The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-01-23

9db SAIL LAh
utes attentiyely studying his surround
ings, and then, instead of beginning TO.
dig, as his companions expected him.
to do. ne said with an expression of
dispust:
Boys. I've made a mistake; there's
no, gold here"
How can you tell until you seareh?y
asked the astonished Roswell
1T amt what l thought it was; you
don't find The stuff in places like this;
there's no use of wasting time; come
on"
Wondering at his action the three,
smiling, but silent, trailed after him.
Climbing over some intervening bowl
ders, they shortly emerged into a place
altogether different from any they had
yet seen. 1t was a valley two or three
hundred feet in width, with the sides
gently sloping. There was no snow on
the ground, and here n there a few
green blades of grass Could be seen
sprouting from the fertile soil. Through
the middle of this valley meandered a
stream eight or ten feet in width, but
shallow, and so clear that the bottom
could be plainly seen, while yet some
distance away. The valley itself wound
in front until it curved out of sight. 1t
was impossible, therefore, to guess its
extent. It terminated not far below
where they stood, rocks coming to-
gether SO as TO form a small canyon,
through which the creek rushed with
a velocity that reminded them of the
dangerous ones they had passed on
their way from Chilkoot pass.
wait here a bit" said Jeff, as he
started toward the stream. The others
obeyed, watching his actions with in
terest.
He strobe to the creek. along which
he walked a few rods, his head bent as
he carefully scrutinized all that passed
under his eye. Suddenly he stopped
and stared as if he had found that for
which he was looking. Then STOPPING
down. he leaned as far out as he could,
gathered a handful of the gravely soil
and put it in the washer which he had
taken with him. This was repeated
several times, when he dipped the pan
so as nearly to fill it with water, after
which he whirled it round several times
with a speed that caused some of the
water to fly out. That part of his work
completed, he set down the pan which
served as a washer n walked rapidly
back toward his friends.
another disappointment" remarked
Frank; lit isn't as easy to find gold as
we thought"
II don't know about that" said Tim
McCabe. 'Jiff looks at me as if he had
hit on something worth while. How is
it. Jiff?" he called as the old miner
drew near.
That's our claim" he replied; well
stake it out and then I'm going to
Dawson to file it,"
Are you sure there is gold here?"
asked Roswell. in some excitement.
Yes, 1 hit it this time. we mustn't
lose any days in stalking it out or
somebody else would get ahead of us"
The assurance of JEFF impaired conf
dence to the rest. The stakes were cut
n driven as already described, and
then JEFF breathed more freely.
We've got 60 days to find the stuff"
he said, land nobody daren't say a
word to us. All the same I'm going to
Dawson to file the claim and make
things dead sure"
when will o so?"
NOW, right off. l want to bring back
some things with me and I'll be gone
two or three days, but 1 won't lose no
time"
Jeff was one of those men who do
not require long to make up their mind,
and having reached a decision nothing
can turn them aside from its execu-
ton. Ten minutes later he was hurry
ing towards Dawson City, 40 miles or
more distant.
Inasmuch as Tim McCabe a prac-
teal knowledge of placer mining, the
three decided to improve the time while
Jeff was absent in taking out some of
the gold which he assured them was
there.
As has been explained, this form of
mining is of the crudeSt and cheapest
nature. In winter, after sinking a shaft
TO bedrock, tunnels are u in different
directions and the frozen earth piled up
until warm weather permits its washing
-- NJ - DO xEa pnAE ]
from 4 to 20 feet. The gold is fouad
in dust. grains and nuggets, the last
varying from the size of a hickory nut
or larger, to small grains OF pure gold.
1t quite often occurs that the bedrock
is seamy. with nan small depressions.
1t is supposed that when the debris con-
tanning the original gold swept over
this bedrock, the great weight of the
metal caused it to fan and lodge in the
crevices, where it has lain for ages.
Certain it is that the richest finds have
been made in such places.
Having fixed upon the spot where the
should begin, Tim McCabe and the
boys set to work TO clear off the coarse
and stone from a patch of
ground. At the end of several hours
they had completed enough to begin
operations. Tim dropped a few handfuls
of the finer gravel or sand into his pan,
which, was a broad, shallow dish of
sheet iron. Then water was dropped
into the pan until it was full. when he
It swiftly about and up and
down. This allowed the gold, on ac-
count of its greater specific gravity,
to fall to the bottom, while the sand it
self was hoated off by the agitation.
Tim had learned the knack of tipping
the pan sideways. so as gradually to
get rid of the worthless stuff, while the
heavy yellow particles remained be-
The boys stood attentively watching
the operation, which was carried on
with such skill that by and by nothing
was left in the bottom but the yellow
and black narticlas. The latter were