Rocky Mountain Prospectors & Treasure Hunters Newsletter

The News
v. 16, n. 11 November, 2012 Visit RMPTH On The Internet At http://rmpth.com Going for the Gold

Contents
1 2 4 5 6 6 7 8 10 11 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Beginners Luck About The News How The Rocky Mountains Formed Gear Hauling Tip Bucket-Line Dredge Gold In Quartz Target Masking Idaho Treasure Tale Calendar of Events Calendars Annual Show & Tell The Night Watchman Annual Silent Auction Trading Post Setting Sluice Angle 2012 Schedule of Events Contact List

Beginners Luck
Novice treasure hunter who bought basic metal detector found 40 Roman coins worth 100,000 By Leon Watson October 2012

novice treasure hunter who bought a basic metal detector returned to the shop in shock weeks later, clutching part of the country's finest ever hoard of Late Roman gold coins. The man stunned staff by showing them 40 gold Solidi, before asking them: 'What do I do with this?' They contacted local experts and together got the permits they needed, headed back to the scene and pulled up another 119 gleaming pieces. The hoard could be worth more than 100,000. These late Roman gold coins were been found by a metal detectorist on private land north of St Albans in Hertfordshire. The find is believed to be one of the largest Roman gold coin hoards ever discovered in the UK David Sewell, the lucky shopkeeper who joined the second search party, said: 'Its a staggering thing. 'We sold this guy an entry-level machine and he went off and pulled off one of the largest ever hoards of Late Roman gold coins. We believe its the second largest. 'He came up with approximately 40 coins to start with. He came to see us and we looked at it and thought: Is this a stunt? 'Ive heard in the past that the general reaction with things like this is that people are terrified. They dont know what they (the artefacts) mean.'

"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." - Abraham Lincoln

They advised the man to get in touch with the local finds liaison officer and armed with a JCB they went to the woodlands spot near St Albans, Hertfordshire, and contin(Continued on page 3)

About The News

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

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

Articles, letters and short items of interest on prospecting, detecting and treasure hunting topics are welcome and encouraged. All items submitted for publication are subject to editing. Submittals for publication may be made in writing or, preferably, in ASCII text format on IBM-compatible disk. If you have questions about a submission, please contact the editor for information. Copyright Unless otherwise noted, other nonprofit groups may reprint or quote from any articles appearing in The News without prior permission, provided that proper author and publication credits are given and that a copy of the publication in which the article appears is sent at no cost to RMPTH at the above mailing address. Clubs wishing to exchange newsletters with RMPTH are invited to send a copy of their newsletter together with an exchange request.

When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work, because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work, because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that is the beginning of the end of any nation!
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ued the work. Mr Sewell, who founded metal detecting shop Hidden History with Mark Becher in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, last year, said: 'We went with them and took with us a couple of slightly more potent machines and we pulled 119 more coins out of the ground. 'I've found bits and pieces but nothing like this. I've got immense satisfaction that the guy came to us and bought the machine from us but I would be lying if I said I didn't wish it had been me.' Shopkeeper David Sewell stated 'These are 22 carat gold, they havent got any damage and they came out of the ground looking like the day they were made. All I can say is I was there and my heart was going at 10 to the dozen.' The find has been referred to experts at the British Museum to investigate and prepare a report for the local coroner The man had bought a Garrett Ace 150, retailing at around 135 and described as being ideal for children to use for a hobby. Local heritage officials described the find as 'a nationally significant find.' The coins are a rare example of the Solidus, dating from the last days of Roman rule in Britain. The last consignments of them reached these shores in 408AD. Officials refused to identify the exact site of the discovery or the landowner to stop others from trying to cash in. They also would not name the person who found them, who could profit from a share of the proceeds from the coins. A spokesman for St Albans City and District Council said: 'A nationally significant find of 159 Late Roman gold coins has been found by a metal detectorist on private land in the north of the district of St Albans, in Hertfordshire. 'The find is believed to be one of the largest Roman gold coin hoards ever discovered in the UK.' Local museum staff, together with Hidden History, travelled to the rural site to confirm the find. 'Evidence suggests that the hoard was disturbed in the last couple of hundred years due to quarrying activity or plough action,' said the spokesman.

Mr Sewell said the coins were found across about 15 metres of woodland. It is believed that the area was used during the Second World War to cultivate crops and it may be then that the coins were shifted. 'The interesting thing is there were no other artefacts there at all, no brooches,' said Mr Sewell. 'Oddly there was no vessel at all to hold them. It is quite a significant stash and Im surprised that it would have been in an organic holder. The council has now referred the hoard to experts at the British Museum to investigate and prepare a report for the local coroner. They will also determine the value of the coins, which could fetch anything from 400 to 1,000 apiece. The coroner will then determine whether the hoard counts as treasure. David Thorold, curator of the prehistory to medieval section at the Verulamium Museum, in St Albans, said: 'Gold Solidi were extremely valuable coins and were not traded or exchanged on a regular basis. 'They would have been used for large transactions such as buying land, or goods by the shipload. 'The gold coins in the economy guaranteed the value of all the silver and especially the bronze coins in circulation. However, must people would not have had regular access to them. 'Typically, the wealthy Roman elite, merchants or soldiers receiving bulk pay were the recipients.' Mr Sewell, who resumed detecting three years ago after a 36-year gap, has himself found a number of items, including a rare silver Tealby Penny. He said: 'Ive found bits and pieces but nothing like this. Ive got immense satisfaction that the guy came to us and bought the machine from us but I would be lying if I said I didnt wish it had been me. 'It beggars belief. Thanks to things like Time Team peoples interest in archaeology has really taken off. You do have the possibility to change history.'

The News, November 2012

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How The Rocky Mountains Formed

How can a mountain range form in the center of a continent? Republished from a February, 2011 press release by CIRES - The Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences. The Formation of the Rockies Has Been An Enigma

Gold Standard For thousands of years, gold has played an important part in human society as a medium of exchange; that is, as money. Societies developed systems of money, or currencies, to make trade easier and to replace barter systems.

Gold Glossary
Hydraulic Mining- Hydraulic mining used water that was diverted into ditches and wooden flumes at high elevations, and gravity did the rest. Channeled through heavy iron pipes, the water exploded from a nozzle far below with a force of 5000 pounds. When that awesome stream of water was focused and directed, the mountains were literally blasted away.

he formation of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado has always puzzled scientists. Some 600 miles inland and far removed from the nearest tectonic plate, the only comparable inland mountain range is the Himalaya, which scientists deduced were formed by the collision of the Indian plate with the Eurasian plate. "But there really was no India slamming into North America," said Craig Jones, a research fellow of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) and a professor of geological sciences at the University of Colorado at Boulder. "Just how the Rockies have formed is an enigma." Links between the Rockies, Gold, Silver and the Pierre Shale But now scientists have further insight into the solution of this mystery. Jones and his team of researchers have proposed a new model of the mountains' creation and published their results in the February edition of the journal Geosphere. Not only could their research explain the origin of the Rockies, it could also elucidate other geological phenomena: why a swath of gold, silver and other precious metal deposits stretches across Colorado, and why a marine basin deepened in the states of Colorado and Wyoming just before the Rockies rose. The sediments of this marine basin are the Pierre Shale, a layer of dark-gray shale lying along the Front Range of Colorado. "Pierre Shale has this nasty
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TREASURE HUNTERS CODE OF ETHICS

I WILL respect private property and do no treasure hunting without the owner's permission. I WILL fill all excavations. I WILL appreciate and protect our heritage of natural resources, wildlife, and private property. I WILL use thoughtfulness, consideration, and courtesy at all times. I WILL build fires in designated or safe places only. I WILL leave gates as found. I WILL remove and properly dispose of any trash that I find. I WILL NOT litter. I WILL NOT destroy property, buildings, or what is left of ghost towns and deserted structures. I WILL NOT tamper with signs, structural facilities, or equipment.

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Gear Hauling Tip

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

ired of lugging all your gold gear down to the stream? Take a hint from the hunter crowd and purchase an inexpensive big game cart to haul that gear on a set of big tires that roll right over rocks and downed timber. These carts carry over 300 pounds of gear, fold up for loading into your vehicle and cost as little as $45. Check your local sporting goods store or on-line for the best deal and save your back.

