The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-05-30
TO SAVE FINE GOLD.
C. F. Pearson Adds Another Machine
to Long List.

to a Long List.
A machine for separating gold from
sand, earth or gravel, without the use
/ of water, has been invented by c. F.
| Pearson of Seattle. Mr.. Pearson, ac-
cording to the Anaconda Recorder, has
been engaged for some time in study
ing out his invention and has now per-
fected it and has applications for pat
ents pending in Canada and Mexico, as
well as in the United States, says the
Post-InteHigencer.
Most men who have had experience
in gold mining will hardly believe that
1t is possible to separate gold dust
from sand, earth or gravel by a dry
process and will be astonished to see
how easily and simply this can be eff
fected by Mr.. Pearson's machine, which
he calls THE Miners Friend"
The device is a very simple one and
the process is based on the difference
between the specific gravity of gold or
other metals and the sand or gravel in
which they are found. The main part
of the machine is an iron vessel, in t>s
form of a crucible, which he calls
melting pot. Through an iron arch
across the top of this pot conducting
tube conveys the sand or gravel from
sort of hopper into the amalgam in
the pot. This tube has a sort of fluted
band around the lower end, standing
out at an angle from the pipe so that
the sand or gravel forced down into
the amalgam rises to the surface at
some distance from the pipe. instead of
alongside of II.
The amalgam is composed of various
metals. as tin, bismuth, lead, mercury,
etc, according to the specific gravity
required for separating different met
ais, as silver, gold, etc. 1t is kept hot
in order to keep it in a liquid condi-
ton, and in the case of gold, if the
amalgam is hot enough it takes up the
gold, or if it is only moderately heated
the gold sinks to the bottom of the
pot. The primary idea was evidently
to enable Klondike miners to separate
their gold from the earth without water
and the working model he has is oper-
ated on Klondike stove.
The operation is as follows: The
melting pot, filled to near the top with
amalgam, heated to the desired degree
is fed from hopper with the gold
bearing sand through a tube, which
reaches nearly to the bottom of the
pot, the sand being forced down the
tube and out into the amalgam by
plunger working in the tube AS the
sand or gravel passes out of the tube it
rises to the surface of the amalgam,
while the gold falls to the bottom. It
is on the same principle and Just as
simple as if sand and sawdust mixed
We're first forced into a bucket of water
through tube; the sawdust would rise
to the surface and the sand sink to the
bottom.
In exhibiting the operation of his ma
chine, Mr.. Pearson mixes copper rivets.
brass screws, iron nails, etc, with the
sand in the hopper. and throws in a
piece OF gold. The sand is then forced
down into the amalgam, and comes
floating to the surface, accompanied by
the nickels, nails. etc, and when all is
through, the piece of gold is found at
the bottom of the pot. Mr.. Pearson
says this machine will save the fine
gold in Snake river sand. which the
water carries away in sluicing. The
machines can be made of any size.
There are many places in Oregon
where good pay dirt is found, but il
cannot be worked because water can
not be got on the ground In such |
places or in Klondike in winter, Mr. I
Pearson's machine will truly prove a |
miners friend"