two extra

lt

had taken me three days

as

caught in a storm, and been just as miserable I was now, chasing after some great Spanish cache of gold, before research into

as hard as concrete,

turned the old rig

around pointing back down those ruts, and filled up on canned beans, cheese and
crackers before loading up the back pack. Puffing up that long slope, I was glad it had become overcast. By noon I was worn down to a frazzle, and look back gave me the feeling that I was still in those foothills,

It Hurts
their history, sadly proved once and for all, that the Spanish had very little gold, or anything else of value for that matter. One thing about the Spanish occupation period,
When you are wet and miserable, you,ll

outside and inside of the place. NO loot. Just maybe, talking to the local folks would give me a clue. if I was careful not to give away what I was doing or looking for there. Well, Well!! came the dawn! Seems like everyone's grandparents around there had known the old Colonel who had built the house. And yes, they were the richest people

days, as I had gone over it all again because I just couldn't believe I had missed all the loot that just had to be there. I cleared fence corners, around all trees, up to a half mile from the house, and covered every inch

in the whole country at that time.

Dead??

yes, they were all dead, but they had sold the old place off and moved way up north years before they died, lost everything in the bank failures of the depression years. And

my informant? This fellow with the

great

they did keep exact, faithful records, and All around was nothing but that powdery these records are about today for anyone dirt. rocks, and dried up scrub brush. Up who will take the time to search them out.
above wonder too, why all the huge treasures and must have been on the mountains. As I most secret information about them, are tilted the canteen up for a drink, several rain told to you in every town and city by the drops hit me in the face, and taking a wino, or someone just needing a dime for a surprised look at the sky, I saw nothing but cup of coffee?? Come to think of it. just a a boiling mass of black clouds as far as the while back I had bought a fellow a pair of eye could see. There hadn't been anything shoes and a coat so he could go along to for cover on the way up, so I started on up show me the old homestead where the the mountain like I wasn't even tired to owners had died leaving about three million death, looking for some kind of shelter. buried around there somewhere. After about About a half mile up the bottom fell out, a thirty mile drive, shore nuff, there was this and about then I saw this little overhang. old deserted house, with barns, sheds, and There was just enough room to sit with my fancy woodwork. Those people who built back against the rock which kept my body out of the rain, but there was no room for my feet and legs, Now l've got an aircraft marker on top of that camaflouged rig, and sitting there with my feet and legs soaking up water like a sponge, I thought how dry and warm it would be in that old camper right then. lt had turned as cold as the
there were canyons forming to each side of me, so

historical background of the area? Oh, Himl Well, that fellow just drifted into these parts a few months ago and does odd jobs around when the sheriff doesn't have him locked up

it all looked the same, except

for being drunk. Came from way down

in

Florida, I heard. I got a nice letter from the owner of that old place later, after such a good cleanup job around the place, he had sold it for a big prof it.

Well, the cold and the rain is miserable

enough, but looking out there at that hardpacked, dusty excuse of a road, that winds through what looks like a new lake from here, where a man sinks almost to his knees just walking, I know it's going to be a long miserable trip back out to that gate with no

Keep-out signs. Boy, sometimes

hurts just to think.

it

shore

Just To Think!
25

Winter, 1972

The Assayers Crucible

by Hunter V. Pritchard. Perhaps in an old ghost of a mining town
you've come across in your treasure hunting

the sample is melted with fluxes in a fire

clay crucible. Previously the miner had taken his ore sample and pulverized it, next the

bottom of the crucible was filled with

lead

of yellow clay, either broken or perhaps a good portion of what they call the
pieces

monoxide and the crushed ore placed on top of the lead monoxide and the crucible was
placed into an oven and heated to a tempera-

little clay pots, if we may call them that, were approximately 3-5 inches in height and were important in the process of determining the amount and the type of meta ls such as go ld or si lver that were present in'ores or alloys. The use of the crucible in methods of assaying had their beginnings in antiquity, and probably evolved from the fumbling experiments of ancient alchemists and goldsmiths who were striving to establish and find a way to produce precious metals. Suffice it to say that many of the operations of trying to separate gold and silver and other metals through fire assaying are carried out today
assayers crucible. These

ture slightly over 1000' centigrade. This heating in the furnace reduces the lead monoxide to lead and the lead in turn
collects the gold and silver from the sample. This collection of materials is called a lead

button. Later this button can be treated further in another step called cupellation to determine the gold and silver content and
recover the precious metals, Cupellation is a fundamental part of all fire assay procedures. lt is the oxidizing fusion in a small porous vessel known as a cupell. During the process the lead is oxidized so that it becomes lead oxide, which is absorbed by the porous cupell. Remaining in the bowl of the cupell should be a bead of gold or silver and any platinum metals that may have been

alchemist. The ancient ways are still taught by universities because modern science has been unable to develop better methods of determining the precious-metal content or
ores.

much as they were

in the times of

the

cation assay. Since

assays

of gold and silver

present.

There are primarily two assay methods that are used to determine precious metals in ores. They are the crucible assay and scorifi-

are simpler than those of the platinum group metals, we will use these as an example, and since we are primarily concerned with what the crucible is used for we will not get into a
process of scorification. ln the crucible assay method, a portion of

So when hunting mining camps, not only

keep your eye open for the fire clay crucible, or the cupell, but keep your eye open for that little lead button that may contain a nice sample of gold, silver or
platinum.

,-

d
t
s
!

r&,
,,BILLS, B!LLS, BILLS. WHAT'CHA MEAN YOU
FOUND SOME BILLS?"
26

f7

Treasure

unters Newsletter

Some Reported

II
,fl

Treasure Finds
of fill-dirt found by three youngsters
Hebron,Kentucky.***
$100 in coins dating back to 1812 in a pile
in

ln Napa, California, a 1O'/, oz. block of solid silver, probably designed as a paper
weight, bearing the inscription: "Christmas, 1870" and "Souvenir*from M.A. to M. S. W.

Iru 1971
Part

1800 Roman coins, dated back to 343 A.D., plowed up by a Berkshire, England

of the

World War

ll

treasure of

farmer'

***

General Tomoyuki Yamshita, commander of the Japanese occupation forces in the Philip-

$17,940, $20 and $100 bills, flew in every direction when dumped out in a load of dirt

pines, was found. The recovery included

two-foot-seven-inch

high gold

Buddha

by a

Des Moines, lowa excavating company

(which may be a brass copy of the real one).

crew. The four men will have to wait a full

year after the date of the find before learning whether *_Xol is is theirs to keep.

Speaking of waiting, three boys in 1971 finally received, five years after finding it, $12,950 they discovered in a mason jar buried on a vacant lot in Lewiston, lllinois.

*** A hoard of more than 970,000 in gold, Richard Kirkland of Carrolton, Texas did silver, and currency was located in the well in 1971. While digging a storm sewer burned-out house and garden of Adriaan van ditch through an industrial park in north- der Ham in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Fireurest Dallas with his backhoe he turned up men made the recovery"*
an old jar with $47,400 in gold certificates. The jar, full of $50 and $100 notes, was about three feet deep. Recently a Texas judge found in Kirkland's favor in spite of at
least f ive claims to the*money.

agents'

The recovery was seized by government

A golden Roman necklace was dug up in England by a young insurance salesman named Peter Gorham in lpswich. The British Museum to which he sent it paid Gorham 8,500 pounds ($20,40*0) for the find.

Old currency, possibly worth as much as $500,000, was found by the nephew of a Minnesota widow. Most of it was issued by individual banks as far back as 100 years ago, some of which may not even be in

1500 stycas, a fortune in buried Viking loot, was found by schoolboys near York,
England. The coins had been concealed there

for more than a thousand

***

years.

One

of the

most remarkable

gemstone

business,

!
d

!:

cache hidden in the 1930s in a barn. and worth a tidy 3.2 million dollars, was discovered by police. The art Rome, ltaly,
treasures had been stolen by an international gang of art thieves. ***

ln

perhaps $1800 was found in Columbia, South Carolina near the Congaree River. An engraving reads: The Planters and Mechanics Bank of S. C. To

A silver bowl worth

too'

finds for years was made by Wayne Anthony of Lincolnton, North Carolina. He found an emerald crystal weighing 59 carats. He sold it for $700. lt has been cut and is now a 13.14 carat stone valued by Tiffany & Co. of Manhattan at $100,000. That should warn THers not to sell things too rapidly. The company has meanwhile gained control of all the land around the discovery location,

A cat's eye gemstone was found by Kiri Menike, in his own back yard, in Ratnapura, Ceylon. The stone is 2,050 carats, or about
fifteen ounces, and may be worth
$1,000,000. What's Some boys

ln*r:rr

as much back yard?

as

$2,900

Stephen Thomas Robinson, 1851. The hand-hammered bowl was made by Gregg,

Hayden,&Co.
Winter. 1972

***

*** Francisco, lndiana recently purchased a house and was inspecting its ln Denver four boys came across a box insulation. He found shoe boxes and fruit containing over $29,000, partially buried by jars in the attic stuffed with $101 ,777 in mud in the banks of Cherry Creek. The owner is living, and they returned the box. currency.
Roy Meier

**x

until their parents told them otherwise. Wouldn't we all like to come across that sort of play money!

in real 1937 bills scattered in a ravine. They thought it was play money

in

Downsview, Canada, found

of

27

sAi i:rtto1;

#r
'.$
&-: a

:#ry'

-ru,S

,..lin

ti

i1

&
r: . li':r:q
"..9i:.
.,&:
,,'

The Oklahoma

rrf! :, e .:::a ?.: g ":.