Ready to roll

Ready to stow

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.

Refreshment Volunteers
November Barb Schuldt

The News, November 2012

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Bucket-Line Dredge
ost people believe that gold mining in the Yukon and Alaska was primarily done with gold pans, or possibly sluice boxes. In fact, those methods were only used for testing streams, and in the early stages of mining in some areas such as the Klondike. Relatively little gold was recovered, and it wasn't until the arrival of huge dredges that gold production soared. With buckets that gouged out several cubic yards of gravel on each pass, enormous amounts of material could be processed by a dredge, so even fairly poor ground could be profitably mined. The bucket-line dredges that changed the character of gold mining in Alaska and the Yukon were invented in New Zealand. Many changes and additions were made to make them suitable for working frozen ground, but the technology changed little for the 80 years they were in use. Although they look complex, the basic concept is very simple - the buckets scoop up the gravel and dump it into sluice boxes inside the dredge, water is pumped in to separate the gold from the gravel, and the worthless gravel is then dumped out the back. Most modern dredges are much smaller, and use suction to bring up the gold-bearing gravel from river bottoms. Many are used by "recreational" miners due to their relatively low cost and ease of use. Prospector's Paradise http://www.prospectorsparadise.com/

Gold In Quartz
f you have ever wondered how much gold there is in that quartz/gold specimen that you have, here is a way to tell. The following process utilizes the relative differences in specific gravity of gold and the "gangue" material (quartz) it is embedded in. First - You need to use a scale that will allow you to suspend the specimen from a thin wire or string. Second - Weigh the specimen suspended in air and record the weight in grams. Third - Weigh the specimen suspended in water and record the weight in grams. Now, you can calculate the amount of gold by the following formula: Gold Weight = (3.1 x weight of specimen in water) (1.9 x weight of specimen in air) Example: Suppose you had a gold/quartz specimen that weighed 100 grams in air and 75 grams in water, then: Gold = (3.1 x 75) - 1.9 x100) Gold = 232.5 - 190 = 42.5 grams of gold in the specimen. This formula assumes that quartz has a specific gravity of 2.67 and that the gold in the specimen is 85% pure. Thanks to the Gold Prospectors of Colorado October, 2007 newsletter: The Prospector's Quill.

Derry Gold Dredge Near Leadville, Colorado

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The News, November 2012

Target Masking
by Lee Wiese

indicated by the detectors target identification capability. This practice of ignoring nulls or setting discrimination high can leave a high percentage of good non-ferrous targets in the ground. Coil selection and sweep speed are very critical in iron / trash infested detecting ground. A large coil can not differentiate between targets as well as a small coil and therefore is very susceptible to target masking. When targets are close together the coil may only see the iron / trash target and therefore ignore a potential good nonferrous target. In this situation because of masking the detector would only provide identification on the iron / trash target and will not be able to pickup the nearby good nonferrous target. There are some detectorist in the metal detecting hobby that feel detectors can over come target masking by purchasing certain manufacturer detector models. Some detectors will handle target masking better them others but in most cases the detector will usually overcome only the simplest case of target masking. Today, there are more people taking up the hobby of metal detecting and the ground that has never been detected is becoming very sparse. In the future this may lead to going back over grounds that have been heavily hunted. Therefore, following the six suggestions below may yield some very surprising results for the detectorist in what was considered to be hunted -out grounds. So how does one over come target masking? 1st: One easy approach is to stop using discrimination. A positive target located behind, beneath or near junk may result in a mixed signal and these types of signals should always be recovered. 2nd: Slow down your detecting sweep speed so that the coil can differentiate between target types as they pass under the coil. The reduction in sweep speed will allow the detector to provide you with multiple different target IDs. 3rd: In high iron / trash grounds reduce your coil size to three to eight inches in diameter. The smaller coil will provide much enhanced target separation and over come target masking. You may lose some depth but more nonferrous targets can be discovered and recovered.
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would like to start off with a couple of common target masking situations.

