This Cache:
Not much can be said, SciFi is an often boring cable TV channel. More interesting is the true story of the area here and the strange remains:
Quarry
It all started when the brothers stopped by the old Raven Rock stone quarry and asked its owner, Anton Schuck, if they could check it out with their Geiger counter. Figuring they were just harmlessly exploring, as so many other hobbyists were at the time, he gave them permission to go on the property. When they came back a few months later to ask if they could do some test borings, he allowed them in again. He even let them use his garage to store the results, which they said indicated the property held a little uranium.
Thing was, they weren't entirely truthful with Schuck, which he discovered when they returned to the quarry and began drilling an access shaft without his permission. The brothers had been busy during the intervening weeks, filing a lease for the property at the Hunterdon County courthouse. Despite the fact they hadn't gotten Schuck's signature or permission to use the land, they felt they had standing, based, probably, on their find.
Uranium
While Schuck fought to get the aspiring miners off his property, Raven Rock and its environs became the center of attention for the media and curiosity seekers. The aspiring tycoons were busy selling stock in the Gatling Brothers Mining and Development Company, based on the growing estimation of the value of the uranium they'd extract. Some of their contractors and attorneys agreed to take payment in the form of equity; family and friends were eager to buy in at 25 cents per share. Apparently the brothers themselves were as taken in by their dreams as their other investors were, spending their anticipated riches before seeing any marketable product from the mine.
Inevitably, the entire situation ended up in the courts for a variety of reasons: the Gatlings' claim on Schuck's land being just one. With limited funds and no income from the mine, the brothers simply couldn't pay their bills, leading to accusations they were intentionally writing bad checks. The federal Securities and Exchange Commission was investigating them for improperly issuing stock to investors. And several lawyers refused to represent them, claiming that the brothers wouldn't listen to sound counsel. Meanwhile, the mine site lay fallow, nature taking back what man had disturbed.
Court
The whole thing was finished for good in 1963, after the Gatlings filed a suit against Schuck for damages and mineral rights. As a compromise, the brothers agreed to secure an expert who could confirm the presence of valuable uranium on the land, but they never followed through. In his judgement to dismiss the case with prejudice against the brothers, the presiding judge said, "This matter has been adjourned six times, four times at the request of counsel of the plaintiffs, and two times when counsel for the plaintiffs did not appear." I'd say the courts saw the whole thing as a nuisance instigated by two very misguided men. It's that lack of sense that makes it all so puzzling (don't worry this is a traditional): they ended up just as damaged as the people who'd invested time and treasure in their scheme. Saja raises a possible clue in his account: less than a month before the brothers filed incorporation papers for their mining venture, Alvin had been released from a six-week stay at Marlboro State Psychiatric Hospital (Obi Wan got the story when he was here.) Whether Alvin's mental state played a role in their poor business decisions or not is up for conjecture. From what we can gather, they'd formed an enterprise in search of a mine, and the Raven Rock quarry appeared as good a place as any.
This Series:
This cache is part of the SPACE 2081: A Geocaching Odyssey challenge.
This challenge contains one cache of each difficulty and terrain combination, plus a final cache which can be found only after finding all 81 caches that are part of the series. Each of those 81 caches will contain a code, which you will use as part of the puzzle to solve the FINAL CACHE.
All the members of the space team are actual cachers who are remaining anonymous for the moment. You can find more info on the series, as well as a complete list of released caches HERE. Please do not post hints or spoilers in your logs. Also, each cache must be signed by any individual cachers going for the final.
Good luck, may the force be with you, live long and prosper.
Space Online: