At what point do you give up on a hole?

[FreeEnterprise]

I usually stop at about a foot and a half.

I found this story about one of us that "found gold" with his detector and then started digging...

Treasure Hunter Goes for the Gold, Ends Up in the Hole Wednesday, June 14, 2006



One might question his techniques, but there's something to be said about this gold-digger's determination ... even if that "something" is "what a moron!"
Norm Enrique, a 63-year-old treasure-hunting fool, says he got "carried away" after his gold detector reported a positive hit in his front yard and started digging, the Associated Press reports.
But Enrique didn't just pull out a plastic shovel and get crazy sand-box style — cops found him 10 days later directing two dudes burrowing away at the bottom of a 60-foot-deep hole with a rope and a bucket.
"We told him, 'You're done,"' said Montclair Fire Capt. Rich Baldwin. "It's amazing no one got killed."
Authorities, who plan to call out the state Occupational Safety and Health Administration to determine how to undo Enrique's industrious handiwork, fenced off the property for safety.
Unfortunately for Enrique, the only successful gold-digging will be dug right out of his wallet — he'll be required to hire a and pay a licensed engineer to do the job.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,199535,00.html

[ECACE]

It seems FOX put a little bit into the story to make him out to be more of a fool. Though I don't agree with digging a 60' hole without proper supports, permits and all, let alone training. Here's the original AP report of it:

MONTCLAIR, Calif. - A homeowner digging for gold in his front yard said he got "carried away" and ended up with a 60-foot-deep hole, authorities said.
Henry Mora, 63, began digging 10 days ago after his gold detector reported a positive hit near his front patio. He told authorities he only intended to go down three or four feet.
"I figured, well, maybe there's something down there — you would logically conclude, right? So I started digging," the semiretired musician said.
He started finding gold dust in the dirt and the detector kept hinting that he was getting closer, so he kept digging.
"It was still beeping, and that just gave me the idea to keep digging," he said.
Fire officials called to the scene Tuesday found two men that Mora hired were inside the hole, using a bucket and rope to remove dirt.
"We told him, 'You're done,'" said Montclair fire Capt. Rich Baldwin. "It's amazing no one got killed."
Authorities fenced off Enrique's property.