Year: 1868

: IN lt 10 the bottom and there remains III


til there is clean up. Sometimes sma


boxes are placed at the end Of the ditc
or fume, into which the water and cart


empty, and while the earth washes ou
by the continuous current, the gold loo
Ses safely In the bottom. In some iu
stances quantity of quicksilver i
poured into the boxes to amalgamate tn


gold. The finest particle of gold, un


less covered with iron, will amalgamat


with the mercury at once, and connot b.


separated from it until the mercury il


strained out through bnckskin. Copper


plates, amalgamated with quicksilver, ART


also sometimes used in gulch mining, bu


not generally. The bottom of the fume


is covered with copper, and the copper coat


ed completely with quicksilver. The earth


is then washed over it, and fine particles


of gold will amalgamate on the plate


When the general cleanup is made, us


ually once in one or two weeks, the var.


ious boxes, ripples, holes, &c, for catch


ing the gold, are cmptied and 'panned


out" by washing the earth and gravel a


way, and the pure gold will be found in


the bottom OF the pan.


The gulch miners work their claims
very imperfectly. 1t is deemed safe


calculation that they leave quite as much


in the earth as they extract, and more


systematic men, with heavy capital, fol


low them, buy up the abandoned claims
for miles together, and sometimes con-
centrate a whole gulch in one company
They often bring water for miles by
fumes, and cut bed rock fume the whole
length of their claims, through which
they flow strong stream of water Into
this they throw the whole earth of the
gulch, and often bring down the whole
hill-sides into the Gune by hydraulic pow
er. They save the gold, as the earth pas
ses through the fume, on the same prin-
ciples their predecessors did, only with
much more system and completeness
This secondary process of gulch mining
is just now in its zenith in Montana, aud
this year it will yield millions of gold.


But the most important and permanent
mining interest is the reduction Of gold
and silver quartz and the separation of
the precious metals from the rock. l
hare seen this process from the mines to
the retort, both in Colorado and Montana,
and it is study that must interest any
observer. The gold and silver mines DO
not differ essentially from the general
laws which govern mineral and coal leads
in the States, and they are worked in the
same manner When opened properly,
they are clearly defined as rule, have
fixed walls and regular pitches, and can
be followed by experienced men with
great certainty. In most Of the mines
pratical Cornishmeu direct the develop
mert of the leads. Shafts are sunk,
about six feet square, usually on the
leads, the sides we'll tmbered, and when
a certain depth is attaincd-from 40 to
so feet-a level is run both ways from
the shafts, and all the ore above the le-
vel is "stoped out" Instead Of working
down from the top. the miners work up
from the bottom. They rnn drift
from the bottom of the shaft out under
the ore as far as may be expedient, make
a floor of firm timbers, so as to protect
them when they make their next level
below, and then dig or blast the ore down
overhead. They select the ore from the
rock and earth as it falls down, wheel it
out to the shaft for hosting up, while the
refuse drops under their feet, and keeps
them up to their stope all the time
When they have worked up as far as there
is ore, they go down with their shaft 20
or 40 feet more, drift out again, timber
as before, aud then stope up to the floor
of the first level, and SO on indefinitely.
The miners work day and night in
"shifts," changing from day to night
work every one ort wo weeks. There is no
day in the mines-night is perpetual
They work by the light of sperm candles,
and for a candestick they use lump of
soft kneaded clay, in which they imbed
the lower end of the candle, and they
shift it at pleasure by sticking the clay
against rock. Wherever it is placed
it adheres, so that handling, chang
ing, aud using this light most advan-
involves no trouble. At first
the ore is ho;sted from shafts by com
mon windlass, but as greater depth is
attained horse power is attached to a
"whim" for the purpose, and often steam
engines are used. Foul air is always
encountered more or less as shafts de
scend. As long as the miners candle
will burn brightly he can feel sure that
the air is pure, but when it burns in
sickly manner or goes out, lie is admoDish
ed of the necessity of pure air The en-
gine is then employed to force current
of fresh air through pipes to the bottom
of the shaft, and the,foul air is thus driv-
en- out. Water is sometimes very trouble
some in shafts, and pumps have to be
worked by steam to keep it out of the
way Of the miners. The better method
of mining where the mines lie in hills is
by tunnels, horizontal shafts run into the
ground from the hill side until the lead
is struck. The earth is run out on lit
tie hand car and dumped down at the