Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1872-07-24
Gold Mining in Vermont.


a still greater nuisance is that thick-skulled
stupidity which iorbids examination into the
natural resources Of town, and the development
Of those resources when discovered.
Before visiting the Gaysville mines, whose
present condition it is our aim to describe. we
were informed that our present capable State
Geologist had written letter. virtually answer.
ing the question at the head Of this article in the
negative We were therefore not inclined to
have much faith, as we thought so doing would
be nm unavailng buiting Of the head against the
- only officially authorized geological formation
Of the State. But subsequent examination Of
Messrs. Hitchcock and Ilnger's Geology Of
Vermont corrected this mi-apprehension. We
quote from page j33 Of that work " As to the
amount Of gold that may he expected to be found
in Vermont, theory furnishes no means Of iudg
ing. We can only say that a real gold formation
Of great extent occurs in the State, extending in
fact through lis whole length and that in num-
crous places il yields gold, sometimes, we are
told. in profitable amount Bot practical mincrt
are the only men who can find out where such
diggingS will pay. Like all other gold iorma-
tions, some spots will be found rich and Others
poor. We trust that too much is known on this
subject at the present day to leave any 70 indulge
in cxtrayagant speculation4, or to make invest
ments without reason"
We believed just this, that practical miner
ony could tell whether the dggngs to he ex-
amned would pay. We also knew that every
thing could be " salted before our inexperienced
eyes, and we be none the wiser, gold mine
is one Of the things not 10 be taken cum graHo
sahs We therefore visited the mines in company
with m old " forty-nner," who has had seven or
eight years experience in the mines Of Cali
iornia, British Columbia ard Idaho, and in whose
practical mining knowledge and integrity we bad
fall confidence.
An account Of gold mining in this State prior
to 1861, will be found in the Geology OF Vor-
mont. pages $40 To $50. The first gold found lin
1926 was large lump in Newlane But
whether this was native gold, or treasure
trove " from the store Of a gang of routed coun-
terleiters, is a mootcd question In 1888, Prof.
Hitchcock sought and found gold in Somerset
windham county. In 1851, Matthew Kennedy
discovered gold in eangue Of quartz in the
talcose slate Of Bridgewater This quartz was
afterwards worked by crnshers, etc, but quartz
mining has proved a failure In 1858, surface
mining was begun in Plymouth, and was followed
Tor some years The general result was not sat
isfactory. though several thousand dollars were
obtained The d" black sand " was gotten rid Of
by pannng, slow process, and one sufficient Of
itself to explain the ultimate failure Of the
undertaking.
10 the tall Of 1871, Mr.. j j Siltery, Cali
iorna miner oi twelve years experience, came to
Rochester at the request Of the owner Of a
quurtz ledge. in which gold bad been found
This ledge he found valuele,s for mining pur-
poses, hut in going down the river ON his re-
turn, he prospected along it, hanks and found
the deposits 50 rich 10 gold that he returned and
made further examination. In October last he
went % work in Gaysyille, and states the amount
taken out hy the falls work az about 5000. lie
meantime prospected above and below Gaysville
and ON Locust Creek and Stony Brook, and leased
a portion Of the land on these streams.
last spring, In company with his partner. NJ
r. Smith, Eco, of Gaysyille. he commenced
operations on more extensive scale, working at
three points. and employing most Of the time
| from twenty 20 twenty five hands
last SATURDAY. 10 company with an old miner
~ We have stated, we visited their Works The
thriving village Of GAysvile, in the town OF
Suckhridge and ON the principal branch Of
White River, j. about five miles from Bethel.
just below dam in White River in this vii
lnge j. an island 0i some fifteen or twenty acres,
called Smiths Island The main current hiws ~
the North Of this while small stream ON the
Snuth OF il u iws through what was evidently
/ formerly the channel of the main stream This
island with adjacent land and river bed amount
ing 10 possibly as many more acres. is owned or
leased 10y Messr-. Sdltery and Smith A hume
has been built along TIE South side for half n
lnie. carrying water ~ the lower end 81 the ISL
and, where nm opening will be made t. 90 a. deep
a- the water level at that point. This opening
will he worked up the island until the he'd RICK
( Is reached, and drainage nc the same time given
/ SD tina, hose pipe will do the work OF shoyeii1g.
and wash the dirt from the bank into the proper
-luiccs. \ fall OF about sixteen feet can he east
| Is obtained, and there is such an abundance Of
water that several fumes can he kept in opera
/ ton ut the same time running parallel lines Of
/ work 40 the island The surface ir three or fur
/ feet is common soil and sand mixed with black
sand Lower down. gravel and round stone with
| thi. black sand With the black ssud is found
/ gpld The depth 10 the he'd rUck j. estimated at
about ten feet. The depth 10 which we saw it
I pruspected was some six feet, aud in every Gaze
| the prospect was paying one.
/ There i sluice way or large ditch on the
North Of the island, and at the foot # this work
was in progress The earth Of the island is
thrown into sluce boxes at present by shoyeling,
/ but IN "A short time this will be done by water
driven through piping The stones and gravel
arc separated from the sand which passes over twn
hanketed suice boxes, the blankets of which
nailed at the b0tt0m retain some Of the particles
i gold. This may be called the separating part
Of the process, where the sand is obtained free
from gravel and -tnnes.
Neat the sand thus obtained is shoveed into
another sluce box, and current Of water takes
II over what may he called wooden dam. At
the foot Of this dam the black sand, which con-
tains the gold is lodged, and the common sand
passes on. This may be called the concentration
IL is really the division Of tho black sand and
gold from all other matter
The next step is 70 put this black sand through
an amalgamator. This is not yet in operation
hut is 10 he put in working order Immediately go
II it proves success 1t proves the working value
Of the mines, for the gold itsell is in paying guam
titles. The amagamat0r is box containing
he'd of quick silver. Through this box a stream
Of water and black sand is Ia he run. The cover
of the box has large wooden pins reaching down
10 the surface Of the quick silver. BY a whee
this cover, with the pins, is given rapid shaking
motion, which keeps the surface Of the quick
silver clear to catch all particles of gold whicl
the sand contains, white sand passes OF
through AN opening from the box.
Mr. Saltery estimates that he has on hand
black sand enough to yield $500, when rur
through the Rmalgamator. As to whether the gul,
On the slaud II IN paying quantities or not ",
will say, for any miner Whose eye this may reach
that we saw several parts OF the island prspec
ted "On the square and the " eOi0rs " To eacl
pan averaged aJ least 20 10 30 We did NOT see /
prospected down 10 the he'd rock only to tn,
depth Of about six feet. Mr.. Saltery claims tina
the gold grows coarser as they approximate to III,
he'd rock, and that on the Locust Greek mine tn
bed rock has heen reached and the coai seSt gol,
of any discovered there If his theory is correc
: on that point, and the amalgamator above men
toned proves success on trial, we have nc duub
of the immediate and fuH success Of the mine
We think he knows whereof he speaks in tina
matter. ms we know he does in others. Even il
case the layers next IN the bed rock of the islam,
do not prospect better than the surface, the mint
can he made IN pay and If that amalgamato
won't extract the gold from the black sand, we he
Q lieve that the present. condition of mining knowl
, edge can give something that will.
This black sand, which is apparently draw
back To the success Of the enterprise, is nm ore
, iron--tho magnetic oxyd-wurth ten dollars a tn
On the ground. Sales OF ii we understood l.
e have been made to firm in Springfield, VI. 4
variety OF this magnetic iron sand - has, W
believe, been itself the object Of mining work il
- anil Tr,y IL IL here futnd in ,,rea