The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1906-10-10
ONE OF GREATEST
INVENTIONS OF AGE
DESIGNED SAVE GOLD NOW LOST
Machine That Has Proven It's Abil-
ity to Save Ninty-nine Per Cent
of Precious Metal

The press dispatches some time
ago announced that letters of patent
for a gold amalgamator. This SIM
pie announcement caused no great
excitement in mining circles, neither
did the friends of Mr.. Sanford make
any demonstration over the event.
Mr.. Sanford himself was somewhat
modest about it and continued the
work of perfecting his invention and
getting it down to the practical, no.
question-a bout-it point. This was ar
rived at Wednesday when demon
stration was made in the presence of
a number of North Yakima citizens
at Mr.. Sanford's home on South
Second street.
Mr.. Sanfords invention consists
of a machine used in placer mining
whereby the inventor claims SO per
cent of the flour gold is secured. Like
all great inventions, it is very SIM
pie in it's construction and primer
pies, but that it is practical, those
who saw it work at the demonsra-
ton are satisfied beyond a shodow
of a doubt. The working model is
a cylinder standing about four feet
in height and about IL inches in
diameter which sets in a large basin
and over a conical shaped arrange
ment. The basin is filled with a suf-
ficient quantity of quicksilver. Into
the cylinder water is turned through
sluice ways which also carries the
pay dirt which passes through the
cylinder down into the basin where
the diffusion takes place and the
waste dirt is forced through the
quicksilver and carried off with the
waste water. The gold of course re-
mains in the basin.
With this machine the time honor
ed pan and rocker" are numbered
with the things that were. With it
five men do the work of hundred,
and whereas with the primitive
method of placer mining from per
cent to 60 per cent of gold was saved,
with the Sanford Amalgamator 80
per cent of the gold is saved regard
less of how fine it may be.
The limitless sandbars of western
rivers, rich in -four gold which has
hitherto eluded the efforts of the
their golden treasurers.
Each machine, as now built. with
five men, handle from so to 1000
yards of dirt per day, depending on
the available water supply.
These sands run from 5 cents to
IS per yard in gold, so it may be
easily seen that splendid profits may
be realized under the least favorable
circumstances.
The Pacific States Placer Mining
company has been incorporated un-
der the laws of this state to handle
Mr.. Sanford's invention. 1t has been
capitalized at 1000, which is
divided into 100000 shares of the
par value of $40.
The company has issued a pros
pectus in which it has the following
TO say:
''No imposing array of celebrities
is used in our directorate to allure
and possibly deceive, but confident
of the value of our holdings and of
the capability and integrity of our
officers we frankly state our purpose
and plans"
Those most prominently identified
with the venture in this city are Fred
Parker, Will Everett, w. ]. Adkin-
son, DR.. Crompton, and Mr.. Sanford,
and G. w. Wheelon of Sunnyside.
All are enthusiastic over the pros
poets of a mighty good thing as
one of them expressed himself, and
as all mining men who have seen
the machine say it cannot help but
get all there is in the dirt, in rich
fields it cannot but prove a big divi-
dend payer.
Mr.. Sanford, the inventor, has
been nearly fifteen years working out
this machine. He has by all known