Clips from Alleghany

[Fred Cain]

#5953

Michael,

Yeah, I know it! Here in the Midwest, my fellow Midwesterners have this stereotyped image in their minds of the “Golden State” as being all sunshine, warm beaches and palm trees!

When I have tried to tell them that some of the heaviest snowfalls ever recorded on earth have been in California, I get incredulous looks like maybe I’m not quite “all there”. “Huh? Snow in California? What are you, nuts?”

Another really, really fun read that I can recommend is called “SNOWBOUND STREAMLINER” by Robert J. Church. Reading this book is even more fascinating if you’re a train buff (like me) but even if you’re not, it’s still a fun book. It was a close call, though. Almost ended in disaster but it had a happy ending.

Regards,
Fred M. Cain

[Michael Miller]

#5952

California has been warned that the biggest storm in six years circulating in the Pacific Ocean will hit land around 6pm today: up to 12 inches of rain on the coast line and 7 inches at the elevation of Alleghany. Snow line projections vary from 5000 feet to 6000 feet. The highest ridge into Alleghany is 5200 feet elevation. Alleghany averages about 4200 feet. The mine portal is 3500 feet. Winter comes every year but no matter how much work goes towards lessening its hardships, few are every 100% ready.

But this is California. Yeah, it gets cold and rains and snows. Still in the mountains and foothills you will see people getting out of the car with sandals instead of boots. Californians will be out
in the rain without a hat, umbrella or even a coat. Winter??? Bah.

Seven inches of rain in a couple of days will bring problems with roads and driving and of course water leaks in the old roofs. High winds up to 60 mph are also in the forecast. Get you candles out and get ready for no electric power.

[Fred Cain]

#5951

Ah, finally ! Rain! (Or snow depending on your elevation.)

Maybe your long drought is coming to and end.

This has happened before. Read “Storm” by George R. Stewart, a great Californian. It’s a great read set back in a day and age when everything still worked. I know. My Dear Mother, may the Good Lord rest her soul, grew up in the Central Valley.

Regards,
Fred M. Cain

[SCOOP]

#5946

Here is an important SCOOP – following is correspondence back and forth on the security of this website.

Office: “Several people have told us that when they do a Google search and our site comes up Google gives a warning that our site may be hacked.
Do you know how to make this go away? It does seem to prevent some people from looking at our site.”

Webmaster: “True, I see the label. I’m going to look after it.”

Office: “Thanks”

Webmaster: “After some actions, Google has removed the label. (They were pretty quick, far quicker than they promised.)” Regards

Now for an update: Yes, news from the Sixteen has been hard to get lately. Much is going on but true to Mike’s pattern of behavior, until activities are assured or he believes it required, advantageous or necessary, the Company’s business is not open for discussion. Just like those gold explorers, Scoop can dig around looking for a nugget or better yet a pocket of gold.

A MSHA brief of the hearing held in Nevada City in August is due early January. A settlement for the lawsuit filed by the water regulators for $2.3 million is under consideration. Exploration at the Sixteen to One mine and rehabilitation of the adit at the Plumbago mine continues. Thirteen feral kittens are captured and held in the mine’s office waiting to get a little older before a trip to the nonprofit shelter for a fixing. Six took the trip already. (This is not the first time feral cats were a problem in Alleghany.) This is a no kill shelter. History likes to proclaim that mining and prostitution are two of the oldest professions. Well this 103 year old mining company is now also a cat house.

[cody washburn]

#5923

The Boles Fire in Weed mentioned below burned 150+ homes, and two churches. The mill, which employs 170, was saved except for some outbuildings. They should be back up and running at some point, hopefully soon. This all happened in one afternoon/early evening, as the wind was crazy that day. Shout-out to the firefighters, and especially the air tankers & helicopters, for saving as much as they did.

You are correct in stating that better forest management would definitely help reduce the fire danger.

I am glad that all y’all in Allegheny have, so far, not had to deal with any close wildland fires.

(It is a good thing that I am not in charge of punishing the guy that started the King Fire, as I would be tempted to set a new high bar for the various types of punishments that he deserves…)

[Fred Cain]

#5924

And yet the rains WILL come! They *WILL*. They always have and as long as the earth stands they will continue to do so.

I would like to recommend the book “STORM” by George R. Stewart. This book is just plain fun reading. I’m quite sure it’s out of print but most libraries have it or you can find a copy like I did on Abe’s Books.

Not only is it fun reading, but it gives you a very good insight into the workings and way of life of a California that is now gone. The California that my mother grew up in.

Another goodie is his book “FIRE” which also makes for fun reading.

Regards,
Fred M. Cain

[SCOOP]

#5922

For those readers outside California our State has been smoking for three plus weeks. Yes, the forests are burning. North of Alleghany the community of Weed was devastated when wind blew a path of flames through a major residential area. Nothing survived in its path. Over forty homes disappeared into ash. Weed has a logging history. Some residents’ say the town will never survive this blow. The cause of this fire has not been determined.

To the South of Alleghany some idiot purposely started a fire. We watched it grow form the hundreds of acres to over 95,000 acres this morning. Alleghany as most of the Sierra Nevada communities and upper Sacramento Valley have been covered in smoke. Eyes are burning, throats are raw, schools were closed and most outside events were canceled. The talk today is gratitude for morning rain. More than 7,000 fire fighters are attacking the flames. With this rain, the threat of greater loss may be gone.

What will the judicial system do with a man who brought so much suffering to people he did not know? No punishment seems adequate. Fires are burning in southern California as well. California is classified as a Mediterranean climate zone. That means dry summers. Fire potential is to be expected. The build-up of fuel (understory and pint sized worthless trees) is a problem that must be addressed. The idea that mankind shall not manage the federal forests is insane. It has been the mantra for many here in California. It is a kooky idea. Knowledge about how a healthy forest looks is the first step towards gaining the power to make it happen: cut weak trees, spot harvest or thin commercial trees, clear shrubs.

[SCOOP]

#5913

Does Scoop hear the sound of snoring throughout this web site? Must be the summer doldrums! If you were in Alleghany yesterday, you would not think it was summer. It poured, not rained. It poured. California’s Sierra Nevada mountain Range is noted by whether, yes, Scoop knows, they call themselves weathermen. Really, as far as the Sierra Nevada goes the weather report say something like this: sunny; partly cloudy; scattered chances of rain; possible lightning and thunder clouds. How can they go wrong with these predictions?

The rain was a welcomed sight. Our biggest concern is fire. The concern remains but at least for a week or so, Alleghany area seems safe. There is more talk than action by our leaders with regard to forest restoration. The proper management of our National Forests in the West is the best fire repression tactic.

The Sierra County Public Works office prepared the best description of the problem we face. The Sierra County Board of Supervisors reviewed the situation and passed resolutions as fine and proper as any previously written…..better than most as well. All trees are not equal. Many are weeds disguised as trees. The under growth is sucking water when the lack of water is universally accepted as a concern. (Of course Southern California does not see this concern. Its water usage has increased lately as reported in the Sacramento Bee.

How about that Sixteen to One mine! Hey Mike, let’s have an update .

[Fred Cain]

#5906

Looks to me like Alleghany is on track to get some rare summer rain! Rain in July? In California?

I hope that keeps your fire danger down for a little while!

-Fred M. Cain

[cody washburn]

#5904

Thank you for going out of your way for the benefit of the shareholders. Always great to spend a day up there at meeting/mine/Rosies (and hard to leave)

[SCOOP]

#5900

From all comments Saturday’s annual shareholder meeting was a success. The weather cooperated, sunny but not too hot. The Alleghany Volunteer Fire department Auxiliary prepared a delicious taco lunch. Shareholders and guests toured the shops, map room, and underground mine. Many bought gold jewelry, gold specimens and the popular Sixteen to One tee shirts. Everything worked. Nothing broke down. The grounds were attractive. Total people count was 130.

