When it became obvious that the listing was going to be more than one page, David was complaining that he might as well be trying to publish a newspaper. Alice overheard his comment and replied. “Why don’t you?”
That answer sparked the beginning of the Inland Sea Beacon, a three page, legal paper, sized document that included news, opinion, advertising, and a comic strip. The first issue was printed on an inkjet printer and then reproduced 100 times on a laser photocopier. Each paper sold for one nickel, and two boys who delivered and collected for it got to keep two cents for each copy. Only pennies, nickels and pre 64 silver coins were accepted. They were waiting on the Monday morning before the next fair when the print run was completed. With their bicycles loaded, they made their way to every known residence in the area.
Chapter 12
David has found that the electronics still in their original conductive foam packaging had survived the EMP Storm. At the bottom of one box he discovered a wide band scanner. He hooked up an antenna on the roof, and turned it on every afternoon, while he worked on other projects. All he ever heard was static across all bands, but he kept listening. On one Saturday evening at 6:00 PM, he heard “Breaker Breaker, This is Sutter Butte Base Any Station, Please come back. We will try again next Saturday, again at 6:00 PM” on Channel 16 of the CB Band.
Even with the large Best Buy electronics inventory, there was no CB gear. David worked unsuccessfully to attempt to repair the CB radio from the truck while Tiny made the rounds looking for working equipment. He found an old tube type CB base station in the wreckage of a trailer in Diamond Springs.
David had it set up and tested by Saturday afternoon, and that evening established a communication link with the settlement at Sutter Butte. They reported that their battery power was limited, but that they would send the Wild Goose to the next fair.
Thursday afternoon David and Tiny were up on the roof watching for their new arrivals, when they saw the sail on the horizon. Someone waved from near the top of the main mast. David returned the wave and then hurried down to the dock. The ship dropped the mainsail, and slowly approached the dock under the jib. David saw a freckled faced wisp of a girl fearlessly slide down a ratline to the main deck. She was wearing shorts and a tank top and looked about 13. She caught the line he threw, and snubbed it to a cleat. An older man was at the helm, and said, “You must be David Russell. I’m Doc Hanson, and this imp is Rebecca Thompson, and her father Delbert.”
The introductions continued, while the Goose was secured to the dock. The visit was productive in several ways. Aaron Johnson asked for a ride back to his house, and was pleased to find it had not been salvaged. He filled both David’s and his trucks with furniture, tools, toys, and household items. David asked him if he ever planned to come back to live there.
His reply was short. “There are too many bad memories here, plus we have a big garden on the Butte. We will be completely self sustaining in another year.” He left his truck, also an old diesel, with David, asking only that it be available when anyone from Sutter Butte came to the Trading Post.
During the fair that weekend, the participants had an extended series of discussions on salvage and property rights. General agreement was reached on several points and David published them in the next issue of the Inland Sea Beacon:
This agreement, by a majority of the known population, will be the law for all property rights.
1. Any physical property owned prior to Day 0 shall remain the property of those surviving owners, or their children. If no one has established a valid claim before Day 0 of year 2, that property will be considered abandoned. A valid property claim must be occupied.
2. Any property unoccupied for 6 months, may be claimed by individuals or families, by occupying the property, salvaging or improving it, marking the borders, and posting that claim on the Property Database at the Best Buy Trading Post.
3. Property claims shall not exceed 160 acres for agricultural property, 5 acres for residential property, 1 acre for business or salvage property.
4. Property claims shall not include streets, roads, bridges, navigable waterways, schools, hospitals, or other property with significant potential for public good.
5. Property may be sold or given to another by having both parties’ record the transaction on the Property Database.
6. The Best Buy Trading Post will maintain the Property Database on a separate computer with backup. There will be no charge for an individual’s initial claim entry. Any additional entries or changes will incur a pre 64 dime, or mutually agreeable equivalent payment to Best Buy Trading Post.
7. A jury of citizens in a trial shall settle any disputes, where both parties directly present their case.
Chapter 13
Zeke was ecstatic, his family was healthy, secure, and happy. Their farm, Casa Jacoby, was providing most of their needs, and the first batch of apricot brandy was ready for barter.
The Wild Goose had appeared one late summer day, and Zeke learned about the other settlements North of them. They traded some junk silver for some empty bottles, six hens and a rooster. He also found out about the Best Buy Trading Post Thanksgiving Fair in El Dorado, and resolved to be there that fall. While the range was too great for CB radio communications, both vessels had 10-meter systems on board. Because of power limitations on both vessels (the sun was never more than a dull glow), they agreed to communicate briefly, every Saturday night at 9:00 PM.
It was great, being able to communicate with the rest of their limited world, and all their excitement grew as Fall season approached. Finally, they departed, four days before Thanksgiving, with the harvest surplus, apricot brandy filling every available container, fuel tanks full of bio-diesel, and everyone but Hector, who insisted on looking after the homestead.
They arrived two days before the start date, and tied up to a dock opposite the Wild Goose. There were lots of small craft tied up along the shore, but the Flush and the Goose were the only larger vessels. Several vehicle, including trucks, cars, and wagons were parked in the Best Buy lot.
Everyone had something to trade or sell. Inside the building was where all the trading action occurred. About half of the people had focused on salvaging what was usable from before the Event. The balance of the people had homemade or grown goods or services to sell or trade. Some folks spent the days trading and re trading in a successions of transactions.
The first day Zeke met with Doc Hanson and David Russell and Tiny Landon, who were staging the event. They discussed the need for something more than barter, to facilitate the trading. The old money except maybe coins was useless. A few people had a little pre-64 (junk silver) coins, but there was not enough available to meet the developing needs.
Both Doc and Zeke had a lot of junk silver, as ballast in their vessels. By the first morning, the First Bank of Inland Sea was established, with a three-way partnership between Best Buy Trading Post, Zeke, and Doc. The Bank provided small, interest free junk silver loans, to be repaid by the end of the Fair Week. The exchange rate was set at:
1 Oz. Gold = 20 Silver Dollars; 1 Silver Dollar = 10 Dimes or 5 Nickels or 10 Pennies or 4 Quarters or 2 Halves; 1 Dollar on Post 64 Coins = 1 Dime, except for Pennies and Nickels.
The process worked, and significantly increased the level of trading during the remainder of the fair. The default level was limited to one individual who had purchased a calf. The man offered to leave his son as security until the next month’s fair. He was told that the Bank would trust him for that limited period.