Yerington times. [volume] (Yerington, Nev.) 1907-1932, 1920-07-14
BIG PLACER DEPOSQ
TO Be WORKED
&

1t was away back in 1859-bcforc
that event OF world importance. the
discovery of the Comstock's treas
ure vaults-that placer gold was first
found in what is now known as Gold
Canyon, between Virginia City and
Dayton The story that tradition
tells is that a Mormon boy made the
discovery while washing milk bottles
in the stream that tricklcs through
the canyon from spring. Just how
the dust happened to be on the sur
face the old story fails to relate. How
ever that may be, these gravel de-
posts have been worked from that
day to this by methods more or less
ancient and crude, and if what one
hears from folks that have lived there
abouts in years gone by can be re-
lied upon, whole lot of gold has
been taken from these diggins at one
time and another.
New modern methods and giant ma
chimes are called into service and all
that ground is to be excavated to bed
rock,4 ieet below the surface The
big dredge of the Gold Canyon Co,
has finally been floated, afer many
months of continuous preparation.
Much delay was experienced in Sc
curing delivery of material at thesFail-
way station: but record time sxNas
made in hauling to the ground am ass
sembling \The dredge corn0lrte
weighs 900 tons. is l0S feet in length,
with 52-foot beam and is eightlfeet
deep. There are three floors above
the main deck 1t is constructed en-
tirely of steel, the body plates beng
5-l6 OF all inch thick. Fl. G. Hutton
is resident manager of the company.
all experienced dredge man i'll charge
OF operations. Osker Wicks is fore
man of construction. under whose
supervision the machine was so ably
assembled.
This is said to be the most mod
ern and improved type o. dredge yet
devised. 1t is a development from a
machine experimental with i'll New
Zealand IS years ago, perfected d
year or so ago 1t is designed to re-
main rigidly against the gravel .h,d
while the big buckets are i'll opera
ton. This is accomplished by means
of "spuds". one at the stern and anoth.
er at the bow. sunk in the ground.
They are also utilized i'll moving the
boat from one location to another,
resembling somewhat the move
lS men are required to operate the
dredge.
While in one position the drcdgc
handles gravel from a cross section
Us feet in length and live feet vide
1t digs down to depth of &C feet.
and has 24-hour capacity OF 5000
cubic yards, the equivalent of 7.50C
tons. The motive power is derived
from a 50O-horscpower electric mo-
tor, the current being supplied by the
Truckee General Electric Co. The
Virginia and Cold Hill Water supply
the water.
Bulkley Wells is president Of the
company, one of his vast enterprises
centered around theComstock. With
out attracting any attention, last year
his representatives acquired large
acreage oil placer ground in Gold Can
yon. between Gold Hill and Dayton,
two or three miles from the former
place, at repoted cost of $350,OOO.
The work OF prospecting 200 acres is
about completed. The average depth
to bedrock is feet No public state
ment as to what the gravel runs
has been made but the thorough tests
OF experienced engineers assures
profitable enterprise. 1t is estimated
that five years of continuous opera
ton, "a hours day will be required
to work out this 200 acres, which is
not half of the gold bearing ground
owned by the Gold Canyon Dredging
Company.