They didn't have big equipment like so they would run a pipe up hill into a dammed up spot in the river and the pressure would wash away the banks of the hill and leave the heaver gold then they would sluice it and pan it they were able to move allot of earth that way and scared the land.
Hydraulic mining in the mid-1800s was primarily initiated during the California Gold Rush as a method to extract gold from riverbeds and hillsides. This technique involved using high-pressure water jets to dislodge soil and rock, allowing miners to access gold buried deeper than traditional methods could reach. The promise of substantial gold yields drove many to adopt this method, leading to its widespread use despite eventual environmental concerns and regulatory restrictions.
After the hydraulic giant was invented with a balance system to allow one operator to manage it, many large low and medium grade deposits of gold became feasible to mine. Heavy Equipment was extremely expensive to operate and to power, not to mention maintenance. If adequate water was in the vicinity preferably moved by gravity hydraulic mining could become profitable. If was cheaper if the water pressure was generated by gravity through a stream dammed and piped to the working face rather than by mechanical pumps due to cost. Other considerations were a area usually a river to dump the tailing's in a gouge or steep valley also works but most always lead to a river. Hydraulicking the ground was also used to remove overburden or barren ground so hydraulicking was employed to remove this layer and expose the gold bearing gravels below. Many hydraulic mining operations both large and small were forced to shut down by changes in mining laws and WWII as there was a ban on mining except for select metals and minerals shut all of the operations down the majority of which never restarted. The areas where work stopped are good areas to employ metal detectors today as the hydraulic nozzles had tremendous amounts of force but only at the nozzle contact are and directly below. The hydraulicked floor of the pit or "cut" would wash a fair amount of the fine gold down but unless thoroughly cleaned of all pay would permit larger coarser gold to settle near the surface hidden.
bob lucus
They used rope for tieng things together.
asphalt was discovered during the gold rush when the oil started comming uo they needed new ways to use oil and ...............VIOLA! asphalt
In the Gold Rush. hydraulic mining was a law to protect the enviorment! Hydraulic mining can ruin the enviorment!
AID \
sluice box, long tom, pan, rocker, panning, digging, mining, hydraulic mining
at the gold rush
Large mining companies
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california gold rush
Large mining companies
Large mining companies
Large mining companies
Searching for and mining for gold.
large mining companies.