The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1893-11-24
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From tbs ned ef 3 Raver.
ExtfayagaHt stories nse told abous tho
wealth os geld sprinkied throughout the
Snake river eountry IN Iaaho- Asa gem
syal thing the gold IA very fine, tha par-
tioles being of 30 light weight as 10 be
1 elusive. Save when worked on 4 Iarga
aeaie. Il Ii difsicnIt to mako good wages
III FeeovarinR tho gold. Numerous bars
alcng the river would prove profitable
could water be commanded fps aluieing
or hydraulic purposes. An adequate sup
| ply II hard to obtain On account of the
slight and gradual fall of the stxaam and
the level character of the out flying lanaa.
10 overcome this lack Of water, as well
aa insure snfieient dumping ground. q
big floating gold saving dredge has been
constructed and ID now at work on the
Idaho bank Of the Snake river, about 10
miles above Payette.
1t is q stern wheel dathoat propelled by
steam, Substantially constructed, 66
feet long and 2s faet wide, IL 10 equipped
with 90 horsepower marine engine and
boiler and adapted Ia every way for navi-
eating Iaaho'a great waterway, With a
slight alteration II could be transformed
into steam dredge and used To scoop
up sand and gravel FROM the bottom Of
the stream. That has never bean at
tempted, A III the past, operations are
now confined to working bars out of the
bed or channel af the river, The emethod
pursued Il to anchor alongside one of
these gravel deposits and by the nsa Of
serspers bring the material To be ham
died within the reach Of the gold wash
ing machinery with which the craft Is
rugged, The gravel ia scooped up by
buelzeta attached TO an endless chain,
There are 46 on these reoeptaolea on
belt 60 feet In length, and each has D en-
paeity Of about 30 pounds of dirt, which
il delivered into d hopper This ii also
an agitator, and the process employed
may be described as steam rocker,
with the exception that 1t has an end
motion instead Of one sidewise, The
gold ID caught on copper plates with
quicksilver, The tailings are carried Oft
n slulne hoxes 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 IL worked 30 thoroughly that
no gold escapes In the tailinga that are
dumped into the river, An average 81
100 tons of gravel Is daily handled, and
for this work three men arc employed
an engineer, one To work the soraper
and another who shpVals the dirt into a
pile 50 that the buckets can scoop Up
full load
The bar now being worked covers an
area az 10 to l5 aeTes. The gold ID on
top Of close to tho surface and will not
pay 10 handle to d greater depth than
foot to 10 inehsR, This shows value pf
II to . cents q pan, A cleanup ID made
every night, and the average pf the runs
Tor the fiFst three days Yves very aatisfaG-
tory 10 Thornten Williams, the owner pf
the craft Hssays he exnsetsta 10 take out
upward Of $l00 day as long as he worka
which will be until cold weather sets Ia,
When he has gone over the bar which
now engages his attention, he win tackle
another. Helena independent,