Ground Target Masking Condition: When there are numerous iron targets or a high concentration of metal trash targets in the ground, these targets will drive the detector threshold into its null operating zone. When the detector threshold is null-out, meaning there is no audible background thread hold, the detector does not detect or will suppress weaker non-ferrous signals received from deeper or smaller non-ferrous targets that are located near the iron / trash target. Target Masking by using Metal Detector Discrimination: When a detector has a designed in iron discrimination feature it will null over iron and may mask any nonferrous targets that are near the iron target. Or if the operator is using the detectors discrimination capability to discriminate out iron / trash targets the detectors discrimination may mask a good non-ferrous target. Basically what this means is that in many cases iron or other trash can be masking a very good non-ferrous target such as a gold ring, old coin, old button or some other valuable target. Ignoring these nulls or setting ones detector discrimination too high could cause many valuable targets from being found and recovered. In the figure below there are three iron nails and one gold coin target under the coil in this situation the gold coin would be masked by the three iron nails. The detectorist would just continue on and not be aware of the gold coin target because of the three iron nail targets. Target masking is not a new metal detecting phenomenon.

Target masking has been around ever since detectors were designed with discrimination capabilities. Many detectorists only want to see GOOD TARGETS and therefore will ignore the detectors NULLS or will have their discrimination levels set high to eliminate iron / trash. By ignoring nulls or using the detector discrimination they now will only recover good targets as
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4th: This one takes work. Use a small coil and recover all iron / trash targets to clear the area and also recover all good non-ferrous targets found during this process. Once the area is clear install a larger coil for greater depth and go over the area again for the deeper targets also recovering all good and iron / trash targets during this process. Now the ground is hunted out. 5th: Some detectors have a recovery speed adjustment. In high iron / trash covered ground the recovery adjustment should always be set for FAST or a very high number if the detector uses a numeric recovery rating. You must also use a smaller size coil and a much slower sweep speed. 6th: Always recover the whisper target signals. Metal Detecting Hobby Talk http://www.mdtalk.org

Idaho Treasure Tale

n August of 1860 a group of eight wagons led by Mark Vanorman left Fort Hall in what is now eastern Idaho under military escort. The fifty four immigrants were following the Oregon Trail west planning to make a new life in the Willamette Valley. They had brought what possessions they could carry and enough gold to buy land when they arrived. The gold had been entrusted to their wagonmaster and was kept in a strongbox. It is believed that there was more than $10,000 in gold coin within the chest. Meeting no resistance, the military escort decided that it was no longer needed and soon returned to the fort leaving only a handful of soldiers to guard the pioneers. All went well for two weeks until a band of Snake Indians attacked them just south of present day Adrian in eastern Oregon near the Snake River. Nineteen people were killed in the attack. The rest were forced to abandon their wagons and flee for their lives. While some of the men rode for help the other survivors, including Vanorman, made their way to the Snake River. What little food they had managed to secure was soon gone and they were starving as they worked their way along the Snake until they reached the mouth of the Owyhee River. Here they decided to make camp until help arrived. Initially an Indian hunting party provided the victims with food but an unfortunate comment turned the Indians against them and they raided the camp taking all the remaining guns and ammunition. Vanorman decided that they had better move on. Most of the remaining party were too weak and refused to go. Vanorman took his family and those able enough to travel and headed north up the Snake River. They made it as far as the mouth of the Burnt River where they were massacred. Forty five days after the first attack the soldiers finally arrived at the Owyhee camp. Twenty one people had died of starvation. The remainder had resorted to cannibalism to stay alive. Only fifteen of the original fifty four immigrants survived.

Treasure Hunting In Old Books

Old books are a great place to find old treasures. People put all sorts of documents, and cash, into the pages of books for safe keeping. The Valparaiso, Illinois Public Library recently discovered yet another surprise inside a donated antique book, a .31 caliber single shot black powder derringer secreted into a hollowed out space. You just never know. Always check the pages of old books.

NBC Chicago

Okay, so what happened to the gold? Well, months

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later, in Vanorman's belongings, a letter was found. In the letter, he described the events that had occurred and also what had happened to the strongbox. Apparently he had managed to salvage the gold as they were forced from their wagons during the attack. The weak and starving survivors carried the cumbersome box with them until they reached the Owyhee River camp. When Vanorman and his family left the camp, he took the chest across the Owyhee and buried it on the north side of the river. He etched his initials into a nearby rock as a marker. The survivors at the camp must not have known what he had done. The lady who received the Vanorman's possessions simply filed the letter away. It was not rediscovered until her death many years later. This is not a well known story and there is no record of the gold ever being found. If you ever find yourself on the north side of the mouth of the Owyhee River it might pay to keep an eye open for the initials M. V. carved in a rock.

Fill That Hole After investigating or recovering a detector target ALWAYS take the time to carefully refill and compact the hole. Follow this rule even if you are hunting rough ground. Nothing alienates a property owner, or the general public, more than a bunch of unsightly holes and loose material spread around. Take a few extra moments to do your part to protect the hobby of detecting!

The Portland Mine was one of the largest mines in Cripple Creek, Colorado and it also produced a lot of gold. In 1909 alone the Portland turned out 71,932 ounces of gold -- worth over $28,000,000 in today's dollars! The Portland went on to even higher annual gold production. As an indication of the size of the Portland Mine operation consider that by 1932 three vertical shafts were in operation leading to an underground tunnel network of almost 75 miles. It took a lot of electricity to power the huge shaft hoists and milling equipment, as well as lighting all the underground workings. Records show that the Portland paid $1,392 for one months electricity in January, 1932. That was a lot of depression era dollars.

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Calendar of Events
November Meeting Wednesday, November 7. We will meet at the Pulliam Building in downtown Loveland at 7:00PM. Refer to the adjoining map for directions. Meeting Agenda 6:00 - 7:00 Planning & Social Hour 7:00 - 7:30 Business, Announcements & Find of the Month Program 7:30 - 7:45 Break 7:45 - 9:00 Annual Show & Tell and Silent Auction

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

MAP TO THE MEETING PLACE Pulliam Community Building 545 Cleveland Avenue, Loveland, Colorado

Directions: The Pulliam Community Building is situated on the west side of Cleveland Avenue in Loveland, Colorado. Park at the rear of the building (west side). Entry to the meeting room is from the doorway on the south side of the building (not the main entrance on Cleveland Avenue!).
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November 2012
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 4 11 18 25 5 12
Veteran's Day

2 9 16 23 30

3 10
Local Detector Outing

6 13 20 27

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

8 15 22
Thanksgiving

14 21 28

17 24

19 26

29

December 2012
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 9 16 23 30 3 10 17 24
Christmas Eve

4 11 18 25
Christmas Day

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

6 13 20 27

7 14 21 28

8 15 22 29

12 19 26

31
New Years Eve

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RMPTH Field Outing Statement

NOTE: The Coordinators and participants stay in touch and continue to review and plan upcoming presentations and outings for the year on a monthly basis. Our editor Rick Mattingly needs timely event information for each issue of The News. Please get information about any particular event to him by the 15th of the month to meet the printing deadline for the next issue. Planned trips, outings, activities, and meeting programs are in the newsletter and on line at the clubs website. Planning is a work in progress and additional outings and activities are added and sometimes deleted on an ongoing basis. Events planned in the upcoming month are emphasized to the attendees at the monthly meetings. Contact the Presentations Coordinators or Editor if you have any suggestions or ideas throughout the year for fieldtrips, outings, and programs. The best made plans may change at the last minute due to the illness of the Trail Boss, weather, land access, vehicles breaking down, wrong meeting sites, etc. Please be understanding of extenuating circumstances and contact the coordinator or Trail Boss of a specific event if there is any question of an event being cancelled or changed at the last minute.

