The Sumpter miner. [volume] (Sumpter, Or.) 1899-1905, 1902-08-06
BIG POMEROY DREDGE.
Building Of it Greatest Enter
prise in John Day
Country.

The immense Pomeroy dredge. prob
ably the biggest structure of the kind i
the entire west, isexiH,cted to mnenc
operations near John Day City, ON tn
North Fork of the John Day river, Mon
day morning. Nearly a year has bee
consumed in building this monster min
ing boat. The cost has been abou
$l25.OOO.
II is the biggest enterprise ever launch
ed in the John Day. II weighs alto
gether $50 tons. The machinery weight
20 tons. Ten tons Of bolts were used il
constructing the hull alone, and 6,OtN
feet Oi lumber. Difficulties encOunteret
In building this drctigc will bc appreci
ated when II IN remembered that mos
Of ths material WAS hauled in over wilt
mountain roads in winter time from the
nearest shipping point, sixty miles away
Theses roads. ut that time almost impass
able for n frcightsr's outfit, had to bt
used by the dre,igc contractors for sec'
tiOns of machinery which sometimes
thirty.six mules were required to draw.
The dreiging company has secured by
purchase, lease and bond immense con.
cessions along the bed Of the North Fork.
This tortuOus, turbulent mountain
stream has for agcS been washing down
fine sands from its headwaters and de-.
posting them along its course. 4 man
eau go out with u panning outfit and
make fair wages, and in years gone by
scores of men have made II good living
panning on the North Fork. When the
best ground had been roughly worked
over the river bed was abandoned. With
the new machinery to bc employed, the
drcdger people are content to take what
remains.
The l'omcroy drcdgc will use u bucket
system. not unlike the old fashioned ele-
vator buckets in flour mills, threshing
machines aud wheat warehouses. These
buckets are fastened to II huge chain.
There are twcnty-scvcn buckets, each
weighing 1000 pounds. Each link oi the
great chain to which they are attached
weighs 5,N pounds. and as there are
twcnty.-rvcn buckets and twenty.seven
links between each bucket, the entire
number ii links il 7.',and the aggregate
weight M 500 pounds, ar over l52 tons.
The buckets rcvolyr round u steel ladder
weighing @,WW pounds, aud as they
reach the top oi the ladder they are
overturned by huge tumbler, whose
weight il 1000 pounds.
Their. will be few more interesting
sights IN the interesting John Day than
when this drrdge starts operations. 4
big proboscis is plunged beneath the
water, the wheels rcvolvc and the buck
cts begin Ia rise with their loads of
water. gravel aud mud. dumping them,
~ they are overturned 10y the tumbler,
intoa hopper, where powerful pumps
are forcing water ut high pressure.
From the hopper To the river behind
runs II ng sluicc, along which the pla.
Ger hrarins mud and gravel are washed
by the streams of water, Anal lganat-
ing plates aud rifles are located along
the sluicc aud the spccks oi gold catch
on aud stay. Of course much is wasted,
but so great is the amount of ground
Ia liz worked that this is not consid-
cred,
II il said the twelve buckets, which
make their rounds each minute, will
raise ninety-six cubic yards Of earth in
that time. II true, there is no dredge in
the northwest built on nearly 81 elabo.
rate n scale.
When full operations are started Mon
day morning, il the plans of the com.