The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-01-10

patched to his employer, the place is
registered at once by the commissary
OF police or other competent authority
from the local director of mines, and a
thorough survey made by the govern
ment surveyor
When a mine has been registered it
must be worked to some extent or it is
forfeited to the crown. The owner.
however, may sell it if he pleases. but
1t must not remain idle. My interest
in this conversation about gold mining
was frequently diverted by the re-
markabie scenery about us. We were
traVersing country that was charm
ing for its very wildness. High noun
tains and steep rocks rose all round us
in most fantastic shapes, and against
these dashed the limpid waters of the
mountain stream, whose rapid flow
was taxing severely the muscles of our
hardy boatmen. And what life, what
varied sound animated the scene.
Millions of birds, ducks, geese, herons
and woodcocks flew and swan in every
/ direction. giving utterance to their diff
terent cries. Every now and then we
would catch a glimpse of a bear or
deer scampering away from the rivers
brink, when taken unaWareS by our
nolSeleSS approach. This teeming life,
making chaos in the primeval land
scape gave me some faint idea OF what
the world might have been in the first
days of the creation.
The German black forest, the great
Lithuanian, are as nothing compared
with the forests OF Siberia. We were
in the midst of cedar wood desert,
whose end was undermined. ] knew
that il extended over Mongolia, but
where did it end? Perhaps 1t reached
the shores of the river Pei-hO and
perhaps it lost itself in the plains of
Persia or the confines of India. The
mysterious extent of these Siberian
forests gives one the best idea of in
finity that | know of.
NIGHT IN A SIBERIAN FOREST.
Night had meanwhile come upon us;
and as we did not dare trust ourselves
to the rapids after dark, we prepared
to camp close by the waters edge.
The river provided US with pure, cool
water and the dense trees kept off the
sharp north wind. Having carefully
examined our weapons, and settled the
watches in turns, we prepared to pass
the night. When my turn came ]
threw fresh fuel on the fire, wrapped
my fur coat around me, as the night
was cold, and was soon lost in reverie.
1t was not quite dark, but though the
moon shone brightly in the sky, its
light could with difficulty pierce the
thick mass of foliage and diSpel the
semi-darkness beneath. The stiffness
was unbroken, save by the distant cry
OF wild beast The echoes We're so
far-reaching that the most distant
murmur could be heard plainly. I'm
agination, ever on the alert, helped the
deluSiOn. | sometimes fancied that the
rustic Of the leaves was the numbering
tread of a bear; the noise of the river
splashing along its stony bed, the rush
OF a pack OF wolves; and the sound of
Sitting there by the fire, surrounded
by these varied voices of the night, 1
felt that never before in the whole
course of my checkered life had l so
wildly realized the vaStneSS of ma
ture and mans nonentity.
The latter part of the third days
journey to the mines was made on
horseback through this dense forest
over one of the most rugged and brOk-
en- bride paths 1 have ever had oc-
casion to follow. This path is used
only in summer when the rapids in *
river render the waterway impossible.
During the winter all transport is
made over the frozen surface of the
river. We reached our destination just
at dusk, without any serious mishap.
HOW THE SIBERIAN MINES ARE
WORKED.
I was treated early the next morn
ing to an inspection of the working of
the mines l was surprised to find no
underground work going on, no digging
of holes and sending up of earth to be
washed; but the whole surface had
been laid bare and cut into a series of
terraces. There were a number of
primitive carts drawn by Siberian
horses, and men with Dick-aXeS and
shovels filing them. The extraction
of the auriferouS sand in nearly all
the mines of Siberia is conducted in
this simple manner by means of these
implements. Explosives are used only
in the Olekminsk mining region of
eastern Siberia. When full the carts
were drawn up an incline to a plat
form and emDtied into one end of a
rooster, with holes all around it. This
was made to rotate by water power
and the large stones and pebbles were
by the formation and turning of the
cylinder tumbled out at the end Here
they were duly watched so that no
nuggets should be overlooked
In order that | might see how the gold
was washed. my host caused some of the
sand which had passed through the diff
Terminating process to he emDtied onto
an inclined plane of clean wood raised
ut either side, and over which ran equally
and slowly a stream of clear water. The
mud was soon washed away. the man
who performed the washing having Il
wooden Scrape like that of a Scavenger.
with which he pushed back the grains of
gold. This was repeated till about 200
pounds of washed earth had been placed
on the board. After the mud and sand
had been allowed to roll away. a brush
was used :nstead of the scraper, and
there remained behind perhaps a small
teacupful of sold dust. or as much as was
roughly valued at from $40 to SO. The
gold was then placed in miniature fry
ing pan and held over a small fire to dry.
a NOVELTY IN TRANSPORTING
GOLD.
The gold thus gained is eventually
poured into bags of coarse linen, which,
after having been stamped with the brand
of the mine, are sewn in leather sacks.
Eac!. bag contains about 30 pounds of
or one horse. To the two bags are
fastened a large cord and 4 piece of dry
wood, so that in the event of The horses
burdens being washed away while cross
ing a swollen river. the floating wood will
indicate the wherea bouts of the sun6en
treasure In the middle OF June. or at
the end of the season. the departure of
loads of gold from the mine is accom-
panied with pistol firing and the booming
of cannon, and cheers and blessings bid
the caravan bon voyage.
THE GOVERNMENT SMELLING
WORKS
All gold obtained by private individuals
in Siberia has to be sent by them to the
government smelling houses, of which
there are two, one for western Siberia at
Tomask, and one for eastern Siberia Il
IrllItslx The gold is there smeited and
its degree of purity determined by assay.
The metal is then forwarded to the st.