Besides all the mine talk shareholders or guests approached Mike with the question, “Where can I buy shares?” His answer was that the company does not sell stock to the public. The only places are the great unknown gray market, something discussed for years or through our web site. The web site brings existing shareholders and people offering to buy shares together. We all know this but Mike discovered a new source of information: a daily tabulation of OSTO (stock symbol) of dates, prices and volume of transactions. Upon a careful review of the data from January 2, 2014 through May 12, 2014, a planned semblance of “trades” is underway in order to establish a low and false market cap value. There were twenty trades;. 195,328 shares exchanged ownership. Or did it?

[Fred Cain]

#5857

SCOOP,

Thanks for the update. I found some of your remarks most encouraging. Sounds to me like real progress is taking place at the mine.

As for the water issues I am praying that a light will go on at the State Of California and they will see how stupid and short sighted that is.

As for logging in the National Forest, environmental groups that would end all logging are the same groups who believe there should be no mining, either. Ironically, the kind of mining done at the Original Sixteen To One is very environmentally “friendly”. Like you say, if we leave it to the Asians to mine for gold, there will be much more environmental damage done to the globe not to mention the loss of American jobs.

Regards,
Fred M. Cain

[SCOOP]

#5854

Time is flying by with cosmic speed this year. Scoop is still in Alleghany, looking around at the local activities. Right now snow is falling…about two inches in half an hour. There was no snow anywhere to be found even at high elevations on Henness Pass. All the fruit trees are in bloom and may be affected by this storm. Alleghany folks know that care must be exercised until May when planting vegetables. Snow even in June occurs. Even though, this winter was the mildest in thirty years.

The County road crew only has two members. They travel out of the area often so our ditches are overgrown, dirt roads need grading and branches overhang most of the travel ways. The lack of money for maintenance is a county wide issue. Sierra County used to get money from forest harvests in the Tahoe National Forest. It went into the road budget. Those were good days and the forest was much healthier then than it is not. How did the advocates for leaving the forest alone convince knowledgeable foresters that thinning and responsible harvests are bad? What the mis-educated environmental rogues claim are valuable trees are called weeds by many throughout forest.

Now for scoop news you are waiting to read: gold mining in California. It is alive. The Sixteen to One crew arrives every day for work. Just what work they are doing is unclear to the casual viewer; however, scoop has boots-on-the-ground.

Forty foot long black snake like pipes were delivered a while ago, many rolls and pieces. The stacks are shrinking so it is safe to say maintenance work on water or air lines is underway. Stacks of nice lumber show up as well. For a month rolls of heavy industrial electric wire sat outside the mine gate. They have disappeared also.

Mike’s 2001 Ford truck is on its last round up (321,000 miles). He spends time at the office and drives the road to the portal frequently. One worthwhile corporate event has occurred. Settlement negotiations with those nasty water regulators are underway. The amount claimed in the lawsuit is ridiculous. Maybe government people are waking up to the necessity to take the hangman’s noose off some of the industries struggling to survive. California, like most of the country, needs jobs. More miners are needed to raise domestic productivity. Hey America, the environment is harmed far greater as American regulators throttle down the exploitation of our natural resources. We need all minerals to survive. Shipping across the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans is far dirtier and polluting than production from well managed local sources. Let’s help those industries in California and other states for a positive change. Good luck on settling an uncalled for lawsuit against a gold rush mining camp still mining after 165 years.

[SCOOP]

#5819

RAIN!!!

Record setting 50 days without rain in Sacramento is over.

[SCOOP]

#5818

Scoop would like to wish everybody a Healthy and Prosperous New Year. A quote from Michael Miller: “Live each day like it is your first.”

Scary warm weather for January in Alleghany. The plum trees outside the office window are in full bloom. Rae Bell had to water some of her raised beds this weekend.

