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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
November 1, 2012     Shelton Mason County Journal
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November 1, 2012
 
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Shelton Cinemas hosts chamber gathering County ( ter R~lroad Ave., Shelton. Fina ncial adqisers offer free seminar The two Belfair Edward Jones financial advisers are hosting a free educational semi- nar called "Key Life Decisions: Are You ~e- Belfair. The seminar is free, but space is limited. To make a reservation, call the Edward Jones of. fice at 275-7177. attorney from Houle and Goodell; and Mark and David Rill from Rilrs Chapel. Edw~d" Jones provides financial se~ces for individual investors in the United States, and through its affiliate, in Canada. Chamber membership meeting at casino Anna's Bay Center for Music hosts the SheI- ton Mason County Chamber of Commerce's November membership meeting from 6-8 p,m, Nov. 29 at the Little Creek CasinoResort. The gathering includes a conversation about Businesses sought to host 2013 chamber events Shelton resident John Eaton, owner of Dirt Cheap Cycle in Shelton, last week returned from five months in Alaska diving for gold. Here, he displays almost 50 ounces of gold his crew retreived in one week from the sea bed off Kodiak Island. Courtesy photos Businesses interested in hosting a Shelton Mason County Chambbr of Commerce member- ship meeting or Business After Hours gathering The following dates in 2013 are open: the bership meetingluncheon, the Oct. 9 Business After Hours, the Nov, 13 Business After Hours, Learn public speaking skills at chamber worksho- Kat~ Ka~n of Hood Canal Communica- Shelton business owner finds adventure deep in the sea By G()RDON WEEKS Slow business at his Dirt Cheap Cy- cle shop propelled John Eaton north to Alaska and deep into the sea in search of gold. But diving for gold became an adventure as well, and Eaton plans to return soon, perhaps as a cast member of the Discovery Channel's unscripted show "Bering Sea Gold Under the Ice." "I think it was Mark Twain who said when we're old and reflecting back on our life, it will be the things that we bytheS~i~bhMa~b~C0u~tyChambe~fC~m didn't do that we will regret, not the ~ce fro~ n~ I p~ ~ovi 2 ~he Grove things we do," said Eaton, a Shelton S~e~Brewh~ns~i2~3S~Fi~iShe!~n resident since 1989. "Maybe I'm an ~b Busin~|~0~sho~ ~reoffer~: adrenaline junkie, but I've got to do fre~ ~o ~h~ber:memb~ ~ng~orksh~ stuff like that. It was an adventure, a five-and-a-half month adventure." The 52-year-old Eaton returned to ~ the ~ ~day ~aC~ ~i T~ RSVPi ~]i Shelton last week from his underwater work in the Bering Sea near Nome, and off Kodiak Island. At the bottom of the Bu~in~ ~na~i~n~ sea, Eaton used a 10-inch dredge like a vacuum cleaner, sucking up to 15 cubic ~ ~i~ yards of materials per hour up to the ship where gold was filtered in a sluice ~ ii ~t~nSr ~: ?::ni t ~aei ~ !:ntc m°en :s~!d~ ~d ~or~d again ~ ~ich~!!~ ~ral ~nd h~ staff a~ P you do it." Eaton's customers at Dirt Cheap Cy- gl~es an~ ~at~ fo~ ~on ~t~ ~i~me~t~ cle, purchasing parts for quad vehicles ~0ol chfl~ T~ :i~m~ ~e ~oi|~et~d ~ll popular in Alaska, encouraged him to N~vem~i an~ tho~ de|~ve~ed: t~ et~ent~ seek fortune in the 49th state. Eaton said two factors sent him to ~a$~ i~2~ north: th~ declining disposable income of middle class customers that slowed business, and the spike of gold prices, approaching $2,000 an ounce. He left She|~0n branch:of Heritage Ba~k; th~ M~ his business in the hands of his long- J0hn~o~ age~y 0f ~l S~ate insu~an~i S~ge time employee, aichie Wiley. Books~Maria~!SFineJe~et~iIZ~MAS~i~i "Since 2008, since the market apteO] iP ud n !R ty at ay p crashed, all small businesses have ~rty M~fi~gementi Green Diamond R~ had a rough time," he said. "If I had ~enteriM~s~C~ntyTil~Tayi~!~cel the amount of business coming into ~he ~o~ C6unty S~o~ A~tivit~e$ Cen~i: my store as per 2008 levels, I wouldn't E~eep$iOn~l Fh~es~er~ i~ i C~rve$ fo~ ~I have had the time to go to Nome to dive for gold." Eaton said he checked out two boats C~untryStbreiCame~B0ut~queandth~ Discovery Channel was using for its ~nd Shelt0n offices 0fH~od C~nai: CommuniCa~ series Bering Sea Gold," but said he believed the boats were too small and Ki~e~ ment.didnt feature the proper safety equip- boatInstead'captainedhe signedby a 72-year-oldab°ard a 50-fOOtman, who along with his 69-year-old part- iIiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii i! ii iiiiii iiiii!ii iiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiiii iii i il il ! i :i/!ii i !ii!iiiiii iii i1 Above, ,John Eaton looks like he's walking on water, but he is about to plunge into the ocean. He's spent 12,000 hours at the bottom of the sea. At top, he uses a ladder to climb back aboard. riverbeds a mile out to sea, he removed the first three feet of stone called over- "It takes a lot of strength. That dredge weighs several hundred pounds. You are constantly moving underwater. You don't work a regular schedule. Your schedule is the weather's sched- ule. If the weather is good for ten days straight, you work ten days straight." During his crew's best 10-hour stretch, they recovered 11 ounces of gold. During Eaton s last week, the crew collected just under 50 ounces, a net sum larger than the gross sales at his shop in a month, Eaton said. And then there were the periods when the flat boat ("Like a party barge you'd see on a lake") couldn't take the volatile weather and choppy seas. The crew was stuck on shore once for two weeks, another stretch for two and a half weeks. Both times, Eaton flew from Nome to Seattle, a $1,600 round- trip ticket. During his first month in Nome, Ea- ton rented a room and a shower at a "flophouse" -- for $2,600 a month. Gas was $6 a gallon, milk $8.99 a gallon. Eaton said he missed two things in Shelton: his friends and the weather. Home only a few days, Eaton already is eying a possible salvage adventure off the Philippines. A buddy is interested in finding silver dumped into the sea by the retreating ner, had more than 100 years of gold burden to reach the bedrock. "The last Filipinos and Americans to keep it away mining experience between them. six inches or so are paydirt," he said. from the Japanese during World War II. "If there was anyone to learn from, it The results could be seen even down Eaton is seeking advice on signing was them," Eaton said. in the murky waters, "I wear a bright with an agent for his possible run on When the weather permitted, Eaton light, and I can see the specks of gold "Bering Sea Gold Under the Ice." spent nine to 11 hours a day about 36 going up the dredge," he said. "I'm definitely going back next sum- ' feet deep on the ocean floor. On former "It's very hard work," Eaton said.mer." Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, Nov. 1, 2012 - Page B-3 II I I I I .... I l i I " i: ,l} i I I I