The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1907-10-22
POSSIBILITIES OF
HYDRAULIC MINING

1t is well-establshed geological
fact that in recent times, probably
poStglacial, there was change in the
drainage channels in British Column
bia, and as result the former river
channels are not the present water
ways. Most of the gold in the rich
placer diggings came from these old
river channels through concentration
by the present streams and as they
are low grade they can be best mined
by hydraulicking. In the Yukon ter
ritory, north of British Columbia,
near the city of Dawson, the famous
White Channel deposit is estimated
to contain between $50, 1000 and
800, 100000 in gold, but it will cost
several millions of dollars to convey
water to it for washing purposes;
this is being done by strong Ameri-
can mining companies.
The gold nuggets in the rich shall
low creek deposits vary in appearance
in the different creeks of single re-
gion, and it is possible for one with
experience to tell with certainty
from what creeks they were taken.
The nuggets from the upper portions
of the streams are generally angular
and large but they become smaller
and smoother as they descend the
stream owing to the increased wear
ing they receive. The gold found in
gravel that is worked by hydraulic
means is generally so fine that mer-
curry is required to collect it. Gravel
carrying to Z cents per cubic yard
cannot be probably worked ut the
present time in British Columbia I'M
less provided with railroad facilities
Gravel containing 10 cents per cubic
yard can be worked at small profit ;
the average value of hydraulic gravel
in the Cariboo region is about 20
cents per cubic yard. AT a large mine
in this region the cost of recover
ing the gold was about s cents per
cubic yard which is about twice the
cost in California, The difference be-
ing due to the greater cost Of sup
plies and everything else connected
with the work in q region remote
from the railroad. Gravel as low as
8 cents per cubic yard has been
probably worked in California and
the same can doubtless be done in
British Columbia with railroad facil-
tiles which will be furnished in the
near future. Many of the enormous
banks of auriferous gravel in the
Cariboo region are situated favorably
for hydraulicking. Where the gravel
| is fine it is liable to contain thin
| flaky gold which is hard to recover
In the ordinary hydraulic gravel
which runs from 10 to Is cents pei
cubic yard, person could pan all
day and not get color. so it is nee
essary to use "rocker" and thus
wash or 5 cubic yards to see colors
of gold.
Some bars situated on the Fraser
river have been worked constantly
during the last 40 years in exactly
the same place; men are able to make
wages of several dollars per day
washing these bars from year tC
year, showing that the gold comes
| down the river annually in the spring
| floods. All of the rivers in the
Fraser watershed have flood season
in the spring and an average rise OF
| so to go feet above the lower sum-
mer stage is not an uncommon ex.
perience for the Fraser river itself.
A miner can pan carefully only
about one cubic yard of gravel day
of ten hours and therefore gravel be-
low SO or "a yard could not be
! profitably worked in this way. Oc-
casionally miner strikes an unusu
ally rich gravel; one miner has beer
known to obtain about 5000 from a
single pan of gravel in the CariboC
region, the gravel being situated or
bed rock, and the succeeding pans av.
eraged from $500 to $500. This, Of
course, is exceptional, but it is oc-
casional pans of this value that keeI
up the excitement of the prospector
Mines and Minerals.