tendency to bow up people's basements," Jones said. "Why more than a mile of this stuff was dumped into this area has been puzzling." Previous Theories for Formation of the Rockies Previously scientists believed that the oceanic plate subducting - moving under - North America rose to rub against the continent's bottom all the way from the ocean to Colorado. The theory was this action pushed the landmass into mountains much like a rug piles up underfoot, said Jones. But the hypothesis just doesn't explain the facts, he said. "That model predicted removal of material that is still found to lie underneath California and Arizona," he said. "That in and of itself was unsatisfying." A New Model for the Rocky Mountains The new model hinges on an unusually thick lithosphere the stiff part of the Earth's surface that make up the tectonic plates under Wyoming. The protrusion of this keel into more fluid mantle flowing below created a suction that pulled down Southern Wyoming and Colorado and formed a basin, Jones said. This basin, or hole, in which Pierre Shale built up, amplified mountain-building forces far inland and forced the formation of the Rockies, he said. "A huge basin develops and all of a sudden these mountains come rocketing out of it," Jones said. "We end up with the counter-intuitive visage of mountains rising up out of a hole." The hypothesis, if confirmed, could not only unravel the geological origin of the Rockies, but could also illuminate the mechanisms that have led to mountain ranges worldwide. "We are adding a new collection of processes that can control how mountain belts develop that previously haven't really been appreciated," Jones said. "Considering these processes might explain other puzzling mountain belts." Coauthors on the study include Lang Farmer of CIRES and the University of Colorado, Shijie Zhong of the University of Colorado, and Brad Sageman of the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Northwestern University. The study was supported by the National Science Foundation and is published online in the journal Geosphere. GPOC Quill April 2011

Talking Auto Batteries

CCA (cold cranking amps) is a measure of how much current a battery can produce at 0F (as opposed to 32F for CA-cranking amps) to turn the starter on your car. The colder it is outside, the less power the battery produces. Select at least the CCA rating your vehicles manufacturer recommends. For extreme conditions or older cars, youll want a higher CCA rating. Check the battery terminals periodically to make sure they are tight and free of corrosion. Keep the battery surface clean and dry. Do not leave the battery exposed to sun-light or extreme ambient heat for long periods of time. If possible, check the batterys liquid level a couple of times a year when applicable. If the level is low (it should completely cover the separator plates), add distilled water. NEVER ADD BATTERY ACID! Fully charge battery before storing and charge battery every 6-8 weeks while in storage. An alternator cannot charge a dead or discharged battery. It only maintains the charge. Batteries Plus http://www.batteriesplus.com

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RMPTH SHOW & TELL

At the November RMPTH Club Meeting we will hold the annual Show & Tell of member finds and collections. This event will be held in round robin fashion where attendees will be free to move about to view displays at their leisure and to socialize. The rules for this event are simple. The displays are only limited as to being relative to the interests of the club. They may be personal finds, such as gold, coins, military relics, bottles, etc. or collections similarly related. We will attempt to confine exhibitors to no more than two per table. Please be forewarned that persons presenting displays will be solely responsible for the protection and security of their displays. The club will not be responsible for your items! With this in mind, it would be prudent for each exhibitor to line up another person to assist. AttendeesThere will be a NO TOUCH rule in effect.

Get your displays ready and show the club what your interests are!

Hopefully, more club oriented stuff than pictured here!

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The Night Watchman

Congress said, "Someone may steal from it at night." So they created a night watchman position and hired a person for the job. Then Congress said, "How does the watchman do his job without instruction?" So they created a planning department and hired two people, one person to write the instructions, and one person to do time studies. Then Congress said, "How will we know the night watchman is doing the tasks correctly?" So they created a Quality Control department and hired two people. One was to do the studies and one was to write the reports. Then Congress said, "How are these people going to get paid?" So they created two positions: a time keeper and a payroll officer then hired two people. Then Congress said, "Who will be accountable for all of these people?" So they created an administrative section and hired three people, an Administrative Officer, Assistant Administrative Officer, and a Legal Secretary. Then Congress said, "We have had this command in operation for one year and we are $918,000 over budget, we must cut back." So they laid-off the night watchman. NOW slowly, let it sink in. Quietly, we go like sheep to slaughter. Does anybody remember the reason given for the establishment of the DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY during the Carter administration?
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Anybody? Anything? No? Didn't think so! Bottom line is, we've spent several hundred billion dollars in support of an agency, the reason for which very few people who read this can remember! Ready?? It was very simple... and at the time, everybody thought it very appropriate. The Department of Energy was instituted on 8/04/1977, TO LESSEN OUR DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN OIL. Hey, pretty efficient, huh??? AND NOW IT'S 2012 -- 35 YEARS LATER -- AND THE BUDGET FOR THIS "NECESSARY" DEPARTMENT IS AT $24.2 BILLION A YEAR. IT HAS 16,000 FEDERAL EMPLOYEES ANDAPPROXIMATELY 100,000 CONTRACT EMPLOYEES; AND LOOK AT THE JOB IT HAS DONE! (THIS IS WHERE YOU SLAP YOUR FOREHEAD AND SAY, "WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?") 34 years ago 30% of our oil consumption was foreign imports. Today 70% of our oil consumption is foreign imports. Ah, yes -- good old Federal bureaucracy. NOW, WE HAVE TURNED OVER THE BANKING SYSTEM, HEALTH CARE, AND THE AUTO INDUSTRY TO THE SAME GOVERNMENT? Hello!! Anybody Home? Signed.... The Night Watchman