,6.!t'

Y$w'

'

}B
.a,,

City
Treasure

Harold Voris, treasure hunter from the .plgjl. Ny, and Johnny Pounds, editor of r!_E TREASURE nururEh.-p.b]"Eolr"'ree, Midway. City, CA 92655. Write Johnny fo= publication' These shows are the prace to meet top,'ot i.,i, tin" other THers Those of you who could attend the
November show know how enjoyable it was.

Show
i

It

was

and enthusiasm runs rampant.

convention, but there is something about the meeting hundreds of interested people that makes it all worthwhile. ldeas flow freely

are perhaps the best part of any

spectators alike. The bull sessions at night

such

a good time for

THers

or

casual

There

thousands

coins. Who knows yet what all. '),,

with really great prizes involving r.r.rrl of dollars in merchandise and

November. Count on it. Mark it on your calendar. Come. There will be a free hunt,

bigger and better, at the Shephard Mall next

will be another show, one

even

#bei;i,il."*"r" found in a leather'pouch **pp"Jl;'a -ir"t piece of oir croth and within an old wooden oox about iit down. Don Burnside of Tulsa made the find..Hg t9r1na. if.," gr, ;.rr Keiffer, Oktahoma, in a dump. lt is still loaded with thr;e,f"ifr.

Displays such as this were seen at the okrahoma city show, geared make any THers want to get afierd. 30 sirver doriars, a ]hese dozen rndian hed pennies, aid corpre ot

to

;l I r '1 treasure I lunlers )ho

t

0131, CLASSIN
R ATTCfTI}NT

81',

show.
28

$an [9st is with the owners of a new THing shop in okrahoma City, Dick Hoff and Sam Stewart. They hrd ; ;idiirplrvi, tf,.
Treasure
H

unters Newsletter

Ken James (left) and Matt Thomas (right) of Thrifty Electronics, Tulsa, Oklahorna, hold a copy of their new Oklahoma maP. (Can
be purchased from B states

for $4.00).

r::'l;,;:ll;lii

Ray Baldwin, JerrY Shed, Don Renfro, Terry Humphries - lndian Territory Treasure Hunters Club.

This display of weapons was presented at the show by Charles Wallis, Ji. of Warner, Oklahoma. The items were found at old Fort Gibson, which was established on April 21 ,1824 by Col. Matthew Arbuckle, 7th U.S. lnfantry, for the protection of transplanted Indians against attack from native Osage lndians.

This Whitney rolling block carbine was found by Mike Dawes and Wayne Ferguson of Bethany, Oklahoma. lt was found while searching the remains of an old sod dugout near Thomas, Oklahoma. The carbine was in the center of the dugout buried 9-12 inches below the surface of the packed earth floor. lt was wrapped six times in a heavy canvas. Why was it buried there? ls it a murder weapon? Who knows? Bob Barnes, father of the Oklahoma treasure show, displays find.
Winter, 1972
29

of the

I have been hearing stories treasure in the Caballo Mountains of New Mexico. The writers all tell about the same story, with little change on how all this came about. One day an old friend of mine, a man who had read about as much as I have on this treasure, and who had taken the time
For years now,

to do a little checking of

his own, told me a slightly different version. Now l've never made a living, chasing these big ones, but he sure started me to thinking' Later, I decided to go down there and see what I could sift out of all that mess. Right off l'll say that I have never run into so many people with information to peddle

The Gaballo Mountain Treasure

as

told to Apache Jim by Mrs. Margaret Parone

in one little town in my life. The signs

on

The Caballo area is dry and rough. Apache Jim's rig is parked beside one of the
abandoned, rattler-ridden homesites.
This interview took place at her home on
June 1 1, 1970. ln 1925 a boy suffering from T.B. left his home in Tennessee and hitched rides to New Mexico, where he heard the climate helped those having the illness. Reaching Fort Seldon, he spent the night, having no money to pay for his keep. The morning being very cold, he searched about the fort for something to start a f ire. Finding some paper stuffed above a rafter beam, he was about to Put a match to it when he noticed one of the papers was very old and had a map drawn on one side. The boy, whose name was Reynolds, could not

or write, but the paper looked important. Folding the paper, he put it in his pocket, built a fire, and later caught a ride
read

into what is now called Truth or

Conse'

quences.

Having no money, he met the man who was then mayor, on the street. Explaining his problem, the boy was directed, by the mayor to Mrs. Parone, where he was sure of

the Blazer announced to one and all, that l'm a treasure hunter. Before I could lock up
at a cafe parking lot, where I stopped to eat, I had people all over the place telling stories of the Caballos. Before I finished my lunch, and finally
was offered a half interest in more caves that

finding a place to sleep and some food' Mrs. Parone came to the area years before, letting him hypnotize one of them, and suffering from T.B. also' The dry climate pretending to see the treasure. Describing helped to cure her. She built the first such a wild story, that old "Doc" was ready hospital there, and her door was always open to dig up the mountain with his bare hands. to anyone in need. The boy lived there and Each day he would locate a new treasure helped around the house as best he could.

with his magic Spanish

pieces
around the cabin.

needle or a couple or

locked the motel door behind the last visitor, I had run off eight reels of tape' I
there was room for the Caballos to
have

of wire picked up from the dump

He continued digging his endless holes all

contained. When lstarted getting visitors before daylight, I figured I had better get out of town into the mountains, for a look
see at where

all this was supposed to be'

Drlving up to Johnny Gordon's cabin, I spent several days looking over the mounta

The old man calling himself "Doc" Parrick, was a regular, pathetic visitor to the cabin. I met the boys involved in the joke of

in.

the time we were there. claiming the next one would be the treasure for sure. A man named Joe Edwards, also seemed to find time to play the old worn out game of several treasures. She carefully copied the ancient writings knowing just where it was. on several papers, taking one at a time into running I began Returning to town through the old court records. There I found Old Mexico to a friend who could read the the information that led me to Mrs. Margaret language. ln this way the story of the map Parone. This is her story, and of all the was put together.
Caballos stories I have heard, and read, the only one that checks out.

One day he discovered the old map among his meager things. On learning Mrs. Parone spoke seven languages, he showed her the map. The writing was in old world Spanish, which Mrs. Parone understood only enough to know the map and writings pertained to

Mrs. Parone and the boy spent many days

Treasure Hunters Newsletter

riding the Caballo Mountains, looking for

30

. : - r-:.ks indicated on the map. Finally .. :. , rrey found one of the locations. '= - i . cave, the boy, following the r:: --: l,'1rs. Parone gave him from the : =-:;red a deep hole in the cave floor. : -: :'ri'iom, he found himself standing on .: :,: , der, - = ',irs. Parone watched from above, :: , crawled through into the lower Sceaking up through the hole, he --:., . .' :;i ,,',,hat he saw, a long narrow room, - .. , ' ing the end, as if blocking a passage. - -. ' -rcr \.vas worn very slick as if well-trod r -.- and mules. Stacks of something he . -, :-': make out because everything was : : :.:: ,',,ith bat quana and rodent waste. -,, :g his pocket knife, the boy hacked at . : = rntil suddenly his knife scraped deep -- -.,::l ,:::.:ryl he quickly pried two bars loose - - - the gooey, 'sticky mess. Placing the :-: :iender bars in his pocket, he slowly *.:= his way back up the hole to Mrs.
:.":^3.

a golden color. Shouting up the

--: ', n onto the slab of boulder, and moved -. rocks so the boulder once again covered .-. nole. The two then returned to town, -=r: Mrs. Parone spent three days trying to

*. breathing was so labored, that Mrs. r=':-e feared for him to attempt to bring - --: rp. After resting, the boy let himself

Camped near an abandoned farmsite beside on his blazer advertises his full-time occupation - Treasure Hunter.

water. Sign

: =.r the

mess from the bars

with soap

and

:.-one bought the boy a new jacket to wear. --=',, planned for the boy to return to the

trs the weather was now getting cold., Mrs.