The annual 8 hour refresher for the miners was held on Wed. Jan 22nd. Click on “home” to see a picture. Miners from a couple of other mines in the area joined the training.
MSHA showed up the next day and issued 4 minor citations during their two-day visit. All citations have been abated.

The 1st quarter 10-Q, as in 2013 1st quarter was filed last week. As voluntary filers we don’t have deadlines and we are a bit behind. We should have the other two 2013 10-Q’s filed this month or early next month.

The physical inventory was done earlier this month and is part of the process of getting the year-end (10-K) annual report done.

Also a reminder to our Shareholders: our annual meeting is scheduled for Sat. June 14th this year. This is NOT a public event. The Gold Show at the museum that same weekend however; IS a public event.

The museum now has an online gift shop. Click the “MUSEUM” link on the left to get to the site or go to http://www.undergroundgold.com Check out the books and publications next time you need a gift!

If you would like to be added to the museum mailing list send your mailing address to: info@undergroundgold.com Addresses are not shared with any other entities.

[SCOOP]

#5792

Scoop has been on an unscheduled drought or asleep or just prepping for winter. Last night the winds hit high numbers knocking down trees and cutting electricity to Alleghany and Downieville. Just came on an hour ago. Time has flown by but Alleghanyans are scurrying about as do the squirrels.

For those who follow modern times in northern California, the harvest is in for another season. No additional signs of mining but for the Sixteen to One crew. Thousands of feet of pipe arrived and sitting at the mine gate. One reason Original Sixteen to One Mine, Inc. has exist3e4d for over 100 years is its ability to bank supplies for the winter months. Of course the roads were much slower then with horses, no pavement or snow removal. Expect great things from serious underground gold mines of California. Check the museum out if you have not had a look for awhile.

[Fred Cain]

#5767

Scoop,

I was sooooo glad to hear that you got rain! Wonderful news. I only wish the rain had hit the Yosemite area sooner. 🙁

Sorry to hear about Mike’s rotor-cuff. That can take a long time to heal. My brother-in-law had a torn rotor-cuff after the horse-drawn vehicle he was riding on was hit from behind by a drunk driver. Took a long time to heal.

Is Mike still able to go down in the mine? I hope so.

Regards,
Fred

[SCOOP]

#5766

We are having perfect fall weather here in Alleghany, but on Labor Day it rained over 4 inches! It’s a good year for fruit: peaches, pears, apples, grapes, plums and blackberries.

The historical church is having its second annual fundraising concert on Sat. October 12th. Go to http://www.hiddenchurch.info for details. Seating is limited and reservations are required. This promises to be a unique event.

Mike is out of commission for awhile having had massive rotor-cuff repair surgery on the 6th. Luckily it is his left arm (and he is right-handed) but nonetheless it will hamper his ability to type and do other things for several weeks.

There is a Grower’s Market in Alleghany every Sunday from 11 am to 2 pm. Bill & Roger of You Bet Farm bring their fresh produce from their farm on the Ridge across the Canyon. Scoop is impressed that their farm is close to the same elevation as Alleghany and they are able to sustain themselves by farming. (And no, they don’t grow the green stuff) They will continue to come up as long as the farm is putting out. They expect to have winter squash (in addition to their other offerings) this coming Sunday.

The area around the gate to the mine has been leveled off and is a work in progress. Representatives of Quartz-View are back this week fine-tuning their equipment. No one thought it would be easy to adapt modern technology to the mine, but step-by-step improvements are being made.

[martin newkom]

#5764

I recently read concerning the
shale oil on the west coast:
permits to drill and mine the huge,shale oil sites of Calif. havembeen held up by bureaucrats at the State (typical). Well, several of those officials were recently fired by Gov. Jerry Brown and now permits move along repidly in procedure. We should take
note.

[Fred Cain]

#5731

“Original Sixteen to One Mine, Inc. does not have a huge bankroll capable of fighting the California Attorney General and the US Solicitor.”