nce upon a time the government had a vast scrap yard in the middle of a desert.

The News, November 2012

Silent Auction

he program for November will include a Silent Auction. This will be a fun event which will allow you to sell some of your items, buy some great items yourself and earn the club a little money. Bidding slips will be available at the meeting. Sellers: Fill out copies of the bid form provided at the meeting for each of your auction items as soon as you arrive at the meeting. Rules For Sellers 1. Bring what you like, but lets keep it reasonable, say 25 items per seller. You may bring extras in case we need additional items to fill the tables, but only put them out after everyone else has had a chance to put theirs out. Good items to consider would be anything that pertains to our hobby or members interests. The items can be new, used, or finds. Please dont bring junk, you wont get any bids on it. 2. Fill out the bid slips completely and legibly with the item description, your name if you want to be paid, circle whether you want to donate 20% or 100% to the club and the starting minimum bid (Hint:: High starting bids = few or no bidders. Start at the minimum Members Take Note amount you can live with getting). 3. Sellers will be Please remember to bring your paid at the December meeting. If you are sale items for the auction and not able to be there, a check will be mailed please share a donation with the to you upon request. 4. Any items that do club from your auctioned items. not sell must be taken Also, remember to bring some home with you that evening. If you do not, it will be considered a form of payment should you wish donation for future to bid on items in the auction as door prizes or thrown out. payment is due at this meeting. 5. You may start setting out your items at 6:00 pm. Rules For Buyers

Gold Glossary Long Tom - Similar to a sluice box, but longer and skinnier.

Gold Facts
Symbol: AU Atomic Number: 79 Atomic Weight: 196.967 Melting Point: 1063 (1945 F) Specific Gravity: 19.2 MOHs Scale of Hardness: 2.5 - 3 Karat 24K = 100% Pure Gold 18K = 75% Pure Gold 14K = 58% Pure Gold 10K = 42% Pure Gold Troy Weights 1 grain = 0.0648 grams 24 grains = 1 penny weight (DWT) = 1.552 grams 20 DWT = 1 ounce = 480 grains = 31.10 grams

1. Mark your name and bid clearly on the bid slips. You may cancel a bid anytime up to the time the table is closed by completely crossing out your name and bid. Please bring a pen or pencil with you. 2. Tables will close in a random manner every 15 minutes. You will not know which ones are closing in advance, so if you want an item, bid on it early. 3. Minimum bid raise will be $0.25 4. Payment is due at the end of the auction by cash or check. You will take your items home with you that evening. It will take a while to check everyone out, so let us know if you need to leave early and we will check you out first. HAVE FUN!

