RMPTH APRIL 2015 NEWSLETTER
Content
Rocky Mountain Prospectors &
Treasure Hunters Newsletter
The News
v. 19, n. 4 April 2015
Going for the Gold
Visit RMPTH On The Internet At http://rmpth.com
Contents
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Cocos Island Treasure Finally
Found
About The News
Find Of The Month Program
Penny Could Be Worth $2 Million
Another Monster Aussie Nugget
Diesel Says “Know Your Batteries”
Map, Compass & GPS Clinic
Manhattan: Poudre Canyon's
Ghost Town
Calendar of Events
Calendars
Terms Jewelers Use
Cheap Coin Cleaner
No Mercury
Trading Post
2015 Schedule of Events
Cocos Island Treasure
Finally Found
Fabulous 200 Million Dollar Treasure Hoard
Unearthed in Cocos Island
San José
A
group of Costa Rican park rangers patrolling in
the Parque Nacional Isla del Coco after a recent
storm, have discovered one of the most amazing
treasure hoards in modern history. The treasure consists of gold and silver coins and ingots, jewellery, candlesticks and religious items, and is estimated to be
worth almost $200,000,000.
Cocos island is a small island designated as a National
Park, located in the Pacific Ocean, approximately 550
km (342 mi) from the Pacific shore of Costa Rica. It was
well-known for possibly holding various legendary treasures, but its “protected area” status had forbidden treasure hunting on it since 1978.
The President is the direct representative of the
American people ... [and is] elected by the people
and responsible to them.
- Andrew Jackson
A group of six rangers who were walking around the island to evaluate the damage done by a storm on the nesting colonies of migratory seabirds, when they noticed
that the tide had unearthed what looked like an old
(Continued on page 3)
About The News
he News is the official newsletter of the Rocky
Mountain Prospectors and Treasure Hunters
Club (RMPTH): our mailing address is 278
Sierra Vista Drive, Fort Collins, CO. 80524.
T
Opinions expressed in The News are those of the
authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the
club or its members. Publication of information in
The News constitutes no guarantee of accuracy. Use
of any information found in this publication is at the
sole risk of the user. Neither RMPTH, nor its coordinators, nor The News, nor its editors or contributors
assume any liability for damages resulting from use
of information in this publication.
Submissions
Articles, letters and short items of interest on prospecting, detecting and treasure hunting topics are
welcome and encouraged. All items submitted for
publication are subject to editing. Submittals for publication may be made in writing or, preferably, in ASCII text format on IBM-compatible disk. If you have
questions about a submission, please contact the editor for information.
Advertising
Classified advertising for topic related items is free
for non-business ads. See the “Trading Post” section
for donation pricing of camera-ready display ads. Donations for ad makeup from sketches, etc., are available on request.
About RMPTH
RMPTH is an independent nonprofit hobbyist social
club, open to anyone interested in prospecting, detecting or treasure hunting. Its purpose is to provide an
educational and social forum of mutual benefit for
members. RMPTH holds a monthly meeting and conducts various field outings, as well as offers special
presentations and seminars. Active participants have
voting privileges. The monthly newsletter, The News,
is readily available on the Internet. Annual dues are
$25 payable in June. Applicants joining in any month
other than June pay partial dues of $2 per month for
months remaining prior to following June plus $1.
Copyright
Unless otherwise noted, other nonprofit groups
may reprint or quote from any articles appearing in
The News without prior permission, provided that
proper author and publication credits are given and
that a copy of the publication in which the article appears is sent at no cost to RMPTH at the above mailing address. Clubs wishing to exchange newsletters
with RMPTH are invited to send a copy of their newsletter together with an exchange request.
CLUB MEMBERS TAKE NOTE
Club Hats, Shirts, Jackets, & Patches are again available.
Ask for info at the club meetings to purchase your club items!
We will be running a 50/50 Drawing at each club meeting. At the end of each
meeting Tom will split the pot 50/50 and a lucky member will go home with more
money than they came with.!
The remaining 50% goes to the club treasury.
Page 2
The News, April 2015
(Continued from page 1)
wooden box or chest. The began unearthing it, only to
discover that there were actually five different chests and
other items, that they had been buried there for a very
long time.
“We were walking on the beach, and we saw something
protruding from the sand” says park ranger Ignacio Ramirez.“We dug it out and
found a bunch of old
wooden chests. They were
all filled with gold and silver! Then we dug out two
incredible golden statues of
the Virgin Mary, and other
religious symbols. We called
our bosses and said ‘we just
found a treasure!’. They
thought we were kidding,
but we explained what we
had found and they decided
to send a team of experts.”
All in all, the treasure conThis amazing statue of the Virgin Mary
holding baby Jesus, weighs an increditains an astronomical
ble 84.7 kilograms of solid gold, mean89,000 coins, ingots and
ing it’s shear metal value is more than
$1,450,000.
artifacts of gold and silver..
Many religious items made
of gold or silver and adorned with precious stones were
among the findings, including 36 crosses, 3 chalices and
two life-size solid gold statues of Mary holding the baby
Jesus.
bor as they were instructed, Thompson and his crew
killed the Viceroy’s men and sailed to Cocos Island,
where they buried the treasure.
Hundreds of attempts to find treasure on the island have
failed. Prussian adventurer August Gissler lived on the
island for most of the period from 1889 until 1908,
hunting the treasures with the small success of finding
six gold coins.
Since it was discovered in a National park, the totality of
the treasure is now the property of the Costa Rican government, and it should be exposed at the Museo Nacional de Costa Rica, in San José. The rangers who discovered the treasure have been promised a reward for
their role in the finding, but the amount of the reward
remains undisclosed.
worldnewsdailyreport.com
Ed—The fact that this particular treasure has finally surfaced just goes to show that some of the old treasure
tales are, in fact, true. This treasure tale has been discussed for years and years with nothing to show for it,
until now. It’s still out there …. go get it!
Many treasure legends have been
associated with Cocos island for
centuries. The first claim is associated with the pirate captain Bennett Graham who allegedly buried
350 tons of gold raided from Spanish galleons on the island in the
18th century. Another pirate captain, the Portuguese Benito Bonito,
is also supposed to have buried
treasure on the island, this time in
the 19th century.
Archaeologists and historians believe, however, that the discovery is
actually linked to the best known
of the treasure legends tied to the
island: that of the treasure of Lima.
According to the legend, with the
army of José de San Martín approaching Lima in 1820, Viceroy
José de la Serna is supposed to
A total of 80,000 silver pieces of 2, 4 or 8 reales and 2,800 gold pieces of 2 and 8 escudos
have entrusted the treasure of the
were found by the park rangers.
city to the British trader, Captain
William Thompson, for safekeeping until the Spaniards
could secure the country. Instead of waiting in the harThe News, April 2015
Page 3
Find of the Month
Winners
January, 2015
Most Valuable Coin:
Bud Yoder - 1875 Indianhead
Cent
Oldest Coin:
Bud Yoder – 1926-D Lincoln Cent
Largest Raw Gold:
Bud Yoder – Small Nugget
Most Raw Gold:
Bud Yoder – Placer Gold
Best Bottle:
Anne Nichols - Antique Bottle
Best Jewelry:
Ray Hettinger - Silver Heart Pendant
Most Unique Find (Excavated):
Tom Warne - US Belt Plate
Most Unique Find (Non-Excavated):
Bud Yoder - Double Spring Wolf
Trap
Rock, Gem, Mineral & Fossil:
Bud Yoder - Very Large Quartz
Crystal
One tequila, two
tequila, three
tequila, floor
Gold Glossary
DRY PLACER - Placer deposit of gold, silver,
or other valuable stones or minerals that
are located in a dry area.
TREASURE HUNTER’S
CODE OF ETHICS
I WILL respect private property and do no treasure
hunting without the owner's permission.
I WILL fill all excavations.
I WILL appreciate and protect our heritage of natural
resources, wildlife, and private property.
I WILL use thoughtfulness, consideration, and courtesy
at all times.
Still Frozen But ….. Some Gold!
I WILL build fires in designated or safe places only.
I WILL leave gates as found.
I WILL remove and properly dispose of any trash that I
find.
I WILL NOT litter.
I WILL NOT destroy property, buildings, or what is left
of ghost towns and deserted structures.
I WILL NOT tamper with signs, structural facilities, or
equipment.
Page 4
The News, April 2015
Penny Could Be Worth
$2 Million
Bloomberg msn.com
A
U.S. penny forged in 1792 is up for auction at
Stacks Bowers in Baltimore, with an estimated
value of $2 million. If the March 26 auction
meets expectations, the coin will have realized a 200
million percent increase in value in 223 years.
Lest you start hoarding pennies in hopes that your
great- great-great-grandchildren will net similar gains,
keep in mind that this is not your average piece of
currency. Named the “Birch Cent” after its designer,
the coin is one of the first pieces of U.S. currency ever
minted, and it's one of just seven of this particular
design that remain.
Mineral Specimen Identification
As part of their community outreach, Metropolitan State
College of Denver, Dep. of Earth & Atmospheric
Science, Professional Services Division offers FREE
MINERAL SPECIMEN IDENTIFICATION. Participants
will aid in the education of future Geoscientists!
Details and specimen submittal forms with instructions
can be downloaded
from:
SPECIAL OFFER FREE MINERAL SPECIMEN
http://college.earthscienceeducation.net/MINPET/
MINID.pdf
On one side of the copper coin, a young woman with
curly hair (blown back as if in Revolutionary windtunnel), sits in profile, surrounded by the words
“Liberty Parent of Science & Industry.” According to
the lot notes, the face was chosen after a conference in
the fledgling U.S. house, which decided on lady liberty—against the wishes of the U.S. Senate, which apparently lobbied for the face of George Washington,
then the sitting U.S. president.
On the reverse, a laurel wreath surrounds the words
“One Cent,” which is surrounded, in turn, by “The
United States of America” in a larger font. In case
there was any confusion about the value of the currency, there’s a helpful 1/100 underneath the wreath.
