Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-02-20
THE LITTLE ROCKER.

Clancy Miner: When Marshall picked
up the shining metal in digging the tail
race for Suffers sawmill at Coloma. Call,
in 1S4S, the astonished pioneers knew as
little about EXTRACTING the precious par
ticles from the big bars of sand and
gravel as they did of Chinese classics.
There We're millions in the beds, bars and
banks of every stream. The ravines,
gulches and canyons abounded in gold.
A mere accident had discovered it's exist
ence: but it was not accident that taught
the eager gOld-seekers the lneans of
obtaining it. The common pan was first
brought into reQuisition, and fortunes are
said to nave been made in mining with
this very simple utenSll. 1t was no un-
common thing, as late as 1852, to see
a Mexican with his pan and knife prying
among the rocks on the river bank for
"chispas.' AS soon as lumber could be
obtained the rocker was made as early
as the fall of 1S49, and nearly every min
ing company possessed one of these in
valuable machines. The less fortunate
were content with a short log, followed
out by an axe or burned out by fire,
under which the rockers were rudely fas-
tened, and made to do fair service in
separating the gold from the gravel.
But the man with the rocker made of
boards, with screen and rifles complete,
was an ariStOcrat in mountain mining
circles, and if he owned two rockers he
was sure to be elected ''alcalde'' of the
bar, an officer from whose decision there
was no appeal. The rockers soon passed
their day, for early in the spring of 1880
the pretentlous Georgia bumper made it's
appearance. This was simply a huge
rocker, which required the power of one
man to keep it in motion. 1t derived it's
name from the fact that it's oscillating
motion was purposely suddenly checked
by blocks of wood, against which the
ends Of the rockers bumped, thus causing
a jar, which prevented the sand from
packing between the rifles. AS quicksil-
Yer, which was then worth Sc per pound,
was generally used with these machines,
the result was that about as much gold
was bumped out with the quicksilver as
was retained in the rifles. But they
Were considered in their day an immense
affair, and it was hard to make the aver
age miner believe that the owner of two
or three bumpers did not possess all the
requisite qualifications of a first-class
congressman.
In the winter of 1S5O-51 am inventive
miner of Nevada City made what was
then considered a grand strike in the di-
rection of the perfect in mining appli-
ances. After weary hours Of mental, as
well as physical labor, he built and put
in successful operation the Long Tom"
This was really an improvement over the
rocker and bumper, and the latter were
O'O No"'A ",>' "iSl ~ AollS otII
could be obtained and worked. 1t was
a simple continuance, merely an inclined
box, with sidebOardS six to eight inches
high, and low crossbars two or three
inches deep, extending from one Side Of
the box to the other. Over all a perfor-
ated plate of sheet iron was placed, which
received the gravel and water from a
long inclined Sluice box, into which the
water was conducted and the dirt and
gravel thrown. A man stood upon one
side of the perforated iron and shoveled
off such rock and gravel as could not
pass through the screen. The gold, sand
and smaller particles of gravel passed
down upon the rifles, where the metal
sank, and the lighter material was
washed off by the action of the water. 1t
was supposed when the Long Tom made
it's appearance that the great desider-
alum for the miner had been reached,
and that it was useless to pursue further
Investigations looking to the improve
ment Of mining appliances, but one by
one other boxes We're added, with cross
bars or Hungarian" rifles placed within
them, and, as no gold reached ne Tom
it was finally laid aside, and the string
of slice boxes on horses" succeeded the
former clumsy appliances. This change
was effected in the years 1929, n
miners appeared to feel satisfied with
their means for working placers. Up to
this time it was thought that all gold
'N"i MS SO Vi VII pt W dSutu III
rockers, bumpers or tightly corked sluice
boxes. But IN 1854 it was discovered that
gold could be saved in a ground sluice.
and where the fall was sufficient to admit
of this mode of mining it was adopted
Much more dirt could be disposed Of. and
no lifting power was required to subject
it to the washing process. A great deal
had been gained. Square rods of placer
ground could be washed where before
only square feet We're disposed Of. The
little rocker and sluices were still used
to some extent i'm some localities, but the
bumper and Long Ton" We're left to
crumble and decay upon the huge piles
of tailings. In the meantime bitches had
been constructed to convey water to the
principal surface mining districts in the
country. With this distribution of water
the shallow places soon yielded up theft
treasure, and the deeper diggings We're
attacked. To work these successfully
required a still further advance in the
science of mining. This advance was
made with the substitution Of the hose
and pipe for ground sluicing. With the
Inauguration of hydraulic mining com.
menced the washing away of large banks
and mountains of auriferous gravel. T.
facilitate its work tunnels were run int
immense deposits Of gold bearing gravel
and blasts, composed of from $50 to 3N
kegs of powder, discharged thereon tt
shatter n break up the tenacious bodies
Of ground. 1
1t will thus be seen that great i'm.
p~rovements have been made in place.
mining during the last third of a cen.
tury. The pan, the rocker, the bumper
the Long Tom, the sluice and the ny.
draulic nave succeeded each other in thu
order named. While all the former
modes of surface mining were considered
complete in their day, each was com
PEELED to give way to a superior mode
There iS nrOh9 b1v no mininU anp1iannt