208 Remarks on the Gold Mines of North Carolina, 



low that business during the temperate part of the year ; the 

 other consists mostly of the less wealthy farmers of the neigh- 

 boring country around ; who seize on spare times from their 

 regular pursuits to work at the mines : for instance, a week or 

 two after their crops are put in, and before they require much 

 attention ; and after their harvest is got in and their corn laid 

 by. The latter class is by far the most numerous. 



No permanent fixtures are made at the mines, for the ac- 

 commodation of the workers. Each man goes to the mine 

 armed, with a few necessary tools, such as a mattock, a shov- 

 el, a bucket or water dipper and a rocker ; also a stock of 

 provisions sufficient to last during the time he allots to stay. 

 They all encamp out of doors, each little company of three 

 or four by themselves, sometimes under temporary coverings, 

 made by a few boards, or formed by stretching a few blankets 

 over poles set up for that purpose, but more often without 

 any other protection from the dews of the night, than shel- 

 ters made by the boughs of trees. 



It is very common for two persons, and sometimes as many 

 as five or six, to agree to work together and divide the pro- 

 ceeds equally. Where this is the case, they of course, mark 

 off a larger lot of ground, for their operation, than when on- 

 ly one works by himself. Each man, or set of men having 

 selected, and marked off their lot of ground, they commence 

 digging down a few inches or even feet, until they reach the 

 layer in which the precious metal is deposited, — throwing 

 aside all the top earth. They then carefully take up the grit, 

 as they call it, and remove it in buckets, hand-barrows or 

 wheel-barrows, to the waterside where the rocker is placed. 



A rocker is a simple machine, made of inch, or three 

 quarter inch plank, in the shape of a cylinder equally divi- 

 ded lengthwise. 



A common barrel thus bisected would, in form, make two 

 of these rockers, though, they would be rather smaller than is 

 common. 



The rocker is placed on two poles, laid on the ground par- 

 allel with each other, and crosswise to the rocker, one near 

 each end, so as to make it rock easily and regularly. The 

 whole is near the water, so that the person using the rocker 

 can reach the water with his dipper without moving more 

 than a step or two. Thus arranged, the auriferous earth ia 

 thrown into the rocker, the same being nearly filled with water. 

 The earth and water are then stirred up together with a com- 



