The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-02-14
WILL DREDGE FOR GOLD
Alder Gulch Will Be Heard From
Once More.
NEW ERAIN PLACER MINING
Extracting Machinery VIII Be on the
Water by May 1st-Description
of the Big Dredge-Fifteen
Years of Work.
Special Dispa tch to the Standard.


without doubt be as famous as of yore
in the way of producing gold. A few
| miles above town at the mouth of AL
der gulch a large tract of placer ground
was bought from Philip Conrey and
an extensive plant put up. The par
ties believe that the rich pay gravel
of the gulch extends through Mr.. Con-
| reys farm, which conclusion proved to
be correct, as prospecting later on dem
monstrated. The plant was put in by
a syndicate of st. Louis and Boston
capitalists and was on the crane order
! Suspended from the crane was a pecu-
| liar bowl-shaped steam shovel in four
sections, hinged, which was designed to
enter the gravel gripper fashion, close
while in the ground and be raised with
its load of gravel to hopper, about
90 feet above the gravel. The gravel
after being placed In the hopper was
worked off in an ordinary sluce. Placer
miners of both the old and new school
! generally were of the opinion that the
| machine would not be successful. but
| the owners were of different opinion,
and operated the plant all last summer
and it was supposed the company was
| making the thing a success, until re-
| Gently, when it was rumored that a
Bannack dredge would be moved over
and located on the placer ground.
Ed Smith, former resident of the
| gulch and superintendent of the Mag
gle Gibson gold dredge at Bannack,
arrived here this week and is making
| arrangements to have the Maggie Glib
son in operation by the 1st of May.
The machinery is being hauled over
land via Dillon, a distance of nearly
| 20 miles. The lumber and large tim
bers to be used in the construction of
the dredge will be shipped to Twin
Bridges and hauled by wagon from that
point. While in the railroad town down
the valley Mr.. Smith made arrange
| ments for the hauling of 10 cars OF
lumber and large quantity of coal.
II is stated that there is enough pay
gravel in sight for the dredge to oper
ate on for the next is years.
| The Maggie Gibson was situated two
miles below Bannack and worked the
three past seasons, and until the
ground was worked up to the "A. f.
Greater" The results We're generally
successful and Mr. Smith looks forward
to good seasons work, as the condi-
tions are more favorable.
This will be the first dredge of the
kind in Madison county, and placer
miners generally are waiting the re-
suits with much interest, as the val
| ley has numerous spots between here
and Iron Rod, and also on the east
side of the range, that prospect hand
somely and will in the future be oper-
| ated by dredge, if this one proves to
! be a paying proposition.
The dredge that will be installed
here is similar to the other Bannack
| dredges, which We're built by the Bu-
| cyrus company of South Milwaukee.
| They are of the elevator type and APP
| pear to be the best for dredging gold
bearing dirt. The following description
of the Bannack dredges was given to
the Standard reporter on a visit to
Bannack by II. j. Reiling, president of
the Gold Dredging company. The first
dredge was equipped with steel buck
| cts of 51a cubic feet capacity each and
| which revolved at the rate Of IS revo-
buttons per minute. 1t was equipped
with revolving screen in which the
material is washed and the large stones
| rejected. The action of the endless
chain Of buckets is slow and quiet, and
the material is scraped up from the
bottom, in some places under IS feet
of water, with the least difficulty, and
in way best to retain the gold. The
| buckets retain their entire load. as they
are perfectly alright, until they are
emptied by being turned over at the
top. The dredging of the material is
continuous and a centrifugal pump
supplies the water for the sluice boxes,
which are suspended in the air. Con-
siderable water is brought up in tha
buckets, which facilitates the washing
opera tons. and the material Is brought
up in smaller quantities than in other
dredges, and hence is more easily
broken and passed through the screens.
The contents of the buckets are dis
charged into a large revolving "griz-
zly," which passes the larger stones
overheard And it is of sufficient
length to thoroughly wash and screen
the most difficult material. A series
of streams of water are introduced into
the screens interior, thoroughly wash
ing the gravel as it Is turned over anG
over. The stone chute Is high enough
and has sufficient power to discharge
| the large boulders clear of the side OF
the boat, so that no obstruction car
take place on account of the accumu-
latlon of tailings From the upper side
of the screen there is a discharge OF
all the fine material including the gold
together with a considerable quantity
of water This is carried off over tbs
stern of the boat through sluice box
of the proper size and inclination, anG
containing a number of rifles, in which
the gold is caught. Sometimes diff.
Guilty is experienced in collecting the
gold, especially if the bedrock be OF
clay, but the boxes are usually long
enough to save the larger portion of the
yellow metal, as well as to carry the
tailings clear Of the dredge.
The dredging machinery proper is
throughout of very solid construction
1t is in every way a substantial and
durabl machine. and able to encounter
the hardest kind of material effectually
and without injury to themselves I'm
less it is the swapping of a "spud" with
which the boat Is regulate and moved
The dredging machinery is placed or
a huge boat which draws all the way
from two to three feet of water. The
. buckets are of steel and are SO pro-
| hnu 10 orcriJ
| of strength over and above the maxi
mum strain that can come upon them
so that there is no danger of Their
breaking The entire machinery is
propelled by large engines, which have
ample power to do the work. If the
buckets should encounter an immova-
BILE resistance when running at full
speed and with the throttle wide open
at a pressure of 100 pounds of steam
nothing but the stoppage Of the buck
cts would occur, SO proportioned and
justified is the machinery. The first
IL !.