The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1883-04-11
From the Daily Of Sunday
A NEW 8LUICE BOX.
An Invention Which Will Prove
an Important Auxiliary to
Summit Valley Mining
Operations.

"A MlNEh ItpOAIcI ySoe0AO0y SA
joyed the privilege of examining the
Driscoll sluice box. in operation at
the Lexington mill. One of the
most difficult problems for quartz
mill men to solve has been the pre-
vention of loss by a large percentage
of the quicksilver used in collecting
gold and silver passing off in the tail
ings. Mr.. Driscoll has invented an
improved sluice box, which it is be-
lieved will accomplish this object by
a peculiar system of rifles, which
cause a reverse current Of water and
keeps the minutest. particles of glob-
ulated, or even flour quicksilver, in
agitation until their specific gravity
causes them to sink to the bottom,
where they are either caught in a
blanketed pocket or metallic affinity
causes them to adhere to a copper
plate. The invention is being put to
a most severe test here, in the. fact
that the inventor has chosen to
make his experimental run upon the
tailings of the Lexington mill which,
with its new and improved machin-
cry, probably loses less quicksilver
in the tailings than any other quartz
mill in the country. In addition to
this Mr.. Drlscoll has placed his
sluice box at the end of a Rowland
rifle, so that the tailings reach his
box after passing through one of the
best sluice boxes heretofore in use.
The results of the experimental run
have already. been so tar successful
as to induce two of our largest mills
to order them put in, and the inven-
ton seems likely to work something
of q revolution in silver and gold
reduction in this camp. The inven-
ton is designed for use in placer
mining, as we'll as in concentrating
lead and copper ores, and saving the
metals in the tailings Of mills. The
patentee has been so long in testing
the merits of his invention, that it is
no longer all experiment but a DEM
onstrated fact that it economically
does its work and accomplishes all
that is claimed by the inventor. The
invention consists of a box having
sides, similar to any sluice box, while
the bottom is made in a succession of
rifles. These rifles are made by cut
ting short boards to act as "~risers''
or supports to one end, while the
otEe r end is made the length of the
thus making the bottom
the shape of saw teeth
pointed upwards. In use, metals
in placer dirt or tailings
from mills will collect in the lower
part of these rifles, and can be easily |
removed when cleaning up. A test
was made some time ago at Tusca-
rora, Nevada, in working over an
old tailings pile from the mill, with
satisfactory results.
At the Ontario mill, Park City, a
set of these sluice boxes were put in
some time ago, and although being
only a short box, and located below
the lower agitating fan, proved SO
successful that a longer box has been
put in, and copper plates are to be
used for the bottom.
Messrs. Driscoll & Barbee are now
at the Centennial Hotel, in this city,
and are prepared to put in sluice-
boxes at mills or placer mines, on
reasonable terms, and they will take
contracts to save a large per cent. of
the quicksilver and amalgam in the
tailings of silver or gold mills, for a
percentage Of the amount thus saved,
tt ey taking all risks.