..,:
-

and bring the gold down to a place in a =sh where she could drive in the car. ln this '.,' they could move all the gold out in one
J.

the writing on the map, and failed to discover the entrance into the cache chamber. lt is also possible that one killed

an argument, the map was torn in half, each keeping one portion. They did sell gold bars which had been moulded in soto stalks, but it is the author's opinion, based on research, that the gold they sold was that carried by Reynolds at the time that they killed him. Later they discovered they couldn't read

with Buster Ward and Willie Dophitt. Many supposed copies of the map have appeared in various areas around the country, however, those having possession of the original, would have had no reason to produce copies. There{ore I discount those stories of persons having copies.
GOOD HUNTING

APACHE JIM

-he boy returned to the cave to start ,:'rying out the gold, wearing his new :-: :-:
last time he was ever seen. He was to -.:urn as soon as the gold was all hidden in
wash, but when a week had passed and ^. hadn't returned. Mrs. Parone rode to the ::.,e in search of him. Signs showed he had

=.ket. As he rode through town, this

was

the other, as only one of them was known to remain in the area for any length of time. During my research of these two, the names Bobby Jr. and Palmer were cropping up quite often. Since I could not pin these people down, we might assume these names were used by Willie Dophitt and Buster Ward
at times.

Mrs. Parone has told me of other

places

:,:en there, and made several trips out, but

^e r'vas nowhere

to

be found.

Days later, Mrs. Parone awoke

to find the

coys' new coat on her door step. ln the back ,',as a small bullet hole. ln front was a large role, and the front of the jacket was crusted ,',,ith blood. After more time had lapsed with no sign of the boy, an inquest was held, and iilrs. Parone was called to testify. She told rvhat she knew of the boy, and made only the statement that the two of them had recovered two of the bars of gold. She would say no more about the gold or the map and its contents. Since the boy's body was never
found the case was dropped.

where the map stated gold was hidden, and I have found landmarks as she described them. She states there are seven caches on the west side, four on the east and some on the south side, of which she couldn't remember. ln the one cache found by her and the boy, the stacks measured, four feet high, four feet wide, and eight feet long. The bars were stacked in a criss-cross pattern.

off the

Since 1962 excavations have been going on coast of the eastern finger of the

Peloponnesus

of

Greece. Professor M. H.

Sometime after this, Buster Ward and Willie Dophitt, turned up with a map. After
Winter, 1972

information I deem of value to make a search for this treasure. Since the people mentioned here are the ones directly involved, I do not believe there is anyone living that could have more information, unless that person has the two portions of the map. This map has disappeared along

This was a taped interview, from these tapes I have told her story, and all the

Jameson, an archaeologist from the University of Pennsylvania, believes an ancient treasury has been found. The site is the sunken ruins of Halieis, midway between Sparta and Athens, built probably in the seventh century B. C. The remains are now

about six feet beneath the sea's surface, caused by a rise in the level of the Aegean Sea or a sinking of the land. 18 coins, many iron bars, and hundreds of miniature drinking cups were found. lron bars, remember, were a Spartan medium of exchange, one which could be spent or beaten into the
tools of agriculture or war.
31

arlouttd

which time I found an old teaspoon and : small piece of brass, then lcame acrojs good reading. I wasn't excited, but I d,: down with my hatchet. I soon pulled ou'l :
large Clabergirl Baking Powder can, and mawas it heavy. Before I had a chance to ope" it I saw beside it a two quart jar full to ti,= brim with pennies. Both containers were f r., of pennies, just over 3,100 of them. Th; latest date was 1946, but there is a very nice assortment of lndian heads. Needless to sa!, I was very excited by then. I am now so glao

tto
cam1tfir:e. . .

something bigger. ln the right front corne. of the shed, three feet from the door, I got :

that I found it quickly, for that kept me poking around, and that was not my mos: exciting f ind. I really worked the rest of the
day, and you THers know the huge pile o' stuff I could have piled up in the next tvr'o days. I found a few interesting things, but

lottets

nothing as exciting as those pennies. At about 2:30, however, on the 9th of December, I was searching an old fallen

Irom ouf
teadots

down place that I couldn't even tell for sure what it had been. There were some stone lids, and such. I got another faint reading, so I started digging. This time it was wet boards
instead and

hatchet,

of nice dry dirt. I hacked with my I pried and worked like a beaver, finally got down to the old floor, The

reading was much better. Frankly I thought it was a broken car spring or something like that. lt seemed to be about 14 inches iorig and 3 or 4 inches wide.

On December 13, we got the following letter from Floyd Garnick of Roseburg, Oregon. lt is well worth sharing:
Hi, there, I didn't think I could write you anything, but now it is easy. . . I guess l'm addicted to treasure hunting now. I never had anything affect me so hard before. When I found the silver my temples felt like they would explode, my vision actually showed a tinge of red, and I had to lie down to try and calm myself. You see, I was in the hospital on the heart machine about one year ago, and I was afraid I would get into trouble if my heart beat any faster. Talk about excitement! lt was worse than buck fever. I just yesterday returned from a wonderful trip to Alaska. Talk about fun and excitement - if anyone gets a chance to go to Alaska, there is much territory there that
needs a good metal detector search.

toward the old Chichagof mine. lt is over 200 miles from the mainland on the outside
waters.

It is only one of the many places ripe for hunting up there. I chose it because it is
right on the beach where the lack of snow
permits winter hunting. We sat down in a small bay right at the old

When I got the floor board pried off I found what looked like an old metal socket box, badly rusted. I again began to get excited, for it was heavy. I was afraid it was
old tools.

It only took one smack with the back of my hatchet and my heart came clear into my
throat. Man, I never have seen so much silver in my life. lt looked to me like a king's ransom at that moment. I ran it over to the
house where my gear was stashed, about 200 yards away. I f lopped down on the floor and dumped the contents of the box out on the floor. I thought l'd have a heart attack. I spotted something gold, and grabbed it, but it was a Canadian token of some kind, from Ottawa. There was a picture of John Cabot. I starting sorting.

town. I unrolled my bedroll and food, and what little else I took. To save room I had to be careful about what I took with me. I left
everything behind except survival gear, and unfornately, that meant the camera, too. Now I have been shown how to use my

Goldmaster 66TR. The good folks

at

8
I

States told me the best they could when purchased it, but l'd had no practice.

I was there for 14 days. I spent six days in Juneau, taking care of business, four days visiting and four glorious days treasure hunting. I am so darned sorry I couldn't take my polaroid camera and you will understand why, later. I left Juneau 8:30 A. M., December
small sea plane for Chichagof lsland,
7

I could hardly wait to get started. Dozens There were 38 silver dollars, 63 50 cent of old houses. all shapes and sizes, most of pieces, 24 quarters, and 2 beautiful gold them all fallen down awaited me. Some of the big, fancy old homes are nearly livable, nuggets. One was 3/8 Inch thick, and the however. lgot my things stored in one other about 1/4 inch thick.
house, and got my machine out. I was in an old two-story house. Hardwood f loors, brass doorknobs, and pillars on the porches indi-

My favorite coin

is

a 1909 50 cent

piece,

with stars all over it. There is still lots of town to go over, but I don't know what the
odds would be in finding another good or

cated the wealth

there.

of

whoever once dwelt

, on a a large

lsland southwest of Juneau. We headed straight out over the thousands of islands
32

Have you ever heard of beginner's luck? Well, I know what it means, now. There was an old shed out in back. There was no f loor and it took less than 20 minutes, during

I know of, so if you are going that way, have 8 States get ahold of me. l'll be glad to give directions.
Floyd E. Garnick
Treasure Hunters Newsletter

medium cache. There are several places

From The Oklahoma Historical Society and Oklahoma Archaeological Survey, December

3,1971:
Dear Hunter and Glenn:

Few Bouquets
a new, more effective equitable antiquities law for the State of Oklahoma, which will enable treasure hunters to participate more freely in their hobby, but at the same time one which calls for severe punishment of those who are found to be in violation of it. This is one of many ideas we have in mind, and most certainly you likewise will have
some that should be considered.

R M of Reno, Nevada: "Excellent reading

The purpose of this letter is to be a sounding board to gather your ideas concerning the following statements.
professional preservation of prehistory and history for many years looked upon treasure hunters with some disdain. Recently, however, we have learned that most avid treasure hunters are, in fact, quite conscientious and have within them a strong sense of history and deep concern for preservation.

