Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

with his pick or shovel upon his shoulder, his pan in his hand, and his knife and trusty revolver in his belt around his waist, began to wander among the hills, and up the ravines and gulches "prospecting" for gold. In 1849 and 1850 it was very common for small companies of men to start on a prospecting excursion, with several days' provisions, cooking utensils, blankets, tools, and fire-arms, at their backs; and with this small mule-load, climb the most rugged and difficult mountains; descend and cross the most rocky and dangerous cañons; endure fatigue and hardship; and brave privation and peril almost entirely unknown at the present time.

Sometimes it is true an animal might be taken for that purpose; but, if his neck was not broken, he was almost invariably the cause of more anxiety and trouble than of comfort; as men would often have to travel over snow, into which an animal would sink; and cross an impetuous mountain stream upon a small pine, which, of course, no animal would ever attempt; and could he have been induced to enter the stream for the purpose of fording it, the force of the rushing water would have tripped him off his feet and dashed him to pieces upon the rocks; so that the compaby's course had to be entirely changed, or the enterprise abandoned.

At that period the precious metal was supposed to be found only in rivers, cañons, gulches, or ravines; and, as the latter were the readiest prospected, and the easiest worked, and often paid very well; they offered the most tempting inducement to the prospector; and consequently, were the first places sought after and tested by

him.

Having arrived at a spot which looked inviting, and which he thought would "pay," down would go his pan and pick, or shovel, and after removing some of the loose earth or stones which were lying on the top, he would commence making a small hole (generally about the size of his hat!) in the lowest part of the ravine, from

whence a panful of dirt would be taken, and washed; and, if found to be rich, a "claim" or "claims" would be immediately staked off, and a notice put up which generally read as follows:

[ocr errors]

We, the undersigned, claim fifteen feet square (or other quantity mentioned) comravine to the oak tree with a notch in it. mencing at this stake, and running up this (Signed.) PETER SNIGGINS

JEREMIAH TURTLE."

As somewhat illustrative of this rule among miners, we may mention that a short time ago, a stalwart son of the "Emerald Isle," was prospecting a ravine near Forbestown, having obtained a dollar to the pan, and considering it a pretty good prospect, he concluded to "take up a claim" there; but just as he was exulting over his good fortune, he espied a "notice" upon an old stump with the ominous words written thereon: "We, the undersigned, claim, &c., &c., having duly recorded the same." "Ow the divil," he exclaimed, “how came ye there now?" But as the notice returned him no answer, and as he saw some men working but a few yards below, he went to them with the inquiry-"I say Misther, who ouns thim claims?"

"We do," replied one. "Be gorrah thin ye hav no right to thim."

[ocr errors]

'Oh yes, we have a right to them, as we took them up, and recorded them, and have been working upon them all summer."

[ocr errors]

Recarded thim! Ow the divil recard

ye's! sure there's not an owld stoomp within five miles of Forbestown but what has a notice plasthered all over it as big as a winder, with Recarded' in mighty fine letters all over the paper, from the top to the bottom. To the divil with ye's and the recarder too-the baist!" With this generous wish and benediction, he walked away muttering" The divil 'recard' ye's."

If, however, a good prospect was not obtained in the first panful of auriferous dirt, a second was seldom attempted by the prospector of 1848.

Before leaving him, let us see how his

panful of dirt is washed-as the process of "panning out" is precisely the same now as it was then, and is an indispensable accompaniament to every method of gold mining.

Having placed his pan by the edge of a pool or stream, he takes hold of the sides with both hands, and squatting down lowers it into the water, then, with a kind of oscillating and slightly rotary motion, he moves it about beneath the surface for a few moments, then, after drawing it to the edge of the pool, he throws out the largest of the stones, and assists to dissolve the dirt by rubbing it between his hands; the washing is then repeated; and, while the muddy water and sand are floated out of the pan into the pool, the gold, if there is any, settles gradually to the bottom of the pan and is there saved.

was easily transferred from place to place, and even now is much in use as a prospecting implement upon a scale more extended than can well be executed with the pan.

Our description of the cradle or rocker is this: an oblong box from three to three and a half feet in length, eighteen to twenty two inches in width, and about nine inches in depth at the upper end, with a bar across the middle; one end of the box is left open or has no end board. There is no cover to the box or cradle; but a separate box, sieve, or hopper, is made to fit into and occupy the half of the cradle furthest from the open or lower end; this hopper is about four inches in depth; the bottom is of sheet iron, perforated with holes about three-eighths or half an inch in diameter, and one and a half inches apart.

Under the hopper and sloping downward toward the upper end of the cradle, is the slide or apron. This apron being somewhat hollow or concave on its upper side, and

If a little only of very fine gold was found, it was called in miner's phraseology "finding the color," and if from ten to twenty-five cents were found to the pan, it was called "a good prospect." Now, how-covered with canvass, retains much of the ever, with improved modes of mining, fine gold that falls upon it. and less extravagant expectations, from one to three cents is pronounced "good pay

dirt."

MEXICAN BOWL.

The Mexicans and Chilians use almost exclusively the batea, or broad wooden bowl shown in the engraving above, instead of the pan.

