The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1889-02-09
Gold Mining in the Black Hills.

region and is free gold in form of fin,
dust or sand, up to nuggets o
several ounces. This has been freet
from its matrix by the powerful ero
sive influences of ice and water which
have ground down the surface into boul
ders. pebbles, sands and clays and dis
tributed them over the country below;
but leaving the gold on account of it,
gravity in the crevices and bed rocl
bottom of the streams
The Big Bend hydraulic works arr
about eleven miles from Rapid CITY
and nearly 900 feet above it. Dowr
this eleven miles runs the Rapid River
in IFS speed and foam doing credit to
its name. The Big Bend consists of ,
loop made by small stream at the
bottom of a deep ravine bounded or
one side by almost a perpendicular
schistose rock. on the other by rather
steep slopes of gold bearing sands and
drift. To work these placers water
has been brought in large sluicc OIL
flume from Rapid River, nearly mile
away. The fiume circling with a gen.
tie gradient the preo'pitous side of the
mountain and ending at point nearly
100 feet above great placer slope con-
tanning millions of tons of gold bearing
earth. At the bottom of this slope is
constructed sluice nearly quarter
of mile long, open at the top.
flat-bottomed five feet wide with the
sides vertical four feet. The bottom
of this sluice looks like the Nicholson
pavement of wooden blocks, as we
formerly had it in Detroit with SINH
lar intervals crossing the sluice from
side to side. Through this sluiceway
flows all the muddy water carry ing
the free gold, which drops into the
crevices and is collected once a month
by. cleaning them out The water
from the tiume head is led down hill in
a strong sheet-iron. tapering. round
pipe, to nozzle with a six-inch open
ing. This nozzle is about fifteen feet
long and is so balanced that single
miner can direct it at any point upon
the bank he wishes to wash away.
When not needed for work the water
in the flume is allowed. by means of q
waste gate, to flow into the creek bed.
but when wanted for use the waste
gate is closed and the great volume OF
water, with nearly 100 feet head or
fall. enters the iron pipe, which at that
point is twenty-four inches across but
gradually tapering it energies from a
six-inch nozzle with tremendous force.
throwing the stream fifty or sixty feet
against the wall of earth which crum.
bles under its impact into roily flood,
which tumbles down the slope and en-
ters the sluice, depositing the gold
which it carries. while the sand and
red earth passes on and is lost in the
creek bed below.
Mine owners and superintendent
are very reticent in regard to details
or statistics concerning the outcome of
their properties. Hence can give no
statistics of this mine. But it is evi.
dent from the expensive investment in
plant that the yield must be profitable.
The fume alone must have cost $780,
900 and other expenses in proportion.
At one point tunnel had been driven
through the neck of the loop, or Big
Bend. 700 feet long, doing which
enabled the owners to dam the river
and turn its current through the tunnel
to lower level of the river bed thus
exposing the river bottom the whole
length of the loop, and in which. of
course, must have been found large
amount of the precious metal
Tho difficulty of freighting supplies
to this region over steep and rocky
roads is very great The life of the
miners is very hard and wearing.
Wages paid. from So to 81. 50 per day.
In contrast with the Big Bend Hy-
draulic Placer Mine, visit was made
to Deadwood, the seat of the great
stamp mills, where gold is obtained by
into fine dust the gold bear
ing rock which forms the hills.
Of course every body has heard Of
gold excitement and
road agents. The railroad reaches
within twelve miles, at Whitewood,
from which point six-horse Concord
coach takes one over well-graded
road to the city, which lies
at the bottom of steep sided gulch,
which is nearly 5000 feet above the
sea. Curiously enough on the way to
Deadwood one passes through upland
valleys as lovely as a paradise. with
here and there fields OF corn and grain
yet unharvested in late September.
The descent on the stage to Deadwood
Town the mountain side is plunge of
500 feet and is extremely exciting. The
town is built at the bottom all on one
tide of Deadwood Greek, so called
from the quantity of driftwood brought
Town by the spring freshets. The few
parallel streets rise one above the
,ther. there being no right angle
streets. and the cross ascent is made
BY stairways. The upper street resi-
iences; the lower, on the creek bor-
Ter. all business. A muddy. red
lish water occupies the channel of the
,reek, this creek bottom in early times
1eing very rich in placer gold. long
fnce. however, worked over and over
lgain until exhausted. Deadwood is .
'ustling place. has seen better times
han now. and thinks it will see much
,etter times than ever.
Two miles up the gulch is a group
# gold mines among the richest in the
world The gold bearing quartz is
inexhaustible in quantity,
here being enough in sight to employ |
he mills very many years. although
hey crush daily into fine powder
nearly 1000 tons of rock. These
mines were developed by California |