The “Birch Cent,” one of the first pieces of U.S. cur(Continued on page 15)
Refreshment Volunteers
April—Betsy Emond & Mike Noll
May—Ed & Mai Edwards
June—Fred Sugden
July—Dick & Sharon French
August—Ray & Loralee Hettinger
September—Bard Schuldt
October—Ray McGehee & Ann Nichols
November—George & Peggy Stumpf
The News, April 2015
Property Wanted
For Detector Hunt
RMPTH is looking for private property on which to hold
an organized club detector hunt. Obviously, it would be
most ideal if this property is known to have seen some
past historical activity. If you have such property or
know of someone who does, please contact Rick
Mattingly to plan a club field outing event.
Page 5
Another Monster Aussie Nugget
Australian Gold Prospector unearths 87-Ounce Solid Gold Nugget in Victoria
A
ustralian gold prospector Michael Brown has uncovered an astonishing 87-ounce solid gold nugget during a prospecting expedition in Inglewood, a town located in the state of Victoria, Australia.
“I’m still in absolute shock about finding a gold nugget of this magnitude! As a professional gold prospector, this
find is a monumental accomplishment in my career,” said Brown. “I’ve been using Minelab detectors for years
and the investment has more than paid off.”
Get In Touch with Minelab
https://bay179.mail.live.com/?tid=cmYBTJapHJ5BGmqgAjfeM0jA2&fid=flinbox
Another good deed done …. Someone could have tripped over this and hurt themselves!
Rich Streets!
“The streets of Victor, Colo., are literally paved with gold. During the boom there was
so much rich ore in the area that the low grade stuff was used to level out the streets.
In 1936 the town raised $5,000 by "mining" the yard in front of the post office.”
Quoted from page 11 of the May 1997 issue of Lost Treasure magazine. The golden
streets of Victor, From State Treasure Tales By Anthony J. Pallante.
Page 6
The News, April 2015
Diesel Says “Know Your
Batteries”
W
hy is it not OK to mix different AA batteries?
Because they all don’t produce the same voltage, the voltage a battery produces depends on
the particular chemicals inside, regardless of the size.
Alkaline batteries all produce 1.523 volts, ni-cads produce 1.2 volts, lead-asides produce 2.2, and typical consumer lithium batteries 3.7 volts. Lots of electronic devices are not all that dependant on voltage, so they can
handle either alkaline or ni-cads, for instance. And they
would not be bothered if you mixed battery types.
But the batteries themselves wouldn’t like it. Batteries
are like pumps for electrons. They can pump electrons
at various pressures, and that pressure is measured in
voltage. If you mix two different types of batteries, the
higher pressure one can force the other one to work
backwards. And it will break it. “Broken” batteries just
usually die or leak, but sometimes they can pop or even
explode.
It’s very important that everyone remove the batteries in
your detector when you store it for ant length of time. In
the case where your batteries leak or explode, and damage your detector or worse the manufacturer will not
cover you under their warranty. But! it is of “value
for you to know” when you
buy good quality batteries
and don’t mix brands, and
there is a problem like
leakage. Duracell,
Eveready Energizer, and
Rayovac offer to repair
any damage caused by
leaking batteries. I only
buy them and never store
brands. Even though the
discount store brands offer the same performance
for a lot less money , when
you eventually have one leak in your detector you’ll be
very, very glad that you weren’t using store brand alkalines ! Diesel and Goldfinger say!“Buy American”. Top
rated by consumer reports was (Duracell Ultra Power).
Map, Compass & GPS Clinic
On Saturday, April 21, 2015 RMPTH member Rick
Mattingly will present a clinic on the use of USGS
Topo Maps, Compass and GPS Units. Knowledge of
proper use of these items are critical to keeping
yourself located in the wild. This knowledge is also
extremely useful in completing research to find that
hidden mine, ghost town, etc. that we are all looking
for.
Please join Rick at the Allnutt Family Center in Fort
Collins, 650 W. Drake Road, from 9:00am to 12:00pm
for this clinic. The meeting room is located at the
south end of the Allnutt building nearest Drake Road.
If you have any of the items mentioned—USGS Topo
Map, Compass or GPS Unit—please bring them.
A donation of $1 will be collected at the door to pay
for room rental. Now that’s cheap learnin’!
Reservations are required! Sign up at the April club
meeting or Rick’s contact info may be found in the
Contact List at the rear of this newsletter.
See you there - If you can
find this secret location with
your GPS!
Berkshire Corporate Park, Bethel, CT 06801
USA Attn. Consumer Dept.
Energizer Battery Company
Consumer Affaires
25225 Detroit Road
Westlake, OH 44145-2536
Thanks to George Streeter
The News, April 2015
Page 7
Manhattan: Poudre
Canyon's Ghost Town
By Kenneth Jessen
Correspondent
T
he once busy town of Manhattan, located approximately 45 miles west of Fort Collins, has
vanished. Only a lush meadow, a few grave
markers and some bits of wood and glass are all
that mark the site.
The story of Manhattan began in 1886, when a number of prominent Fort Collins citizens put together an organization
to systematically search for precious metals in the hills west of
town. The group hired three experienced prospectors. In September,
these men reported finding gold ore
on the divide between Seven Mile
and Elkhorn creeks. The prospectors
boasted that gold could be panned
from almost any piece of crushed
rock. This immediately caused a
gold rush, and in the process, over
300 claims were filed.
than 40 structures.
In a mine explosion at the Black Hawk tunnel in
1892, two Manhattan miners were killed. A cemetery
was established, and they were buried north of the
present day road through the town site. It is possible
that others who died in Manhattan were also buried
in the cemetery.
Even as recently as 1970, the cemetery was used for
burials. A local character named "Rattlesnake Jack"
Brinkhoff let his family know that he too wanted to be
buried there, and when he died, his remains joined
the others.
Manhattan had a one-room schoolhouse. At first, the
school year lasted only four months,
Prospectors started a town and
gave it the unlikely name of Manhattan. It had a hotel, stores a post
office and even a newspaper called
the Manhattan Prospector. This
frontier newspaper
lasted less than a year.
The saloon, the Ace of Clubs, was
located at the corner of the town's
two main streets, Chestnut and
Manhattan. The Ace of Clubs had a
central two-story portion with three
shed-like structures attached to its sides. Even for a
Colorado mining town, the structure had an odd and
unique appearance.
Population estimates for Manhattan vary considerably, with some placing it at well over 1,000. A more
realistic figure for Manhattan's population is 100 to
200. Photographs show that the town did have more
Manhattan Viewing to the West—1885
but was later expanded to six months. The school included eight grades. On cold days, the younger children got first choice in seating near the stove. After
the population of Manhattan began to decline, the
school building was moved to Elkhorn.
(Continued on page 9)
Before You Buy That Metal Detector Handbook Check:
http://www.mdhtalk.org/articles/before-you-buy-hb/before-you-buy-handbook.pdf
Page 8
The News, April 2015
(Continued from page 8)
A number of companies sold stock in the mines at
Manhattan. Among these was the French Creek Mining & Milling Co. Another was the Robertson Gold
Mining Co. with a Fort Collins druggist A. W. Scott as
its president. The Missouri Mining & Milling Co. had
three mines in the area. Prominent Fort Collins residents Abner Loomis and Frank Stover ran the
Democratic Mining Co.
In 1888, Fort Collins businessmen financed construction of a mill, and it was built on Seven Mile Creek. It
never operated properly and was eventually dismantled. The Zimmerman brothers built a five-stamp mill
and reduction works at a placed called Poudre City
along the Poudre River about 3 miles above Rustic.
This mill crushed a lot of ore, and the concentrate
was shipped to St. Louis for refining. The results were
so poor, the mill was abandoned.
In 1890, Fort Collins butcher shop owner Benjamin
Burnett proudly displayed ore from the district. Burnett owned the general store in Manhattan and was
involved with the mining towns of Teller City and Lulu
City.
Some of the mining properties had imaginative names
such as the Laugh-a-Lot, the Bacon, the Bullfrog,
Wedding Bells, Honeymoon, the Joker, Evening Star
and Tidal Wave.
F.C. Goodell was born in Manhattan and tells of a trip
that he took when he was 12 years old. He drove one
of two wagons loaded with ore from Manhattan to
Denver to be milled.
The mine's owner drove the other wagon. When the
owner received payment for the gold content, he figured he had been working his mine for a dollar a day.
As late as 1898, mines in the area were being patented, but Manhattan was all but abandoned. The
post office was closed and moved to Elkhorn. Some of
the buildings were moved to other locations. Those
cabins that remained were burned by the Forest Service during the 1930s.
At this point, it might be well to include some comments by Ansel Watrous in his "History of Larimer
County" on mining in this region. He said that although thousands of dollars and many years were
spent prospecting in the hills of Larimer County, the
returns in dollars and cents bear no comparison to
the cost. Watrous points out that almost every square
foot of the mountains from the southern to the northern boundaries of the county, from the foothills to the
summit of the Medicine Bow Range have been explored looking for precious metals. As of 1911 when
his book was published, not a single profitable mine
had ever been opened and worked.
From the North Forty News, 2005
The News, April 2015
Page 9
Calendar of Events
April Meeting
Wednesday, April 1. We will meet at the Pulliam
Building in downtown Loveland at 6:00PM. Refer to
the adjoining map for directions.
Meeting Agenda
6:00 - 7:00 Social Hour & Finds Program
7:00 - 7:30 Business, Announcements & Find of
the Month Program
7:30 - 7:45 Break
7:45 - 9:00 "Metal Detecting” By RMPTH members Tom Warne and Rick Mattingly.
Visit RMPTH On The Internet At
http://rmpth.com
RMPTH DUES
RMPTH is an unincorporated Social Club with
no income generated. All
expenses are covered by
$25 annual dues. Members are requested to
consider minor donations
at each monthly meeting
to cover refreshments.
MAP TO THE MEETING PLACE
Pulliam Community Building
545 Cleveland Avenue, Loveland, Colorado
Directions:
The Pulliam Community Building is situated on the west side of Cleveland Avenue in Loveland,
Colorado. Park at the rear of the building (west side). Entry to the meeting room is from
the doorway on the south side of the building (not the main entrance on Cleveland Avenue!).
