Investigation Report
Date: 12/9/06
Location: Vulture Mine
Weather: Mostly Clear. High: 71 Low: 41 Pollen: 1.7 low Barometer 30.03 inches
Dew: 34f Heat: 77f 25c
Moon: Waning gibbous. 75% of full
Solar X-Ray: active. Geomagnetic: Quiet
EMF: average of 0.2 across the entire site, no spikes reported.
SPI: David Delgado, Dave Webb, Danielle Waluck
SPI Attended this investigation in association with and as guests of ICPIR
This report was compiled by Dave Webb. Where other SPI investigators have noted something or reported events not attended or witnessed by Dave Webb, their contributions have been added. Their names are in bold and their comments are placed in italics.
We did a tour of the site with Dee and set bait or trigger objects. Cans of chewing tobacco were set at the Power house, the Mess Hall and upstairs in the Assay Office.
While setting things up at the Power House, an ICPIR investigator attempted to replicate a photograph. (See the ICPIR report for details).
On reaching the mess hall several people reported olfactory phenomena - the smells of cut pine, cookies and chocolate were reported. 1
Regrouping, we moved to the two schoolhouses to establish a base of operations and start working.
All of the buildings at Vulture Mine are in an advanced state of disrepair. The two schoolhouses are no exception. We dumped gear in the larger of the two - hereafter referred to as Lower and moved outside. Danielle decided to sit in the Lower schoolhouse while several other people went to the upper house.
Danielle Waluck: I spent sometime alone in the lower schoolhouse sitting quietly. At one point I felt the wispy sides of my hair move. I sat a few more seconds and went outside to see if there might be a breeze. There was a slight breeze which is what I attributed the hair move to be.
David Delgado: I went with Christy over to the upper school house which was the original school house and did a vigil with several of the other investigators. I sat in this room for awhile took some pictures and ran my audio recorder but did not really feel any presence. After some time I went over to the lower school house with a couple of the other investigators and did a vigil in this school house again I took a couple pictures and ran my audio recorder. Again I did not feel any kind of presence. After about ? an hour spent inside the lower school house most of the other investigators met at the fire we had going to keep warm. After a small break I went back to the upper school house with another investigator and now I thought the building felt different
People started to report light phenomena in the upper schoolhouse. The light was described as being red/orange and moving over a particular wall. Most of us spent time in the Upper Schoolhouse watching for repeat phenomena. Nate, David Delgado and Dave Webb attempted to debunk this light. Dave Webb played torchlight over the exterior back wall, to see if there was any light penetration. We were joined by Dee who used a more powerful white light torch. There didn't appear to be any light contamination from outside, although torchlight from the direction of the Lower schoolhouse was visible, we could not replicate the type of light anomaly reported.2 At around this point, Dave Webb and Dee went along the path back to the main part of the mine and spotted a light in the house on the hill. Phenomena associated with the house are usually much brighter than this small light was, but since we couldn't get close to see what was causing the light it caused a bit of a stir. Nate and Felicia discovered another light, exactly the same, near the caretaker's office: a solar powered porch light.3
An anomalous sound was picked up- a recording of a conversation between Nate, Dave D and Danielle has what sounds like a cat hissing.
Around 21:00, we moved off to the Assay Office. We checked on, and switched on, a DV camera that was left in the Assay office itself and then split the group. Dave Webb, Christy and Felicia stayed at the Assay Office, in the room identified as the Shotgun Guards room, while the remainder of the team went on to the power house, the machine shop and the other buildings.
Before leaving, at about 21:40, Mick reported the "rotting meat" smell, which was noticed by Christy and Dave Webb. It appeared to be outside the Shotgun Guards room. 4
While Dave Webb, Christy and Felicia were in the Shotgun Guards room we also heard what appeared to be a car door slamming closed. We'd brought two vehicles to the Assay office, so we all went outside to check on them. Both cars were locked. The slamming noise was picked up by recorders inside the shotgun guard's room and by the DV camera. Dave Webb contacted the other team by radio to make sure they were all accounted for. We were not able to identify where the noise had come from.5
Danielle Waluck: We spent sometime in the Power House, took several pictures, did some EVP work. Nothing was noted.
Dave Webb, Christy and Felicia had moved to the Mess Hall by this point. There they were able to hear what sounded like boots walking over a wooden floor. This sound, which repeated at irregular intervals, was clearly audible. They also noted a rhythmic banging noise, which was ascribed to wind acting on part of a nearby building.
Danielle Waluck: David Delgado. Nate and I relaxed in the Shotgun Guard Room. My recorder was going. We did some EVP work as well as just had some light conversation. Mike joined us and joined the conversation. No personal experiences occurred here, and only one possible EVP - but I believe that to be my voice cracking
David Delgado: Before we left for the night I and another investigator took one last turn at the upper school house. We spent about 15 minutes and again I ran audio just in case
1 - The smells of things like vanilla, chocolate, cookies or cooking have been reported multiple times before.
2 - There were two reported colors of light: red and white. One potential explanation for the red light came up during the investigation: a camera was noted as projecting a red dot before it took a photograph. However, the red light anomaly was reported when that camera and other equipment capable of producing a red light was not present. The effect of the debunking was to demonstrate that there wasn't light contamination through the back wall. We were also able to create reasonable doubt that light was coming in through the front door or windows, since we were not able to replicate what was reported using torches or other light sources.
David Delgado and Dave Webb went back to the Upper schoolhouse later, when other investigators were elsewhere, and attempted to experience the same anomaly but without success.
3 - The Caretaker, Chris Anderson, was able to confirm that the solar light found outside the caretaker's office was the same as the one outside the house. We were not able to approach the house itself to confirm this on the night.
4 - This smell had been reported before, at first inside the Upper school house back room near a 'bait' object. It was picked up by at least two investigators.
5 - The camera evidence turned out to have some useful supporting evidence. Prior to the teams splitting up, the camera had been on while the two vehicles at the Assay Office were secured. The sounds of car doors being shut and alarms