What? No legal fund? What if **WE** would become the legal fund? Supposed every shareholder and every other interested party in the Original Sixteen To One Mine would make a small donation, say $50, $100, $200, $500, just whatever a person could afford. If you can only afford ten bucks, then send ten bucks. I mean, why not?

We could send out a mass mailing to everyone on the list. There is an “Endangered Species” in California in need of immediate protection: Underground gold mining with tracks! “Act now to save an important part of California’s history and protect jobs and school children!”

Speaking personally and only for myself, I just sent fifty bucks to the “Save-The-Redwoods League” so why not the Original Sixteen To One? The mine probably means as much if not more to me than the redwood forest anyways.

Just an idea, that’s all.

Regards,

Fred M. Cain

[SCOOP]

#5730

It is a glorious morning in Alleghany, California’s last gold mining community in the sierra Nevada gold belt. It is hard to believe that thousands of men and women settled nearby. When driving or walking around these now deserted lands, you spot trees or bushes that remain from the endeavors complimenting a long standing mining homestead: apple and pear trees, elderberry bushes and of course the sweet, seedy black berry. Scoop could be sipping a coffee latte right now but instead tosses a handful of those seedy sweet black berries into his mouth.

Well, there is a lot of mining news but details are difficult to get first hand from the miners. Everyone is quite busy. The underground guys continue to explore and the surface miners are fixing everything from roads, utility lines and especially equipment. A low boy Peterbuilt and trailer rolled in with four new tires plus the old ones for the Cat 966 loader. One old tire split and one was a spare that was undersized. Mike found 4 Michelin tires and chose to replace all four. A front seal began leaking last winter so now is the time to replace the seal. It is a major repair job. Did you know that the tire company charges $250 if the customer leave one of these tires behind? The split one is offered to the Alleghany park for the kids to play on.

A couple of gold operations are blaming the reduced or low (ha, ha) price of gold for ceasing or significantly modify their operations. Baloney! If you hear these stories, look a little deeper for the truth. Remember, “Truth, like gold, lies at the bottom.” It is not surprising that there is little underground activity in the mines. Do you have an idea what a gold mine must pay to get workers compensation insurance in California? Think about it. What does an operator pay for each $100 of labor cost? Scoop will give you a moment ot make a guess.

The annual shareholder meeting was held at the mine site on June 15. There was a serious discussion about the Sacramento generated $2 million lawsuit filed in 2009 claiming the company was responsible to pay that amount for not filing 13 monthly reports. The damage was only in paperwork. There was no pollution of adverse effect to the land or downstream from little Kanaka Creek. A class action lawsuit was proposed because the loss affects all Americans, shareholders or non-shareholders.

Another federal agency says the little gold mining operation in Alleghany affects commerce in the United States, which is the authority MSHA claims as its (MSHA) right to inspect the miners’ operation. Wow! The federal lawyer said that because the mine has AT&T it affects interstate commerce. Oh, the phone bill on the date of inspection was $1.44 in long distance calls. What MSHA has done is put inspectors with no underground experience in a complex geological deposit who writes citations which require professional judgment as to safety. It does not work.
.
Ideas on how to challenge the wisdom and legality of this water ridiculous lawsuit are sought. Original Sixteen to One Mine, Inc. does not have a huge bankroll capable of fighting the California Attorney General and the US Solicitor. The answer to the workers compensation percentage is: Underground discount rate is 35.89%. Total payroll taxes are 48.64%. Discount rate depends of payroll size.

No matter the Sixteen to One because of its unquestionable rich geology and its undeniable motivated crew will prevail.
3

[SCOOP]

#5705

A group of kids (with adults) are walking from Alleghany to Downieville tomorrow to help raise money for improvements at the park in Alleghany. Pledges in any amount are welcome and should be sent to: ACWD P.O. Box 860 Alleghany, CA 95910 Put the word “trek-a-thon” in the subject line. There will be an article about it in next week’s mountain messenger. As far as I know 10 people are signed up. It is a 9.2 mile walk!

[Fred Cain]

#5704

Bluejay,

I, too, bought EmGold and Sutter recently along with OSTO. I also bought Hecla and Newmont. I should’ve waited a little longer to buy those last two since they are cheaper now than they were but, what the heck? Who owns a good and reliable crystal ball? Not me. If these two companies stay cheap or fall further, I’ll get some more, that’s all. That helps lead to what some people call “dollar cost averaging”. I am unfamiliar with Probe but I will most definitely look into it along with the companies that our friend “CW” pointed out.

I am truly fascinated by the mining industry. You might even say I have a “passion for it”. I think I’ve always been that way; it’s just that it never occurred to me until recently to buy shares in it. I think this is a great business to be in and that’s especially true of the Sixteen To One. One of these days they will probably hit something under the mountain leading to another “big payoff” as you suggested.

You mentioned the “responsible miners with a love of the land” and the “hard working miners” having a “bright rainbow”. You know, maybe I’m wrong about this, but I actually see somewhat of a similarity between some of these miners – especially the ones at mines such as the Sixteen To One or Bonanza Mines – and the small family farmers in the Midwest. These people are attached to the land and are a part of the land. They would be doing just fine if only the government would leave them hell alone.

But the wind can only blow in one direction for so long. One of these fine days, the American people are going to get fed up and yell “enough” and put some politicians in power that will reverse course and rein in some of these insane regulations. At least one can hope. Hope springs eternal.

Regards,

Fred M. Cain

[Stephen Wilson]

#5701

I own quite a few juniors out of Canada and a few here in the US like EmGold and Sutter Gold. I bought the California ones, along with OSTO, because I want to participate in the resurgence of gold mining in California. It still hasn’t happened but I would like to participate if comes to fruition. Call me a dreamer but I guess that’s what I do, inspired by California’s past gold mining glory days.

I own one in Canada by the name of Probe Mines. It’s treated me the best of any of my holdings. They have a great story, a great president/geologist and are loaded with cash along with the fact that Agnico Eagle Mines owns over 10% of the company. During this big sell-off in gold it’s holding up fairly well. I strongly suspect there is a future with this one. Even owning a little will keep you well placed for a possible pay off as their gold resources continue to expand at their Borden Lake property in Ontario.

Concerning the Original Sixteen to One, there is only time between now and the next big pay-off day. How do I know this, easy.?That’s the way it has ALWAYS been.

Now if some of these so-called appointed regulators get laid off with California’s shrinking budget, along with federal government layoffs that have to come, things may slowly change back to normal when the hard working miners actually had a bright rainbow to follow minus the uninvited government trouble makers.

My advice to people who believe they are qualified mining regulators, get your own house straightened up before you start messing up the lives of our caring and competent miners in Alleghany. We don’t need you nor do we want you. We are responsible miners with a love of the land. Sometimes governments really suck in stupidity. They are sucking money out of everyone because they can’t even square off their balance sheets.

It’s always been about the money.

[Fred Cain]

#5700

CW,

Thanks for the information. I’ll check into those companies to see if they’re still around.

I have noticed that a couple of the so-called “penny stocks” I’ve been watching (Emgold and Sutter) have kind of been holding their own in the recent gold debacle. They’re volatile, but they’re hanging in there. Sutter rose back up to 22 cents this morning after trading lower the last few weeks. Then later in the day it was down again.

Oh the hydraulic mining, it used to be that you could see a long stretch of it along the railroad tracks there plied by Amtrak between Blue Canyon and Colfax somewhere. The vegetation has never fully recovered from the damage. That is the kind of thing that, unfortunately, gives miners a bad name. That’s really a shame because mines like the Original Sixteen To One are really very environmentally friendly.

