The San Francisco call., 1904-08-06
NOVEL GOLD DREDGING.


Something novel in the shape OF a
gold dredger is now operating in the
Sacramento River at Middle Creek.
three miles above Redding. The Red
ding Searchlight says of the ap-
paratus:
This distinctive advantage is that It cleans
up the gold from the cracks and crevices in
the bedrock under any depth OF water as per-
fectly as housewife can brush up dirt from
cracks in the floor. In its operation submarine
divers can work on the river bottom. watch
Ing the work going and seeing that every
pocket Of gold is conveyed to the surface. No
scoops or shoveis are used. All hosting is
long and "a feet wide and draws two feet of
water. Through the bottom Of the boat is
sunk steel shaft, in sections, TO any depth
required. This working shaft is roughly Sh
ieet by liz feet. cross section being boat
shaped, the PROV pointing up stream to break
the force OF the current. The two bottom SEQ
uons are cylindrical. the one that rests on
the river bed being provided with a water
diver.
Down this shaft passes the 1o-inch column
OF rock pump and also a Pinch rubber hose,
pound pressure This water Jet Is made to
clean out cracks and crevices in the bedrock.
handle are at present hoisted to the surface
In buckets or by ropes the submarine divers
at the bottom doing the loading This labor
VIII he obviated when a section OF the river
will be rolled back upon the section that has
been mined.
The steel shaft is extended down through the
water TO the gravel on the river bed The rock
pump is started holsting the gravel on the
boat, Where II IS run over sluices, as in all
placer mining. The pump handles q cubic
yard OF gravel a minute and enough water to
wash It, Rocks up TO a diameter of 915 inches
pumped up readily as a pebble. The
largest rock pumped was 915 inches IN diane
ter and i715 inches long weighing So pounds
Ile submarine divers work In the shaft Or
outside. at pleasure. and may remain under
the surface half day at a time II necessary
When boulders too large for the pump are
encountered they are hoisted in the manner
previously described-if up the shaft, the diver
tom for safety. in case the boulder should
break loose from its lashings; II on the out.
side Of the shaft the course OF the diver is
reversed.
The shaft is lowered. literally. as work pro-
crosses until bedrock Is reached. At Middle
Creek the bedrock is 25 feet below the river
bed, which is a like number Of feet below the
surface Of the water
1t is when bedrock is reached that the
dredger proves its greatest effectiveness for
II Is in the crevices Of the bedrock that pock-
cts OF gold are most likely to be found. The
submarine diver. with his hose with water
under 10o-pound pressure. turns tho Jet
that sweeps every particle Of gold toward the
mouth Of the rock pump column. The radius
Of its effectiveness is 21z feet.
The dredge is easily shifted to ground
when desired. The company has three miles
Of river bed and its richness is beyond ques-
days for the placer miner The gold that the
creek carried into the Sacramento has never
been touched before.
A special correspondent Of the SeatA
tie Times writes from Nome as fol-
lows:
Mine owners are now facing the shortest
season in the history of the camp. Besides
noticeable shortage in water for sluicng pur-
poses the ground is frozen to n great depth.
Mining has practically been at a standstilI
since. the first boats arrived. In the last two
weeks work has picked UP several of the
creeks in the vicinity of Nome. and should
there be a late spring the gold output may
equal the record of 1903 Operators at Nome
looking forward to heavy rains In
the winter months the snowfall was unusually
light The ground was left without protection,
and in come places it has frozen to depth
of sixty feet. Building In the town Of Nome
encountered at a depth Of two feet under
ground. Before the first boats reached Nome
this the operators were confident OF
an early season. In fact, indications pointed
that way. The light snowfall has left the
bitches without the customary supply of water
and there is no snow in the mountains TO
melt should there be heavy and warm rains.
In the early part Of the present month there
were four days of rain but the fall will not
be Of much benefit to the miners unless the
rains continue for some weeks. visit to
the various creeks reached by the Nome and
Arctic Railroad Immediately convinces most
any one that work is not being prosecuted.
Operators have machinery on the ground and
lsbcrers waiting to go to work. but ii
is & question If the ground will break up in
time tc warrant the operators spending their
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