The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-05-09
MINING By STEAMBOAT.
An Ingenious Method OF Extracting Gold rroR
n Rivers He'd.

From the Boise Statesman.
A most valuable and interesting enterprise In
the shape of a gold boat is now in progress on
the Snake River. about four miles below Mont.
gomcry's Ferry, on the road from Minidoka to
Albion, which is likely to open up a new field Of
operation. This boat belongs to Louis SweetseP
and George Burroughs of the cattle firm of
Swcctscr s. Burroughs. 1t has been constructed
by and is under the personal supervision of
George Burroughs. This boat and its machinery
are the product of the genius and experience OF
Mr.. Burroughs.
The boat is 1o5 feet long and 20 feet wide, the
extreme length from the nose of the suction to
the end of the tailings elevator being $50 feet.
The gravel is lifted by a rotary pump. driven By
a sevcnty-five-horse-p power engine, the suction
pipe being 80 feet long and 12 inches in Diane
ter. There are two other engines. one of which
a scrnpcr and elevator. by which the coarse ma
Of the boat. .TSwcr Is furnished by two ,dfty-
horsepower boilers. The boat Is worked back:
the suction being kept against the bank Of
gravel, and the boat working up stream. Every
nary Is sr f%kfn HSp pt onS shansTIsi b b lRIGssss come Sana;
through. some OF which weigh fifty, pounds.
The material thus mined from the bottom OF
the river is delivered into a sllicc on board the
boat. The upper end of the sluice is about sig
feet above the floor OF the boat, and the pitch 10
and four feet wide. The gravel is sent over
grizzlies, all the coarse material being carried
othc end of the sluicc, where it is rammed out
b a series of steel sCrapCrs running on an ends
.css chain and delivered upon a belt that carr
ries it in back of the boat and drops it again
into the river.
The sand carrying the gold drops upon burlap
tables. OF these there are eight on each side
They are Is feet long and 3 feet wide. standing
at right angles 10 The sluice, and reaching some
sand and gold gathers on and under the burlap.
When the tables are cleaned III the concentrates
are rocked over copper plates, the gold being
amalgamated.
The pump delivers 200 yards of gravel an
hour. The boat has boon built over three times
II has been a success from the start. and during
the past year il has been greatly enlarged. II
would cost from $l5 600 TO $4,000 TO duplicate
the plant. The operating expenses arc i'll the
ncighborhood Of $50 "a day. At present the boat
runs only during the day, but with n force OF
seven men 1t could be keep. in operation through.
out the twcnty-four hours. Thirteen men are now
engaged in gathering fuel. Some are hauling
cedar, while others are cutting and baling sage
brush. Tho latter makes tho better fire, but 10
COSTS q little more than the cedar.
Mr.. Burroughs says there is no other mcthoo
than the burlap by which the gold can be saved
successfully. He has been operating on the
river since the spring of 1894, and has therrcdit
OF being the only person To make a success OF
any extensive plant for saving the flour gold
that is found in such abundance along the great
river for hundreds OF miles. His views, there.
fore are entitled TO the greatest weight. The
gravel he is working Is worth III hes! only ten
cents a yard, and he il greatly interested in the
other sections OF the river. where the value 10
said TO run 10 ~ II yard aud above.