Regards,
Fred M. Cain

[cody washburn]

#5696

sorry – that was off topic for this category. Move it elsewhere if you wish…

[cody washburn]

#5695

Please understand I am in no way recommending any of these, or the two earlier – just merely pointing out the fact they are (or were?) based in the USA.

-Golden Star Resources
-Royal Gold
-Freeport-McMoRan
-Dutch Gold (might be gone)
-Gold Reserve (was in Spokane, but mines in Venezuela – could habe been nationalized…)
-McEwen Mining

And of course the one that is always the most upfront in disclosing and disseminating info to shareholders — is the Original 16 to 1…

No doubt there are quite a few privately held juniors still around in the USA. I think I even read somewhere that they were considering dusting off some of the old gold mines in Alabama – who knew…

Some good history with Homestake Mining, which was bought by Barrick ~10 years ago. They were the longest listed company on the NYSE at the time!

Also interesting history with North Bloomfield near Nevada City with the Malakoff (sp.?) Diggings. They were the kings of hydraulic mining, with water cannons so large and powerful that a man could not strike a crowbar through the 6″ water stream! They dumped tailings into the Yuba River, and farmers in the Delta sued – essentially ending hydraulic mining in CA. I think there is a park or historical landmark near Nevada City, or somewhere, where they operated.

[Fred Cain]

#5691

CW,

Yes indeed! You are right! For some reason I really thought Newmont was Canadian, too. I thought I saw that somewhere.

But their website lists Denver as the location of the H.Q.

So, that’s good news. I am not familiar with Coeur. Maybe I’ll check that one out, too!

Thanks again!

Regards
Fred M. Cain

[cody washburn]

#5690

Fred – per your 6/20 post:

I think there are still quite a few US gold companies. For instance, Newmont is in Colorado (or at least they used to be).

Coeur is silver, but they are US-based.

[Fred Cain]

#5689

I was looking at the “AccuWeather” radar map and it looks to me as if Northern California is receiving some rare early summer rain!

I sure hope that reduces your fire danger in Allegheny!

Regards,
Fred M. Cain

[Fred Cain]

#5683

I never heard of “Colossus Minerals” before so I did a search. Amazing! Another Canadian company!

Is the Original Sixteen To One Mine the only gold mining company left that’s actually chartered in the United States?

Regards,
Fred M. Cain

[SCOOP]

#5682

It’s sad, no pathetic what has happened in the small cap mining market. Colossus Minerals spent time and money to issue a press release June 19, 2013) that it was actually going to pay a semi-annual note interest payment. Wow.

[SCOOP]

#5660

Has the mine mentioned the unknown animal devouring food at the 1000 level station? The big cat footprint going south took place at the same time, so it overshadowed what was thought to be a little mouse’s activities; however these miners seem to appreciate any life form entering the depths of the mine. They decided to catch the little creature and return it to the great outdoors. A trap was set!

Day one: the bait was gone but no animal was caught.

Day two: the delicious treat inside the trap was gone but no animal was caught.

Day three: the cage was pushed up against a mine timber so the latch would not be set free. The food was gone but no critter was trapped. Now the miners’ minds were engaged. This must be a smart little fellow. All precautions were set in place. The miners knew they could out think the four legged thief.

Day four, actually the morning of the fourth day when the miners arrived at the station, the trap door was closed. A beautiful tail was seen pressed against the wires. No, it wasn’t a mouse. It was a ring tailed cat, not the big guy that hangs around the lower shop. This was a youngster and a beauty at that. Joseph pulled out his camera. (Scoop has yet to see the pictures but heard that Joseph almost teared up at the sight of the cute little young one. Was he thinking about taking it home?) They carefully carried the cage up the Tightner Shaft, down the 800 level and opened the cage door behind the shop next to the creek. Freedom!

Scoop wants to get this photo for you to see. Ring tailed cats are known historically as the miners friend. It is a rare event to see one. But the questions remain. How did these animals and why did these critters enter the mine and travel down the shaft to the 1000 level?

