New-York tribune., 1903-01-25
GETTING GOLD BY PLACER MINING.
INTERESTING PROCESSES OF PROCURING PRECIOUS
MET4L-SCENES ON NOME BEECH


instance turned OFF the water altogether.
Loxes before the rifles taken out TO see what
and beheld small hlackened bit of something the
sst sxs 9f the the end of my little finger. thought at
i Tor me surface iron stains. Just as the gateman
saying Yes a heq little 2 hit Tf'eF or m my rs6 reS
y Iessly threw the nugget back into the slhce.
from any but the miners rnnt Of WI view If VAS as
ana one OF us. after looking curio and admit
They were extracting the Big rusty nails now.
mat Ihat i he'd the rifles firm Then there was great
be safe to take out those riffes-the signalling
dered why they did not abandon SO ''1 impotent
cede and trust entirely to lung power. but this
To tne thich5 and STANDING there in the bright
gravel and tumbling water he Shouted and beck
oned and spasmodically tossed his arms like
semaphore gone mad-until the waterpower was
not too much for the psychological moment APP
preaching and yet sufficient to admit of the riff
or less free of clingtng particles of gold noticed
1aterTorn and frayed at pihe The edges how they
with sad speeds 6ne "oq o PGn Se men Gf 6t
2b bs help sbv the q9te M fine gold steng to M them M
ways worth while burn them and pan the gold
The rifles out Of the way. and the water playing
down at about half power one of the men zen; walked va b
gan With great iron sce fork to take np in its
prongs. 10 dowse and throw out the bigger stones
down the line another man. with a small short
handled shovel or scoop was turning over the con-
letting the water wash through it. and make the
most of another chance to carry away everything
When this had gone on for while: Look where
the boxes join If YOU the proper stuff
Hold pack the water with your hand
We did told: and behold wherever
there was corner or inequality in the box there
lay ridges and heaps of yellow ''stuff''-brghtened
PTsoher m oe Wa1f nnse6 to f6e @ a e wher there
stone that sluce fork or miners fingers had o not
side. was closely packed the coarse bright gold
water. and fshed piece of rusty metal. about
inch and half long, beaten and chiselied; and
into the likeness of an old Roman with mouth
cpen laughing Ely at some 4os sncen 9s
about my find laughed too. until turning the mead
ing fury and disgust on that side. mouth open.
ready with howl Of pain and rage l ran up to
tie head of the sluice to give the nugget TO the
owner but instead Of being grateful to me for res
him for t's an old feiloW making faces and threw
him back into the. sluice. .,
said I. quite unconvinced that he would ever G set
eyes on the Roman again But my miner fl fTehe fhe
end of the ''clean up though he had it in his
sluicing. but the water is held to render
faithful account OF nuggets and coarse gold. How
ever G cured eGnt' me Of feens that was tempting
Providence to throw a lump OF gold back INTO the
swift water to mix again with mass OF SAND ana
The man who had been welding the great
suice fork having finished throwing out the
bigger stones. now Joined his companion on, lower yer
q scoop. and small corn broom or whisk sI1
sowiv up. from bottom to top of boxes-brushing
everything indisCriminately up stream for the
moment now there are fewer and fewer stones.
less and less Of rudy sand and even the 81 mag a6e
gold while here there and everywhere the proud
Ea4s & P9sEs fo ons are hs 4 tails Of WedFe hape
gold dust The nuggets were Of every size abon anq
inches long by IL widel down to little rousR9
tbeT baS heen hammered and rolled But nowhere
did see the Roman -
Of the owners and when you,ye heftede fe It It y5i you
wont doubt ther the right ced S0Ef or p s We m leaned
over the side Of the suice box. dipped into the
gold dripping and heavy and shining. Some one
had magnet and. trying II on what httie e,,r re-
about thicky with particles and tiny splnters OF
When at last the water and the little brooms had
done their work of wnnowing. the coarser gold
nan. There We're stili some tailings left to be
washed OFT at leisure, and also the anaIgaR @ no on
But we were concerned to-day only with the cream
& me which Was taken up on the bank Of the creek
and set down front Of the miners, tent There s9
it was propped the pan Of wet Eold- we oaI al
about on the ground and Watcnea @ Ia tne +i6 To6
a bout the shining heap-mixed it and roasted IL
seemed TO vanish When at last the gold was thor
oughly dried it was also th3[oqsnty ny oId hToen
am afraid something TO the disparagement of
gan 10 spoon up the fat ana goooly nusset99, "iIo
disnosed the best specimens about on top. where
they with obvious mission 20 De slultrS trG @
ceiEe I2ut If was no use. The finer glory had de-
pretence and looked out upon US from the e d0R ot
the heap. dull and spiritless seeming 10 coiie''
'the fun's over-now the trouble 6eglns. ,,e.i his
But here all Of a sudden is the Roman httlng ms
wicked old head above the surface ana IausMn1s nm,
olaoa afr he
face of Scha denfreude though he knew for what
ayed ~ o,f Of the dark as though gloried in the
greed they would waken, at the terrible
with enthusiasm, and I saw from the pleased look
of the miner that his cunning had kept TINS mug
W6e the gold cooling rude ,Pns,jss aPIs is hastily bg
cold scales are brought of the tent and set in
the middle Of the table on "a an g open ba lfie bile
OF tarnished metal in the rusty pan Is % WGF ~ bst
Iesnpn The $500 or so which the tangs and the
amaisam plate would yield-an average roughH; gfc5
Of 81 600 70 each box after two days work; St6n zen
result is modest even for Anvil. while for the the
more ra 1hog Who will tell you it is beggary.
However, it was as interesting a Sleanup et +b 20
reeord And every step of the way the gold h had
travelled ia submitting to the age-oId process ,d nad
bee, beautiful 20 look at so long as water heiped
10 some 5 of the extraordinary vivdness and richness
trct doubt TO the Of conTse to to
ne who knew the Nome beach SO well IT was moth 9TH
ing of a novelty. We had seen IL, "a! III ae st -; o
, 5riftnd along the upper SIDE OF rocks, left IN
OUT I,Ie uJ line bv the receding tide hugging bits
~ nreck or. where men were digging down for pay
@i o. a had seen it darkly reddening the heavier
etrstnm which all the world knew would be the
most likely to carry gold But on the Seashore
.lros a1r7ented earnets (miscalled rubyl are
ground fne Up here behind the mountain IN dadG ane
ss,,,a,Ss rreek they are not broken uL-indeed'
itS littIe sorting you may get handful of the
perfect crystals. -. Nth son,e other
- cling over a different claim. one OF them
riclEed ont half dozen whole rupies ,1 LoI ne e.
p pnd then ii occurred him that they should De
81, ;n cold But I could not wait Tor the r,
m SO he got empty gunpowder u TN "a anu eb ir