Page 10
The News, April 2015
April 2015
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
1
2
3
4
9
10
11
RMPTH Finds Program
& Social 6:00P
RMPTH Meeting 7:00P
5
6
7
8
RMPTH Board Meeting
6:00P
Easter Sunday
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
Local Detector Hunt
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
Map, Compass &
GPD Clinic
26
27
28
29
30
May 2015
Sun
Mon
3
4
Tue
5
Wed
6
Thu
7
Fri
Sat
1
2
8
RMPTH Finds Program
& Social 6:00P
RMPTH Meeting 7:00P
10
11
12
13
14
15
RMPTH Board Meeting
6:00P
Mother’s Day
17
9
Prospecting & Detecting Clinic at Lions Park
9:00-12:00
16
Armed Forces Day
Denver GPAA Gold
& Treasure Show
18
19
20
21
22
23
25
26
27
28
29
30
Denver GPAA Gold
& Treasure Show
24
Memorial Day
31
The News, April 2015
Page 11
Terms Jewelers Use
least 1/20 of the total weight of the piece of jewelry. If you
see a mark that reads
12KGF, the item is gold filled.
Every business has its own language. Here are important
jewelry terms you need to know.
GOLD ELECTROPLATE consists of a very thin layer of
gold, at least 10K, over a base metal. Methods of applying the gold vary. Electroplate is less durable than gold
filled and gold overlay.
KARATS are a measure of gold’s fine-ness. PURE gold is
24 karats. it’s the snuff of which the gold bars in Fort
Knox are made. Gold coins, such as American Eagles,
are also 24K gold. Pure, 24K gold is too soft to be used
for jewelry.
SOLID gold is an item made of at least 10K gold that is
solid through and through, rather than hollow.
BASE METALS like copper, zinc, silver, and nickel are
mixed with gold to make an alloy are enough to use for
jewelry.
18-KARAT gold is used for jewelry most often in Europe.
It’s 18 parts gold to 6 parts base metal.
14-KARAT gold is 14 parts gold and 10 parts base
metal. Most of the jewelry you find in U.S. stores is 14K
gold.
10-KARAT gold is commonly used for men’s rings and
children’s jewelry. Be-cause it’s 10 parts gold and 14
parts base metal, it’s harder and more damage resis-tant
than 14K.
GOLD FILLED & GOLD OVERLAY
are essentially the same thing, a base metal coated with
gold. The gold mush be at least 10K and it must equal at
RMPTH Field Outing Statement
NOTE: The Coordinators and participants stay in touch
and continue to review and plan upcoming presentations
and outings for the year on a monthly basis. Our editor
Rick Mattingly needs timely event information for each
issue of The News. Please get information about any particular event to him by the 15th of the month to meet the
printing deadline for the next issue.
Planned trips, outings, activities, and meeting programs
are in the newsletter and on line at the clubs website.
Planning is a work in progress and additional outings and
activities are added and sometimes deleted on an ongoing basis. Events planned in the upcoming month are
emphasized to the attendees at the monthly meetings.
Contact the Presentations Coordinators or Editor if you
have any suggestions or ideas throughout the year for
fieldtrips, outings, and programs.
The best made plans may change at the last minute due
to the illness of the Trail Boss, weather, land access, vehicles breaking down, wrong meeting sites, etc. Please
be understanding of extenuating circumstances and contact the coordinator or Trail Boss of a specific event if
there is any question of an event being cancelled or
changed at the last minute.
Page 12
VERMEIL is a thin layer of gold over sterling silver. Museum catalogs offer a lot of vermeil (and gold-filled) jewelry
PINK WHITE, YELLOW & GREEN
Gold can be 10K, 14K, or 18K. The colors have nothing
to do with the fineness of the gold. They’re related to the
types and proportions of base metals used. Copper and
silver make gold look pink. White gold requires nickel in
the allow. Silver cadmium, and copper create green.
Different finishes can give gold jewelry different looks.
The DIAMOND-CUT finish is probably the most heavily
promoted. Tiny cuts in the surface - like facets on diamonds - give a little gold a lot of sparkle. HAMMERED
gold has evenly spaced indentations. Roses and scrolls,
such as you might find in a traditionally styled bangle
bracelet, are often ETCHED. A HIGH-POLISH finish
scratches easily but, over time, the scratches can give the
piece a rich patina. A MATTE finish has a dull, soft look.
Reprinted from Consumer Reports, December ‘92
Thanks to Eureka! TH Club for running it in their May
‘93 issue.
Lot Of Gold
The following amazing fact is quoted
from a recent article in the
"International California Mining Journal."
"Major mining companies in the Black
Hills (South Dakota) produced
527,400 ounces of gold last year
(1997), state reports show. That's
down from 558,896 ounces the previous year (1996)."
Now that's a lot of gold!
The News, April 2015
Cheap Coin Cleaner
A cheap coin cleaner tip from the Internet
Posted by Thomas Hill [email protected]
April 20, 1998
may bubble it out of the container over time so place
it in a sink or something. $1.25 for a bottle and I've
cleaned well over thirty dollars with it, so it is cost
effective.
R
ead this somewhere and it has worked real
well for me. If you want to clean clad coins but
don't want to spend a lot of money doing it,
pick up toilet bowl cleaner (I use Lime Away) and just
soak you coins in it for a day or so. Put pennies in a
separate container or they will turn the others brown.
I can't believe how well this works, good enough to
spend them. This stuff has acid in it so use glass containers and keep your eyes away from it. The pennies
The News, April 2015
Page 13
No Mercury
Tom Ashworth shares his technique for
extracting gold from black sand
without mercury.
By Tom Ashworth
T
here have been many questions on here about
how to get gold out of black sand. I thought I
would post a method that I use on cleaning up on
my 6" dredge. I clean up the top of my sluice box everyday and the rest of the sluice box when it is needed. One
problem I see with a lot of new miners is they clean up
too often and this takes away from the time the could be
dredging and finding more gold. If you
have the sluice on your dredge set up
so that the gravel is not getting too full
between the rifles and not running so
fast that it sweeps the rifles, then once
a day clean up is all you should need
on most store bought dredges. The
perfect set up for the sluice is so you
have about one quarter inch of carpet
showing between the gravel of the middle riffle of the sluice and the one below it. Now dredge all day.
After dredging all day I empty my
dredge into a large wash tub. I then
screen those concentrates using a 20
mesh screen into a 5 gallon bucket. I then pan the concentrates that did not go through the 20 mesh screen
while down at the river (looking for nuggets of course).
Any gold found in the concentrates that were too large to
fit through the 20 mesh screen, I put in a vial. I then put
a shovel sluice (a Keene or Le Trap sluice works well)
inside the dredge sluice so that the shovel sluice is close
to the header box or jet flare. I use a modified Keene A52 sluice. It has some NoTrax matting glued in the top to
catch fine gold. I then start the engine on the dredge at
idle so the water runs down the shovel sluice. I adjust
the engine so that the water flow is swift enough to wash
out light sand and still save all of the black sand and
gold. The output of the shovel sluice goes back into the
dredge sluice and there are still several riffles in the
dredge sluice that will catch any flour gold that happens
to escape (this will remain until the next time I dredge). I
then scoop the concentrates that I screened into the
shovel sluice. When all concentrates are run, I then
empty the shovel sluice into a 5 gallon bucket.
To do the final clean-up I use a panning wheel and a microsluice. You can also pan down to get to the last of the
impurities. These impurities usually consist of a small
amount of black sand, a few iron rocks, and pieces of
lead.
Page 14
There are many ways to go about doing this final
cleanup. Personally, in general cleanup I like to stay
away from the use of mercury, as there is a faster way
without it. I also like to stay away from the use of nitric
acid because its usually not needed either. There are
times when the use of mercury and nitric acid can help
speed thing up. Usually though, I can do the final
cleanup without them.
Here's one quick procedure to do the final cleanup;
(1) Dry out the gold by pouring it into a metal pan and
heating it over a stove outside. Don't get it so hot that
any pieces of lead which are still with the gold will melt.
Heat it up just hot enough to dry it out. It is a good idea
to stay upwind anytime you put gold in a pan and heat it
up. Mercury attaches itself to gold in different amounts.
Often it's there but you can't see it. When heating the
gold to certain temperature, the mercury vaporizes off.
These vapors are
very dangerous. So
it is good practice
to heat your gold
outside and downwind of you, even
when heating it up
just enough to dry
it out. Also, the pan
you use for heating
up gold during
cleanup should be
used only to cleanup, not for cooking.
(2) Once the gold is dry, bring it inside, out of the wind,
and pour it onto a piece of clean paper. You can now
pick out the larger impurities from the gold with tweezers.
(3) Now a magnet can be used to extract most of the remaining black sands for you gold. I use a Keene Gold
Magnet.
(4) By lightly blowing over the gold, you can finish extracting the rest of the impurities. If you can locate a very
fine screen you can use it to separate the smaller pieces
of gold and impurities for the larger ones just after drying it out and this speeds the process up a bit.
(5) Put you gold back in the metal pan, take it outside
and heat it up, hotter this time, in order to vaporize any
further mercury for the gold. This will bring your gold
back to the basic deep rich beauty which we love.
(6) Now you can put it in a bottle. If you want to sell it
keep it dry, but if it is for show put water in the bottle to
keep it beautiful.
The News, April 2015
(Continued from page 5)
rency minted.
This isn’t the first time the coin has come up for sale. It was considered a collector’s item as early as 1882, when it was offered as part of
the collection of Charles I. Bushnell Esq., a collector of Americana. It
popped up eight years later, in 1890, and again in 1921. Four years
after that, in 1925, it was advertised for sale for $1,000
(approximately $13,500 today, adjusted for inflation). It last appeared
in 1975, when it was purchased by the current consignor, who is selling it to benefit the Henry P. Kendall Foundation, which works to nurture sustainable food systems in New England.
The auction has a total of 560 lots. Aside from the Birch Cent, other
standouts include a silver cent, also from 1792, which is expected to
sell for around $400,000, and an (ill- fated) Confederate States of
America half-dollar, which also features lady liberty—this one seated
and endowed with dubious physical proportions—which is expected
to sell for more than $600,000.
