The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1906-04-04
Gold la the South.

How many people know that gold
mining is carried on 10 regular, pro.
saic, everyday industry in the south.
ern Atlantic States-in Virginia, the
Cerclinas aud Georgia? Moro than
fifty million dollars worth of gold has
been. mined in the South since Co.
!umbus discovered America. Indeed,
some sixty.fve years sse, tho South
vas producing about million dollars
worth q year; there was big excite
ment about it. and people were pros
peoting hero, there, ana everywhere.
Those days are past, but the South
still produces on small scale.
Gold is not so thickly concentrated
in the South as it is in the West, and
IL 10 mostly found in lodges Of solid
rock, which require machinery to han.
die It. There are few placer mines-
mines in which the gold is found loose
in stream beds mingled with gravel
and sand.
In suoh 8 mine the gold is sepa.
rated from the pay earth by washing
the whole until all tho mud has flow
ed away, leaving only the gold be.
hind. This 10 possible because gold
is very nearly the heaviest substance
in the world, and will sink to the bot.
tom and remain, while everything
else will be carried away by running
water.
There are many ways Of washing
gold dirt, the simplest being with the
"pan," which is almost exactly like
the pan the cook uses to make he1
bread in every morning. The pros,
peotor digs up shovelful of earth
and kneels down beside brook end
washes, letting the soft mud slop over
| ths edge Of his pan. It isn't at all
hard to save the gold and let the rest
go; he can hardly lose the gold, even
if he tries to do 80.
But it takes very rich dirt to make
pannipg pay, 80 the rookor was in.
vented, in which the dirt is shoveled
intoe 9ontrivance a good deal like az
ordinary baby's rocker. Water is
poured in continually, washing awaJ
the lighter portions and leaving the
pebbles and the gold. The pebbles
are then scooped out by hand. II
the same length of time the rookie,
will vaah away many times more dirt
chan the pan. -.
Next comes the "sluce.'' It il
reslly little more than long trough
or series Of sroughs, through which &
stream of water Is constantly flowing
and into which the gold earth is shov
eled and allowed to separate itself.
MMen stand at various points along the
trough to stir ,sp the mud, when j,
settles, and Keep il going. The gold
sooner or later drops to the bottom
and is carried along very slowly,
while the mud moves faster. end after
9 while aows ont Of the sluice. ..
The gold sluics differs from trough
10 having . series Of little oleats. call,
ed rifaes, nailed across It's bottom
every few feet. Behind these che
gold lodges, While the lighter mud il
carried over. When tho days, or the
!iweek's. work is finished the water II
cut off and the rifles are ''cleaned
up. I" The gold is acooped out and ie
'spanned," to free it from the small
amount Of earth that remains. - :.
As rule, too, the sluoe has little
pool Of mercury resting behind each
rifle Mercury, or quioksilver-the
very same stuff we have in thermom'
eters--is about as heavy Sc geld geld, anu
lies behind the rifles even more solid.
~: than gold does. Besides, it has g
most wonderful affinity for gold. II
aeizes every tiny fake Of the latte,
that. comes nesr>it and. absorbs it into
itself. II the gold is not so very fine
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