Last week
I started a little tunnel and pounded my hand so that it swelled up
considerably. Drilling is not hard, and loading is a snap, but it's all
interesting work and there is the excitement of seeing what you are
going to find next."
When the ore reaches the surface it is sent to the mill, where it is
first pulverized, then mixed with a chemical which goes about catching
up the grains of gold--arresting and holding them fast. It is quite a
long process before the gold is completely separated from all other
material and ready for shipment. Often the quartz contains other
minerals of value, the separation of which requires much work.
There is a very rich mine in Nevada called the Comstock, which some
years ago had sunk its shafts so deep into the earth that it became
almost impossible for the miners to work on account of the great heat,
the bad air, and the quantity of water which had constantly to be pumped
out. How these troubles were remedied is the story of one of
California's greatest and best citizens. Adolph Sutro was a Prussian by
birth, and his adopted state may well be proud to claim him.
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