The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-11-28

Won may drift thirty feet with safety, when q
new, hole or s.1Gft has to DO sunk and the drift,
In this way tho pay strcak is taken from under.
meath tho surface IN the winter. until tho water
begins running In the spring. finds its way into
the shafts, and hinders operations to such ~
extent that thoy arc closed. Preparations for
boxes procured with which to wash the dump.
sLuIcISo.
A sluice box is about ton inches In width and
twelve feet in length, tho boxes so made that
scope. In these arc placed what arc called
rifle bars, which are strips of wool about one
together at thoir ends so rs to DO parallel with
each other, and about onc-half TO three quarters
of en- II InG ,So n s1aTto so These y STS hp nrc so lon nS so al,
per foot OF their length. Into this system q
be OF sufficient volume, to carry with 1t tho
gravel and dirt that arc In the dump.
As soon as tho sun has attained sufficient force
to thaw out tho surface of the dump 1t is show
cllCd into these sluiCo boxes. The water carries
down with It to tho t%aili1gs, MS 1t is termed, tho
ter which is not wanted. The gold and tho black
sand. which Is simply pulvcrized magnetic ore,
owing to thoir much greater weight, fall be.
tween tho rifle bars and are held there.
TIE
As soon ms tho riflo bars arc filed, so that
there is danger OF tho gold passing over and
stopped, and what is called tho cleanup is
madc; that Is. tho rifle bnrs are lifted out and
black sand and other refuse separated.
In one instance eighty avoirdupois pounds Of
gold, we're realized from a single cllESan-up, repro
traordinary, but we must bear in mind that tho
dump from which this came contained only
six men at 81 so per hour for upward Of three
months, not INCLUDING the, labor Of %sluicing, so
that ss Glth ~ g slo # is tremendously rieh' 1t is not
I saw the other evening in one OF the papers
that a man who owns n claim on FL. Dorado and
another on Bear Creek has sold out for 81, 0OO.-
600. He went into the. country a poor man
with the intention Of raising sufficient money to
GGo oSSe 9s SOL 'n' he %0Fh, rs not {" only n'is pi PAID OF MI his s' owns "Sa
mortgage, but the mortgages OF his neighbors.
told nIs yo" more sHr men ef Have made mad si hom %au k there there
than anywhere clso in the world. / do not wish
you to look only on the bright side OF the pic.
ture. An American from Seattle camo IN June.
1896. to the Forty Mile with his wife. with tho
intention OF, lettering his condition. Thoy went
acquainted with this man. q very decent, intel.
ligent chap; He told me. one day that II he could
P nng xa ont in t Mits ss s5'o6S b from mon 1hfee sd to hTs SSShI m'
self in great luck. He has come out with $52,'
600. and after prospecting his claim at both ends
there is 81, 500. 600 nit.
THE OTHER SIDE NOT so BRIGHT.
On the other hand. an old S%cotcbman by the
name Of Marks has been in there for eleven
hewas sick last fall I happened to ask him how
old he was. SiNtv-three years. he said. Then ]
asked him how long he had been mining. His
reply was, forty.two ycars-in all parts OF the
world except in Australia. In answer to a ques
ton rs to whether he had never made his stake
he told me he had never vet made more than q
living, and often that was very scnnty. This. o
course. is the opposite experience. but / coult
quote scores OF similar cases. so that | would moi
have you look too much on the bright side.
There are men in that country who are poo
and who will remain SO. 1t has not been theil
luck" ms they call II. to strike 1t rich. but
may say that that country offers to men of grea'
fortitude. steadincss. and some intelligence ar
opportunity to make more money in a givcr
time than they could possibly make anywher,
else. You have. OF course. n good deal to con
tend with: your patience will be sorcly tried
for the conditions arc so unique that thew hav,
surprised many who havc gone in hopefully AND
have left in disgust. There are many obstacles
and disagrceablc conditions in prospecting.
MOSQUITOES AND ~EMPERATuRE.
First, a few words about tho mosquitoes. Dur
ing the summer and until September they are
veritable plague. They seem to feed on smoke
And as to fire. they appear to revel in it. TIT
with mosquito netting. Indeed, it is impossible
to prospect in the summer time unless a ma,
be an old miner and well hardened, for all da,
long and twcnty-four hours in the day thos
mosquitoes are after you. 1t is no use trying t
get rid OF them. or course they arc not an ar
noyance in the winter time, but, although W
have no mosquitoes then. / will show you, o.
way of temperature. ! have mnde some extract
from my meteorological records. which I wi
here present. They cover the period from Al
gust, 1885,, to November, 1896. and show tn
highest and lowest temperatures reached, a
follows: