Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1877-07-11
RIKE AND THE ROBBERS.

GOItillftiliS IdlICd ltlhC do lloL-
Zle-boy" OF water-gun' at Hyde's
Guch IN Tuolumne County, Cali
fOrnia.
California readers will know what a
water-gun is, though New England
boys and girls may not.
1t is an invention used in deep
placer mining, or chill diggings, to
take the place of the old ditch and
flume. The water from some stream
or lake, high up among the Sierras, is
brought a long way down into the
valley where it is to be used, in huge
pipes made of boiler iron.
Bows who have studied natural
philosophy know that where water
stands at great height, either in
reservoirs or pipes, it will rush out at
a vent at the bottom, with prodigious
force and velocity.
The mining engineers Of California
take advantage of this fact TO throw
strong jets Of water upon the vast
placers of hard blue gravel, that con
tain gold This is doae to dissolve it,
and wash it down through spouts made
of deal plank. Each spout contains
quicksilver in grooves made in the
bottom, and, rs gold has an "ailinity"
for quicksilver, the PARTICLES of the
precious metal are caught by it. and
held in safety while the loose gravel
and dust is washed away.
The huge pipe that brings the water
from the mountains to the placer be-
low, has at the end knuckle joint.
and to that is attached huge nozzle,
something like those used at the ends
of the hose Of iire-engines, by which
the fireman directs the water upon a
fire.
When the valve is opened, the water
sguirtS from the nozzle with force
which is truly amazing; force which
one who has never witnessed its opera
tor can hardly understand.
The Jet of water from an eight-inch
nozzle is projected to distance Of 200
feet, in an almost straight line. To
the eye it presents all the rigidity OF
an eight-inch bar of gray iron.
If you should strike it with cane
would ring like a steel rod. You
could no more thrust "A cane or an iron
crow into it than you could into steel
bar.
The water of some of these Jets flies
out at velocity of more than $50 feet
ia a second. We're a man rash enough
to thrust his hand against the iei, he
would either lose the skin from his
fingers, or receive such jerk as &c
wrench his arm almost, if not quite,
from its socket.
Before this powerful Jet, the hard
ened blue gravel Of the placer is loos-
ened us quickly as if it were porous
earth, and is washed away into the
bitches and spouts. Enormous guam
titles of gravel are thus daily dis
solved, and large amount Of golo
taken every evening from the rifles
and grooves, to which it sinks by rea-
son OF It's great specific gravity.
But, though an engine of such
power, the nozzle, or water-gun, is
easily managed; and an intelligent boy
of fourteen. like Rike. is able to tend
1t, AID direct the jet wherever it is
necessary, against the gravel bluff.
Hyde's Gulch was, at the time OF
W AliNali tNlii W l lllllN, a ilil ION IdN me,
made in part by the water-gun itself
On each side were grayel-banks three
or -four hundred feet high. The ravint
opened at the west into Il tributary
of, | think, the Stanislaus River: but
shut in at its upper end, was closed 10y
almost perpendicular bluffs, Over
which the great water-pipe was bent
and brought down TO the bottom o
the ravine.
4 few small buildings had been erect
ed by the mining company near tn,
upper end of the ravine. in which /,
keep the tools, and "A strong structure
called The "otfice" was used for tn,
temporary storage of mercury aud tn,
gold, prior 10 its being sent to san
Francisco.
a large gang of men had recently
been at work putting Il blast of twenty
kegs OF powder into the great bank OF
gravel, to shake and loosen it, SO that
the water-jet would work with better
effect
But ON the afternoon following the
blast, and that on which occurred 3
brave exploit of Rike'S, the lad was
tending the jet with no companions bu,
three Cinnamon who were employed t,
watch the spout5, or long Toms" tt
keep them from clogging. etc.
Nothing was heard IN the gulCh but
the whlE and splashing of water, a.
Rlke turned the nozzle up and down
ON the great cracked and assured walls
OF gravel Away down the gorge, the
dmnpV aEures of the Chinese could be
seen moving lazily about here and
there.
But Is Rtke happened to look in that
direction, he saw an unusual commo-
ton among them. First, they ran q
few steps, then stood huddled together,