17 Tons of gold in New Mexico

MesaBuddy

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Feb 8, 2006
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I might be able to swing it,I will be up there around the Cortez,CO area at one of my haunts in April ;)
pm me Clayton and when we get up there I will show you what the old man told me :o
 

MesaBuddy

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Feb 8, 2006
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Here's another equation 17ton=19,747.2 ouncesX$540.80=$10679285.76 :o
Give or take a little that has been found,not bad for a few days work ;D
 

grizzly bare

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Aug 30, 2005
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I feel fairly certain that it's going to take a MAJOR search to find this one. I just don't have the time right now. Finally close to making a deal with a guy who owns a salvage boat with a (forgive the pun) boatload of equipment. I think we're going to be heading to Tampa Bay for a week and then the Suwanee River area for a couple of months.
If you do head to ShipRock, good luck. Hope you strike it rich.
(Be sure to post pics)

grizzly bare

I'm still confused about gold weighing/measuring systems.
 

OP
OP
Roadquest

Roadquest

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Oct 13, 2005
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grizzly bare, You are right it may take a major search to recover this one.
So, I'm just going to try and use some logic, with research I have, and
take another shot at it. Who knows? Maybe I will get lucky. If not, I love
I'm love doing this stuff anyway. I hope your deal with the guy with the
salvage boat works out. Sounds like like you will be on the water for most
of the summer. Work hard to find the treasure, but take some time to have
some fun to.
Clayton
 

grizzly bare

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Let's try it in the measurement of precious metals.

Weights (Troy and Apothecaries)
Troy Weight 24 grains = 1 pennyweight
20 pennyweight = 1 troy oz
12 troy oz = 1 troy lb
Apothecaries Weight 20 grains = 1 scruple
3 scruples = 1 drachm
8 drachms = 1 apothecaries oz


Troy weight is a system of weights used for precious stones and metals. The troy pound is no longer in legal use, but gold is still sold in troy ounce bars. Apothecaries weight was used for measuring drugs and medicines. Both systems had the grain, ounce and pound in common (since a troy ounce was the same as an apothecaries oz).

A pennyweight was called that because it was the weight of a silver penny.

A scruple is derived from the Latin for a small stone, because it's a very small weight. We also use scruple to mean your conscience pricking you like a small sharp stone in your shoe!

These weights were not learned at school, because they had very specialised use. But our normal weights tables were always marked as avoirdupois (which comes from Old French "to have weight"). The troy system dates from the 10C. The troy pound was defined as different from the avoirdupois pound in the reign of Elizabeth I (1558-1603). See this Tudor set of measures, where the table defines troy weights, and then separates avoirdupois and troy weights without giving the conversion factor!

1 troy oz = 480 grains
1 troy lb = 5760 grains
1 oz avoirdupois = 437.5 grains
1 lb avoirdupois = 7000 grains


There is an old joke "Which is heavier, a pound of lead or a pound of feathers?" Of course, they weigh the same. But if you said "Which is heavier, a ounce of gold or a ounce of feathers?", then you could claim that the gold is measured in troy and the feathers in avoirdupois, and so the gold is indeed heavier. But a troy pound of gold is lighter than a pound (avoirdupois) of feathers!

So, how much does this treasure weigh?

grizzly bare
 

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Roadquest

Roadquest

Bronze Member
Oct 13, 2005
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I'm thinking they were using 16 oz to the pound. The bars were cast in 33 kilos.
Also if you check on some of the reports, It was put at 16 tons not 17.
If all this is true, then:

16 tons of gold is about equel to 1 cubic yard. Actualy a little less, but alowing
for some space between the bars, it would probably come out to nearly 1 cu. y.
or @ 25 cu feet.

That would make a nice big target.

As for how much the treasure weighs, Well, when we find it next month, we will weigh
it and see....I wish.....Clayton..Roadquest
 

gollum

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Jan 2, 2006
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grizzly bare said:
Roadquest,
Happy with one bar? I'd guess so! Even at 12 ounces to the pound, that one bar would be worth 470 thousand dollars! at 16 ounces per pound something like six hundred thousand.
Now let's go find one each!

grizzly bare
Not greedy, just wants it all!

Hey Clayton,
As far as I know, only three of the five clue bearing bars have been found. If you could find ONE, that would be your chip in the BIG POKER GAME! Even if my guys found the last remaining bar and you only had one, they would have to cut you in. Without all the bars' clues together in the correct order, it is supposed to be impossible to find the current exact location of the hoard.

God luck and stay safe!
 

dawgvader

Jr. Member
Mar 1, 2006
29
1
Re: 17 Tons of gold in New Mexico.... Unsolved Mysteries 17 tons

I am at my wits end of finding that episode... Its episode #191 July 8th 1992.... I will pay top Dollar for that episode... If anyone has that episode please help me solve my Unsolved Mystery of the Unsolved Mystery episode # 191 thank you.
 

dawgvader

Jr. Member
Mar 1, 2006
29
1
Thanks Holeintoe. I already went there, but there is no way of buying that episode or getting it from that resource... thanks for replying
 

dawgvader

Jr. Member
Mar 1, 2006
29
1
No I didn't find that episode Roadquest... I called lifetime television that is airing Unsolved Mysteries everyday... They said they do not have the rights to it...So I looked at buying the New Unsolved Mysteries Strange Legends DVD set but that does not have the 17 tons episode on it... So I called the offices of the company who has the rights to it... And they said they do not sell all the individual episodes that UM has .. There is over 2000 individual segments of UM... So they told me that I would have to luck out and hope that I catch that episode on LifeTime Television!.. So last resort I went on a UM chatline and asked if anyone has that episode and I got a bunch of replies that people had the Victorian Peak episode and the lost Dutchman episode but not the 17 tons episode!.. I will find it sooner than later
 

gollum

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Roadquest said:
gollum, I was going to ask you what was the weight
of your guys gold bars.

Clayton


I was told about 60lbs each give or take.
 

Colorado Bob

Jr. Member
May 6, 2005
86
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Hey Buddy,

Thought that was you. Did you leave a message on my answering machine? I played it back three time and all I could make out was Buddy and that was hard, everything else was broken up and couldnt understand it.
I had a brain fart and deleted some PH#'s and address as well as some other things. So E-Mail me your PH again.

Have been to the Farmington area many times. Actually we call it the Aztec area. I can tell you this, there are more than three groups working this thing.

We found a rock with a couple inscriptions inside. [That should give someone food for thought]. Last time I was there someone had scratched some new stuff over some of the old stuff. Also found what remains of an old foundation, a small amount of trash and a bed spring. The building has been completely removed. Not too far from what would have made a good landing strip.
Anyone who knows the story, knows what I am talking about. Won't say anymore about the site.

There are also a couple of other sites in the nearby area, one of which we have put in many days and many miles on the old vibrams.

So far we have not found the stash but have found a lot of country in which to look for it in.

Have found a lot of new sign. And I understand that a couple of pieces of Spanish armor has been found, as well as a couple of other things ;D.

Buddy we need to get up to the canyon one of these days.

Bob T.
 

MesaBuddy

Sr. Member
Feb 8, 2006
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Bob I called you on Friday on my way through but I guess I missed you,sorry the message did not come out clear,I was in the middle of a very big dust storm just east of your house,will send u an email with my # again,I have some more info on the canyon need to get up there very soon I think maybe spend a few days if you can swing it?have been around the Aztec area have some info from an old man on a few things that went on up there in the thirties(he's passed on now but my memory is good) ;)
Happy Easter
Buddy
 

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