In total, the collection is expected to net from $5 million to $10 million. Other standouts include a silver cent, also from 1792, which is
expected to sell for around $400,000 The auction comes at a time
when the coin market is at its highest point ever. In 2014, an estimated $536 million of rare coins sold at auction, and the U.S. market
rose to an estimated $5 billion, according to the Professional Numismatists Guild. A representative from Stacks auction house says that a
range of collectors will be vying for the Birch cent: Americana collectors, coin collectors, and investors hoping to capitalize on the coin’s
rarity. Although the auction house won’t comment on specific bidders, here’s reason to believe that the coin will easily surpass the $2
million estimate—a Birch coin sold for a stunning $2,585,000 in
January.
Gold Glossary
ELUVIAL DEPOSIT - A deposit
of gold and other lode materials
that have been swept away from
the original load, but have not
yet reached a running stream of
water.
Gold Facts
Symbol: AU
Atomic Number: 79
Atomic Weight: 196.967
Melting Point: 1063° (1945° F)
Specific Gravity: 19.2
MOH’s Scale of Hardness:
2.5 - 3
Karat
24K = 100% Pure Gold
18K = 75% Pure Gold
14K = 58% Pure Gold
10K = 42% Pure Gold
Troy Weights
1 grain = 0.0648 grams
24 grains = 1 penny
weight (DWT) = 1.552 grams
20 DWT = 1 ounce =
480 grains = 31.10 grams
© Heritage Auctions/AP Photo This photo provided by Heritage
Auctions shows an experimental U.S. penny struck to test a design in
1792 that sold Thursday, Jan. 8,2015 for $2,585,000 to a California
man according to Heritage Auctions in Dallas.
The News, April 2015
YOUR
ADVERTISEMENT
COULD BE HERE!
Call Rick Mattingly
at 970-613-8968
or [email protected]
Page 15
Trading Post
WANTED: By NRA Card Holding Law Abiding Private
Citizen. Colt S&W Ruger Taurus .357 Wheel Gun/
Revolver for Home/Personal Defense. If you have a
Collector’s Item, Please keep it. I’m looking for a gun
to shoot/Not display. LMK what ya got. Thanks.
970.222.2323
FOR SALE: Jewelers propane/oxygen torch, many cabochons, beads and tools. Contact Ann at
(970) 6667-3705.
FOR SALE: A "MUST HAVE" T-Shirt for every Prospector
and Treasure Hunter. Quality 100% cotton tees. See and
order from:
http://BestBlackandGold.com.
FOR SALE: Minelab SD2200 Gold Nugget Metal Detector:
10-1/2" Mono Super Coil, 10-1/2" SD Series Super Coil, two
batteries w/wall & car charger, headphones, backpack,
waist battery pack, signal enhancer, extra lower stem, instruction booklet & video, carry case. Ready to go for the
gold. New Price: $1625. Contact Paul at (970) 482-7846.
FOR SALE: 5HP pump motor, Gold King 3" Hi-banker with
dredge attachment w/adjustable stand, Gold Grabber Hibanker, 125 feet hose, Rock net and steel cable, misc. fittings and valves & large metal bucket. Prefer to sell all together for $1,350 but negotiable. Call Eric Stickland at
(303) 833-6848 or
[email protected].
About Trading Post
The News runs classified ads in Trading Post
for three consecutive issues. Trading Post ads
for topic related items up to 10 lines (or 70
words) long are free. To place an ad in Trading
Post contact Rick Mattingly at (970) 613-8968
evenings
or e-mail at: [email protected]
Commercial Advertising
Specifications
(Monthly Donation Rate)
Full Page (8 1/2" X 7")
Half Page (3 1/4" X 7")
One Third Page (3" X 4")
Business Card (2 3/4" X 1 1/2")
$30
$20
$15
$ 5
Ads must be received by the 15th of the
preceding month. Contact Rick Mattingly for information on this service at
(970) 613-6968 evenings or e-mail at:
[email protected].
WANTED: Used lapidary equipment. Call Kathie 970-2211623
WANTED: Federal or state duck stamps; mint or used. Contact John Hart at (307) 778-3993.
NOTE:
Purchase arrangements are between the buyer and
seller only and involves no financial benefit to RMPTH.
All mistakes and
misspellings were
intentionally made so
that you could have the
pleasure of finding them.
Colorado School of Mines
Geology Museum
Golden, Colorado
Contact us: 303-273-3815 or
[email protected]
Identification of specimens is performed
between 10 a.m. and noon, Tuesdays and
Thursdays.
Page 16
The News, April 2015
WEEKEND & SMALL-SCALE
MINER’S CODE OF ETHICS
I WILL respect other prospector’s claims and not work
those claims without the owner’s permission
I WILL have on-site all necessary permits and licenses
I WILL build fires in designated or safe places only, and
in accordance with current State and Federal guidelines
I WILL be careful with fuels and motor oils and be cognizant of their potential destructive effect on the environment
UPS Aircraft Maintenance
Remember it takes a college degree to fly a plane, but only
a high school diploma to fix one.
After every flight, UPS pilots fill out a form, called a gripe
sheet, which tells mechanics about problems with the
aircraft. The mechanics correct the problems, document
their repairs on the form, and then pilots review the gripe
sheets before the next flight.
Never let it be said that ground crews lack a sense of humor. Here are some actual maintenance complaints submitted by UPS pilots (marked with a P) and the solutions
recorded (marked with an S) by maintenance engineers.
By the way, UPS is the only major airline that has never,
ever, had an accident...
I WILL remove and properly dispose of all trash and
debris that I find - I will not litter
P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement.
S: Almost replaced left inside main tire.
I WILL be thoughtful, considerate and courteous to
those around me at all time
P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough.
S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft.
I WILL appreciate and protect our heritage of natural
resources, wildlife, fisheries and private property, and
respect all laws or ordinances governing prospecting
and mining
I WILL NOT remove stream bank material, destroy
natural vegetation or woody debris dams, nor discharge
excess silt into the waterways
I WILL NOT refuel motorized equipment in the stream
I WILL NOT allow oil from motorized
equipment to drip onto the ground or into the water
I WILL NOT prospect in areas closed to prospecting
and mining
P: Something loose in cockpit
S: Something tightened in cockpit
P: Dead bugs on windshield.
S: Live bugs on back-order.
P: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 feet
per minute descent
S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground.
P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.
S: Evidence removed.
P: DME volume unbelievably loud.
S: DME volume set to more believable level.
P: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick.
S: That's what friction locks are for.
P: IFF inoperative in OFF mode.
S: IFF always inoperative in OFF mode.
P: Suspected crack in windshield.
S: Suspect you're right.
P: Number 3 engine missing.
S: Engine found on right wing after brief search
P: Aircraft handles funny. (I love this one!)
S: Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right and be serious.
P: Target radar hums.
S: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics.
P: Mouse in cockpit.
S: Cat installed.
And the best one for last
Offer Your Assistance To Any
Of Our Program Coordinators
The News, April 2015
P: Noise coming from under instrument panel. Sounds
like a midget pounding on something with a hammer.
S: Took hammer away from the midget
Page 17
Rocky Mountain Prospectors and Treasure Hunters Club
2015 Schedule of Events
Month
Meeting Program
Trip/Activity
January
Cheyenne War: Indian Raids on the
Roads to Denver, 1864-1869
By Jeff Broome
No Trip/Activity Scheduled
February
Cache Hunting
By Rick Mattingly
No Trip/Activity Scheduled
March
Setting Up A Gold Sluice Box
By RMPTH Members
No Trip/Activity Scheduled
April
Metal Detecting
By Tom Warne & Rick Mattingly
Local Detector Hunt
Map, Compass & GPS Clinic
May
Gold Nugget Shooting With Detector
By Rick Mattingly
Prospecting & Detecting Clinic at Lions Park
Denver GPAA Show
‘Let’s Go Gold Panning On The Arkansas’ Event – GPOC
June
Gold Dredging
By RMPTH Members
Clear Creek Gold Outing
State Annual Gold Panning Championships
July
Map Reading for Prospectors
by Wayne Sutherland WSGS
Clear Creek Gold Outing
Eldora Ski Resort Detector Outing - Robert Crain
August
Surface Finds
by Tom Warne
Vic’s Gold Panning—Blackhawk
September
Map & Internet Research
By Bud Yoder & Rick Mattingly
Local Detector Hunt
October
Gold, Silver & Gem Recovery
by David Emslie
Local Detector Hunt
November
Annual “Show & Tell” &
Silent Auction
No Trip/Activity Scheduled
December
Annual Find of the Year Awards &
Christmas Party
Flatirons Mineral Club & Model Train Show
Good Hunting in 2015!
Page 18
The News, April 2015
Rocky Mountain
Prospectors & Treasure Hunters
Contact List
RMPTH Coordinators
Home
E-Mail
President
Bud Yoder
Interim Vice President
Shane Manenti
1-970-590-9183
[email protected]
Treasurer
Dick & Sharon French
1-970-482-2110
[email protected]
Secretary
Rick Mattingly
1-970-613-8968
[email protected]
Rick Mattingly
1-970-613-8968
[email protected]
Rick Mattingly
1-970-613-8968
[email protected]
Finds Program
Dave Landes
Betsy Emond
Joe Johnston
1-720-985-4186
1-970-218-0290
1-303-696-6950
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Presentations
Rick Mattingly
1-970-613-8968
[email protected]
Club Historian
Volunteer Needed
Club Meeting Greeter
Barbara Schuldt
1-970-407-1336
Club Librarian
Joe Johnston
1-303-696-6950
[email protected]
Club Photo Librarian
Tom Warne
1-970-635-0773
[email protected]
Meeting Setup
Jim Friedricks
1-970-590-9183
Door Prize
Shane Manenti
1-970-590-9183
[email protected]
Zinc Penny Project
Tom Marschall
1-970-396-0133
[email protected]
50/50 Drawing
Woody Hogdon
1-970-667-5010
[email protected]
Coin Raffle
Woody Hogdon
1-970-667-5010
[email protected]
———————–
[email protected]
The News Staff
Editor-in-Chief
Internet Web Site
Web Master
Volunteers/Coordinators
———————–
———————–
———————–
———————–
General Information Contact: Rick Mattingly at 1-970-613-8968
Visit RMPTH on the Internet at: http://rmpth.com
Let’s Go For The Gold !