[Fred Cain]

#5652

Godesses, Martin? Huh?

You’ve really got me wondering. I really hope I can make a trip out there some time!

Regards,
Fred M. Cain

[martin newkom]

#5649

Congratulations to Gma Rae on
the latest “Blessed event” and
thank the Lord for Mike having
the two “Gold Godeses” in the
Origsix office.

[SCOOP]

#5634

The 2012 annual report was mailed to shareholders yesterday. The theme is “The Year of Exploration” and covers the current and future emphasizes for the company. The cover has one of the most valuable gold specimens to ever come from the mine. W When Rae gets back to town from helping with her fresh granddaughter, Scoop will ask her to post a picture on the web site.

Just like a good fish story, reports of a recent gold fine are overstated. It was better than the crumbs but not up to the size that excited the miners years ago. Source says not to belittle the happiness gold brings. We want to stay on good terms with the gold goddess. At least the usurious demand for 18% interest on back taxes is extinguished. Tomorrow’s Mountain Messenger has the front page picture and story. If you read this forum and don’t have a subscription for a truly one-of-a-kind newspaper, pony up for a year’s subscription.

[martin newkom]

#5631

I read the topic of “rails in the
mine” What might be the signif-
igance of that requirement?

[SCOOP]

#5568

The annual shareholder’s meeting will be held on Saturday June 15th this year. Today is the date of record.

The museum also will have its annual gold show that weekend. The museum has a new website under construction at the same address: http://www.undergroundgold.com

Very warm weather for over two weeks now. A thunder storm over the weekend knocked out the radio repeater on Ruby Bluff. All of our local fire departments depend on this repeater to be able to communicate. Lee Brown the fire chief from Downieville (grew up in Alleghany) spent his Easter morning making the journey from Downieville to Ruby Bluff via snowmobile? (Need to ask him.) to fix the problem which he did! By 2pm the radios were back online. It takes many dedicated volunteers to keep emergency services operational in rural areas. In urban areas it is taken for granted that somebody will be paid to respond when you need help. Not so here. What is worrisome to Scoop is that the age of our volunteers keeps increasing with very few (if any) volunteers age 39 or younger. In the case of Alleghany the youngest volunteer is 47 and the oldest is pushing 70.

[SCOOP]

#5554

Rain, snow, hail and sun warm enough to act like a lizard on a rock pile. This has been today’s weather report from Alleghany. The Sacramento news TV stations pay weathermen to inform us. Scoop can only laugh when the little chart shows the sun partly shadowed with water drops, and flakes (snow). Then the announcer comes on and says something like this: partly cloudy with chance of rain, snow at higher elevations, intermittent thunder and lightning possible. They get paid for this???!!!

Here’s a mining report from Alleghany: gold located at different places, a lot in specific locations and none at all in others; chances of finding it daily except when no one is looking for color.

A fellow found a 1833 gold coin recently nearby. No gold seekers were in Sierra County in 1833, so speculation goes that some mine must have lost it while panning. In any condition the rumor is spreading that it’s worth $16,000. In mint condition the price may exceed $100,000.

The traveling vet came to town last Tuesday. He set up in the Sixteen to One office to give two cats shots and pull a tooth from another cat. A big dog stayed outside and took a shot in his rear.

In June road work will begin to replace the surface from Ridge road to the ‘Y’ in
Alleghany. All bids exceeded the estimate. The lowest bidder came in at $1.9 million. Changes are taking place to settle the difference of under $200,000.

[Ryan Baum]

#5547

Thank you, SCOOP, for some additional context. When I reread the article, I came to two possible inferences:

The second to last paragraph includes the phrase, “other pressures than local and stockholder interest.” Could this imply personal challenges whether financial or succession related? The last paragraph then refers to “quiet for too long dealing with…” could imply nearing a settlement or truce with the various agencies.

I’m hoping for the later as I only wish the best for our leader of the firm.

Any further “scoop” from you, SCOOP?

[Author]

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