Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1939-10-28
BY FRANK CASEY,
Montana School Of Mines

taken place in the state Of Mon
tana. A few dredges were IN OPP
Grafton when the price of gold was
advanced. This higher gold price
provided impetus for the expan-
sion Of dredging in other fields
where hand methods could no
longer be used profitably. Fields
which had tested too low or margi-
nal before the higher price OF gold
was put into effect became pro-
ducing areas for dredging. In this
new era OF placer mining with
heavy machinery there has devel-
oped more or less two divisions.
These two divisions and their sep
aration has been the source, in the
last few years, of much controversy
among the authorities. The divi-
sions do not seem to be clearly de-
fined nor are the several arguments
with regard to the division ana
naming of them settled These d.
visions. as they are generally now
accented. are named Dredges and
Small Dredges or "Doodlebugs.
Controversy over the naming of this
placer machinery is from the orig
inal definition of a dredge and the
smaller washing plants.
The name "Doodlebug" seems to
have originated in the state OF
california in later years. 1t has
been applied without restriction 10
ali plants using dragline excava-
tor or power shovel for the feed
ing of the material to the washlhg
nlant Doodlebugs Or small dredg-
es have been divided into two types
floating and dry-land. Many
authorities and operators have ask
ed that the name doodlebug IN con-
nection with smaller dredges De
dropped entirely because or the
name in the past has been applied
ore finding devices, which until
the last few years spelled fraud
on the part Of the operators.
The United States Bureau OF
Mines GMineral Yearbook 1880
divides placer mining into eight
classifications:
Surface placers:
Gravel mechanically handled.
Floating dredge with connected
buckets.
Dragline dredge.
Dry-land dredge.
Suction dredge.
Gravel automatically handed:
Hydraulic (giants and monitors.)
Small-scale hand methods:
Wet (pick and shovel with
sluice box. long tom, dip box, pan,
ground sluice, etc.
Dry (pick and shovel with dry
washers, etc.)
nlappTgs
Drift.
In this division there is no ap-
plication of the term "doodlebug"
TO dredging. This point is strongly
used as a basis for dropping the
term in connection with smaller
dredges or washers.
The name doodlebug. however |
in spite of all arguments, has con-
tinued to be and is now used from
Mexico to Alaska. Reasons for |
keeping the name is argued by !
those in dredging from many dill
ferent points of view. This type
Of machine cannot be justly called !
a dredge because 1t does not dredge |
nor excavate 1t must at all times !
be accompanied by a dredging or |
power shovel to furnish material. |
1t has further been argued that |
technically there is no such device |
as a dragline dredge, since the
word dredge primarily applies to a !
floating mechanism, and draglines |
are not operated from a floating
hull but from dry land. 1t is
questionable whether or not
dragline on a dredge would be a
success. There must be discrimi-
nation between smaller plants and
real dredges The source of the
name doodlebug as applied to these
machines is unknown, but seems to
have been applied to the smaller
machines and accepted by their OPP
orators.
The evolution of the doodlebug
dredge has been, in the last few
months. the subject of much dis
cussion. The first doodlebug or
dragline outfit is said to have been
built by C. w burlington and ].
P. Hutchins at Nickoloievsk, 81
IBERIA, for the Orsk Gold Mining
Company in 1907. The first ma
chine was steam driven and fed by
y cubic yard Lakewood steam
dragline This plant was operated
for two seasons, and then changed
to standard type of dredge.
The second plant, which devel-
oped from the original plant but
which was greatly modernized,
was built by the New York Engi-
neering Company for Winston
Brothers Construction Company
near Helena, Montana This newer
machine was driven by electric
power. 1t was first floated on
wooden bulls AID later changed to
steel hulls This plant was put
into operation in September, 1888,
and has been in continuous service.
except for shutdowns during ex-
treme weather and when changing /
sites in the Prickly Pear Canyon.
The doodlebugs or small washers
have continued to develop in Mon
tana during the entire period
With the development of this
type of placer operation in Mon
tana the evolution of the doodle
- /