Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1893-12-07
sTeAMeoArINc FOR GOLD.
Getting Metal at tac Rate q 600 . Day
Rrom the Fed Of n River

cetsing Metal at enc Rate q olo0 . nay
From the Fed u River.
E>travagant stories arc told about the
wealth Of gold spriukled throughout the
Snake river country in Idaho. As gen.
eral thing the gold is very fine, the par
ticles being Of so light weight as to be
elusive. Save when worked on q largo
scale. IL Is difficult to make good wages
in recovering the gold. Numerous bars
alcng the river would prove profitable
Cogld water be commanded for sluicing
or hydraulic purposes. An adequate sup
ply Is hard to obtain on account of the
slight snd gradual fall Of the stream and
the level character of the outlying lands.
To overcome this lack of water, as well
rs insure sufficient dumping ground, a
big floating gold saving dredge has been
constructed and is now at work on the
Idaho bank Of the Snake river, about 10
miles above Paye;te.
II is q stern wheel fatboat propelled by
steam. Substantially constructed, IS
feet long and % feet wide. it is equipped
with IS horsepower marine engine and
boiler and adapted in every way for navi-
eating idaho's great waterway. With a
slight alteration it could he transformed
into steam dredSe and used to scoop
mp sand and gravel from the bottom of
the stream. That has never been at-
tempted. As in the past. operations are
now confined to working bars out Of the
bed or channel OF the river. The method
pursued IS 20 anchor alongside one of
these gravel deposits and by the Use of
sc-apers bring the material to be han
died within the reach Of the gold wash
ing machinery with which the craft is
rugged. The grave! is scooped up by
buckets attached 10 an endless chain.
There Gre Is of these reccptacles on q
belt 90 feet in length, and each has ca
pacity Of abou. 20 pounds of dirt. which
is delivered int a hopper. This is also
an aS::.tor, and the process employed
may be described as steam rocker,
with the exception that it has an end
motion instead Of one sidcwise. The
gold is caught Oh copper plates with
quicksilver. The taiiings are carried off
il slu;ce boxes by the force of stream
of water Of 100 mineral inches. supplied
by China pump, run by the engine
which drives all the other machinery.
The gravel is worked so thoroughly that
no gold escapes il the tailings that are
dumped into the river. An average Of
100 tons of gravel is daily handled, and
for this work threesncn are employed
an engineer. one to work the scraper
and another who shovcls the dirt into 4
pile so that the buckets can scoop up 4
full load.
The bar row being worked covers IN
area Of 10 10 L. acres. The gold is on
top or close TO the surface and will not
pay TO handle to 4 greater depth than /
foot to Is inches. This shows value Of
u to 5 cents pan. y cleanup Is made
every night, and the average of the runs
for the first three days was very satisfac-
tory 10 Thornton Williams. TIE owner of
the craft. he says he expects to take on.
upward Of 800 aday Gs longas he works.
which will be until Geld weather se.s in.
When me has gone over the tnr which
now engages his attention. he will tackle
ano;her.-Helen, Independent.