Misc data and adventures of a Tayopa treasure hunter

I was developing my contacts for Agriculture aerial application ( crop dusting ) when the man I was contacting asked me if I would check out a Stearman biplane of his on loan. I agreed.

As I completed my ground check I saw a large rip in one of the tires with the inertube partially extruded. I made the mech change it.

I then checked the controls for tightness, I had my friend hold the right aeleron whiie I moved the stick, I had the stick all of the way to the left with no resistance. I looked out at my friend and saw that he was stil holding the right aeleron in the neutral posiition, so curious, I got out and walked over to where he was, sheesh, the control was connected to the push pull tube system with a plate with 4 mouting bolts, 3 were completely gone and the fourth was almost gone, so I turned to the mech, who merely grinned and nodded his head.

Next I tried the rudder controls The rudder would not stay in neutral, it snapped past neutral so i bailed out 'again' and found that it was bent down, ( ths ruddr system has an overhang ) It was jumping across neutral.


By this time I was getting bit disgusted, so I merely used a bar to reform it. Later the mech told me that it had gone on it's back - this explained things.

Next the seat could't be adjusted, cause, an accumulation of sulphur had dried and frozen the adj' I motioned to the mech, he grinned even more and nodded his head.

In attempting to adjust the seat I gave an unusally hard pulll on the safety harness, it broke off in my hands. I looked at the ech, he was even grinning harder. 'don't ask me why, but I had a completely new one in my car which I had him install..

So we were ready to start the engine. Upon running my physical check I noticed that they had cut and bent the injection lines, so the engine had to be started by flooding the carb. A fire hazzard which promptdly proved up to it's name. the engine caught fire. since they had no fire extinguishing equip. they came running with sand, I bailed out of the cockpit and managed to stop them, simply pulled the prop through, thus sucking the flames into the cyl where it beloged

so I started over again only to find the mech standing on the wing, adjusting the controls ??? I asked him what was going on and he informedned me very proudly, that that was his job. so I sat back and had my goggles wiped etc


The engine started nicely and I was left alone. I advanced the throttle, nothing, I advanced it more , still no movement so I shut it down. Examiation showed that the brakes were applied. I told them to set them at 10 thousandth cllearance.
They informed me that they didn't have any guages, so I dug one out of my cars' tool kit..

The take off was uneventual but once in the air it wallowed, sloppy controls I like quck resposnsive controlls.

Coming in for a landing, I decided to show off and made a modified carrier approach and stopped within 50 meters

I sadly informed him that I would not fill in for the pilot

Just think, They wre flying that aircraft the day before, sheesh.


P.S. That was in ole Mexico
 

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That is a nice picture. I don't recall at what frequency the Gardiner operated at but there may be coils available today that would be compatible with your machine. Coil technology has advanced more than metal detector technology. Yours, like mine is a beep and dig machine. Simple, uncomplicated and incredibly efficient. I sometimes use a probe when a target is detected. I have heard it said that in the early days of metal detectors, some people got so efficient with a probe that they could feel the resistance of a newspaper underground. Those people knew exactly what they were digging. Good Luck. rockhound
 

Rockhouind: The Achilles heel of the Gardner was that it needed a weed / brush free space to wield that big coil, but it was wonderfully balanced.

My arsenal today consists of an old 'garret deep seeker ADS 7, added deep seeker coil system, an old 3-D, a Discovery, and a Garret Sea Hunter. I stricty hunt for caches or larger.

The Gardner has retired to wall hanging,

:laughing7: :laughing7::coffee2::coffee2:
 

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speking of compatible coils I found that the Garrett BFO 2 ft' coil would work with a drop line with my Garrtae Sea Hunter. This allowed me to hunt the shallows - 10 ft. ) from a boat. and a drop line.
 

It was Feb, in the 50's I finally gve up after being wet continously for some 10 days. An ikypata had set in while I was exploring the Barracade Cobre. An ickypata is a winter version of the summer monsoons, continous rain and drizzle for days, utterly miserable if you are on the trail.

So I decided to go to Urique, a formerly prosperous town situated just above the Hi-water level of the Urique river, it drains the Baranca de Cobre complex., and was composed of two streets wide, running parallel to the river

As my mule and I plodded our way into town, I realized that I must have been an interesting sight, several days growth of whiskers, soaking wet, muddy, and with my .357 S&W pistol . In those days you went armed, you were your only protection.

