a stout post is planted, to stand a few inches above the wall, and the surrounding space is filled up with clay rammed tight.  A strong iron pin is inserted in the centre of the post, on which is fitted a revolving beam, which hangs across the whole circumference of the machine and protrudes a couple of feet or so on each side.  To this beam are attached, with short chains, a couple of drags made like V-shaped harrows by driving a piece of red iron through a heavy frame, shaped as a rectangular triangle.

To one end of the beam an old horse is attached, who, as he slowly walks round the circular track, causes the harrows and drags to so puddle the washdirt and water in the great wooden enclosure that the clay is gradually disintegrated, and flows off with the water which is from time to time admitted.  The clean gravel is then run through a “cradle,” “long Tom,” or “sluice,” and the gold saved.  This, of course, is the simplest form of gold mining.  In the great alluvial mines other and more intricate appliances are used but the principle of extraction is the same.

A MAKESHIFT PUMP

To make a temporary small “draw-lift” pump, which will work down to a hundred feet or more if required, take a large size common suction Douglas pump, and, after removing the top and handle, fix the pump as close to the highest level of the water in the shaft as can be arranged.  Now make a square water-tight wooden column of slightly greater capacity than the suction pipe, fix this to the top of the pump, and by means of wooden rods, work the whole from the surface, using either a longer levered handle or, with a little ingenuity, horse-power.  If you can get it the iron downpipe used to carry the water from the guttering of houses is more easily adapted for the pipe column; then, also, iron pump rods can be used but I have raised water between 60 and 70 feet with a large size Douglas pump provided only with a wooden column and rods.

SQUEEZING AMALGAM

For squeezing amalgam, strong calico, not too coarse, previously soaked in clean water, is quite as good as ordinary chamois leather.  Some gold is fine enough to escape through either.

MERCURY EXTRACTOR

The mercury extractor or amalgam separator is a machine which is very simple in construction, and is stated to be most efficient in extracting quicksilver from amalgam, as it requires but from two to three minutes to extract the bulk of the mercury from one hundred pounds of amalgam, leaving the amalgam drier than when strained in the ordinary way by squeezing through chamois leather or calico.  The principle is that of the De Laval cream separator—­i.e., rapid centrifugal motion.  The appliance is easily put together, and as easily taken apart.  The cylinder is made of steel, and is run at a very high rate of speed.