Delta chief., 1883-09-05
MINING MATTERS.
Working Placer Mines Where Water IL
Scarce.

MINlNG MA chS,
Working Placer Mines Where Water Is
Scarce.
A correspondent Of the Mountain Messenger
(Sierra comfy, Cal. writes as follows:
81 heard of a wonderful self-acting dam in
operation in Davis ravine, up the North Fork,
about six miles above town, built by Abraham
Moser, former resident and miner in Shasta
county, where these dams have been
worked several years. Having seen different
appliances for mining in various parts Of the
world, determined to see this novel arrange
ment, and started up there on Friday last. On
the way noticed there were more men mining
on the old river and It's banks than any of the
other streams around Downieville, for the Mid
die and East Forks are almost entirely desert
ed, even by Cinnamon. I arrived and was
welcomed by Jim ellison and Mr.. Moser. The
dam had just emptied itself, and they were
rolling away the big boulders, loosening the
gravel with their picks. It takes about two
hours for the dam to nll, and then about that
time to prepare for the cataract. Jim was en-
thusiastlc, and said: BE the powers. when
she goes we have 10 sthand from under; be ja-
bers, she's . daisy-works while we are sleep
ing, an makes things howl. She'll be on again
in half an hour and waited to hear the howl
ing. Presently there was loud. rumbling
roar. and here she comes' from Jim. We
could see the hne spray, like mist, rising, COM
ing down the steer ravine, and the water leap
ing. bubbling and boiling In white foam. It
took down = log twelve feet long and two and
one-half feet in diameter, and We could hear
the big boulders, soFne more than . ton In
weight, grosning and grinding beneath the fu-
rious water.
All traces Of the loosened rocks in the chan
al fnv dvao al feat utda yu Avs
minutes the water subsidized, to he again re-
peated In two hours. Every particle Of gravel
and sand was washed from bedrock on the line
Of the stream. The gold can easily be picked
again near full, went up b see the next ope-
ration and observe how Il worked On ton and
1t right angles With the dam IL beam or lever
thirty feet long resting on an iron pin At
outlet from the dam IL nine feet long and two
feet decp-thst 10 eighteen feet Of water-with
ten feet Of water suddenly let loose, and what
We would call the gate is an apron, made Of
aperture Il does not ri.e like an ordinary
gate, but partly rolls up, like theater curtain,
when that end Of the beam rises. At the lower
end Of the beam is suspended tub, with small
and near level with the top Of the dam, when
the gate is down. From the lower edge Of the
top of the dam Ia a common sIuice box. sixteen
feet long, with ten-inch high gate In II to back
the wafer ten inches over the surface OF tine
dam.
This gate has small lever, to the lower end
Of which is a wire connected with an oil can
underneath the box. The oil can has holes In
the bottom. When the water In the dam runs
over the small gate, II fills the oil can; that
brings down the small lever, and raises the gate
In the sluice box, allowing ten inches of water
to rush into the large tub; that fills instantly
and brings down the large beam that IL bal
lasted. The upper end raises the apron or can
vas gate. then there Ia rush and the roar OF
eighteen square feet OF water with ten feet
pressure. By the time the water has rushed
out OF the dam the water In the tub has run
out OF the small holes IN its bottom. the weights
at the end Of the lever above the dam have
brought that end down, the curtain Is closed
and again the reservoir begins to fiji the water
runs out of the oil can suspended below the
sluice box, and the small gate comes down to
its place; and thus IT works, day and night
men can do the labor Of ten or twelve with
more ease than the ordinary way Of mining, and
scarcely leave a particle OF gold behind them
The old ravines that have been rich can by this
process almost all again be made to paw hand
somely. After the dam Is once built II Ia the
most attractive process of mining there Is, and
when II comes into general use, as II surely
Will, II will be the most popular. Thousands
CT ounces OF gold will find their way into
Downieville that would not be brought In by
any other process Of working the old deserted
ground. The miners can pay visit and see
the operation for themselves, and may then un-
derstand II better than anv attempt at cxpla-
nation. But It Ia, 8s Jim Gilson says, "Bc my
soul she's power; works at night like giant !:
by day she's daisy, and makes things howl"