Next to the pan and bowl as implements for the more speedy separation of gold from the earth, the cradle or rocker holds an important place; from the fact that it was the first appliance, superior to the pan used with effect in all parts of the mines. Its size and weight rendering it portable, it

Rockers are attached to the under side of the whole, quite similar to those of a child's cradle; near the middle an upright handle is attached, by which motion is given to it.

The hopper being nearly filled with auriferous earth, the operator being seated by its side, while rocking the cradle with one hand, he dips and pours on water with the other, from an adjacent pool or rivulet, using a half gallon tin dipper for the purpose.

[blocks in formation]
[graphic][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][merged small]

viduals, as companies, could be made available and profitable.

To supply this want, the wits and ingenuity of the earlier miners soon brought out the "long tom," exceedingly primitive in its first inception and form it is true, but proving so effective in its operations, it was soon greatly improved upon, and at length became the indispensable implement in the hands of companies of from three to five men in prosecuting their gold washing operations.

The coarse stones and gravel remaining | the use of which the united efforts of indiin the hopper after the water runs clear are then thrown out, the hopper replaced and refilled, and the process repeated. As often as is necessary, the apron, riffle-bars, and bottom are cleaned of the sand and gold that has concentrated upon them; the larger portion of the fine gold, being generally found upon the canvass of the apron. The cradle, though still extensively used by the Chinese throughout the mines, has given way among Americans, and the more enterprising class of miners, to more sammary methods for separating the gold from the pay-dirt; its use being superseded by far more efficient implements; and among them, as next in importance to the cradle, was introduced the "Long-Tom."

THE LONG TOM.

It was not long after the pan and cradle were in general use, that it became apparent that some more expeditious mode was required for washing the gold from large quantities of earth. Men were not satisfied with the slow, one man system, the use of pan or cradle; but something must be done, some invention made of an implement by

From the primitive toms, which were but troughs hollowed out from the half trunks of pine trees, they soon assumed the proportions and shape of the neatly constructed tom of sawed lumber and sheet iron of the present day.

The tom varies much in size, depending on the number of men intending to use it. It is an oblong box or trough about twelve feet in length, open at the top and usually at both ends; but always at the lower end. It is about eight inches in depth, and at the upper end from one foot to two feet in width; but increasing to nearly double that width at the middle,

[merged small][merged small][graphic][merged small]

The tom is now placed in a proper position, having reference to the dirt to be washed, generally as near the ground as possible to admit of the "tailings" passing off freely. The riffle box is first fixed in proper position, then the iron-bottomed portion of the tom placed over it, with its open or narrow end several inches the highest. Water is now let on, either in open troughs of wood, or through canvass hose, which by its force, carries the dirt when put in, down the tom; and while two or more men are employed shoveling the dirt into the tom at the upper end, one man at the side of the lower end, with hoe or shovel in hand, receives the dirt as brought down by the water; and after being violently stirred and moved about upon the perforated iron bottom until all has passed through it that will, the residue of stones and coarse gravel is thrown out by the shovel.

The manner of saving the gold by the riffle box, is precisely the same in principle

as that of the cradle, with this advantage over it; that the falling of streams of water through the tom iron serve to keep the sand upon the bottom of the riffle box stirred up and loose, permitting the gold the more easily to reach the bottom, where it is retained by the riffle bars; while the lighter matter, sand and pebbles, pass off with the water and is called "tailings."

Sometimes thirty or fifty feet or more of sluice boxes are attached to the tom at the upper end, and the dirt is shoveled in along the whole length, to be carried down to the tom by the force of the water, there to receive its final stirring up.

Toms are particularly adapted to nearly level grounds, or where there is not sufficient fall to admit of the still more efficient mode of gold washing with sluices.

SLUICING.

This is a mode of mining particularly adapted to those localities where it becomes desirable to wash large quantities of dirt.

[graphic]

and where the descent is sufficient to operate advantageously.

To get at a proper understanding of this method of mining, seems to require a description of the "sluice box." This is merely an open trough, usually made of three inch boards-a bottom, and two sides; twelve or fourteen feet in length, and from twelve inches to forty in width, and sawed purposely for this use, two inches wider at one end than at the other. The sides of these troughs are secured from spreading by cleats nailed across the top; and from splitting at the bottom, by similar cleats on the under side.

GROUND SLUICING.

scent is sufficient, the whole mass of dirt, from the finest particles, to stones and boulders of four or five inches in diameter, go rattling down by their own gravity and the force of the water, the entire length of the sluice.

A continuous line of these troughs or "sluice boxes," the smaller and lower end of each, inserted for three or four inches into the larger end of the next one below, form the sluice," and being placed upon the ground or other supports, with a proper descent; the dirt, by whatever mode is adopted to remove it thereto, and into the sluice, either by shoveling, or the power of the hydraulic as hereafter described, is, by the force of a larger body of water than is There are different appliances attached nsually used in tomming, conveyed throngh to the bottoms of these sluices, inside, for a continuous line of from fifty to several the purpose of saving or catching the gold hundred feet in length, and when the de- in its passage down the sluice, such as

Where the descent is not quite sufficient for this, forks and shovels are used along the sluices to loosen up and finally to throw out such of the larger stones and rocks as the water cannot force through them; as shown in the engraving.

« AnteriorContinuar »