Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-22


mates in the mines, and that 100000
wage earners constantly are engaged In
mining operations. The miner declares
that. after all, his work is the foundation
stone of American progress; that without
the products of the mine the factories
of the nation would stand still for lack
of fuel: that the railways never could
have been built or operated because of
the lack of coal and steel; that the agri-
cultural machinery of the country would
have been impossible. because there would
be no metal from which to manufacture
them. He therefore places himself at
the head of the list of American work.
men.
Many of the most important operations
in the mining of gold are of American
origin. One of these is the hydraulic
process. which originated in California In
1852. By this process creeks. and even
rivers. are diverted into huge reservoirs.
where their waters are impOunded. When
sufficient head is obtained the water is
conducted through large pipes to point
where the mining operations are carried
on and Is there concentrated on the soil
soil are thus washed out, and the gold
bearing rock separated from it.,
The tremendous force Of the stream Of
water played upon the spot where the
operations are
Stream of Water being carried
Frees Two-Ton Mass. cd hv the fsct
that an eight-inch nozzle has been known
to release pressure Of water sufficient to
move two-ton boulder at a distance of
Rx,o- HIM rod
pound rock as easily as a man might
cast a twenty-pound weight. 1t is said
no man ever lived who could strike a
miners crow-bar through such a stream.
and that a human being struck by it
would instantly be killed and pounded
into shapeless mass. Hydraulic mining
sections in the valleys below. and many
states have prohibited it by law
Another gold mining operation that is
the result of the ingenuity of the Ameri-
A dredge resembling the Old French
| ladder dredges used in the work or the
Panama canal Is fitted with centrifugal
pump. It costs about $50 600 and its equip
ment $500. The expense of operating
| one Of these dredges is about $4,000
year. during which time it will dredge ten
acres of water-cOvered ground to depth
Of thirty feet The huge stamping mill.
which is used to break up go1d-bearing
| rock, is also largely an American inven-
ton. Some of these mills are so strong
that they are able to strike blow of
thirty tons.
One Of the most valuable inventions for
the recovery of gold is known as the cyanide
process. the
First Patent Granted first patent
for Cyanide Process. granted ted to +
w. Simpson of New Jersey. BY this
process gold may be secured from sources
that could not be worked prof1tably in
any other way. The rock first is mashed
into a pulp by huge stamping machines,
and this pulp is mixed with cyanide Of
potash, chemical for which gold has a
strange affinity. The mixture is then
poured into sheet iron boxes containing
zinc shavings. This causes the gold to
break away from it's first affinity and
make friends with the zinc. 1t is then
treated to a washing, which RECEIVERS a
eoodly portion Of the gold, and then small
quantities of sulphuric acid are added to
| 1t and this produces zinc sulphate. This
| IS washed out with boiling water and the
gold residue is then placed in furnace
| with soda, borax and sand When heated.
1
gold to settle to the bottom and the i'm
purities to be eliminated.
It is said by mining men that new
methods of gathering gold must be found
| or the value of this metal will be SO in
creased as to require the change Of all
standards of value of the world. Nearly
all Of the profitable gold fields are being
worked thoroughly, and unless the pre-
cious metal can be taken from sources
not now susceptible to profitable opera
ton II will cost more in the future to
produce q pound Of gold than ever be-
fore. It has been proftably mined from
materials which yielded only three cents
worth to the cubic yard OF DIRT. 1t Is
said there is one grain of gold in every
ton of sea water. and inventors are d.
recting their energies toward its profitable
extraction.
The demands upon the coal mines in
the United States are so heavy that every
sort Of mechan-