Show RENEWED INTEREST IN PLACER MINING during the past few years more than usual interest is being taken in gold placer mining in several of the western states this phase of the industry certainly is a most attractive one when conditions are favorable and yet it has been sadly neglected during the last twenty or thirty reals in the early days placer mining was the mainstay of the industry it was successfully followed in california before lode mining was ever thought of it was the forerunner of heavy quartz mining in montana and idaho and the yield of nuggets and gold dust in these states was tremendous colorado was an almost unknown quantity before placer mining made it famous placer mining was followed in arizona and nevada long before attention was war turned to the development of veins and ledges and new mexico and mexico have long been noted for their placer diggings oregon also was once re garbed as a great placer mining section and yet for many years but little has been done or said in the matter of placer mining possibly because of adverse legislation regarding tailings or a prevailing belief that all of the good placer ground has been found and worked out both of these reasons some few years ago were t tenable enable now however with improvements that have been made for the handling of auriferous gravel both dry and wet there is no reason why there should not be a revival in gold placer mining in the west there is hardly a state where bars and deposits of gold bearing gravel do not exist covering enormous areas in utah there are several localities where there are extensive gold diggings the districts of nevada are full of them and the indifference of the investor to take hold of small mines and prospects should tend to call attention to the quick and ready profits to be made by intelligent and systematic handling of gold bearing sands by some of the new methods recently introduced trod which can be economically operated in placer mining operations the equipment required is comparatively small often amounting to nothing more than sluice boxes and riffles fiffles rif fles for dry diggings a dry washer should not cost more than 2 00 or and but three or four men are generally employed in its operation ir in ordinary placer mining there are no c shafts to sink no tunnels to drive no expensive machinery to keep in repair and operate and no damage is incurred if operations erat ions are suspended for a few days when the time for a cleanup clean up comes no intricate process confronts the operator he merely turns the water from his sluice boxes and cleans off the riffles fiffles rif fles if a dry washer vasher is employed lie he pans his concentrates generally quicksilver is used in making the cleanup clean up and the amal amalgam gain is treated on the ground the resulting bullion can be sent to the mint or to the banks by mail or express and no erces sive freighting costs are incurred A cleanup clean up can be made at any time and the operator can know any day any week just what he is taking out and he has no extra charges to pay he just gets money value for what he has taken out in gold that is all the great wonder is that more attention is not paid to placer mining it has many attractive features and the initial outlay is light when compared to other phases of the mining industry |