As most of you know, those of us

in

in the Fall Newsletter," D. G of North Little Rock: "l have received your first copy of the Treasure Hunters Newsletter, and I sure don't want to miss a single copy as your
publication is one of the most informational I have ever read." "No complaints on your magazines's contents," says "Doc" Gordon of Sarasota, Fla. "so don't fall into the rut of re-run & re-print. . .one more "Lost Dutchman" or "Grosvenor" story and l'm building a rocket ship and take my detector

So, within the past few weeks we

have

begun an about-face in our thinking. We feel that through open, candid discussions and a

subsequent cooperative effort, together we can do ourselves and generations to come a

great service.

of you who already to treasure hunting clubs will discuss our proposal at your next meeting, and please understand that either or all of us would be more than happy to meet with you at any time. As for you dealers, we solicit yourcomments, as well as asking that you put us in touch with the various clubs in your area so that we can begin to meetwith
We hope that those
belong

to Mars." Don't do that, Doc! We agree with you, and don't intend to fall into that rut. lf we print something on an oft-told story you can

bet your detector batteries it's

because

However, before that is realized, compromises in philosophies will have to be made. The f irst thing we are ready to do is push for

them, also.

It was very gratifying to meet and talk with many of you at the Mall.

there's new info, we want to expose it for the flapdoodle it is, or for some other new or pertinent reason.
Doc goes on to say, "Yahoo, you must be good, when ole "Doc" parts with any kind

FOR THE OKLAHOMA HISTORICAL SOCIETY Michael Bureman Historic Sites Director
R. W. Jones

B. E. Joseph

Museums Director

Education Director

of a buck, that's "N EWS!" lf that isn't enough to make your editor and publisher
blush, AJK of Spokane tells us,

FOR THE OKLAHOMA ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY Don Wyckoff State Archaeologist

Dear Hunter and Glenn

Sometime back, I came across the foliowing two tips and I thought other THers
rvould be interested.
1. When covering an old house, always run your detector over the rubble on the floors. Coins and trinkets were often lost
t

here.

2. lf the home you came across is made cf logs go over each from one end to the other. Holes could have been bored in the logs, treasure placed inside and then plugs made for the holes.

lf the second
rnay be, But

it

sounds far fetched, it just saved my great grandfather's

gold from Federal looters who nearly tore the place apart in their search. The treasure
is gone now, moved to another location. But the holes still remain in mute testimony. lf you're interested, here is the whole of the story. I do not mean this is a lead, but you have my permission to use it or any part

smiled contentedly and stated that if they had looked in one of the logs in the closet beneath the staircase they just might have found it. Growing older his mind began to slip and he feared someone was atter his money. He started to carry the money on him. I am told he got to going to a small cave on the

Before the Civil War, my great grandfather was a southern plantation owner and owned many slaves. Grandad saw the signs of war and felt the South might not last, so sold slaves and property and came north into West Virginia. A neighbor, who hated grandad, notified Yankee soldiers that the old man had money for the taking. Although they searched everywhere the gold was not to be found, and after a quick but thorough search they gave up. Sometime after his wife asked of the gold, Grandad

"lt's hard to keep track of so many publications, but your format looks real good." Then to top it off we got this fine note, even after there had been one of those wretched bobbles that do happen. From Al Kemph of Sula, Mt: "lt was certainly not necessary to send the book due to the mix-up in the order. These things do happen. However, this just proves the fact of some real nice people at 8 States and THers as a whole."
Thanks, everybody. We could have included a lot more pleasant quotes, but we didn't want to make anyone feel as though they were wading in syrup. We do appreciate these kind comments and the others we didn't put in, too. We'll attempt to live up to
them.

E and J G write: Thanks a million for the unexpected and very welcome Christmas card. lt meant a great deal of us, two retired

and amateur treasure hunters. We enjoy the

TREASURE HUNTERS NEWSLETTER

very much. Next to treasure hunting I like to read the THer's magazines. So far all the treasure we have found is bottles, jars, and urge to know more of M issouri history, particularly our local history. Most of what

property, and soon the gold was

gone.

of this letter.
Winter, 1972

Sometime later Grandad took his life. The old homestead is still in family hands and there is a certain cave in West Virginia that will soon get a scoping from this THer! Tom Brunner

we've found has been in "our own back yard." One of our sons presented us with a White's Goldmaster 66T and it has opened a whole new world of interest for us^
JJ

ar.oulrd tlra campfltc corntil

Jim Waits of Ft. Walton Beach, Florida took a piece of string and layed it parallel to wanted to share this with fellow THers: the court lines and started a systematic A young Fort Walton Beach couple have search. ln ten minutes I located the diamond
a few friends over every Saturday afternoon and play volleyball. Last Saturday the young lady was playing and realized she had lost her diamond engagement ring and her wedding band both. They all spent the rest of tlr- day on their hands and knees looking,

houseplaces and recovery

treasures and money hidden in these p

and in the another fifteen minutes I had the wedding band. They were only ten feet apart and right in the middle of the court. (lt was grassy). I also picked up two clad quarters.
Needless to say, they were very happy because the rings were not only of great

and that it was hard ment like that. The couples' name? Captain ano ','-: Myron Loss. How about that?

of fam,t, :,:E ::., to word an ad,:-: ,.'

ton, ldaho, 83501, and one of the fine" gents in this old hide and seek game: Glenn and Hunter, f irst I want to thank , : all for the most unusual and welcome, c -: attractive Xmas card I have ever receive: posted the card on the wall among so-: treasure hunting pictures, and did it ever:.: read and looked at. All good comments, :c : Fantastic. . .(Thanks, Roy. We have a f =.',

From Roy Lagal,2416% E. Main, Le.l,.:'

but no results. For a week they had friends over and

formed a line and crawled over the volleyball

court area. Finally in trying at the local electronics place to rent a detector, they were told about me. They contacted me and I told them I would try and find the rings.
I

sentimental value, but were worth several hundred dollars. ldeclined a reward and suggested they take that reward money and get the rings sized to fit. I explained that
even though my card advertised that I was in business to f ind lost property and jewelry,

my primary interest was in old

houses and

- we'll send one to a friend, if think they'd want one. Let us know.)
cards left

i:

A Feut Pilctutes...
Five weary treasure hunters relaxing after a day on theClearwater River, ldaho. L. to R. Bil! lngrham (711) Roy Lagal, Dee Miller, Duane Alderman, & Charles Garrett, Owner of Garrett Electronics. Photo by Aft
Andreum.

The only exciting thing turned up this day was a den of rattlesnakes found by long time treasure hunter Charles Garrett. Charles said he had been hunting tor 25 years and this is the first time he had ever come across any rattlesnakes. Needless to say everyone was on the jumpy side the rest of the hunt.

&i

:i;J

ry11E .ke

&ffi,MF-

.%Yffi rum"
*oooot***nEiT ft t:
q
I

l8iti$ !,i;i,

;,$r,

r:

i!.
,I_

@.@SffiS,

,j,,wdflffi
Rs&

....W

Yr*;**ua fur**,$

S@,r&4

Duane Alderman, Field man for Garrett Electronics, stopping by and visiting long time treasure hunter, Roy Lagal. Roy has spent years in the field and is probably more of an authority on using a metal dector than any' one in the business. Roy is located at 2416% E. Main Lewiston, ldaho.
34

Treasure Hunters Newsletter

A small cache of coins. 256 silver dollars plus lots of smaller coins discovered in a back yard in Oregon. The coins were discovered while coinshooting with a Garrett Hunter. They \vere approx. 7 inches from the top of the ground and were wrapped in a black piece of canvas, put in a bucket, and had probably been there since the
30's.

. o. Attd A Helplul
70

Hifi

How to clean nickels to a nickel color. grm's Ceric Sulfate (sulfate of cerium)

250
650

CC CC

Nitric Acid
Water (distiiled)

beaker to cover coin. (hold coin with plastic, or plastic covered tweezers.) Heat solution to 60-70 degree's centi-

Mix solution - Put enough in a pyrex

*,
. !,.L..
r,r

grade. Wash

not bright nickel color.

Dip nickel in solution 30-45 seconds, in distilled water - redip 15 seconds if

f
&
1

jrorm
rett Electronics, 620 S. W. 13th, pendleton,
Oregon 97801.
35

treasure hunting. Mr. Garrett took time to tour the western States and visit some
Winter, 1972

Roy Lagal, Duaqq Alderman & Charles Garrett visiting about off from a busy sbhedule of his factory dealers.

Duane Alderman, Field Representative, Gar-

Excellent

Adam Bickel of Washington, Utah gets the privy caption prize, an old-time catalog.

