The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1931-09-04

OF July, 1881. 1t may be of inter
est to some.
Good Wages in a New Gold RusF
By John Edwin Hogg
There's a new gold rush on
one in which the amateur can par
ticipate as we'll as the seasoned
prospector. The assurance of pan
ming out a fair days wages is
good, and there is the ever-pres
emit possibility of striking a mug
get worth from $50 to $4,000 in
value. Hundreds Of men, thrown
out of work by business depres-
sion, are today panning gold in
the thousands of places where it
is known to exist in small quanti-
ties. They are making fair wages
in a healthful, outdoor occupation
and they're assured a job as long
as they are willing to shake a gold
pan.
Pan gold or placer Is usually
found in the beds of streams in
most of the western states. The
big mining syndicates r not in
terested in this kind of gold un-
less it is found in what they con-
slider commercial quantities. A
location where a single miner
working with a gold pan would be
able to pan out good wages for
an indefinite period wouldn't be
of the slightest interest to the
big dregging outfits, who would
have to have millions of tons of
such gold-bearing sands to be sure
of paying for their costly machin-
cry, and paying dividends to their
stockholders i've a period of
years.
Fools Gold or Gold
The prospector who goes along
such streams examining sands will
usually have his attention attract
ed by what he thinks is gold by
seeing it sparkle. The yellow
sparkle may be gold, or it may be
mica, iron or copper pyrites, or
numerous other substances hav-
ing much the appearance of gold.
Having found what looks like gold
IN a stream, the prospector us
ually makes what is known as
'sthe toothpick test" With the
point of a toothpick he reaches
under the water and ~endeavors to
pick up one of the yellow flakes.
If it is mica or iron it will float
right away. If it is gold it will
come right up on the toothpick
or work down into the sand. Ano-
Their test by which the dust may
be Instantly distinguished from
iron is to use a magnet. Iron will
stick to the magnet. Gold will not.
The next test for the metal that
S thought to be gold is malleabi-
ity; bite it and if it is gold it is
like biting lead. 1t can al
nost be chewed like chewing gum !,
Without going to pieces. Mica, py- :
ties, or other substances are grit :
y when bitten. Under the micro !
cope the tiniest flake of gold will :
ook exactly like a nugget. The .
nal test, however, is reaction to :
cids and mercury. Gold is i'm v
nd sulphuric acids. Gold will not :
oat in mercury. Anything else L
i'll. :"
Method of Pam ng o.
Having located gold-bearing sand 81
lie isolation of it in the gold pan cr
a fairly simple process. The M
Mount of gold in the sand and w
e willingness of the gold panner nc
work determine hhe financial Of
turns. A quart or more of the al
is placed in the pan and COW
ed with water. The pan is then -
cked gently to and fro. The -,
rticles of gold are heavier than 49,
ything else in the pan, and will -
adually work down out of sight -
the sand. When all the yellow -
have disappeared the p
ter and sand on top are careful =,
brushed out of the pan with ~
2 hand. More water is added -.
d panning process is continued. 10,
hen all the sand is eliminated, =
ere will be a streak of colour in ;nc
bottom of the pan. When the -
st is dried it goes Ito the treas 10,
bottle, and is worth $20.67 per ho,
fit.
t may take half an hour or VIII
re to work the gold out of a so
gle pan of gold-bearing sand, fit.
if the panning yields only a Ger
Ill pinch of pay dust, the eff of
Is we'll worth while. With the
| worth s20.67 an ounce, it all
only one-eightieth Of an ions
ce to be 25 cents worth, and lish
.eightieth of an ounce would he
begin to fill the eraser peck the
If an ordinary lead pencil. The
y moving about a bit and find will
the higest grade of g~old-bear- find
sand the returns are good. A or a
ntana Favorite Mar.