How was Gold Mined

CRADLING: IF The instrument is about 2 metres long, with its head covered with a sieve, To work this machine requires four men – one to dig, another to wheel, a third to rock, & a fourth to keep dashing the water on the earth to effect the sifting process. The sieve prevents the coarse stones from falling into the cradle, whilst the water gradually softens & washes away the earth, leaving the particles of gold mixed with sand behind.

TIN WASHING: Is very simply performed. The pan is about 30cm or more across the top, & 6-8cm deep with sloping sides. It is held by both hands in a slanting direction, & immersed in the water several time, in order that the looser & lighter particles of sand may be carried off by it. The pan is agitated from side, to side to cause the gold to separate, & sink to the bottom.

NUGGETING: In new ground holes are sunk of every  shape & of every size, with a distance of six or ten feet betwixt each hole. They sink till they come upon what is called the bottom, & if they see the bottom is good they commence immediately to tunnel as fast as they can… Having bottomed our hole (the bottom is generally pipe-clay ), we pick up a good deal of gold – suppose four ounces - … Picking the gold up thus we call ‘ nuggeting. ‘ …Having now come to the bottom, we begin to drive a tunnel about four or five in height & width, throwing all the dirt we dig out at the mouth of the hole as useless, with the exception of a few inches of stuff taken off the bottom, which we wash. We tunnel on in this way till we can go no farther, owing to meeting with other men’s tunnels. The ground having been then all wrought, we wash all our stuff & find another hole.’

(home) (facts about gold) (Life on the goldfields) (Where was gold Found)