CHAPTER X

MISCELLANEOUS METHODS OF MINING

Drift mining. T his is the method employed for working alluvial deposits by
underground methods, and is genemlly confined to the exploitation of high-
grade, buried placer gravels of moderate thickness. The mode of entry is the
same as for Other underground workings, but it should always be a matter of
ü)nsideration so to chcnse the method of opening that drainage and hoisting
Will be reduced to a minimum, or altogether eliminated.
Mining methods vary but consist of a form of longwall or room and pillar
mining, the ground being broken by picks, although in some ases blasting is
required, transport of ground being by barrow or truck; the ground may
require support, and in some cases spiling is necessary.
Where the mode of entry is a tuanel or adit, the gravel is usually tram.med
out and dumped into a bin, whence it is fed into the sluice boxes, but
the mode
of entry is by a shaft, the gravel is hoisted up to the surface and tipped into
bins, which are suficiently high to allow of headroom for the sluice boxes and
tailings disposal.
The following description of drift mining practice at the Lucky John
mine, California, is condensed from a paper by Glenvüle A.
to which reference
should be made for fuller details: The pay lead of auriferous gravels rests on a
Slate bedrock, and is in turn overlain by a capping of lava,
ft thick, the gold,
which is fairly
being mostly found near bedrock. An adit, 27(n ft long,
was driven into the side of the hill under an ancient river bed which
contained the auriferous gravel, and later, an upper adit,
ft long, was driven into the
h.ül, which intersected a branch pay streak; an incline was commenced with
the idea of following this branch pay streak downs but had to be abandoned,
so subsequently a raise was ü)mmenced from the bottom adit, for a height of
100 ft, at which pint a drift was started along the bedrock to connect with the
incline sunk from the upper adit (Fig. 145). Water was dammed off in the upper
work-ings and a 4 in. pipe-line was installed down the incline, being fitted with
valves at numerous pints to provide water for a V-shaped flume, which was
also in-sta.lled down the incline, resting on bedrock.
Mining of the gravel was on the room and pillar system, the room being 10
ft Wide and the pillars 20 ft wide; the gravel requires blasting vith powder and
* Washing gravel underground at Lucky John by GLENVILLE A. COLLINS (Evng.
Min. y. October 1936).
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