MINING. 263 



assisted by the shaking of the pan and the rolling of the 

 gravel from side to side, and forms a mud which runs out while 

 clean water runs in. The light sand flows out with the thin 

 mud, while the lumps of tough clay and the large stones remain. 

 The stones collect on the top of the clay, and they are scraped 

 together with the fingers and thrown out. This process con- 

 tinues, the pan being gradually raised in the water, and its 

 outer edge depressed, until all the earthy matter has been dis- 

 solved, and that as well as the stones swept away by the 

 water, while the gold remains at the bottom. Panning is not 

 difficult, but it requires practice to learn the degree of shaking 

 which dissolves the dirt and throws out the stones most rapidly 

 without losing the gold. If the shaking be too mild and slow, 

 the process consumes too much time ; whereas if it be too 

 rapid and violent, the gold is carried off with the stones. 

 Sometimes the pan is shaken so that the dirt receives a rotary 

 motion. This is the most rapid method of washing dirt, but 

 also the most dangerous. The pan must always be used in 

 cleaning up the dirt which collects in the cradle, in prospect- 

 ing, and frequently in washing small quantities of dirt col- 

 lected in other kinds of placer mining. Amalgam can be sepa- 

 rated from dirt by washing, almost as well as gold. In panning 

 out, it frequently happens that considerable amounts of black 

 sand containing fine particles of gold are obtained, and this 

 sand is so heavy that it cannot be separated from the gold by 

 w^ashing, while it is easily separated by that process from 

 gravel, stones, and common dirt. The black sand is dried, 

 and a small quantity of it is placed in a " blower," a shallow tin 

 dish open at one end. The miner then holding the pan with 

 the open end from him, blows out the sand, leaving the par- 

 ticles of gold. lie must blow gently, just strong enough to 

 blow out the sand, and no stronger. From time to time he 

 must shake the blower so as to change the position of the 

 particles, and bring all the sand in the range of his breath. 

 The gold cannot be cleansed perfectly in this manner, but the 

 sand contains iron, and the Uttle of it remaining is easily re- 