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

Page 15

The News, November 2012

Trading Post
FOR SALE: Problem free, two month old, clean Garrett AT Pro detector from smoke-free home. Practically brand new, purchased August 24, 2012; full warranty. Only worked over grass and sand at Lake Loveland, with coil cover on at all times. Zero scratches on coil, rods or control unit. Machine is water proof to a depth of 10 feet (water-specific headphones required, not included). Comes with factory headphones with independent volume control for each ear, retail box, instruction manual, DVD and warranty card. Paid $600 at Gold-N-Detectors in Golden, CO. Will consider any and all reasonable offers. Contact with questions or offers via email: fuzymunky@gmail.com FOR SALE: 23-foot Forest River Sierra bumper pull travel trailer with slide out. Has all the comforts of home. Great condition and not used enough - Need to sell ASAP! Price $7995. If you have any questions please call Jennifer Lange at 970-980-5776. FOR SALE: Minelab SD2200 Gold Nugget Metal Detector: 10-1/2" Mono Super Coil, 10-1/2" SD Series Super Coil, two batteries w/wall & car charger, headphones, backpack, waist battery pack, signal enhancer, extra lower stem, instruction booklet & video, carry case. Ready to go for the gold: $1900. Contact Paul at (970) 482-7846. WANTED: Used lapidary equipment. Call Kathie 970221-1623 WANTED: Federal or state duck stamps; mint or used. Contact John Hart at (307) 778-3993. YELLOWSTONE FAREWELL Wyoming adventure novel. Diamonds, Gold, Volcanic activity, Prospecting. Factual geology; Fictional story. $18.00 + $4.00 S&H. Spur Ridge Enterprises, POB 1719, Laramie, WY 82073. Internet: http://yellowstonefarewell.com/
About Trading Post The News runs classified ads in Trading Post for three consecutive issues. Trading Post ads for topic related items up to 10 lines (or 70 words) long are free. To place an ad in Trading Post contact Rick Mattingly at (970) 613-8968 evenings or e-mail at: rickmatt@q.com Commercial Advertising Specifications (Monthly Donation Rate) Full Page (8 1/2" X 7") Half Page (3 1/4" X 7") One Third Page (3" X 4") Business Card (2 3/4" X 1 1/2") $30 $20 $15 $ 5

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

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.

The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket.

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The News, November 2012

WEEKEND & SMALL-SCALE MINERS CODE OF ETHICS

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

Setting Sluice Angle

can't tell you how many times someone has asked, "What angle do I set up my sluice box". The worst part is, there is no stock answer. Every river and stream is different. The average specific gravity of the sand can vary so much, there is not one setting to go by, water flow may be faster in one spot than another. I have moved up river 50 ft and had to change the angle. Here is a sure fire way to tell where your angle belongs. First off, you will have to move any larger rock through your sluice. If you classify your material (getting out the big stuff), you may be able to use less flow or angle. You have to understand that, the riffle is the catch. As water flows over the riffle it makes what is called an eddy, this is a back flow that puts down a low pressure area just behind the riffle. I'm not going to go into riffle design here, but know that the riffle is the key. Some riffle's like fast water and some like slow. Makes no difference here. To set up the box you have to move all the large stuff off and then get rid of most of the heavier sands. A box is running right when you fill the front with gravel (and hopefully some gold). When the box has finished running the gravel down onto the riffle area of the box, the space fills between the riffles, you can start to look for the last of the gravels to leave the front of the box. Now, if the box is running too slow, you will not see most of the carpet clear behind the first riffle for something over 45 seconds of time. If the box is running too fast then you will see most of the carpet in 15 sec of time. Remember that the box is affected by four things: average weight of the gravel, size of the gravel, water flow throughout the box, and the angle of the box. When you get it set for time you are ready to go mining. Remember 45 Sec. is too slow and 15 Sec. is too fast. Tip Courtesy of GetGold.com

Offer Your Assistance To Any Of Our Program Coordinators

The News, November 2012

Proline Sluice Box

Page 17

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

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

Trip/Activity
No Trip/Activity Scheduled

February

No Trip/Activity Scheduled

March

Historic Gold Scale Presentation

GPS, Compass & Map Clinic

April

Found Explosives Safety Presentation

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

May

Gold and Platinum in Wyoming By Wayne Sutherland, WGS

June

Detecting Presentation By Tom Warne & Rick Mattingly

Eldora Ski Resort Detector Outing

July

Spanish Treasure Trails Presentation

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

August

Gold Refining Presentation By David Emslie

September

Cripple Creek Historic Video By Johnny Berndsen

October

Railhead Camp Presentation By Rick Mattingly

Off-Road Detector Outing

November

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

Local Detector Outing

December

Flatirons Mineral Club & Model Train Show

Good Hunting in 2012!

Page 18 The News, November 2012

Rocky Mountain Prospectors & Treasure Hunters Contact List

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

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

rickmatt@q.com
dickyf99@comcast.net

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

rickmatt@q.com

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

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

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

Lets Go For The Gold !

The News, November 2012 Page 19

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

NOVEMBER, 2012 ISSUE