Goinshooting $ites
PARROT CITY, COLORADO

Don't look for Parrot City on your road for it won't be there. lt was quite a place for over a decade, but it gained
map,
ghosthood status shortly after 1883. lf you can gain permission from the local ranchers, and if you don't mind sharing the
be

terrain with curious cows, there should

ample coinshooting possibilities. The place was a rip-snorter, and in the heart of gold country, so there could well be a few caches. It was a booming place, yet no bank. lf there had been one nobody would have used it. Parrot City, or where it is. is approximately seven miles north of Hesperus Colorado. Turn north of highway 160 along the beautif ul La Platta River. lf you don't f ind a thing, the scenery will make the drive worthwhile. Parrot City's site is about half way between what is left of Mayday and La Plata, which offer some coinshooting possibilities of their own. Parrot City probably is more isolated, and far less picked over. Remember, we're thinking of GOOD acces-

"Dot Smellbound Tteasure Hottlr,dn

the road, up a side creek less than a mile.
sible coinshooting sites. The site is west of

county

lnquire discreetly in Hesperus. The place had a school, dozens of prosperous businesses, a post office, and between 500 and 1000 people. lt even became a

Don't look for many ruins, for there are

none. Cowpies cover what few foundations stones remain, but that doesn't hurt gold a

seat, just before its boom collapsed.

bit.

Silver City, Yukon Territory, offers some pleasant THing/coinshooting. The setting, at the south end of Kluane Lake, is bautiful. The buildings, standing and fallen down, are partially hidden in undergrowth. The stop makes a good resting spot from the endless Alaskan Highway.

THE GLORY THAT WAS ROME

(Kansas, that is)

(From Collections of the Kansas State Historical Society, 1 91 1 -1 9'l 2.1

When the collection of abandoned towns

has been made complete

it will be found

Kansas, and in 1867 Rome was the only town in this vast region. Rome came into existence in the latter part of May in the year given, being founded by the Lull brothers, of Salina. At that time the Kansas Pacific Railroad was complete to Ellsworth and grading was in progress more than one hundred miles west. By the middle of June quite a town had appeared about the

territory of

that none has more of interest than the town of Rome, in Ellis County. Rome was the pioneer town of the whole western half of Kansas. lf we draw a line from Jewell Country south to Harper County, we shall f ind that west of it is fully one-half of the

first tent erected by the Lull boys; Why the name of Rome was chosen no one can tell. lt was soon the rendevous for all the plainsmen. The first stone building was erected by
36 Treasure
H

unters Newsletter

W. E. Cody (Buffalo Bill), and he was one of

the moving spirits of the settlement. ln a week the population numbered about 500.
Soon there were 2000 souls upon the town site, composed of that curious hodgepodge,

always found

in the frontier camp, of

business men, soldiers, railroad graders, gam-

blers, hunters, cutthroats and prostitutes.

There were stocks of goods in Rome that would be a credit to any of the largest cities of Kansas. Numerically the saloons were in the ascendancy. Glancing down a single business street, the eye would meet such

familiar names as the'Lone Star','The Dewdrop lrn', 'The Occidental', 'Grader's Retreat', and'The Last Chance.' Writing
some years ago (before 1912\ of the rise and fall of Rome, Mr. S. Motz, one of the original settlers, said :

"The saloon business was thriving and continuous all day. all night; no halt, no intermission. The fully supplied customer

used plenty of horses and mules. There are enough barns and sheds in Silver City.

They must have

,i$

Flimsier, newer buildings were built here and used during the construction of the Highway during World War ll. The silver production in the area was finished before that time by many
years.
ivas pushed out into the street

to make room

:or the thirsty one. . ."

ln the summer of 1867 the Kansas Pacif ic reached Rome and passed on west. ln June

of that

year a great freshet

in

Big Creek

drowned out old Fort Fletcher, fifteen miles below, and a new post called Fort Hays was
established about a mile

from Rome. Then

came Phinney Moore and W. E. Webb and erected a tent on the plateau about one mile east of Rome, and said they were starting a town called Hays City. At the same time the railroad raised its approaches to the Big Creek bridge, cutting Rome off from the fort by a high embankment. Then the rival towns struggled for the ascendancy, and
Winter, 1972

An interesting pot behind the steps proved to be empty of money. Jerry McCarty, author of Louisiana-Mississippi Treasure Leads, and HGC are bemoaning that fact. A postcard inside this shed was dated 1918 and confirmed stories of the old man having money.
The stories indicated his hiding small caches before his death, and that at least one such cache has been found. Near lola, Kansas.
37

toward the goal of oblivion. Little by little

a.

&

I
n

the new town of Hays, and by 1870 there was little left in Rome save the ruins. Today not even a ruin remains, and the traveler can
see but an enormous patch

her population oozed away, and mostly into

,,']

of

sunf lowers

mark what was once the metropolis of all

western Kansas. interest to today's THers. lt is instructive, if for no other reason, about the vast amount
leads

to

This bit of writing should be of great

of really good

to be found in State

This Kansas farmstead does have potential. contact us if you are interested in hunting abandoned, weed-choked tarmsteads. '
Hays City gradually forged ahead. There through his shoulder in the course of an wasn't much violence between the partisans, argument which he was making in behalf of though at one time'Judge' M. E. Joyce, a Rome. ln 1g6g the cholera swooped down famous border character, got a bullet on Rome and gave her another impetus

-the-street-drunk? Soldiers, who also liked to get drunk? Fights in the street? Mud streets? Coinshooting, anyone?

shooting sites pinpointed by this sort of article are many and amazing. Consider the time and above-mentioned town was booming, and the loose, rough environment and lif e styles there. The place thrived for a brief time, then its time was over. ln that sort of place, inhabited by many sorts of people, much was lost, what was lost has remained. For those of you in the area, or who can spend some time there, this would be very much worth checking into carefully. Cholera? Gamblers? Railroad workers, paid in gold, who came into town to get rolling-in

Historical Society writings. Most states have voluminous material of this type. The coin-

lfaking Candleholder"s With Old Insulators

Take two or more insulators, preferably

colored ones, and clean them thoroughly.

Put them in an oven and gradually bring the temperature up slowly, over a period of four hours, to 400 degrees. After this four hour heating process, have a container of ice water ready. Take each insulator out of the oven and drop gently into the ice water, let set for two seconds, then remove to cool. When the hot insulator meets the cold water, thousands of tiny cracks instantly occur inside the insulator. After the insulators are cool and dry, take

a small amount of clear epoxy

glue and

apply to the top of one, then turn the other upside down and place on top of the one with the plastic ring. Level the top insulator and let dry at least 24 hours. Melt some wax into the top insulator and insert candle. These holders are heavy and will not tip. When a small amount of light shines on them, every one of the tiny cracks seem to sparkle. These candleholders are very beautiful, unusual, and make wonderful
gifts.

Richard Lehman (Ken of Kens Detector Service, Rt. 1 Box 80A, Shidler, Okla.
74652.1
38

Treasure Hunters Newsletter

- :: -g taken from the Los Angeles Herald i ' , - ner Home Edition,11l30l71, and sent : ^ e Treasure Hunters Newsletter by t ; ::, .effke of Los Angeles.
: ::TH VALLEY JUNCTION_ - ,= , .','ild and wooly scene {rom the Old

Touch Of The Old West

In Mail Stage Holdup

The lndian said he wanted to go to Shoshone,23 miles south, and climbed
aboard.

The truck, under contract to the Postal . ' '- lndian bandit and two companions Service, is owned by Death Valley freight " - -. rre U. S. mail in a lonely part of the lines, and operates out of Barstow. Driver Ed Hart was bouncing along U. S. r. : -:aT here and escaped with at least Highway 121 with Bob Wilcox riding shot,-- --:. - -: . jot clean away," Undersheriff Jack gun. ln the truck were three sacks of mail :, --:'of inyo County said ruefully. "We and some $40,000 in Thanksgiving receipts . - - : :,:r know what kind of a vehicle they collected from Scotty's Castle, Stovepipe . .- '-' their escape. The wind has blown Wells, and Furnace Creek Ranch and lnn. .. ,-: marks in the sand." "These drivers occasionally pick up a rider - : a stagecoach used to carry the mail and charge him a few dollars when they have - : -:- the desolate reaches of Death Val- room," Sheriff Gardner explained. "That's :-; U. S. Postal Service in recent years why they picked up this Piute lndian at " i ,lrr a panel truck. Death Valley Junction."

But nine miles out of town, the sheriff said, he whipped out a blue steel automatic and told the men to stop the truck.
Western movies where they rob the stage-

"lt was luit

tit<e

in one of those old

coach," Undersheriff Gardner said. "Two

other men were waiting and they put pillow cases over the victims' heads and tied them

up. Hart and Wilcox never got a look at them so we don't know if they were lndians
or not."

