The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1915-03-19
PLACER MINING
Ding After Fine Gold Along Similka-
meen River With Modern Meth
DDS of Mining

There have been numerous projects
tarted during the past dozen years
b carry on placer mining on large
nd scientific scale along the Similka
been river, both above and below the
Ills, within a short distance of Oro-
lille, but from some reason all these
fforts to extract gold in paying guam
tiles have come to naught. A large
mount of money has been spent put
ing in pumps, systems of fumes, and
ken steamboat dredges without profit
bile results. The first steamboat
redge was built at Oroville some fif-
Zen or more years ago, and the cabin
u that craft is to this day used as
abitation on the westside of the river.
That the gold is in the sands there
no question, for one can get colOrs
lmost anywhere along the stream
bithin the limits designated with
IAN. The glamor of tradition, which
rings down out of the dim hereto
b Rich Bar 20 years ago, has also been
h incentive to encourage the start
hg of placer mining upon plans that
Fould permit the handling Of large
uantity OF gravel and sand, both from
be bottom of the river and the shores.
Df course it is not alone the romance
the past, which depicts the gather
hg at Rich Bar of 5000 frcnzied for
pne hunters, and the extraction Of a
last quantity of virgin gold placed at
gures all the way from $500,000 to
100000, that has induced men at
bis late day to risk large investments
bying plans for working the old
round in a large way. As stated
Sbove gold has been taken out of the
IRnds by the slow and crude means of
)ans and rocker almost every year
ince the first discovery of the yellow
)tuff on the Similkameen. A good
bany prospectors have kept the wolf
rom the door by meanG OF the pan
manipulated on this stream. Those
|wo old prospectors, Geo. Paskell and
Roger Finen-both long since called
over the divide-owe many slabs OF
bacon and sacks of flour to the dust
(hat they washed out of the shores Of
3he Similkameen. During the past
Year men have worked rockers along
The river near Rich Bar, and from the
Iact that they stuck to the job is evil
4ence that the reward was sufficient
&c repay the labor. 1t is the combina-
Eon of tradition and present day facts
That has encouraged effort to work the
Sround with modern machinery by
(which dirt can be washed in large
Quantities at a miniumm of cost.
n The last effort along the lines OF
big mining was engineered into ex-
sistence by Frank Griffin, some two or
three years ago, when he induced a
Number of Seattle residents to en-
bark in the venture. Sufficient money
was raised to construct and equip a
steamboat dredge that was supplied
with system of sluces and pumps
$50 operated that it was thought would
Save most of the values in the sand and
sgravel handled. If any gold was taken
HOut during the first attempt to work
5the dredge there was not enough Of it
ITO create any sensation. The public
WAS not taken into the confidence Of
4the operators so nothing is known Of
$the result. 1t evidently did not pay.
4because the dredge was tied up to the
&river bank and was idle last year.
Fresh interest is aroused in this
fplacer mining project because the
Rdredge has been overhauled during the
\ winter, put in working order and this
week steam was started up and the
&pumps set in motion working the bot
tom of the river above the falls. The
boat is in charge of f. S. Osterholtz,
who is said to have had much exper-
ience at placer mining by modern
methods. The new manager proposes
to give his craft a thorough trial. and
if gold is present in sufficient guam
titles he believes he can make the
proposition pay. He has informed
himself pretty thoroughly by inspec-
tion of the placer possibilities of the
ground along the river, for he is try
i ing to make some arrangement to
work the shores almost within the
town limits.
The result of this undertaking will
be watched with great deal Of in
terest, and if the dredge solves the
problem of saving the gold other ex
tensive enterprises along the sam,
n lines are likely to be set on foot, fol
there is an enormous amount o
ground between Rich Bar and Orovill,
that could be worked over. Abov,
Rich Bar gold has never been foun,