The gold sluices in which the gold is caught are constructed on exactly the same principles as those already described, but are larger and, though usually made of wood, are of more massive construction, in accordance with the great quantities of gravel to be handled and the continuous nature of the work. The sluices are commonly … Read more
The method of working by Hydraulic Mining consists, as has been already stated, in breaking down banks of gravel by the impact of powerful jets of water, and passing the disintegrated material through a line of sluices, without the agency of hand labour. The chief requisites for the successful application of hydraulic mining are: Large quantities … Read more
The origin of the gold in deep placers has long been a vexed question. It was formerly accepted without question that the erosion of auriferous quartz lodes existing at higher altitudes furnished both gravel and gold. In support of this it was urged that the same districts which furnished auriferous gravels abounded in quartz veins … Read more
Both in Australia and California, besides the superficial placer deposits situated in or near the existing rivers, which in the deep canons of the Klamath and other rivers in the extreme north of California attain a thickness of 250 feet, there exist auriferous gravels which bear no apparent relation to the present drainage of the … Read more