Finally Hart worked himself free and untied his fellow employee. The highwaymen had taken the keys to the truck so they trudged back to Death Valley Junction. "We don't know where those bandits are

Coins As

An Inuestment
really good coins away as a Iow cost but
in

In 1972
:,
H. Glenn Carson

right now," the sheriff confided. "But

lf you are a THer with no real interest

:vesting in or collecting coins. my advice is: GET INTERESTED. You are in a particularly advantageous position when it comes to coin lnvestment. As a THer you are more than likely to find quite a few coins, and some of them could be the really good ones. The cheapest way I know of to acquire a ,,aluable coin is to find it. Coin investing has been good. Sharp in, esters have been mak ing 157o, 2Oo/o, and 3ven great deal more. Compare that, if you .vill, with the stock market and its current
lls.

choice investment.

they've got the Federal Bureau of lnvestigation as well as U. S. Postal inspectors after them." The sheriff said they coulci have gone thisaway to Shoshone, but he figures they
went thataway to Las Vegas. Walter Jaffke sums up the story well: "l am sure you will admit this one is fraught with possibilities. A great deal depends on

and semi-key coins might be of help to those of you perhaps not familiar with coin collecting. Those of you who are knowledgeable will hopefully endure the repetition.

A quick list of key

The future is even brighter for coin invest:nent. We have gone through devaluation,

Lincoln cents 1909-5 VDB 1909-5 1911-5 1914-D 1922 plain 1924-D
1926-5
1

Jefferson Nickels 1938-D 1938-5 1931-D 1942-5 1943-D 1950-D

future developments. Needless to say, those last two words, "Las Vegas", scare the hell out of me, because they aren't talking about Roosevelt New Mexico.. . Won't this one make a great
Dimes

949

1949-S 1950-S 1951-S

treasure story a few generations from nowT I wonder how badly it will become distorted and the value blown up? A lot of the current crop are coming from a lot less than this." Agreed, Walter! Note our report on hijack-

:nd if you don't know what that means ,',,hen it comes to gold and silver, it is time
,,ou find out. Gold prices are going up, and -p. Any gold coins have risen lately in value go sky high. Really scarce, "nd threaten to .'aluable pieces will go up at an even more spectacular rate. Sllver? You know how seldom any silver coins can be found in :hanqe. lf you see one you are amazed, but ,ou probably are not so dumbfounded as to -ot stick it in your pocket to be put away. I look for good silver coins, let alone gold, :o double and redouble in the next few years 'n value. Therefore, THer, take advantage of ,,our special position. Buy a Red Book and discover the current values of the coins you 'ind. Think a bit and perhaps you'll put the

955 955-D 1955-5

1 1

ing, also in this issue. Piracy, banditry, and downright stealing ain't dead nohow.

931 -S

Help!
Washington

1932-D 1932-5 1934-D 1936.D 1937-5

1

Ouafters Franklin Half

1939.5
1940.D 1951-S 1955-D
1

Dollars

1949
958

1948 1949 1949-5 1953 1955

THers, we need your help. This publication is being run on the idea of not having

outside advertising. other than a dab from our subscribers. lf that idea is going to work,
and we still think it can, Eight States needs more subscribers. That means we need word of mouth advertising from readers who think
We

938

These are the more valuable of the recent coins, but my advice is save any of the silver you find. Older coins, of course, should

we are doing something worthwhile.

always be examined carefully for value. lf you don't know, get advice. Buy a Red Book from 8 States. lt will be a good investment.

must have every subscription we can qet if we want this Treasure Hunters Newsletter to maintain the high standards we desire, and
that we are sure our subscribers desire. So, talk your THing friends into subscrib-

ing. Let them know about The

Hunters Newsletter.

Treasure

Winter, 1972

39

OId Time Bottle Publishing Gompany

- More Than Publishing

;!li:r:ifdil:.r;:'1

$5,OOO Worth Ot OId Botfles

WHERE THEY WERE FOUND Left to Right: No. 1-2-3-4-11-12-14. Together in a long row beneath the floor of an old garage. No.5-10-19-24. Excavated from under a Savings and Loan Bank.

No.13. At an old mining site. No.15.

Upon a creek bank.

No.25.
Ranch house dump.

No.6. At the base of a tree near a famous Ghost Town. No.7 Recovered from a Homestead dump. No.8. Excavated from a city refuse dump. No.9. Taken from an early fruit cellar.
40

No. 16. Near an old saloon building. No. 17-18. Country hill side dump.

No.26. Bottle Show sale.

No. 27. ln a barn.

No.28.
Under a house.

No.20 ln a attic.

No.29.
Taken from a early shipwreek.

No. 21. Urban renewal site.

No.30.
Trade.

No.22. Antique Store (hard cash) No.23. Home dwelling refuse dump.

No.31. No.32-33.
From a early town site. The Mangroves
Treasure
H

of Florida.

unters Newsletter

by

S,L:*

Lynn Blumenstein The recovery of old bottles. as with any

:reasure find begins with research. Although, cld bottles and related items go a step ceyond in revealing the habits of yesteryear.

laving excavated

refuse area

the

real

crocess of sleuthing begins.

We might ask ourselves these questions: ,','ho were the people? When and how long l,d they reside at this location? Were there :hildren present? Were the occupants rich or :oor? Was the dwellers nature to hide or just :css aside? Knowing the answers to these ,rd many other questions, the door now :,cens wide for bigger and better recovery. >:rhaps, the next time we go in search of

\ i\

l\
\
?

:'easure it may be more readily found. -'lnm! The Miner, Rancher, Farmer, Home:::ader, City dweller, Logger, etc. were of ,:r-ious temperaments and habits. Good i'ief ! With a little thinking power, possibly
r,3 maV become an expert Treasure Hunter.

Divers Locate Sub; Fog Hinders Gheck

From the Capitol Journal, Salem, Oregon,
Tuesday, August 17, 1971.

By Larry Roby Capital Journal Writer

"',

-ynn Blumenstein and his divers know -ere a sunken submarine lies off the J-egon coast and when the fog lifts they

:n to see what's left of it. The diving crew got its sea bearings on S-rday when they pinpointed the exact -:cation of the sub off the beach at Pacific

''But then the fog rolled in," Blumenstein :: C, "and now we'll have to wait for a clear
3lumenstein is the operator of the Old - -le Bottle Publishing Co., Salem and he .^C his brother Neil, and diver Robert

tv.

Why does Lynn Blumenstein smile? Just ask his Treasure Probe Unlimited, divers! Relics shown are from an old sunken sternwheeler. For the past two weekends Blumenstein and the others have been searching for the
sunken vessel. said the crew waited several hours in the fog Sunday for an opening, but none came so the mission was scrapped for that day.

S-:iton, Portland, spend their spare time

-':king for sunken treasures.

Darrel Petcoff,

research scientist of

-arrilton, Mont., helped the crew get a ; xed position" on the submarine. possibly
-jDanese, in about 75 feet of water. But now I umenstein thinks it will be at least two ",,seks before anybody jumps into the water :: inspect the debris.
Winter, 1972

as well as the treasures," feels positive that the exact location of the submarine has now been found. "Even though we now have the fixed position," he said, "we need good weather so we can fix our sights on a landmark." He

for "the history

The treasure hunter, who says he does it

While Blumenstein is waiting for a clear day at the coast he and his gang are bringing up all kinds of loot from an sternwheeler which was blasted

to the bottom of

the

Willamette River a long time ago. By next weekend, Blumenstein predicts he and the others will have lighting equipment
41

r,

treasure.
which will permit them to dive about 40 feet into a trench and the depths of "The Elk." "The Elk" is the name of the old paddle boat that used to ply the Willamette. lt was built in 1857, Blumenstein said, and was sunk later "by one of the worst explosions on the Willamette."
42

At home in office or seeking treasure on the high sea, Lynn Blumenstein never Ioses sight of his dream of
an

To date, the divers have recovered

anchor, boarding ladder and "a ton of other junk" off the ship.

down with the sternwheeler.

buggy wheel -probably cargo that went

Apparently the ship's equipment and cargo

"Some of the items, we can't even identify," Blumenstein said. Among other
things found were early unused bricks and a

that was undamaged in the explosion still

remain intact and Blumenstein is hopef ul of findinq more of it.
Treasure Hunters Newsletter

The Many Myths Of The

I =,:
Thomas

Watch your newspapers. The age of piracy

is not dead. I n fact there seems

to be a brand of piracy flourishing these days, a new kind of modern buccaneer swashnew type

Nlazatzals

- , :, look at this rugged piece of - --. Feal Estate you can only wonder . - r ,'. much of the many tales of untold . -- - :ruth and how much is myth. It has . ' ,: I that there have been many gold , ,: :. :ound and lost on Mt. Ord in the : j:-: s and the Sierra Anchas. Noting the - r': -: mineralized areas, it is not hard to .' : : :re majority of the stories. : a known fact that gold has been . , - - =-om the southern slopes of Four | .,. . :l the northern slopes of Mt. Ord, in ..' : :he way to Payson. We know Gold . ::-:1 taken from the Mercury mine on l-o, The very fact that this area was .-- j.ound for the Tonto and Coyotero - :--.s kept prospecting in the early days . rare minimum. Only the most fool" 'isked almost certain death to travel
-=- this range. Gold has been found
in

