Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-06-23
IN DEADWOOD.


DEADwooD, D. T., June 11.-Of the many
processes for gold mining, but two are at
present employed in the Hills, owing to the
frequent and heavy storms and floods tha5
have occurred during the past two mo nths
filing up tunnels, shafts and drifts, destroy
ing marks and rendering roads impossible.
Tho exceptions alluded to are milling and
hydraulicing, the latter being new method
for the Hills, and one by which a very large
gold yield will eventually be secured.
Hydraulic diggings are generally found
upon hills or bars, OF other places destitute
of water, and therefore necessitate con-
siderable expenditure of labor and money IN
the way of fumes, ditches, ETC., ere
revenue is received. It is no small task to
divert water from its natural course and carry
it for miles along the mountain sides and
over their crests TO some distant point. NOR
are the means at the command OF every per-
son for such purpose, hence it is that many
claims, whose richness equal anything thus
worked, continue unproduct1ve. d1gh up
on the mountain, south OF this city, appears
a section of an immense f1ume, part or the
Boulder ditch, that, beginning up the gulch,
extends over the hills and far away to Two
considered yalueless ground is proving re-
markedly rich. This ditch, although costing
$4,000, is considered cheap affair, and
certainly appears such when compared with
the Spearfish ditch, which California COM
pany is now constructing, for the purpose of
bringing into this gulch water from the
Beaver and Spearfsh creeks. This latter
work will be Is miles in length, have a
capacity of 1000 inches, and will cost nearly
100000. It will be completed by
early fall. In addition to the first cost of
a fume or ditch, the expense of keeping it
in repair is very great, for it may be partly
burned, blown down, or washed away. The
revenue from ditch extending over miles
of mining land is, however, great, and far
more reliable than the yield of the mines.
The tax imposed is regulated in two ways
by the number of inches used, and per
diem charge. The distribution of water to
the various claims is generally by side iron
pipe or hose of duck or rubber, leading
from the main pipe, and connecting at the
bottom with strong cast iron box, which is
provided with openings in different direc-
tons, to which smaller pipes are fitted, and
these again connect with flexible canvass
hose terminating in brass nozzles with
OFFICES from one to three inches in diameter.
of this method favorably compare with those
attained by machinery in the various depart
ments of human industry where manual
labor has been superseded, for with one pipe
having two inch nozzle and a water head
of 100 feet, boy can excavate and wash as
much auriferous earth in one day as could
fifteen men by the old process of slulclng.
Actual measurements establish the fact
that with 60 foot head and two inch noz-
zle, 1900 bushels of earth can be moved
and washed in day. &c. assuming that the
dirt contains but one. twenty-ffth part of a
grain of gold, or about two mills per bushel,
we find that the yield amounts to ;S2 per day
per pipe. 10 make clearer statement for
the benefit of your readers, all calculations
of the richness of mineral ground are made
by the ''pan''-equal to one fourth of a
bushel-and as no hill claim or hydraulic
dgsings in this vicinity prospect on all
average less than three cents per pan, we fine
that the minimum daily yield pei
pipe reaches the handsome sum
very SIMPLE consisting of first carrying YOU
water by the means and manner previousl,
alluded to, to a height sufficient to insure {
fall of from one hundred to three hundred
feet, which gives it force that, when direct
cd against the base of a bank of earth, I'M
dernining it, penetrates every crack anc
pore, crumbles the mountain before it, anC
.stirs the mass, dissolving particles and car
rying all pebbles, dirt, boulders and gold dow
the hillside and into a line of sluice boxe
where the metal drops behind the ruffes
while the dirt, rocks and all light matter pas
ses through to the dump beyond.
Ground sluiceing differs but little from tn
operation above described, except in magni
tude, and that such method must of necces
sity be confined to gulch or low land dig
gings. In the first instance but SINAI
stream is employed, whereas in the latter tn
entire volume of water is diverted ant
utilized.
Immediately southwest of this city, an,
separating Deadwood and Whitewood creeks
rises an immense ''hog back" that is YER
rich with fine quality of gold. Owing t,
it's great altitude it has been found impossi
bic to ditch water to the summit conse
quently hydraulicing could not be resorte,
to- Miners are, however, preferr1ns to chut
the earth down to Whitewood-a distance o
one thousand feet-Where it will be sluice
in the manner of gulch mining. A ditcl
extending part way up the hill was construct
ed last year and utilized to some extent, bu
there not being sufficient fall and force t
the water, hydraulicing was abandoned, all
chute OF series of them employed. Their
are at present but five or six claims worke
by the hydraulic process, but ere the sum
mer closes-or as soon as water can b
secured-this number will be largely reduced
Thus far the season has been unpropitiou
for mining of all kinds, and to this conditio
there has been no exception in favor of tn
mills. Some of them, conveniently located
with tramways conducting direct from th
mines to the feed boxes, have experience
no interruption, but the maj ority of then
located from one-half of mile to mil
from the shafts, have been tied up over ha
of the time, owing to the impossible COZ
dition of ore roads. Placer mining is at
stand still, and promises to continue 50 fc
several weeks to come. Early preparation
for general work were made
but were scarcely completed whe
terrible storm-or series of then,-swel
over the Hills, celebrating every trace
improvements, and inficting damage fro1
which it would have taken weeks to recovc
The miners, undaunted, went to work wit
repairs, and succeeded in replacing the
long line of sluice boxes, and were employe
cleaning out drifts and shafts, when secor
flood, far more disastrous than the first, tol
through the gulch carrying devastation
every claim in the several districta Wit