MINING.V Of r ~ '^ S 319 



nor can it be obtained conveniently. The richest dirt is that 

 the farthest down on the beach, so still weather and low tide 

 are the best times for getting it. When a rich place is dis- 

 covered low down on the beach, great exertions are made to 

 get as much of the sand as possible before the tide rises. 

 When high tide and storm come together, little can be done. 

 The sand, having been separated from all clay and soluble 

 matter by the action of the sea, is very easily washed, and all 

 collected in a month can be washed in two days in a sluice. 



242. Placer Prospecting. " Prospecting," or the search 

 for gold deposits, does not require much experience or scien- 

 tific knowledge. The following are some general rules for the 

 prospector : 



1. Gold probably exists in every district where granite, 

 slate, and quartz veins are found together or in near proximity 

 to one another. 



2. If there is any gold in a district, it is to be found in the 

 beds of the larger ravines. 



3. Profitable diggings are to be found only in the moun- 

 tains, or in the plain immediately below them. 



4. The gold, if any, is to be found by digging to the bed- 

 rock in the beds of gullies or streams, at the mouths of can- 

 ons, or in bars at the lower ends of rapids, at low stages of 

 water. If there be any gold in the basin of a river, some 

 particles of the metal will be found in it& bars above the level 

 of low water. 



5. Gold is most abundant in places where the bed is nearly 

 level, just below long and steep pitches; and more metal 

 collects where the bed-rock is rough than where it is smooth. 



6. la a country rich in gold, a pan of dirt taken from the 

 bed-rock of a large ravine will usually show some specks of 

 the metal. 



7. The smaller and smoother the particles, the farther they 

 have come. 



The pan is used for washing the dirt to be prospected. 



