San Andreas independent., 1857-10-31
n U II B Z r II.
The Ground Sluice.
SEBAsToPoL, Trinity Co., o

The Ground Slulce.
SEBAsToPoL, Trinity Co., Oct. l5
Mr.. Edtor:-I shall to-day finish the sub
ject which | commenced upon some days ago
my remarks now being directed to the
ground -sluice, or rather the rock-suice
In mining ground, through which a stream
of water can be turned with a brisk current
the miner frequently adopts very expeditions
kind of labor, which is often very profitable
by reason of the large amonnt of ground work
ed over, particularly where all the dirt above
the bed rock contains gold, as is the case at
many places in this county, where the dirt is
from four to fifty feet deep.
The miner, who has determined on making
a ground-sluice, begins by cutting ditch at
the lower end of his claim, with width of
from II to 30 inches, and length regulated
by the extent of his claim. This ditch is to
serve as sluice-bed, through which a current
of water runs constantly to wash the dirt of
the claim, and carry it off, leaving the parti-
cles of gold at the bottom. The ditch having
been completed an excavation is made in the
claim Gown to the bed rock, the ditch being
made also to the same depth. The work now
goes on very rapidly. Instead of throwing
his dirt into the siuice by the shovelful, the
miner now throws in carloads of dirt at once.
He digs the bank of his claim down perpen-
diculary, and undermnes the bank near the
bed rock, digging into the bank about two
feet, and then by little prizing at the top
with crowbar, along the line where the slide
should occur, he causes the whole mass to
tumble. The fall itself pulverizes the dirt,
which is swiftly carried away by the water.
1t frequently happens in this kind of work.
that the miners are caught by the bank-falls
and crushed; but in three-fourths of these cases
the injured persons owe their misfortunes to
their own imprudence. Whoever has observ-
ed the recklessness of the miners generally, in
say that they seek death with joyous heart.
Some accidents of the sort are the necessary
consequences of the method of working, and
are, properly speaking, unavoidable; bnt the
the use of hydraulic hose, where a stream of
water, led through hose from some higher
point, might be directed against the bank, and
made to do far more work. while the workmen
stand so far from the bank as to be secure
from danger by any cave of the dirt.
When the dirt comes into the sluice bed, it
is dissolved by the water and carried off, while
the small stones roll off with the current, and
the large stones and particles of gold fall to
the bottom, and stop there. To remove these
large stones is the special business of man,
called the "man with the fork" or the ''fork
man." His duty is a very important one; and
in the manner in which he performs it, de-
pends much the result of the mining If he
throws all the stones out of the sluice, the
particles of gold perhaps finding nothing to
break the current of the water, go off with it.
If, on the contrary, the stones be all left in
the sluice-bed, the dirt and sand soon collect
between and around them, and form solid
and smooth bed, over which the gold passes,
without encountering anything to arrest its
progress.
There are great differences ofopinon among
miners in regard to the amount of water proper
to be used in various kinds of sluices. Where
much dirt, particularly fit contains gravel, is
to be washed, there should be strong head of
water; but where the dirt is clayey, it needs a
longer time to dissolve, and should not be hur-
red through the sluice, for every portion of it
that goes off undssolved may contain gold.
After some days, or weeks, or perhaps even
months of such labor, as have described, in
ground-sluicing, the miner sswashes up"
Since the enterprise of ground-sluicing is often
undertaken at hazard, the result may be very
little; or it may be very much. In the latter
case, itmay be spoken of in the newspapers as
a case where such-and-such company has
washed out so many hundreds of ounces in so
many days; no accout being taken in the pub
lished report, of the time spent in making the
ditch, and doing any of the labor previous to
the "washing up."