Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1877-04-19
4 JANUARY number Of the Ororilte, Cal.

FOTEIEuticd anu pQb hlto pp'tap'''A
Their river at that point by Messrs. B. Hedge
and in. Walker, of Augusta, Maine. The
machine is very simple in it's construction,
and consists of an iron tube 80 inches III Gil
ametcr and 26 feet in length, arranged With
proper valves, rope, tackle, etc, and operat-
ed by a 25-horse power steam engine on
board a boat constructed for the purpose.
When ready for operation the tube sets up
on end in the river, the water entering
through a valve in the bottom, fllli1lg the
tube to the depth of the river. lheh, ny
means of a steam pipe an inch IN diameter
the upper end of the tube is filled with
steam. excluding the air, which escapes
through a small pipe near the top. Nheh
this IS uone u few jets OF water is turned on
from the pump, which Immediately cools the
steam and forms a yacuum which, however,
is OF short duration, as tie earth from the
bottom rises from the very bedrock ana mis-
the tube. which is then raised by the engine
to the boat. where, by moving a latcl, Inc
valve in the bottom, which moves either
way, opens, and the contents are Jumped
into sluices arranged on tic boat and sup
piled with water by q pump. This operation
may be carried Oh very rapidly. The ulrJ
thus raised is said to become pulverized ana
easily washed. Even the hardest cement
becomes mellow and washes without dill
Guilty. The machine lifts from one TO three
tons each time, and is operated i'll the short
space of one minute and a half. A 2o-llorse
power engine will haul up five tons. In
speaking Of it's capacity, practicablllty, etc.,
the Mercury says:
GA DAVIS work of ten hours, so far, has
been to bring up and wash 300 tons. More
could be brought up, but no more could oe
washed in the present sluices with the
amount of water used. They have been at
work in water running from 6 to IL inches
in denth. OF course the depth Of the water
makes no difference. only that the deeper 1T
Is the longer must be the cylinder. VIII not
the machine revolutionize river mlnlng'
There is no longer amy need OF drying the
river. In fact it can be mined best when the
water is in its bed. The gravel is SO thor
oughly pulyerized that all the gold is wash
ed in Il very short sluice. No longer any
difficulties exist about dumps or tail races.
Turn the lower end of the boat a little and
you have all the dump you need Tor some
time, and another change will give you an
other. With an engine and derrick on the
shore the bed of the river can be mined as
tar as the arm Of the derrick can reach. A
few days ago Mr.. Hedge found a new piece
CT gravel that it became necessary to re-
move. But little water was flowing over it.
1t consisted of boulders as large as a water
bucket. gravel and cement from the mining
claims above. Picks and bars We're tried i'll
win upon this substance. 1t seemed to be
almost as hard as asphaltum. The cylinder
was lowered upon it, - vacuum produced.
and up came this hard substance 30 the depth
Of Is inches, thoroughly pulverized. A
large number of these machines will be pnt
upon the river as soon rs they can be made.
A number will also be set at Work in the Ia
va beds.o
The machine, we understand, is patented
hut we have been unable to learn the name
of the patentee. We think it would be ad.
visible for some of our enterprising miners
to enquire into the merits of this new con.
trivance. II what is claimed for it be true il
would prove Il valuable accession to the
mining machinery of Montana. The Mis-.
souri, river in the vicinity of Canyon Ferry
is almost positively known to be rich with
placer gold, and could be worked by this
new process both rapidly and protitably
From what we have been able to learn O
the machine it would not be more expensive