.:-rs 0S Apache Squaws Gold, Mazatzal f ead Soldiers Gold, Dr. Thorne's Lost ..= Lost Coyotero Mine, Lost Ouartz
= -::,s X.
spark must be struck. Such men
as

..ins, exposed ledges and placers. Such

:f the Tonto Apaches, etc. were not ,.r out of a hat. Before you can have a

Aubrey, "Skimmer of the -. ', Al Seiber, Scout of the Indian War " . Corydon Cooley, Noted Arizona ==., Ed Peck of Bradshaw Mt. Mining I . -: Robert Groom, Founder of Gold on - - - - Creek and no less a personage than : - Safford, one time Governor of the j.: have all tried their luck at relocating
,

return. John Winslowe in his story ,,Dead swinging assistants. Soldiers' Gold" tells of two prospectors by the names of Frank Goss and Mike Schwartz mining a vein of ore that ran $40,000 to the ton. They were supposed to have hauled the ore westward to Bloody Basin and cached it there. The cache is supposed to amount to over $100,000. There is no knowledge or Witness the pirate/hijacker who called himrecord of it having been removed, however, self D. B. Cooper and singlehandedly took it was supposed to have been found later by over a Northwest Airlines Boeing 727 jet on a cowboy who could not remember just the 24th of November enroute from portwhere he found it. Schwartz was supposed land to Seattle. He told the stewardess he to have been in the mine shaft when it had a bomb and that he wanted to go to collapsed and Goss lost his mind over the Mexico. He demanded $200,000 and four tragic loss of his partner. Several years ago, parachutes, or presumably everyone would while prowling around on Four Peaks, I ran go up in a big bang. across two men who had built a small dam The parachutes and the cash were deto catch drainage water and were hydraulic livered to the modern swashbuckler at the mining the gulley above. lwas shown a Seattle-Tacoma lnternational airport and the sample of the gold and about a year later man allowed 36 passengers and two stewardthese two men had a big enough stake to esses to disembark. The pilot and three other buy a 8" Suction dredge and headed for crew members were ordered to remain

buckling across our skyways in a derring-do manner paralleling those villainous scoundrels of several hundred years ago. No, piracy is not dead. Piracy is nothing new, for the Phoenicians, Greeks, and Romans of far 77 that when crossing Salt River four miles gone yesteryears had them. Florence fought from Green Valley, he came across a ledge pirates long before Columbus discovered the being worked, the ore of which was assaying Caribbean, the heartland of what most thousands to the ton^ There are many stories Americans think of as piracy. Today's pirate of men finding these ledges only to be killed has only switched from ships to planes, and by the lndians or being run out by them and seems to prefer a solo performance rather not being able to relocate them on their than large numbers of swearing, cutlass

A New Age Ol Piracy

Alaska.

aboard.

-:-e was an Army Camp located on Mt. - - 'cr two years. Camp Reno was estab.-:l in 1868 and abandoned in 1870. - - - -E the 1880's a settlement was there

-:

and lost veins and ledges and deposits.

The man bailed out of the 727 at about the Two Skeletons" which he places be- 8:13, according to the F BI, 36 minutes after tween the Northern Superstitions and the leaving Seattle. Two parachutes and southern part of lvlt.Ord, tells of a mine where $200,000 went with him. He is presumed to the ore assayed $35,000 per ton. He also have landed between the villages of View states there is little reason to believe this is and Ariel, Washington. Now this is the stuff of which treasure anything more than another lost mine story.
Thomas Penf ield in his story "Lost mine of states that the prospector who found the ore sold a burro load for $4,000 and returned to the Mazatzals and spent the next 15 years trying to relocate the vein. lt is most
seems

: this settlement was used as a Helio- Station by the Army. The soldiers, : -" -g the Army's stay in Camp Reno, -:, ^g heard of the gold in the area, were : : , s on the lookout for signs of gold-=.' :9 rock. They deserted at the first sign. --'. are two stories why the Camp was . -,=i, one because of the desertions and :-=- because of the poorly picked location

= post office was established in 1880. ln

,' :-: Camp. The Camp was surrounded by :.-:- /, draws which made the troops a very :,-:- rsurancerisk. -: area in which this Camp was located :: .nce known as Green Valley. lf you -.,= read Hinton's "One Thousand old
1'zona Mines"you would
',linter, 1972
have read on page

around us today. Many legendary stage holdups, upon the pursuit of which many man years have been spent, did not amount Frank Dobie, John D. IVlitchell, Leland to nearly as much swag. True, you might not Lovelace, Maurice Kildare, John Winslowe get more than a reward, and might have to and others have written of these happenings. work diligently for that, but what a f ind it
It's almost a case of paying your money and taking your chance. lf you by chance travel between Phoenix and Payson, Arizona, on Rt. 87, stop and take a long look at the Mazatzal Range and think of the many legends. Perhaps you too may have visions of wealth that lies within. would be. We felt you'd be interested in our views on the subject, so if you are in a position to
take advantage of it, . .
.

to be a pretty well established fact that high grade gold ore has been taken from this area, but the many stories concerning the same veins do not agree. Such writers as J.

of you in Washington state should especially be alert. Cull those newspapers and keep your eyes open. Did this man get off and away? Could he have stashed the loot? We difficult to separate fact from fiction. lt mention this to alert our fellow THers to the
real possibilities

John Winslowe relates this same story, but

leads can be developed, fellow THers. Those

of

recovery popping up all

Then this guy tried it east of Denver. That didn't work so well . . . Now one's even got shot!
43

Are
by H. Glenn Carson

We To Lose
certain citizens want to off and hunt for legendary mines. I have seen people shaking their heads about me, as I coinshot this place or that, and l'm sure they wonder about my mental condition. Good coinshooters and
go

You will probably notice the absence

o=

The Lost Dutchman?

Once more it seems we are to be saved by bureaucracy, once again the people are to be protected for their own sakes in spite of themselves. The f utile search for the Lost Dutchman Mine may now be halted forever by the U. S. Forest Service. This great public servant intends to close most of the area to

issue. The reason is simp,e We are about ready to send out an enlarEe,: catalog, one which should be of real use ::

book list in this

THers. This

comes
I

will be sent out as soon as : off the press in a few weeks, ma1 :e

ess.

Ghost Towns of the West, by Sunset boo<-.

THers will know why lnever let other peoples' opinions concerning that sport

mineral entry entirely and strictly limit to the area to about eighty persons at any given timel The Supersitition Wilderness
access

bother me too dreadfully much. Let your elected officials know that you don't like unnecessary curtailment of THing.

available. $11.95, and a beautlibook well worth the price. lf you do an. ghosttowning, this book is something yowill enjoy and use. Drop us a line if you want us to try to ge: you a book, even if it isn't in the forthcoming catalog. We will try to get it for you

is now

area covers 124,140 acreas, extending east-

uncertain words let them know. lf they allow appointment of some dingbat who imposes some ridiculous ban, curtail-

ln no

if we

can.

ward from Superstition Mountain south of

Apache Trail approximately to the GilaMaricopa County line. The proposed plan would virtually block any further search for

ment, or harrassment of THing,

scream,

stomp Vour feet, and let them know: ON PAPER, where they hear best. lf we don't say how we feel, nobody will.

as we've enjoyed presenting it. Tell you: friends about The Treasure Hunters News letter. We will appreciate your help, for v,,e need those subscriptions to enable us to
keep growing.

We hope you've enjoyed this issue as mucii'

the fabled Lost Dutchman Mine. This does not bother me in one respect, for I personally think there is as much to sink ones teeth into concerning the legendary treasure as there is in the average donut hole. ln another respect the proposed plan
raises all the hairs on my hackles, makes me grit and grind my teeth, slobber, swear, and cry maledictions upon all and sundry governmental agencies. We seem to be, in this country, well on the way to all forms of

bur:eaucratic/petty-authority harrassment of any activity exceeding the passive viewing of the TV boob-tube. I don't care if the Lost Dutchman Mine
I

has for years been branded by realistic geologists as a nonsensical myth, and that agree with that opinion. I don't care that
such searches have proven dangerous. and many times fatal, or the fact that I wouldn't spend my time looking for der Dutchman's private bank. What I do object to is the fact that another freedom seems to be biting the dust. Some hiking and horsebacking may be allowed, but if a would-be THer wants to waste his time looking for the legendary mine, he'd best lie and say he's out for a hiking and camping trip only. I don't like to
have to tell lies, or see others forced to do so, in order to get to do something as

inocuous as lost-mine hunting. Why should any governmental agency feel compelled to stop a search for something they feel isn't
there?

