388 ^ MINES OF SCHEMNITZ. 
CHAP. They are seated at different tables, where they 
- work in the followinof manner. 
o 
Descr - ^ series of washing-troughs are ranged one 
tionof.a below another, from the roof to the floor of the 
Wash-house 
ox Lava- buildmg; having /rorz sieves at the bottom, in- 
tory for ^ _ _ 
the ores, creasing in the width and coarseness of their 
texture from the lower to the higher sieve; the 
highest sieve being wide enough to let stones of 
a certain size pass through ; while through the 
lower sieves nothing passes but gravel, and ulti- 
mately wothmghwisand. Aiuheelbarrow , filled with 
the waste of the mines, is emptied into the upper 
trough, and there washed. All the stones that do 
not pass through the first sieve are then taken to 
the first table to be examined, and the ores picked 
out; those that are caught by the second sieve, 
to i\iQ second table; and so on with the rest. In 
this manner an immense quantity of discarded 
ores, that were cast away when mines were less 
economically worked, are recovered and prepared 
for smelting. But the sand which ultimately 
escapes through the lower sieve is directed with 
the streams of water through channels, until 
it is made to fall over inclined planes covered 
with woollen cloths; and thus a very considerable 
quantity of ivash-gold is arrested in its progress 
by the cloths, in the same manner that the 
