"Bottleless" sojourn, the rest of the story.

[highsierra]

After reaching the snowy end we decided to detour down slope to a lower elevation camp and investigate that place for a while. After a drive down a rough and rutted "road" we stopped, tossed on the packs, grabbed the detector and a few tools, and headed off down through the pines and deer brush to a small stream gurgling 500' below. That's where I just about tumbled into the little canyon. It's a good thing that there were numerous dogwood and other saplings to grab a hold of to keep me upright.

When we finally reached the bottom there was a surprise in the way of a full size locomotive boiler that some 19th Century enterprising miners had dragged down there and set up as a stationary engine to operate their hoists and other rigging.


The appliances, steam dome and sand dome had been ingeniously plated over and pressure relief valves put together in their place. Whoever did the job knew exactly what they were doing. The stack was gone, but you could peer into the smokebox and see the tubes. Everything had long since been removed, including the smokebox door and builder's plate. The backhead had only a few pipes and valves remaining. It must've been a sight to see running a full head down in that dark site.


After looking around the collapsed tunnel we began to run the detector along the old remains of their access road, but found only barrel hoops, tin cans, steel telegraph wire and assorted stove parts. No bottles, or pieces of bottles, appeared anywhere in the metal debris. A large signal screamed where the trail had been washed out, so we had to look at that. Rocks and accumulated dirt covered whatever it was by about a foot, but it seemed large enough to be some sort of machinery. you probably can't see it in this photo, but it is in there.


This is what we found. An early iron framed balance scale that still had vestiges of black and red paint with gold trim.I would've left that thing down there, but not my buddy. No, he humped that beast up and out of there. He'll clean it up and see if there are any maker's markings.


That's about it, y'all. It was easier dragging my tired, mosquito chewed, butt up and out of there than it was going down. We were back at my vehicle in 30 minutes, and after a short breather got ourselves out of there. Sort of an eventful day, and typical of the mountain goat adventures that we find ourselves on more and more as time goes on. To find the good stuff you have to go where the meek haven't, or are too smart to do so, gone before you. All the "easy" sites are long plowed by diggers and metal detecting enthusiasts, which leaves the "off the beaten path" sites the only hope to score something of interest. Hopefully, the next trip will be payday, but I won't be holding my breath. We never know, that's why we do what we do. You can't find it by driving around hoping for it, you gotta hit the trail and earn it.

[DesertWalker]

I know where one of those old boilers is, below an old mining town. They probably hauled that kinda stuff in with a horse and wagon, unless there was a rail line running in.
Today, they would have a crane to set it in place, the BLM, archaeologists, environmentalists and Mosha would be right there to approve or disapprove of the install. Then they would probably get in trouble for threatening an endangered bug, or destroying wetlands. And, pretty sure it wouldn't meet clean air standards. What has happened to us??