St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-01-19
A WONDERFUL INVENTION.
PLACER MINING REVIVED BY The
MACHINE PROCESS.
GREAT WEALTH DEVELOPED

A Revolution in Gold Mining
Which Will surpass the Out
put of. Colorado's Palmiest
Days = Operations Along the
Snake River in Idaho-Horeto-
fore Worthless Land Now
Yielding Millions of Metal
A GLOBE representative met at the
Windsor last evening j. B. Thayer. of
Superior, Wis, who has of late been
spending much time along the Snake
river in Idaho.
Mr.. Thayer talks Interestingly of new
MACHINES which have recently been in
vented, which are making furore in
placer mining properties. The
California gold mining excitement
in 1S49, the later Pixies Peak
and other similar ''finds' were
all based on placer mining. where
the seeker for gold staked out small
claim, and worked, with pick and
shovel, in the old-tashiened rocllor, the
sand and gravel containing the gilt
edged metal. When the placer mines
hydraulic mining came in vogue, until
1t became such a menace to agricultural
districts by washing away the banks
which held the streams in their chan
nelS that the Legislature ipterfered, and
forbid hydraulic mining by law.
In California few frugal Chinese
still do little placer mining, and dur
ing the present hard times many men
out of employment have taken to the
pick and shovel and rocker, whereby
they can earn a meager dollar or two a
day, but that is still better than to
| chance starvation Mr. Thayer says
that there has been considerable of that
class of placer mining in vogue IN Idaho
the past year. but now comes the new
machine, which seems to be destined to
make as much stir in the golden world
as the original California discoveries.
Silver, he thinks, is bound to take a
secondary place in mining circles, as it
already has in legislative.
The new invention, which is but a
few months old, is a combination OF
three processes, the steam dredge to dig
out the sand and gravel: the screen to
sift the coarse deposits from the fine
sand, and the amalgamator. which by
aid of quicksilver collects the golden
particles. Ali three processes are
worked at the same time, by the same
steam power, the dredge passing the
sand and gravel to the screen and the
screen passing the fine sand to the
| amalgamator, where jets of water are
constantly being injected from beneath.
forcing the Sand over the edge of the
vat, while the quicksilver collects the
| gold particles.
One of these machines can accomplish
as much per day as small army of
men, and it only requires seven men to
operate it. The average product of
hand placer mining ranges from 50
cents to 81 per yard. while with machine
work a handsome profit is afforded at a
yield of % cents per yard. sum on
which man would s.arye under the
old process. One machine, at mini
mum estimate, will produce $500 per
day at a maximum cost of from
S75 to 500 per day. They are
being rapidly put to work along the
Snake river and elsewhere. and lands
| which were before absolutely worth
less are selling in tracts Of thousands of
acres at from $25 to $50 per acre. The
dredge or shovel is capable of working
| twenty feet above the surface on side
| hill, and twenty feet below the surface.
This secures All almost limttess field of
/ operations, and the situation is being
taken advantage of very rapidly.
| While there are other machines, the
leading invention is known as the Bu-
| cyrus dredge. the works for the manu-
featuring OF which have recently been
removed from Bucyrus, O., to Mil
waukee. Eastern capitalists have
formed a company, with several millions
capital. to control this machine, and
also secure vast tracts of land in Idaho
and other regions where gold exists,
but has heretofore cost so much to work
it as 10 be substantially valueless.
| The large machine costs from $50, 00J
to $50, Zoo, but there are other inventions
! costing but few hundred dollars
which crew of three men can work al
profit of at least s25 per day each.
The invention makes the value of the
gold deposits in this country substan-
TALLY limitless. and in due time will
solve the gold standard currency ques
ton.
Mr.. Tnayer left for Superior last eve
ming, but will next week areturn tC
Idaho, where, with others, he owns and
controls thousands OF acres of gold.
! L.,