The first house that I came to happened to be that of the Mayor, where I stopped to see if there was any place that I could spend a few days drying out. He was semi drunk, as were most of the town, they were celebrating something ? . He bleary eyed took down the street to an unlived hose and entered, takeing my mule with him. It was getting dark so I couldn't see anything in the room. He led my mule to the back of the house where it opened into an enclosed patio. gave my mule some food from a pile of fodder , then Left.

I set up living in the room. I noticed that someone had built a fire against a wall so I proceeded to do the same. I made my dinner then turned in, sleepng on the floor, but grateful for being out of the rain. I got up a few times to attend to nature's functions, carefully feeling my way to the patio.

The next morning I found a low walled well in the center of the room, I had been walking withn a few feet of it that night. I still haven't figuured out why I didn't fall in. Spiritual guidance I suppose.

The presidente proudly showed me his version of an arrastre, it was in the river bed. It was a horizontal water wheel driven, the only one I have ever seen. He was getting a golf ball of metal every week. He tried to sell me some, but my trail money wasn't enough, sides I didn't feel too comfortable leaving town with everyone knowing that I was carrying the Gold.

After spending a few days drying out I left Urique. The trail led up the canyon wall and took all day to climb out. Generally on climbs and decents I would dismount and use my mules tail to drag me up, or down hill, thus saving my mule.

About sunset I arrived at the mesa on top and started looking for a campsite, when I spotted a lonely ranch off in the distance and headed toward it. I made the usual sounds to let the owner that I was approaching, a healthy idea, saves getting shot. I hailed the ranch , and after a moment or two a middle aged woman appeared. I asked if I, and my mule, could be put up for the night. She hesitated, then agreed, me with my pistol

She took me to the kitchien and fed me, then told me that I could stay there for the night. This was perfectly fine with me, hot coffee during the night, warm room and a pile of goat skins to sleep on, heaven. She then left, shortly I heard a click, and sure enough she had locked me in, no matter. So I settled down with hot coffee then retired to my bed. I felt something moving, then realized that was a mass of fleas. The goat skins were full of starving fleas, so all night long I couldn't sleep scratching. Took me week a week to get rid of them from my blankets.

She eventually appeared and unlocked the kitchen, then I saw her reason, she had two teen aged daughters that were quite passble, she then told me that her husband had been away that night visiting another ranch and appologized.

Such was life on the trail in those days, sigh.©


Gotta save some for the book.
 

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Dearest Don Jose'. Bravo! Good story. One of my favorites, for sure. The locked door, the fleas... Oh my!

I got your note, thanks. I will be heading to Mexico on the 8th. I can hardly wait! I am bringing you some awesome adventure/treasure hunting books. They are good, but nothing compared to your captivating tales. They inspire and entertain us all!!!
 

My Dad has nice socks, so it is bound to be good! Lol. I can't wait to see you.
 

Oh, Don Jose, I have enjoyed your last few tales, greatly.
I could smell the goat hides, the coffee and the gun powder from your S&W.
Your words are like paint and canvas.

I hope you enjoy your holiday. Eat, drink and be merry.

I took jessie to one of my favorite gold panning spots yesterday and showed him how to find where the gold lays in the flood layers.
He took to it like a dog to a ham bone. When he got the hang of rolling the pan and found a couple of specks, he was hooked for life.

Sweet misery.

#/;0):--]
 

I posted last night on my thread, a notice for all that have spured me onward toward finishing the book, to let me know if they DO NOT want to be published by their treasure net name, to notify me before August 21.

Some time shortly after that date I will begin writing that portion of the book.

I will be going thru this thread as well looking for all that have spured me onward.
So if you wish to remain in the shadows, to keep your site secrets safe, let me know.

I will not disclose any one's secrets to which I have been entrusted. I simply wish to acknowledge those that have helped bring this story to its closure.

