The E-Sylum:  Volume 9, Number 41, October 8, 2006, Article 20

GOLD THEFT STORIES

Fred Holabird writes: "Kudos to Wayne for including the article
about liquid gold theft in Colorado.  As a past mine manager and
corporate officer, it is a surprise to me to see news of gold theft
in a numismatic journal, but it does make for fun reading.

There is a bit of a cultural tradition, passed on from mine manager
to mine manager, to watch for internal theft. I was taught early in
my career, that even though there are physical thefts of bullion bars
(visualize the hijacking and theft of silver bullion from a Wells
Fargo truck near the Candelaria mine in Nevada in the early 1980's),
that the greatest fear of theft was from within. It was not the
regular run-of-the-mill crooks we were after, it was the crooked PhD
chemist or metallurgist, who didn't disclose their background.

In one case I am aware of, mill workers were seen one lonely Sunday
"fishing" in the pregnant pond. Their excuse: practicing for an
upcoming vacation fishing trip. Reality: after they left, several
old socks were found in the pond. After retrieval, they were
full of a specific chemical that enhances metals recovery. You can
guess the rest.

In another instance, a complete separate recovery system was found
in a remote area of one of the heaps, covered by an old piece of
wood that looked like a scrap. It was out of place - litter is not
allowed - and what a surprise when lifted up - a nice portable
recovery unit."

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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