Actually such activity should be encouraged. Such sport has brought in plenty of
tourist dollars to Arizona. Such dollars spent have helped the economy of that state, and in most cases have not hurt the people
spending them.

lf we truly live in a free land, PettY officials should not worry thelr heads if
44

Lee Hurtado, ARTIFACT RECOVERY SERVICE, Box 446, Lehigh Acres, Florida 33936. This well'known treasure hunter has been active in the field for many years. Lee carries a complete line of metal detectors and publishes a fine THing newspaper, THE SOUTHEASTERN ADVENTURER. Lee's coffee pot is always on and the hospitality at the Hurtado residence is hard to beat!

Treasure Hunters Newsletter

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EIGHT STATES ASSOCIATES, INC.

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IIEASURE HUNflNG

n.c,l,ute 4unteu"
P. O. BOX 1438

STREET

BOULDER, COLORADO 80302

Glassilied Ads
r'TANTED TO BUY -

WANTED TO SELL HEAVY DUTY 3" GOLD pAN, for very

small

METAL DETECTORS

4:-'rore.

::

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Wash. 98O28_

METAL DETECTORS BY WHITE'S

ELEC-

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conversation purposes, Perfect gift. lt has a string of real Colorado placer gold in the pan, far more than an amateur would get in twenty tries. Send $3.00 to B STATES, P.O. Box 1438., Boulder, Colo. 80302.

placering jobs

or great

Winter, 1972
45

More On East Coast TreasureHunting

by Hunter V. Pritchard

displays two items he manufactures. 8 States carries these items, by the way. On the right he is holding the sooper-dooper-treasurescooper, a coin retriever that is used very effectively on sandy beaches. ln his left hand is a snap-on cover for the 7% inch grooved head for Coinmaster lV metal detectors ($2.98), a little gdget that really aids the machine's sensitivity.

Harry Eckert, owner of Harry's Treasure Shack No. 1, in Cherry Valley, lllinois,

lllinois is east to those west of the Mississippi.

of Harry Eckert's coin finds in the Rockford, lllinois area. The 22,701 coins have a face value of $713.64.
Part
More THers back east should feel lucky to

"have the misfortune of living back east where there isn't too much treasure hunting." How often we get letters stating how
someone is all heated up and saving money

western states

and vacation time to come out to the to seek the real treasure

two ever mentions, the small sum tucked aside hundred or more years are common enough. and the owner of which was slain by war, One does not have to go far back east to run disease, lndians, weather, or other violent into all sorts of THing possibilities. Stories termination. of burled treasure are rampant, and many, The moral to all this, do some looking and many of these are rooted deeply in FACT. thinking. The east is full of sites to treasure Legion are the small caches that no story hunt. We encourage you to do it.
War days. Old homesites dating back

caches. Look around you back there. Read a little history. Look at population figures and densities. There are still hundreds of Civil War sites, on private property where a person can get permission to search to his heart's content, if it is done the way it should be done. Such

a White's dealer,

sites are newcomers compared to some places that date back to pre-Bevolutionary

Irvin Kane, North Jacksonville Beach, Florida, displays a portion of his beachcombing and THing finds. Thousands of coins and rings are lrvin's reward for hard searching. He has one beautiful 7 carat diamond ring valued at approximately $5,000. After every hurricane in the Florida area, guess who you may see working the beaches!
Treasure Hunters Newsletter

46

le'

ttrn - q

Robert Pomerleau of West Palm Beach, a White's dealer, turns bottles and artifacts found into cash at Riviera Beach, Florida. This "open air market" is held each Sunday at the location
Riviera Beach drive-in theatre. Bob knows the of several bottle mines and can probably find more bottles in one day than most bottle collectors could find in a lifetime.

active feminine THers in the U.S. today. Women's Lib, FORGET lT, we of the fraternity of treasure hunters claim her.

Pam Wendell, Garrett dealer at Pinellas Park, Florida. This gal is probably one of the most

Steve Purington, Detector Supply, Council Bluffs, lowa, an avid THer and White's dealer.

Winter, 1972

47

A, T. Euan,'s

TREASURE HUNTER'S YEARBOOK

1977- 72

The 1971-T2Treasure Hunter's yearbook will be out shortly. Send in your $4.00 to 8 States and we will ship you one the day we get them. Last year's edition was good. This year's edition is even better!
48 Treasure Hunters Newsletter

These 8 States books should be in your TH library - Order TODAY!

Treasure Seekers Game

-SEASURE SEEKERS GAME, You Probab. .aould do so. The reports from those who -..: bought and played this game made for

Gary Hanekamp, who lives in North Hollywood, California, is trying to strike it rich in
a Los Angeles park. He located a small placer deposit in downtown Elysian Park. The Recreation and Parks Commission gave him permisslon to dig for it, but told him he had

dollars were struck, and

till

this one popped

up was listed as unknown to exist in any present coin collection. That puts the discovery of the coin the remarkable find
va r i ety.

to

' you have not Yet

Purchased Your

use hand tools, carry appropriate insurance, complete his search within two days, and restore the area to its orlginal state. And, if he found any gold, naturally he has to split it with the city.

It is no perfect coin. The unique coin had been holed, looped with a ribbon, and used as a child's teether. That is not geared to improving the coin's numismatic value. Still, it is the only known specimen in private hands of the Liberty seated dollar.
said

=..rre hunters have been more than favor-

gifts to THers, for =. They make excellent : game for all ages and a good familY -=. The $5.95 cost allows one to seek and ..:r all sorts of treasures, the largest of -^ may well be a closer communion with -:: and family.

Terry Du Pont lll, of Fallen Nevada, is to have found the 1873 S dollar in a lot

of old coins he purchased. He, dumbfounded at the discovery, checked into its history. He found that the great-great grandfather of the former owner was a San Francisco IVI int employee, who evidently bought the coin the year his son was born, and encouraged

.^: in your order today. 8 States will r :cstpaid the magic carpet ride to many * - -.nt of spare-time fun. Risk, competi- suspense-all the elements of real - . ate right there on a single board.

EUREKA!

An 1873 S silver dollar

has

been found. R. S. Yeoman's "Guidbook of

United States Coins", THE coin reference book, points out that only 700 of these

the lad's teething efforts with it. THers, that's what makes our hobby fun. It's something you can get your teeth into. (from several sources, one of which was from Chas. Albano of Kenmore, Washington.
)

i,,nler, 1972

49

Another Gqrrett First in Detector Dez:elopmertt,

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lf you need a new detector, want an excellent second detector of a very reasonable price, you have a good TR instrument but would like to also have a good BFO unit, or for whatever reason 8 States does not hesitate to fully recommend the purchase of a MlNI-HUNTER. lt is a truly amazing machine for less than $100. The purchase of the Mini-Hunter through 8 States of course gives you a free year's subscription to THE TREASURE HUNTERS NEWSLETTER. You cannot go wrong on the purchase of this fine machine.
50

Treasure Hunters Newsletter

In The Next Issue - Spring, tgTZ

o
o

Treasure Hunting Ftorida

- with Jimny waits

|
{!

Eainshooting Churchyards 0 klahoma Historical society and the Treasure ilunter

Besearching Treasure leads Aerial Photography and Airprane THing Well, Well, lt's ln The Welt THing Civil War Virginia

o I
o

Finally, sonething

-- A Beginning
0n

o o The Houston Treasure Show

We'ye Movedl
Here's an item of information, especially for those of you who,ll be stopping through Boulder to visit us here at g States. Cio*ing pun;, have forced us to move our offices. Stacks on stacks on tops of full shelves, desks, and tables, piles on heaps atop full boxes, and more coming in all the time required either a good, strong wind or as prompt a move as possible. Therefore, we are buying a new building at ,lOiS Pearl Street, Bourder, cororado. That's wherl we', be soon after first of April. we hope to see many of our friends and fellow the THers throughout the spring and summer of 1972, and we hope this move will keep us all from having to shove aside stuff just to find prace a to sit down when folks come.

ON ORDERS OF $15.00 OR MORE FOLLOW THESE STEPS TO ORDER

.

1. lnclude your name exactly as it appears on your charge card 2. Send all information exactly as it appears in
raised print
Nos

Exp. Date

:hose who get out and seek it.

Winter, 1972

-he southeast holds a vast store of lost and "lidden wealth. Jimmy Waits near a cannon :lose to his home at Ft. Walton Beach, :lorida. The other cannon, yet to be located, s probably somewhere within three blocks of :his picture. Cannons to coins, it,s there for

City
Please send me

State

7in

CUT OUT THIS COUPON AND ENCLOSE WITH ORDER

5X

EIGHT STATES ASSOCIATES, ING.

Q"oft*iona.t i"rootlTE 4uotezt

I9l8 Peorl Street/ P.O. Box 1438// Boulder, Colorodo 80302
ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

l-

*il;

-' 6'P e -rY .i6t9

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