Thanks
MIKEL
#/;0):--
 

Hi Jodie and her heart throb, a darn nice guy, had our meeting and she lived up expectations, wonderful gal.. They were accompanied by their daughter " Paloma". But they shanghied me out of my second demi tasa of coffee by her father taking us to their movie thatre to see flying Pictures of the Palmarejo mine. Yes they hve a motion picture studio capable of seating some hundred people. sigh , and here I live on the other side of the tracks. :laughing7::laughing7:

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In the early 1900's the Palmarejo mine smelter was processing part of the neigboring goldmines accumulation of gold ores,as requred by fed regulations. It was on a week end and most of the people were off to a fiesta in nearby Chianapas.


As they were casting the final bars, they were interupted by 5 gunmen who promply shot all of the men working


Upon hearing the shots the townspeople hurried back to Zapote to find all of the workers dead and the Gold gone.evidenc of heavily loaded Mules was seen going north paralelling the narrow guage RR tracks.


A hasitlly put together posse followd them to the first water tower, were they found that the men had hastily buried the gold bars, since one deposit was found to be crudely covered and the mules were found to be peacefully grazing in, and aroung, the samll stream nearby. The posse proptedly scattered looking for the hidden gold bars, but no more were ever found.


It was eventully found that the men had gone on to Chihuahua. there one of them, a Mexican, had been killed in a cantina fight, a second one ended up in jail while the Americans had disappeared across te border. so the case was put to rest


The gold bars were never recovered.


Fast forward-----


My cousinf , Marjorie, was married to a man that had a trucking system that concentrated on the redwooods of Calif. He had finished a long term contract, so the men in the lumber camp had gotten to know him.


One day he wes approached by the cooks swamper - helper - an old man of indeterminate age, who took him aside and comenced to talk confidentially about his past life, he told him that he, some other Americans and two Mexicans had held up a Mexican mine for their Gold bars. That they had prepared a hiding spot near the smelter in oneof the homes where they quickly buried the Gold for safekeeping, meanwhile they had loaded up some mules with river rock, They then took off up a narrow guage RR until they came to a water tower where they burried two bars, making sure that it was obvious that something was buried there and dumped the river rocks in a nearby arroyo where they blended nicely, turned the mules loose and rode off.


He said that they had soon split off, agreeing to meet later to go back and recover the gold.


He had never herd from the others and did not know what happened to them but that He was now ready to recover the Gold since they had recently completed a road into the area to recover the RR tracks for another mine. He emphasized that only he was to carry any arms for protection.


My cousin repeated the story to me, and after finding out about the killings, flatly refused to go along with the old man. Shortly afterwards the old man died of natural causes and the Gold has never been recovered.




SO, there the gold bars sit in Zapote --- sigh.

















 

Jose, it sounds like you are loving life at the top of your game. Any time spent with people that you cherish is worth more than even your words can tell, within this limited space.

I can see the smile on your face from here.

Write more about your joy when you can. It warms our hearts as well.
Mikel
#/;0):--
 

Jose, it seems that our responces were posted at the same time. I did not get to read it until last night. I wrote you a note this morning to let you know how it drew me into. The tale and my phone sent it off into space.
But i am gratreful for your sharing it with us.

Mikel
#/;0/····|
 

Reading these posts, I am sad that our Señor y Don Jose has not finished his book…….heck, if he collected his posts from TN, is would suffice for a book…..
And I have not forgot you promised to write about the little people one day….still waiting and my coffee is nearly finished….
Vaya con Dios
 

Doc, you posted ---I have not forgot you promised to write about the little people one day


OK,OK ya slave driver, The original Yaqui were people of averge size of one meter. I have written about how they welcomed large strangers into their tribe, according to legend. They understood primitive Genetics.

I have mentioned, how, according to legend,a large bird of prey would every so often make off with a child and how a gigantic Negro came to their aid by shooting the birds with arrows and destroying their nests so that they went somewhere into the interior.

His skeleton is in a cave owned by my Yaqui friend, Juan Bacsasewa Valencia, 'el Capitan'.
It was of a normal, large man

Up at the Gloria pan zone There lived two separate groups of small people. One can stand along side of their ruiins and the roof level only comes to ones shoulder. They lived on separate Mesa tops. One culture used all adobe constrction for their homes, the other rocks.

When I was there last, I had the men collect their cooking etc, utensiles and bury them in the floor of one of the better preserved rock houses.. They will be preserved for future archaeological expeditions.

Incidentally I found the sealed entrance to the Gloria Pan Mine shortly after on that trip..
 

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Ma Pa mine of Tayopa has been found

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