The News, April 2015
Page 19
The News
Rocky Mountain Prospectors &
Treasure Hunters Club
278 Sierra Vista Drive
Fort Collins, CO. 80524
APRIL, 2015 ISSUE
Treasure Hunters Newsletter
The News
v. 19, n. 4 April 2015
Going for the Gold
Visit RMPTH On The Internet At http://rmpth.com
Contents
1
2
4
5
6
7
7
8
10
11
12
13
14
16
18
Cocos Island Treasure Finally
Found
About The News
Find Of The Month Program
Penny Could Be Worth $2 Million
Another Monster Aussie Nugget
Diesel Says “Know Your Batteries”
Map, Compass & GPS Clinic
Manhattan: Poudre Canyon's
Ghost Town
Calendar of Events
Calendars
Terms Jewelers Use
Cheap Coin Cleaner
No Mercury
Trading Post
2015 Schedule of Events
Cocos Island Treasure
Finally Found
Fabulous 200 Million Dollar Treasure Hoard
Unearthed in Cocos Island
San José
A
group of Costa Rican park rangers patrolling in
the Parque Nacional Isla del Coco after a recent
storm, have discovered one of the most amazing
treasure hoards in modern history. The treasure consists of gold and silver coins and ingots, jewellery, candlesticks and religious items, and is estimated to be
worth almost $200,000,000.
Cocos island is a small island designated as a National
Park, located in the Pacific Ocean, approximately 550
km (342 mi) from the Pacific shore of Costa Rica. It was
well-known for possibly holding various legendary treasures, but its “protected area” status had forbidden treasure hunting on it since 1978.
The President is the direct representative of the
American people ... [and is] elected by the people
and responsible to them.
- Andrew Jackson
A group of six rangers who were walking around the island to evaluate the damage done by a storm on the nesting colonies of migratory seabirds, when they noticed
that the tide had unearthed what looked like an old
(Continued on page 3)
About The News
he News is the official newsletter of the Rocky
Mountain Prospectors and Treasure Hunters
Club (RMPTH): our mailing address is 278
Sierra Vista Drive, Fort Collins, CO. 80524.
T
Opinions expressed in The News are those of the
authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the
club or its members. Publication of information in
The News constitutes no guarantee of accuracy. Use
of any information found in this publication is at the
sole risk of the user. Neither RMPTH, nor its coordinators, nor The News, nor its editors or contributors
assume any liability for damages resulting from use
of information in this publication.
Submissions
Articles, letters and short items of interest on prospecting, detecting and treasure hunting topics are
welcome and encouraged. All items submitted for
publication are subject to editing. Submittals for publication may be made in writing or, preferably, in ASCII text format on IBM-compatible disk. If you have
questions about a submission, please contact the editor for information.
Advertising
Classified advertising for topic related items is free
for non-business ads. See the “Trading Post” section
for donation pricing of camera-ready display ads. Donations for ad makeup from sketches, etc., are available on request.
About RMPTH
RMPTH is an independent nonprofit hobbyist social
club, open to anyone interested in prospecting, detecting or treasure hunting. Its purpose is to provide an
educational and social forum of mutual benefit for
members. RMPTH holds a monthly meeting and conducts various field outings, as well as offers special
presentations and seminars. Active participants have
voting privileges. The monthly newsletter, The News,
is readily available on the Internet. Annual dues are
$25 payable in June. Applicants joining in any month
other than June pay partial dues of $2 per month for
months remaining prior to following June plus $1.
Copyright
Unless otherwise noted, other nonprofit groups
may reprint or quote from any articles appearing in
The News without prior permission, provided that
proper author and publication credits are given and
that a copy of the publication in which the article appears is sent at no cost to RMPTH at the above mailing address. Clubs wishing to exchange newsletters
with RMPTH are invited to send a copy of their newsletter together with an exchange request.
CLUB MEMBERS TAKE NOTE
Club Hats, Shirts, Jackets, & Patches are again available.
Ask for info at the club meetings to purchase your club items!
We will be running a 50/50 Drawing at each club meeting. At the end of each
meeting Tom will split the pot 50/50 and a lucky member will go home with more
money than they came with.!
The remaining 50% goes to the club treasury.
Page 2
The News, April 2015
(Continued from page 1)
wooden box or chest. The began unearthing it, only to
discover that there were actually five different chests and
other items, that they had been buried there for a very
long time.
“We were walking on the beach, and we saw something
protruding from the sand” says park ranger Ignacio Ramirez.“We dug it out and
found a bunch of old
wooden chests. They were
all filled with gold and silver! Then we dug out two
incredible golden statues of
the Virgin Mary, and other
religious symbols. We called
our bosses and said ‘we just
found a treasure!’. They
thought we were kidding,
but we explained what we
had found and they decided
to send a team of experts.”
All in all, the treasure conThis amazing statue of the Virgin Mary
holding baby Jesus, weighs an increditains an astronomical
ble 84.7 kilograms of solid gold, mean89,000 coins, ingots and
ing it’s shear metal value is more than
$1,450,000.
artifacts of gold and silver..
Many religious items made
of gold or silver and adorned with precious stones were
among the findings, including 36 crosses, 3 chalices and
two life-size solid gold statues of Mary holding the baby
Jesus.
bor as they were instructed, Thompson and his crew
killed the Viceroy’s men and sailed to Cocos Island,
where they buried the treasure.
Hundreds of attempts to find treasure on the island have
failed. Prussian adventurer August Gissler lived on the
island for most of the period from 1889 until 1908,
hunting the treasures with the small success of finding
six gold coins.
Since it was discovered in a National park, the totality of
the treasure is now the property of the Costa Rican government, and it should be exposed at the Museo Nacional de Costa Rica, in San José. The rangers who discovered the treasure have been promised a reward for
their role in the finding, but the amount of the reward
remains undisclosed.
worldnewsdailyreport.com
Ed—The fact that this particular treasure has finally surfaced just goes to show that some of the old treasure
tales are, in fact, true. This treasure tale has been discussed for years and years with nothing to show for it,
until now. It’s still out there …. go get it!
Many treasure legends have been
associated with Cocos island for
centuries. The first claim is associated with the pirate captain Bennett Graham who allegedly buried
350 tons of gold raided from Spanish galleons on the island in the
18th century. Another pirate captain, the Portuguese Benito Bonito,
is also supposed to have buried
treasure on the island, this time in
the 19th century.
Archaeologists and historians believe, however, that the discovery is
actually linked to the best known
of the treasure legends tied to the
island: that of the treasure of Lima.
According to the legend, with the
army of José de San Martín approaching Lima in 1820, Viceroy
José de la Serna is supposed to
A total of 80,000 silver pieces of 2, 4 or 8 reales and 2,800 gold pieces of 2 and 8 escudos
have entrusted the treasure of the
were found by the park rangers.
city to the British trader, Captain
William Thompson, for safekeeping until the Spaniards
could secure the country. Instead of waiting in the harThe News, April 2015
Page 3
Find of the Month
Winners
January, 2015
Most Valuable Coin:
Bud Yoder - 1875 Indianhead
Cent
Oldest Coin:
Bud Yoder – 1926-D Lincoln Cent
Largest Raw Gold:
Bud Yoder – Small Nugget
Most Raw Gold:
Bud Yoder – Placer Gold
Best Bottle:
Anne Nichols - Antique Bottle
Best Jewelry:
Ray Hettinger - Silver Heart Pendant
Most Unique Find (Excavated):
Tom Warne - US Belt Plate
Most Unique Find (Non-Excavated):
Bud Yoder - Double Spring Wolf
Trap
Rock, Gem, Mineral & Fossil:
Bud Yoder - Very Large Quartz
Crystal
One tequila, two
tequila, three
tequila, floor
Gold Glossary
DRY PLACER - Placer deposit of gold, silver,
or other valuable stones or minerals that
are located in a dry area.
TREASURE HUNTER’S
CODE OF ETHICS
I WILL respect private property and do no treasure
hunting without the owner's permission.
I WILL fill all excavations.
I WILL appreciate and protect our heritage of natural
resources, wildlife, and private property.
I WILL use thoughtfulness, consideration, and courtesy
at all times.
Still Frozen But ….. Some Gold!
I WILL build fires in designated or safe places only.
I WILL leave gates as found.
I WILL remove and properly dispose of any trash that I
find.
I WILL NOT litter.
I WILL NOT destroy property, buildings, or what is left
of ghost towns and deserted structures.
I WILL NOT tamper with signs, structural facilities, or
equipment.
Page 4
The News, April 2015
Penny Could Be Worth
$2 Million
Bloomberg msn.com
A
U.S. penny forged in 1792 is up for auction at
Stacks Bowers in Baltimore, with an estimated
value of $2 million. If the March 26 auction
meets expectations, the coin will have realized a 200
million percent increase in value in 223 years.
Lest you start hoarding pennies in hopes that your
great- great-great-grandchildren will net similar gains,
keep in mind that this is not your average piece of
currency. Named the “Birch Cent” after its designer,
the coin is one of the first pieces of U.S. currency ever
minted, and it's one of just seven of this particular
design that remain.
Mineral Specimen Identification
As part of their community outreach, Metropolitan State
College of Denver, Dep. of Earth & Atmospheric
Science, Professional Services Division offers FREE
MINERAL SPECIMEN IDENTIFICATION. Participants
will aid in the education of future Geoscientists!
Details and specimen submittal forms with instructions
can be downloaded
from:
SPECIAL OFFER FREE MINERAL SPECIMEN
http://college.earthscienceeducation.net/MINPET/
MINID.pdf
On one side of the copper coin, a young woman with
curly hair (blown back as if in Revolutionary windtunnel), sits in profile, surrounded by the words
“Liberty Parent of Science & Industry.” According to
the lot notes, the face was chosen after a conference in
the fledgling U.S. house, which decided on lady liberty—against the wishes of the U.S. Senate, which apparently lobbied for the face of George Washington,
then the sitting U.S. president.
On the reverse, a laurel wreath surrounds the words
“One Cent,” which is surrounded, in turn, by “The
United States of America” in a larger font. In case
there was any confusion about the value of the currency, there’s a helpful 1/100 underneath the wreath.
