Tonopah daily bonanza. [volume] (Tonopah, Nev.) 1906-1929, 1913-08-06
DRY PLACER OPERATIONS At MANHATTAN
DESCRIBED BY THE MINING WORLD

! sufficient mesh to allow rock iia /
inches Ia slztN 10 pass through; the
oversize workkOe out at the lower
end into a chute and from there 70
the waste pile 4 steady stream Of
water is playing on and IN the from.
mel washing away the loose clay
and dirt which holds the gold ri
rectly below the trommel is the
shaker a box similar 70 sluice;
but With deep RIFLES erosswise every
TWO inches OF It's IL feet length by
means Of a system 81 pivots this box
is rapidly shaken, with "a play of
about three inches endwise and one
inch mp and down. Al the lip Of the
shaker three small quicksilver plates
are set The gravel falling from
the shaper passes over these plates
and any fine, light gold which Will
not settle readily between the RIFLES
becomes amalgamated with the-quick.
silver on the plates, and then is
soon caught by the lower RIFLES.
Below the plates line of sluice
boxes, all containing RIFLES some
cross and some lengthwise with
the boxes, extends about $50 feet
The very small percentage of gold
, which escapes the shaker box Ii
caught in the travel down these
boxes, 1t is estimated that over 81
per cent of the gold is caught by
the shaker. The power for the ele
r vator, trommel. screen and shaker
is obtained from one Is horse power
Westinghouse motor with countei
. shafts for running the shaker ant
, trommel.
: The water supply for sluicini
e comes from an upper shaft from
j which $1,000 gallons are pumpe'
4 each day, and delivered by grayit
+ to the head of the sluice boxes, an
. also from lower well which fun
nishes about the same amoun
pumped directly by centrifugal pun
into the tailiIgs pond and froI
there repumped up to the head
the sluice boxe 5.
The total cos Of running the ell
yator and pumps for the sluicing
30 cents per yard of gravel handles
The capacity Oh the plant Is ove
l5O yards per day, although az pre-
ent an average of about As yart
is handled. When the plant is ru
ming to it's full capacity this es
mate Of cost is necessarily consi
erably reduced.
The stretch Of the main guleh nc
being mined contains in its wild
: three pay channels all dry from
to rs feet between rims Of ca
channel Besides these, there
deep wet channel on the northe
boundary of the guich which al
90 contains good pay dirt, but viii
90 den. The dry channels, while dri
NJ costs much more per yard TO wol
80 due to the necessity for eXtensl
"a timbering to hold up the oVefp
gi. ing alone is in progress, need
,or timbering. When the present dri
- have been extended to tire upl
10 boundaries of the ground to be wo
q ed stopping back toward the sh
"a will be prosecuted The pay gra
~ from the rim, and the ground y
while being mined by stulls
head boards. AS fast as the ch
nels are stopped the timbers are
moved and used over again
The present force Of miners
work opening up the channels II
working three shifts, The min
do their own tramming from me I
Of the drifts to the feed DIN,
"a A special feature q the plant
II the absence of dagger in the hi
IN ling OF the gravel by elevator.
elevator is enclosed for its en-
length, and working automatic
-HE as it does, there are no cables
break, buckets TO be caught or u
in the shaft, nor rock to be knos
off. Mining World