The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-12-21

their work has been futile. They have
! built dams, but the water has seeped
through faster than it could be
! pumped.
| Fortunes are right there for a whole
lot of people if we could only get the
water" is the remark always made to
visitors by old-timers in that part Of
| the country.
| why don't you get it out, then?" is
the answer that is generally fired back
| at them by such strangers as know
! something about the manner in which
rlver-bed deposits are worked. TT is a
! simple matter to dam the stream. It's
done successfully elsewhere. Put in a
dam, then set your pumps to work, and
it there's any gold in the gravel you
can get it without any trouble"
"Mebbe, mebbe,'' the old timers will
say with mournful emphasis. Lots of
engineering chaps have tried, but it
doesn't seem to work."
In the spot referred to there Is nat
ural depression or basin In the river
bed which has hitherto escaped the no.
tice of those who have attempted to
slopes down to form this basin 1t is
badly scanned, and dams pullt above
this depression are useless, as the wa
ter runs through the seams as fast as it
can be pumped out.
This discovery was made by S. S.
Bedger of Chicago, one of the best
known mining engineers in the country,
who was here some years ago inVesti-
eating mining properties in the famous
RaWhide district. Mr.. Badger said he
could build a dam that would keep the
river bed dry, but the old timers were
dubious, as they have seen many fail
pres. Mr.. Badgers reputation was SO
high, however, that he was engaged to
make the attempt. He studied out the
problem and successfully constructed
the present dam, which is pronounced
by experts to be wonderful engineer
ing work. The flow of water has been
entirely stopped and experiments in a
small way have demonstrated the fact
that with the proper pump equipment
the river can be pumped dry and kept
dry. In the construction of the dam
of test holes were dug, to deter
mine the exact location of bed rock and
extent of the depression, so as to be
able to decide intelligently on suita-
BILE site for structure. The washings
from these holes definitely established
the fact that the entire extent of this
particular territory is virgin soil and
has never been worked over. At no I
place was the gravel dug into more
than eight feet, but the average yield Of
gold was six dollars to the cubic yard.
In virgin soil like that of the Stanislaus
bed at this point the richness of the
gravel increases as the bed rock is
the choicest deposits lying di-
rectly on top Of the bed rock itself 1t
Is estimated that the yield here will be
fully twelve dollars to the cubic yard,
and perhaps more. This would make
t outclass anything in the Klondike,
South Africa or Australia.
All the Stanislaus country is aurifer-
1us. Many immensely profitable
luartz and placer mines are being
worked here, and yet, despite the fact
hat men have been digging over the
district for half century, there is a
arge area of virgin soil untouched.
over three hundred million dollars has +.
,een taken out Of California placers
md new fortunes are being made right
long. 1t is no longer possible, per-
laps, for man to pick up big nuggets
N top of the ground or kick granula-
ed gold from tree roots, as was done in
he days of 1S49, but there are many
aluable claims awaiting the man who
.nows how to work them.
In connection with the work that has
cen going on for years along the STAN
slaus river biologists have made an
study, from which they
ave evolved important facts regarding
he presence of gold in the river bed.
his gold is all free--that Is, 1t is not
liked with any other mineral and re-
ures no chemical treatment. 1T is in :
ne form of granules, or small nuggets,
INNING from pins head to a pea in
ze 1t Is mixed with blue gravel,
hitch is washed away when put
trough a suice under a head of water,
aving the gold on the rifles. Accord
lg to the theory of the biologists, this
old was originally bound up in the
uartz formation of the surrounding
ills, from which it was released by