The “Birch Cent,” one of the first pieces of U.S. cur(Continued on page 15)
Refreshment Volunteers
April—Betsy Emond & Mike Noll
May—Ed & Mai Edwards
June—Fred Sugden
July—Dick & Sharon French
August—Ray & Loralee Hettinger
September—Bard Schuldt
October—Ray McGehee & Ann Nichols
November—George & Peggy Stumpf
The News, April 2015
Property Wanted
For Detector Hunt
RMPTH is looking for private property on which to hold
an organized club detector hunt. Obviously, it would be
most ideal if this property is known to have seen some
past historical activity. If you have such property or
know of someone who does, please contact Rick
Mattingly to plan a club field outing event.
Page 5
Another Monster Aussie Nugget
Australian Gold Prospector unearths 87-Ounce Solid Gold Nugget in Victoria
A
ustralian gold prospector Michael Brown has uncovered an astonishing 87-ounce solid gold nugget during a prospecting expedition in Inglewood, a town located in the state of Victoria, Australia.
“I’m still in absolute shock about finding a gold nugget of this magnitude! As a professional gold prospector, this
find is a monumental accomplishment in my career,” said Brown. “I’ve been using Minelab detectors for years
and the investment has more than paid off.”
Get In Touch with Minelab
https://bay179.mail.live.com/?tid=cmYBTJapHJ5BGmqgAjfeM0jA2&fid=flinbox
Another good deed done …. Someone could have tripped over this and hurt themselves!
Rich Streets!
“The streets of Victor, Colo., are literally paved with gold. During the boom there was
so much rich ore in the area that the low grade stuff was used to level out the streets.
In 1936 the town raised $5,000 by "mining" the yard in front of the post office.”
Quoted from page 11 of the May 1997 issue of Lost Treasure magazine. The golden
streets of Victor, From State Treasure Tales By Anthony J. Pallante.
Page 6
The News, April 2015
Diesel Says “Know Your
Batteries”
W
hy is it not OK to mix different AA batteries?
Because they all don’t produce the same voltage, the voltage a battery produces depends on
the particular chemicals inside, regardless of the size.
Alkaline batteries all produce 1.523 volts, ni-cads produce 1.2 volts, lead-asides produce 2.2, and typical consumer lithium batteries 3.7 volts. Lots of electronic devices are not all that dependant on voltage, so they can
handle either alkaline or ni-cads, for instance. And they
would not be bothered if you mixed battery types.
But the batteries themselves wouldn’t like it. Batteries
are like pumps for electrons. They can pump electrons
at various pressures, and that pressure is measured in
voltage. If you mix two different types of batteries, the
higher pressure one can force the other one to work
backwards. And it will break it. “Broken” batteries just
usually die or leak, but sometimes they can pop or even
explode.
It’s very important that everyone remove the batteries in
your detector when you store it for ant length of time. In
the case where your batteries leak or explode, and damage your detector or worse the manufacturer will not
cover you under their warranty. But! it is of “value
for you to know” when you
buy good quality batteries
and don’t mix brands, and
there is a problem like
leakage. Duracell,
Eveready Energizer, and
Rayovac offer to repair
any damage caused by
leaking batteries. I only
buy them and never store
brands. Even though the
discount store brands offer the same performance
for a lot less money , when
you eventually have one leak in your detector you’ll be
very, very glad that you weren’t using store brand alkalines ! Diesel and Goldfinger say!“Buy American”. Top
rated by consumer reports was (Duracell Ultra Power).
Map, Compass & GPS Clinic
On Saturday, April 21, 2015 RMPTH member Rick
Mattingly will present a clinic on the use of USGS
Topo Maps, Compass and GPS Units. Knowledge of
proper use of these items are critical to keeping
yourself located in the wild. This knowledge is also
extremely useful in completing research to find that
hidden mine, ghost town, etc. that we are all looking
for.
Please join Rick at the Allnutt Family Center in Fort
Collins, 650 W. Drake Road, from 9:00am to 12:00pm
for this clinic. The meeting room is located at the
south end of the Allnutt building nearest Drake Road.
If you have any of the items mentioned—USGS Topo
Map, Compass or GPS Unit—please bring them.
A donation of $1 will be collected at the door to pay
for room rental. Now that’s cheap learnin’!
Reservations are required! Sign up at the April club
meeting or Rick’s contact info may be found in the
Contact List at the rear of this newsletter.
See you there - If you can
find this secret location with
your GPS!
Berkshire Corporate Park, Bethel, CT 06801
USA Attn. Consumer Dept.
Energizer Battery Company
Consumer Affaires
25225 Detroit Road
Westlake, OH 44145-2536
Thanks to George Streeter
The News, April 2015
Page 7
Manhattan: Poudre
Canyon's Ghost Town
By Kenneth Jessen
Correspondent
T
he once busy town of Manhattan, located approximately 45 miles west of Fort Collins, has
vanished. Only a lush meadow, a few grave
markers and some bits of wood and glass are all
that mark the site.
The story of Manhattan began in 1886, when a number of prominent Fort Collins citizens put together an organization
to systematically search for precious metals in the hills west of
town. The group hired three experienced prospectors. In September,
these men reported finding gold ore
on the divide between Seven Mile
and Elkhorn creeks. The prospectors
boasted that gold could be panned
from almost any piece of crushed
rock. This immediately caused a
gold rush, and in the process, over
300 claims were filed.
than 40 structures.
In a mine explosion at the Black Hawk tunnel in
1892, two Manhattan miners were killed. A cemetery
was established, and they were buried north of the
present day road through the town site. It is possible
that others who died in Manhattan were also buried
in the cemetery.
Even as recently as 1970, the cemetery was used for
burials. A local character named "Rattlesnake Jack"
Brinkhoff let his family know that he too wanted to be
buried there, and when he died, his remains joined
the others.
Manhattan had a one-room schoolhouse. At first, the
school year lasted only four months,
Prospectors started a town and
gave it the unlikely name of Manhattan. It had a hotel, stores a post
office and even a newspaper called
the Manhattan Prospector. This
frontier newspaper
lasted less than a year.
The saloon, the Ace of Clubs, was
located at the corner of the town's
two main streets, Chestnut and
Manhattan. The Ace of Clubs had a
central two-story portion with three
shed-like structures attached to its sides. Even for a
Colorado mining town, the structure had an odd and
unique appearance.
Population estimates for Manhattan vary considerably, with some placing it at well over 1,000. A more
realistic figure for Manhattan's population is 100 to
200. Photographs show that the town did have more
Manhattan Viewing to the West—1885
but was later expanded to six months. The school included eight grades. On cold days, the younger children got first choice in seating near the stove. After
the population of Manhattan began to decline, the
school building was moved to Elkhorn.
(Continued on page 9)
Before You Buy That Metal Detector Handbook Check:
http://www.mdhtalk.org/articles/before-you-buy-hb/before-you-buy-handbook.pdf
Page 8
The News, April 2015
(Continued from page 8)
A number of companies sold stock in the mines at
Manhattan. Among these was the French Creek Mining & Milling Co. Another was the Robertson Gold
Mining Co. with a Fort Collins druggist A. W. Scott as
its president. The Missouri Mining & Milling Co. had
three mines in the area. Prominent Fort Collins residents Abner Loomis and Frank Stover ran the
Democratic Mining Co.
In 1888, Fort Collins businessmen financed construction of a mill, and it was built on Seven Mile Creek. It
never operated properly and was eventually dismantled. The Zimmerman brothers built a five-stamp mill
and reduction works at a placed called Poudre City
along the Poudre River about 3 miles above Rustic.
This mill crushed a lot of ore, and the concentrate
was shipped to St. Louis for refining. The results were
so poor, the mill was abandoned.
In 1890, Fort Collins butcher shop owner Benjamin
Burnett proudly displayed ore from the district. Burnett owned the general store in Manhattan and was
involved with the mining towns of Teller City and Lulu
City.
Some of the mining properties had imaginative names
such as the Laugh-a-Lot, the Bacon, the Bullfrog,
Wedding Bells, Honeymoon, the Joker, Evening Star
and Tidal Wave.
F.C. Goodell was born in Manhattan and tells of a trip
that he took when he was 12 years old. He drove one
of two wagons loaded with ore from Manhattan to
Denver to be milled.
The mine's owner drove the other wagon. When the
owner received payment for the gold content, he figured he had been working his mine for a dollar a day.
As late as 1898, mines in the area were being patented, but Manhattan was all but abandoned. The
post office was closed and moved to Elkhorn. Some of
the buildings were moved to other locations. Those
cabins that remained were burned by the Forest Service during the 1930s.
At this point, it might be well to include some comments by Ansel Watrous in his "History of Larimer
County" on mining in this region. He said that although thousands of dollars and many years were
spent prospecting in the hills of Larimer County, the
returns in dollars and cents bear no comparison to
the cost. Watrous points out that almost every square
foot of the mountains from the southern to the northern boundaries of the county, from the foothills to the
summit of the Medicine Bow Range have been explored looking for precious metals. As of 1911 when
his book was published, not a single profitable mine
had ever been opened and worked.
From the North Forty News, 2005
The News, April 2015
Page 9
Calendar of Events
April Meeting
Wednesday, April 1. We will meet at the Pulliam
Building in downtown Loveland at 6:00PM. Refer to
the adjoining map for directions.
Meeting Agenda
6:00 - 7:00 Social Hour & Finds Program
7:00 - 7:30 Business, Announcements & Find of
the Month Program
7:30 - 7:45 Break
7:45 - 9:00 "Metal Detecting” By RMPTH members Tom Warne and Rick Mattingly.
Visit RMPTH On The Internet At
http://rmpth.com
RMPTH DUES
RMPTH is an unincorporated Social Club with
no income generated. All
expenses are covered by
$25 annual dues. Members are requested to
consider minor donations
at each monthly meeting
to cover refreshments.
MAP TO THE MEETING PLACE
Pulliam Community Building
545 Cleveland Avenue, Loveland, Colorado
Directions:
The Pulliam Community Building is situated on the west side of Cleveland Avenue in Loveland,
Colorado. Park at the rear of the building (west side). Entry to the meeting room is from
the doorway on the south side of the building (not the main entrance on Cleveland Avenue!).
Page 10
The News, April 2015
April 2015
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
1
2
3
4
9
10
11
RMPTH Finds Program
& Social 6:00P
RMPTH Meeting 7:00P
5
6
7
8
RMPTH Board Meeting
6:00P
Easter Sunday
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
Local Detector Hunt
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
Map, Compass &
GPD Clinic
26
27
28
29
30
May 2015
Sun
Mon
3
4
Tue
5
Wed
6
Thu
7
Fri
Sat
1
2
8
RMPTH Finds Program
& Social 6:00P
RMPTH Meeting 7:00P
10
11
12
13
14
15
RMPTH Board Meeting
6:00P
Mother’s Day
17
9
Prospecting & Detecting Clinic at Lions Park
9:00-12:00
16
Armed Forces Day
Denver GPAA Gold
& Treasure Show
18
19
20
21
22
23
25
26
27
28
29
30
Denver GPAA Gold
& Treasure Show
24
Memorial Day
31
The News, April 2015
Page 11
Terms Jewelers Use
least 1/20 of the total weight of the piece of jewelry. If you
see a mark that reads
12KGF, the item is gold filled.
Every business has its own language. Here are important
jewelry terms you need to know.
GOLD ELECTROPLATE consists of a very thin layer of
gold, at least 10K, over a base metal. Methods of applying the gold vary. Electroplate is less durable than gold
filled and gold overlay.
KARATS are a measure of gold’s fine-ness. PURE gold is
24 karats. it’s the snuff of which the gold bars in Fort
Knox are made. Gold coins, such as American Eagles,
are also 24K gold. Pure, 24K gold is too soft to be used
for jewelry.
SOLID gold is an item made of at least 10K gold that is
solid through and through, rather than hollow.
BASE METALS like copper, zinc, silver, and nickel are
mixed with gold to make an alloy are enough to use for
jewelry.
18-KARAT gold is used for jewelry most often in Europe.
It’s 18 parts gold to 6 parts base metal.
14-KARAT gold is 14 parts gold and 10 parts base
metal. Most of the jewelry you find in U.S. stores is 14K
gold.
10-KARAT gold is commonly used for men’s rings and
children’s jewelry. Be-cause it’s 10 parts gold and 14
parts base metal, it’s harder and more damage resis-tant
than 14K.
GOLD FILLED & GOLD OVERLAY
are essentially the same thing, a base metal coated with
gold. The gold mush be at least 10K and it must equal at
RMPTH Field Outing Statement
NOTE: The Coordinators and participants stay in touch
and continue to review and plan upcoming presentations
and outings for the year on a monthly basis. Our editor
Rick Mattingly needs timely event information for each
issue of The News. Please get information about any particular event to him by the 15th of the month to meet the
printing deadline for the next issue.
Planned trips, outings, activities, and meeting programs
are in the newsletter and on line at the clubs website.
Planning is a work in progress and additional outings and
activities are added and sometimes deleted on an ongoing basis. Events planned in the upcoming month are
emphasized to the attendees at the monthly meetings.
Contact the Presentations Coordinators or Editor if you
have any suggestions or ideas throughout the year for
fieldtrips, outings, and programs.
The best made plans may change at the last minute due
to the illness of the Trail Boss, weather, land access, vehicles breaking down, wrong meeting sites, etc. Please
be understanding of extenuating circumstances and contact the coordinator or Trail Boss of a specific event if
there is any question of an event being cancelled or
changed at the last minute.
Page 12
VERMEIL is a thin layer of gold over sterling silver. Museum catalogs offer a lot of vermeil (and gold-filled) jewelry
PINK WHITE, YELLOW & GREEN
Gold can be 10K, 14K, or 18K. The colors have nothing
to do with the fineness of the gold. They’re related to the
types and proportions of base metals used. Copper and
silver make gold look pink. White gold requires nickel in
the allow. Silver cadmium, and copper create green.
Different finishes can give gold jewelry different looks.
The DIAMOND-CUT finish is probably the most heavily
promoted. Tiny cuts in the surface - like facets on diamonds - give a little gold a lot of sparkle. HAMMERED
gold has evenly spaced indentations. Roses and scrolls,
such as you might find in a traditionally styled bangle
bracelet, are often ETCHED. A HIGH-POLISH finish
scratches easily but, over time, the scratches can give the
piece a rich patina. A MATTE finish has a dull, soft look.
Reprinted from Consumer Reports, December ‘92
Thanks to Eureka! TH Club for running it in their May
‘93 issue.
Lot Of Gold
The following amazing fact is quoted
from a recent article in the
"International California Mining Journal."
"Major mining companies in the Black
Hills (South Dakota) produced
527,400 ounces of gold last year
(1997), state reports show. That's
down from 558,896 ounces the previous year (1996)."
Now that's a lot of gold!
The News, April 2015
Cheap Coin Cleaner
A cheap coin cleaner tip from the Internet
Posted by Thomas Hill [email protected]
April 20, 1998
may bubble it out of the container over time so place
it in a sink or something. $1.25 for a bottle and I've
cleaned well over thirty dollars with it, so it is cost
effective.
R
ead this somewhere and it has worked real
well for me. If you want to clean clad coins but
don't want to spend a lot of money doing it,
pick up toilet bowl cleaner (I use Lime Away) and just
soak you coins in it for a day or so. Put pennies in a
separate container or they will turn the others brown.
I can't believe how well this works, good enough to
spend them. This stuff has acid in it so use glass containers and keep your eyes away from it. The pennies
The News, April 2015
Page 13
No Mercury
Tom Ashworth shares his technique for
extracting gold from black sand
without mercury.
By Tom Ashworth
T
here have been many questions on here about
how to get gold out of black sand. I thought I
would post a method that I use on cleaning up on
my 6" dredge. I clean up the top of my sluice box everyday and the rest of the sluice box when it is needed. One
problem I see with a lot of new miners is they clean up
too often and this takes away from the time the could be
dredging and finding more gold. If you
have the sluice on your dredge set up
so that the gravel is not getting too full
between the rifles and not running so
fast that it sweeps the rifles, then once
a day clean up is all you should need
on most store bought dredges. The
perfect set up for the sluice is so you
have about one quarter inch of carpet
showing between the gravel of the middle riffle of the sluice and the one below it. Now dredge all day.
After dredging all day I empty my
dredge into a large wash tub. I then
screen those concentrates using a 20
mesh screen into a 5 gallon bucket. I then pan the concentrates that did not go through the 20 mesh screen
while down at the river (looking for nuggets of course).
Any gold found in the concentrates that were too large to
fit through the 20 mesh screen, I put in a vial. I then put
a shovel sluice (a Keene or Le Trap sluice works well)
inside the dredge sluice so that the shovel sluice is close
to the header box or jet flare. I use a modified Keene A52 sluice. It has some NoTrax matting glued in the top to
catch fine gold. I then start the engine on the dredge at
idle so the water runs down the shovel sluice. I adjust
the engine so that the water flow is swift enough to wash
out light sand and still save all of the black sand and
gold. The output of the shovel sluice goes back into the
dredge sluice and there are still several riffles in the
dredge sluice that will catch any flour gold that happens
to escape (this will remain until the next time I dredge). I
then scoop the concentrates that I screened into the
shovel sluice. When all concentrates are run, I then
empty the shovel sluice into a 5 gallon bucket.
To do the final clean-up I use a panning wheel and a microsluice. You can also pan down to get to the last of the
impurities. These impurities usually consist of a small
amount of black sand, a few iron rocks, and pieces of
lead.
Page 14
There are many ways to go about doing this final
cleanup. Personally, in general cleanup I like to stay
away from the use of mercury, as there is a faster way
without it. I also like to stay away from the use of nitric
acid because its usually not needed either. There are
times when the use of mercury and nitric acid can help
speed thing up. Usually though, I can do the final
cleanup without them.
Here's one quick procedure to do the final cleanup;
(1) Dry out the gold by pouring it into a metal pan and
heating it over a stove outside. Don't get it so hot that
any pieces of lead which are still with the gold will melt.
Heat it up just hot enough to dry it out. It is a good idea
to stay upwind anytime you put gold in a pan and heat it
up. Mercury attaches itself to gold in different amounts.
Often it's there but you can't see it. When heating the
gold to certain temperature, the mercury vaporizes off.
These vapors are
very dangerous. So
it is good practice
to heat your gold
outside and downwind of you, even
when heating it up
just enough to dry
it out. Also, the pan
you use for heating
up gold during
cleanup should be
used only to cleanup, not for cooking.
(2) Once the gold is dry, bring it inside, out of the wind,
and pour it onto a piece of clean paper. You can now
pick out the larger impurities from the gold with tweezers.
(3) Now a magnet can be used to extract most of the remaining black sands for you gold. I use a Keene Gold
Magnet.
(4) By lightly blowing over the gold, you can finish extracting the rest of the impurities. If you can locate a very
fine screen you can use it to separate the smaller pieces
of gold and impurities for the larger ones just after drying it out and this speeds the process up a bit.
(5) Put you gold back in the metal pan, take it outside
and heat it up, hotter this time, in order to vaporize any
further mercury for the gold. This will bring your gold
back to the basic deep rich beauty which we love.
(6) Now you can put it in a bottle. If you want to sell it
keep it dry, but if it is for show put water in the bottle to
keep it beautiful.
The News, April 2015
(Continued from page 5)
rency minted.
This isn’t the first time the coin has come up for sale. It was considered a collector’s item as early as 1882, when it was offered as part of
the collection of Charles I. Bushnell Esq., a collector of Americana. It
popped up eight years later, in 1890, and again in 1921. Four years
after that, in 1925, it was advertised for sale for $1,000
(approximately $13,500 today, adjusted for inflation). It last appeared
in 1975, when it was purchased by the current consignor, who is selling it to benefit the Henry P. Kendall Foundation, which works to nurture sustainable food systems in New England.
The auction has a total of 560 lots. Aside from the Birch Cent, other
standouts include a silver cent, also from 1792, which is expected to
sell for around $400,000, and an (ill- fated) Confederate States of
America half-dollar, which also features lady liberty—this one seated
and endowed with dubious physical proportions—which is expected
to sell for more than $600,000.
