/An Article]
PLACER GOLD
I I.
” The Cradle 1
/ By Geonre T» Masury '
Last week we took up "panning"; this week we will take the gold
miner* s cradle, an apparatus so called because of its resenblence to the old
fashioned cradle of our nursery days*
It is usually about four feet long and two feet wile, the back end
from 1-g- to two feet in height. Ihe side boards slope fron the back end to a
bout two inches at the front or mouth. Fitting into the top of the cradle is a
removable box (A) two feet square by about six inches deep, the bottom of which
is made of sheet iron perforated closely with holes l/2 inch in diameter* Below
this resting on cleats nailed to the inside of the- sideboards is a blanket stret
ched on a frame which slopes fron the top of the cradle to the bottom of the back
board, forming a chute to the bottom flooring (b)
On the botton of the cradle two pieces
of wood about one inch in height are nail
ed to the floor (Cf), firora side to side,
one about the center, the other near the
mouth. These are called "riffie blocks’1.
The whole apparatus i3 then placed on
rockers (3) similar to chair rockets, so
that it will rock from side to side. The
upper rocker being slightly higher than
th3 lower or mouth end (14).
^19 cradle 13 usually operated by two nen* 'The dirt having been
thro’vn into the box (A), one nan rocks while the other pours water onto the
dirt- '^e rocking notion causes the water to thoroughly wet and disintegrate
the dirt, which drops through the holesinto the botton of the box, falling
onto the blanket (b), then do”m this chute to the botton, thence along the
floor, the water carrying it over the riffle blocks (0) and out onto the ground
at the nouth (i3). Ihe dirt, water and sediment which flows onto the ground
is called "pailingsM. The large peices of gravel and stones are hand picked
from the box during the rocking. After the box has become filled with gravel
and all washed clean, the box is removed and its contents carefully examined
for nuggets- Two or three tines a day the entire cradle is cleaned for fine
particles of gold, the blanket being washed in a bucket of water to dislodge
the gold dust which has clung to the blanket fibres, Ihe gold and sand which
have been stopped by the riffle blocks are scraped out with a spoon and dump
ed into the bucket in which the blanket was washed- The entire remnants now
in the bucket are panned by hand and the resultant gold amalgamated with mer
cury.
Mercury is one of the greatest aids known to the miner for recov
ering fine gold, as the gold is attracted to it as iron is to a magnet and
these two are easily separated again, the usual means being to strain the am
algam through the pores of bucksking and then retorting the remaining mercury, \[
leaving the nure gold behind.
There is littleto be said in favor of the cradle as it is slow and
tedious work, much of the fine gold being lost, and it is seldom resorted to
except where water is scarce.
It is cheap and portable however and required but little water.
/here witer is abundant, "sluicing * i3 used. 'This subject ’Till be covered in
the next article, _
"PERO" JOROA’J, late sergeant of Company K, is :iovr *vith the Union
construction Company of "Frisco1' making 750 an hour '/ith a painting crev/. He
likewise sends regards to his old friends.