The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-09-17
IMPROVEMENTS IN MINING
implements for Separating Gold From
Gravel Were Crude in the
Early Days.

When Marshall picked ND the shi,;,,
metal in digging the tail-race for sut
tons saw mill at Colonla. California i,
lefS. the astonished pioneers knew .s
niue ABOUT extracting the precious par
tlc!es from the immense bars of sa,a
ana gravel about them as they ala or
chinese classics. There were billions in
the beds. bars and banks of nearIv av-
cry stream. The ravines. suichas a,5
canyons abounded in cold A n,fre ar
cldent had discovered its existence +nn+
1t was not accident that taught the ea-sr
soldseekers the best means of Obtain
ing it.
Inc common pan was first brought in,o
requlsltlon. and fortunes are said to have
oeeh MADE in mining with this simo,e
utehsll 1t was no uncommon thing. as
ia'e as lSol-Z, to see a Mexican with his
pan anu hhlte brylng among the, rocks
on the river bank for chispas. As saa,
as lumber could be obtained the rocker
was made as early as the fall of 1s4o
and nearly every mining COMPANY nos
seSsed one Of these Invaluable machines
The less fortunate were content with
short log. followed out bv an ave ~
burned out by fire. under which the rock
ers were rudely fastened, and made do
fair service in separatin.- the cold from
the gravel But the man with the rock
er made of boards, with screen and RI.
mes complete, was an aristOcrat in mpuu-
tain mining circles, and if he owned
tNo rockers he was sure to be elected
alcaide of the bar. an officer from whose
decision there was no appeal.
Inc rockers soon passed their day
for early in the spring of 1850 the pre-
tentious Georgia bumper made it's an.
pearance. This was simply a huge rock
err. which required it's name from the
fact that it's oscilating motion was DUR
posely suddenly checked by blocks of
wood against which the ends of the rock
ers bumped, thus causing a Jar. which
prevented the sand from packing be-
tween the rifles. AS quicksilver. which
was then worth S. pei pourd, was gem
orally used with these machines the re-
suit was that about as much gold was
bumped out with the quicksilver as ava.
retained in the rifles. But they wer.
considered in their day an immense af-
fair. and it was hard to make the av-
erage miner believe that the owner Of two
or three bump, RS did not possess all
the requisite qualifications of a first
class congressman.
In the winter of 1S50-51 an inventive
miner of Nevada City made what was
then considered grand strike in the
direction OF the perfect in mining ap-
planes. 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 never again used where the
Long Tom could be obtained and work.
cd II WAS ciO1p1o copfr}yo ,,,oro1y,
an inclined box. with side boards six
to eight inches high. and low crossbars
two to three inches deep extending from
one side of the box to the other. Over
all perforated 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 as could not
pass through the screen. The gold, sand
and small gravel passed down the riff
f1es. where the metal sank and the light
err material was washed off by the wa
ter. 1t was supposed when the Long
Tom made it's appearance that the great
desideratum for the miner had been
reached, and that it was useless to pur-
sue further Investigations looking to the
improvement Of mining appliances. but
one by one other boxes were added. with
cross bars or Hungarian rifles placed
in them, and as no gold reached the
Tom it was finally laid aside. and
the string Of suice boxes on "horses"
succeeded the former clumsy appliances.
This change was effected in the years
1928, and miners appeared to feel sat
isfied with their means for working
placers. Up to this time it was thought
that all gold-bearing gravel or dirt must
be washed in rockers. bumpers, or, tight
" corked sluice boxes. But in "a 1t was
discovered that gold could be saved IN
a ground sluice. and where the fall was
sufficient to admit Of his mode OF MIN
ing it was adopted. Much more art