MINING. 315 



well as gold. In panning-out, it frequently happens that con- 

 siderable 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 washing, while it is easily separated 

 in that way from gravel, stones, and common dirt. The black 

 sand is dried, and a small quantity of it 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, leav- 

 ing the particles of gold. He 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 little of it remaining is easily re- 

 moved by a magnet. The blower should be very smooth, and 

 made of either tin, brass, or copper. 



236. Dry Washing. Dry washing is a method of win- 

 nowing gold from dirt. In many parts of the mining districts 

 of California, water cannot be obtained during the summer for 

 mining purposes. The miner therefore manages to wash his 

 dirt without water. He takes only rich dirt, and putting it on 

 a rawhide, he pulverizes all the lumps and picks out the large 

 stones. He then with a large flat basin throws the dirt up 

 into the air, catches it as it comes down, throws it up again, 

 and repeats this operation until nothing but the gold remains. 



237. Pud<Ming-Box. The puddling-box is a rough wooden 

 box, about a foot deep and six feet square, and is used for 

 dissolving very tough clay. The clay is thrown into the box, 

 with water, and a miner stirs the stuff with a hoe until the 

 clay is all thoroughly dissolved, when he takes a plug from an 

 auger-hole about four inches from the bottom, and lets the 

 thin solution of the clay run off, while the heavier material, 

 including the gold, remains at the bottom. He then puts in 

 the plug again, fills up the box with water, throws in more 

 clay, and repeats the process again and again until night, 



