Show Weather r u Data Report From Prom Washington max lYun tl Cf May 26 87 49 a May 27 27 85 46 May 28 T 81 43 May 29 85 49 49 L r May 30 84 84 47 r May 31 68 47 June l 1 1 74 40 MAY SUMMARY Highest temperature recorded record record- ed during May was 87 on the and the lowest was 35 on the Precipitation for the month totaled only 11 of an Inch as compared with 32 for the month th last year inches in 1967 88 in 1966 In 1965 and anda a time long-time average for the month of Inches Driest May on record was in 1948 with 04 of an inch while M May y 1940 was only slightly better with 05 and the past month ranks third in dryness Wettest May on record was in 1957 with Inches Other Mays with more than two Inches of rain were in 1935 with 1941 with 2 02 1964 with and 1967 with With unusually warm weather and below normal precipitation for both April and May most non-irrigated non pastures are ex exceedingly exceedingly exceedingly ex- ex dry and greatly In need of rain Precipitation for the past month came In two light showers 05 inch on the and 06 on the r By LAURENCE J. J BURTON JBURTON tt Theres gold In them hills blUs is is a cry we might possibly possibly sibly si- si bly hear again in Utah A re recent recent recent re- re cent spokesman from the In Interior Interior In- In Department Informed me meth th that t an old mining district inthe In Inthe Inthe the Drum Mountains of Utah might have a reservoir of gold Scientists have been surveying surveying surveying survey survey- ing samples from the area and have Identified some clues to gold which might produce a arich arich arich rich find along a zone zon a mile wide and up to two-and-a-half two miles long So lets let's get out our gear and get going The possible find is located some 25 miles mUes northwest northwest northwest north north- west of Delta Although today's prospecting for gold Is more or less Just a anice anice anice nice vacation diversion it wasn't too many years ago that bearded men surveyed the Utah hills in the hopes of hitting It big Although there was some prospecting In the hills of Georgia Georgia Georgia Geor Geor- gia and Alabama over a century ag ago the big gold happened happened happened hap hap- near near Coloma California Califor Califor- nia In 1848 James W. W Marshall Marshall Marshall Mar Mar- shall was erecting a sawmill in partnership with John A. A Sutter Sut- Sut ter and we all know what happened happened happened hap hap- then The cry of gold was heard clear across the United States But the fever that comes from gold certainly was known thousands of ot years before that sawmill ever went up As long ago as Abraham about 1900 BC B.C. gold was acceptable as payment for purchases and debts and was as scarce then as now In the and centuries AD A.D. people of wealth began de depositing de- de positing their gold with local goldsmiths for safekeeping and right up to the century Americans were using gold asa as asa a medium of ot exchange for ser ser- vices Until 1933 the U. U S. S minted gold coins Issued paper money that could be freel freely y swapped for gold But to get more leeway In monetary affairs af affairs affairs af- af fairs the US U.S. abandoned the gold standard in 1934 and de declared declared declared de- de gold coins and gold certificates certificates certificates no longer legal tender for everyday money transactions transactions transactions and the common US U.S. folding money of ot today came into being Along the way to our standard currency came problems problems problems lems however Black Friday hi hit t the nation because of the gold corner in 1869 and the Alaskan Alaskan Alaskan Alas Alas- kan gold strike in 1897 took tho thousands ands of A Americans north to Alaska only to find hunger and greed and many died of exposure Out of the prospectors only a handful ever ev ever ever ev- ev er struck it rich During the depression years of ot the many went to the western mountains mO to seek th their ir fortunes only to find that the grounds gro had been surveyed twice before them first by bythe bythe bythe the Chinese laborers who entered en entered entered en- en immediately after the ini initial initial ini- ini boom periods and later by itinerant miners during the turn of the century In more recent tim times s a campsite was set up at the foot of the Superstition Mountain Mountain Moun Moun- tain near Phoenix Arizona were dozens of cars were parked The drivers and their parties parties' were up in the mountains mountains moun moun- bins in search of the Lost Dutchman Mine No real proof has ever been made of the existence of the mine but many still believe a million multi dollar doUar placer of surface gold awaits the right prospector Hundreds H have gone into the mountains many never have come out The Carlin Mine in Nevada has been producing gold since 1965 and only In the last few years year has another mine o opened ned at Cortez Nevada Nevada doesn't lead the nation In gold production however The nine mine which produces over a third of the total national output is the Homestake Mine In South Da Da- Da kota And who's In second place Utah's Copper Mine produces nearly all of the states state's ounces of gold and Is second in the entire national gold production There are other mines in Utah such as the Mayflower and Lark but huge pit Is the one which brings the glittering guttering guttering gut gut- specks of gold to the Us U.s. Treasury The Treasury as a matter of fact Is one reason there Isn't much gold prospecting in America anymore The Treasury Treasury Treasury Trea Trea- sury has Ms begun phasing out Its purchasing of gold from in in- in So the prospector hasto hasto has hasto to deal with individual licensed dealers who of course only pay the standard price for an ounce O of gold Another reason Is the work it takes to get an ounce of gold For In Instance tance the Homestake Mine produce produces only a third of an ounce of gold from one tonof ton tonof tonof of raw material So It would take tons tons' for an ounce O of gold which would bring a return of only 35 That kind of 01 takes the Incentive out of panning for gold for an Individual prospector prospector pros pros- prospector Still the excitement of ot perhaps perhaps perhaps per per- haps hitting it big where others have failed still gives us a sense of ot adventure a challenge So even If the odds are against us If those scientists scientists scientists come up with anything tangible in their research of those areas of Juab and Millard Millard Mil- Mil Millard lard Counties well you might Just find the Burton Murton clan striking striking ing out this summer on our vacation mule pack and all in the Drum Mountains of Utah |