In total, the collection is expected to net from $5 million to $10 million. Other standouts include a silver cent, also from 1792, which is
expected to sell for around $400,000 The auction comes at a time
when the coin market is at its highest point ever. In 2014, an estimated $536 million of rare coins sold at auction, and the U.S. market
rose to an estimated $5 billion, according to the Professional Numismatists Guild. A representative from Stacks auction house says that a
range of collectors will be vying for the Birch cent: Americana collectors, coin collectors, and investors hoping to capitalize on the coin’s
rarity. Although the auction house won’t comment on specific bidders, here’s reason to believe that the coin will easily surpass the $2
million estimate—a Birch coin sold for a stunning $2,585,000 in
January.
Gold Glossary
ELUVIAL DEPOSIT - A deposit
of gold and other lode materials
that have been swept away from
the original load, but have not
yet reached a running stream of
water.
Gold Facts
Symbol: AU
Atomic Number: 79
Atomic Weight: 196.967
Melting Point: 1063° (1945° F)
Specific Gravity: 19.2
MOH’s Scale of Hardness:
2.5 - 3
Karat
24K = 100% Pure Gold
18K = 75% Pure Gold
14K = 58% Pure Gold
10K = 42% Pure Gold
Troy Weights
1 grain = 0.0648 grams
24 grains = 1 penny
weight (DWT) = 1.552 grams
20 DWT = 1 ounce =
480 grains = 31.10 grams
© Heritage Auctions/AP Photo This photo provided by Heritage
Auctions shows an experimental U.S. penny struck to test a design in
1792 that sold Thursday, Jan. 8,2015 for $2,585,000 to a California
man according to Heritage Auctions in Dallas.
The News, April 2015
YOUR
ADVERTISEMENT
COULD BE HERE!
Call Rick Mattingly
at 970-613-8968
or [email protected]
Page 15
Trading Post
WANTED: By NRA Card Holding Law Abiding Private
Citizen. Colt S&W Ruger Taurus .357 Wheel Gun/
Revolver for Home/Personal Defense. If you have a
Collector’s Item, Please keep it. I’m looking for a gun
to shoot/Not display. LMK what ya got. Thanks.
970.222.2323
FOR SALE: Jewelers propane/oxygen torch, many cabochons, beads and tools. Contact Ann at
(970) 6667-3705.
FOR SALE: A "MUST HAVE" T-Shirt for every Prospector
and Treasure Hunter. Quality 100% cotton tees. See and
order from:
http://BestBlackandGold.com.
FOR SALE: Minelab SD2200 Gold Nugget Metal Detector:
10-1/2" Mono Super Coil, 10-1/2" SD Series Super Coil, two
batteries w/wall & car charger, headphones, backpack,
waist battery pack, signal enhancer, extra lower stem, instruction booklet & video, carry case. Ready to go for the
gold. New Price: $1625. Contact Paul at (970) 482-7846.
FOR SALE: 5HP pump motor, Gold King 3" Hi-banker with
dredge attachment w/adjustable stand, Gold Grabber Hibanker, 125 feet hose, Rock net and steel cable, misc. fittings and valves & large metal bucket. Prefer to sell all together for $1,350 but negotiable. Call Eric Stickland at
(303) 833-6848 or
[email protected].
About Trading Post
The News runs classified ads in Trading Post
for three consecutive issues. Trading Post ads
for topic related items up to 10 lines (or 70
words) long are free. To place an ad in Trading
Post contact Rick Mattingly at (970) 613-8968
evenings
or e-mail at: [email protected]
Commercial Advertising
Specifications
(Monthly Donation Rate)
Full Page (8 1/2" X 7")
Half Page (3 1/4" X 7")
One Third Page (3" X 4")
Business Card (2 3/4" X 1 1/2")
$30
$20
$15
$ 5
Ads must be received by the 15th of the
preceding month. Contact Rick Mattingly for information on this service at
(970) 613-6968 evenings or e-mail at:
[email protected].
WANTED: Used lapidary equipment. Call Kathie 970-2211623
WANTED: Federal or state duck stamps; mint or used. Contact John Hart at (307) 778-3993.
NOTE:
Purchase arrangements are between the buyer and
seller only and involves no financial benefit to RMPTH.
All mistakes and
misspellings were
intentionally made so
that you could have the
pleasure of finding them.
Colorado School of Mines
Geology Museum
Golden, Colorado
Contact us: 303-273-3815 or
[email protected]
Identification of specimens is performed
between 10 a.m. and noon, Tuesdays and
Thursdays.
Page 16
The News, April 2015
WEEKEND & SMALL-SCALE
MINER’S CODE OF ETHICS
I WILL respect other prospector’s claims and not work
those claims without the owner’s permission
I WILL have on-site all necessary permits and licenses
I WILL build fires in designated or safe places only, and
in accordance with current State and Federal guidelines
I WILL be careful with fuels and motor oils and be cognizant of their potential destructive effect on the environment
UPS Aircraft Maintenance
Remember it takes a college degree to fly a plane, but only
a high school diploma to fix one.
After every flight, UPS pilots fill out a form, called a gripe
sheet, which tells mechanics about problems with the
aircraft. The mechanics correct the problems, document
their repairs on the form, and then pilots review the gripe
sheets before the next flight.
Never let it be said that ground crews lack a sense of humor. Here are some actual maintenance complaints submitted by UPS pilots (marked with a P) and the solutions
recorded (marked with an S) by maintenance engineers.
By the way, UPS is the only major airline that has never,
ever, had an accident...
I WILL remove and properly dispose of all trash and
debris that I find - I will not litter
P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement.
S: Almost replaced left inside main tire.
I WILL be thoughtful, considerate and courteous to
those around me at all time
P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough.
S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft.
I WILL appreciate and protect our heritage of natural
resources, wildlife, fisheries and private property, and
respect all laws or ordinances governing prospecting
and mining
I WILL NOT remove stream bank material, destroy
natural vegetation or woody debris dams, nor discharge
excess silt into the waterways
I WILL NOT refuel motorized equipment in the stream
I WILL NOT allow oil from motorized
equipment to drip onto the ground or into the water
I WILL NOT prospect in areas closed to prospecting
and mining
P: Something loose in cockpit
S: Something tightened in cockpit
P: Dead bugs on windshield.
S: Live bugs on back-order.
P: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 feet
per minute descent
S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground.
P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.
S: Evidence removed.
P: DME volume unbelievably loud.
S: DME volume set to more believable level.
P: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick.
S: That's what friction locks are for.
P: IFF inoperative in OFF mode.
S: IFF always inoperative in OFF mode.
P: Suspected crack in windshield.
S: Suspect you're right.
P: Number 3 engine missing.
S: Engine found on right wing after brief search
P: Aircraft handles funny. (I love this one!)
S: Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right and be serious.
P: Target radar hums.
S: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics.
P: Mouse in cockpit.
S: Cat installed.
And the best one for last
Offer Your Assistance To Any
Of Our Program Coordinators
The News, April 2015
P: Noise coming from under instrument panel. Sounds
like a midget pounding on something with a hammer.
S: Took hammer away from the midget
Page 17
Rocky Mountain Prospectors and Treasure Hunters Club
2015 Schedule of Events
Month
Meeting Program
Trip/Activity
January
Cheyenne War: Indian Raids on the
Roads to Denver, 1864-1869
By Jeff Broome
No Trip/Activity Scheduled
February
Cache Hunting
By Rick Mattingly
No Trip/Activity Scheduled
March
Setting Up A Gold Sluice Box
By RMPTH Members
No Trip/Activity Scheduled
April
Metal Detecting
By Tom Warne & Rick Mattingly
Local Detector Hunt
Map, Compass & GPS Clinic
May
Gold Nugget Shooting With Detector
By Rick Mattingly
Prospecting & Detecting Clinic at Lions Park
Denver GPAA Show
‘Let’s Go Gold Panning On The Arkansas’ Event – GPOC
June
Gold Dredging
By RMPTH Members
Clear Creek Gold Outing
State Annual Gold Panning Championships
July
Map Reading for Prospectors
by Wayne Sutherland WSGS
Clear Creek Gold Outing
Eldora Ski Resort Detector Outing - Robert Crain
August
Surface Finds
by Tom Warne
Vic’s Gold Panning—Blackhawk
September
Map & Internet Research
By Bud Yoder & Rick Mattingly
Local Detector Hunt
October
Gold, Silver & Gem Recovery
by David Emslie
Local Detector Hunt
November
Annual “Show & Tell” &
Silent Auction
No Trip/Activity Scheduled
December
Annual Find of the Year Awards &
Christmas Party
Flatirons Mineral Club & Model Train Show
Good Hunting in 2015!
Page 18
The News, April 2015
Rocky Mountain
Prospectors & Treasure Hunters
Contact List
RMPTH Coordinators
Home
President
Bud Yoder
Interim Vice President
Shane Manenti
1-970-590-9183
[email protected]
Treasurer
Dick & Sharon French
1-970-482-2110
[email protected]
Secretary
Rick Mattingly
1-970-613-8968
[email protected]
Rick Mattingly
1-970-613-8968
[email protected]
Rick Mattingly
1-970-613-8968
[email protected]
Finds Program
Dave Landes
Betsy Emond
Joe Johnston
1-720-985-4186
1-970-218-0290
1-303-696-6950
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Presentations
Rick Mattingly
1-970-613-8968
[email protected]
Club Historian
Volunteer Needed
Club Meeting Greeter
Barbara Schuldt
1-970-407-1336
Club Librarian
Joe Johnston
1-303-696-6950
[email protected]
Club Photo Librarian
Tom Warne
1-970-635-0773
[email protected]
Meeting Setup
Jim Friedricks
1-970-590-9183
Door Prize
Shane Manenti
1-970-590-9183
[email protected]
Zinc Penny Project
Tom Marschall
1-970-396-0133
[email protected]
50/50 Drawing
Woody Hogdon
1-970-667-5010
[email protected]
Coin Raffle
Woody Hogdon
1-970-667-5010
[email protected]
———————–
[email protected]
The News Staff
Editor-in-Chief
Internet Web Site
Web Master
Volunteers/Coordinators
———————–
———————–
———————–
———————–
General Information Contact: Rick Mattingly at 1-970-613-8968
Visit RMPTH on the Internet at: http://rmpth.com
Let’s Go For The Gold !
The News, April 2015
Page 19
The News
Rocky Mountain Prospectors &
Treasure Hunters Club
278 Sierra Vista Drive
Fort Collins, CO. 80524
APRIL, 2015 ISSUE
