The Placers

[29prospector]

I remembered the camera today so I took a picture before we started work. Spring has sprung in the Desert. Flowers are blooming, snakes are out and the BEE's have decided that our work area, the hole, the panning bucket and the shade in the truck, is their new playground. Doc and I got an early start today and was able to knock down a lot of overburden. Once we got the hole cleaned out, we began to work the strike zone. The bedrock is staying very definable and still diving at about 10 degrees rake. I hit a soft spot in the bedrock on the east side and followed it for 12 inches. Gold was small but the hole still goes down. Our primary gold zone has inlarged it's self from apox. 12 inches to about 30 inches. We moved a lot material today and pushed the hole southwest about 3 feet.

Bob

[nuggethunting]

Hello 29Prospector,

Damn, your just moving right along on that hole. Any chance you can explain the procedures of when you process the material?

I would assume you dig the material down (overburden) and muck it out of the way, or do you drywash the overburden also?

When you get down into the paying layers, I would assume you're using a drywasher. Are you using a detector to scan the floor and walls when you're done digging? Do you also scan over your coarse tailing pile(s)?

I have a good understand of what you're doing as I used to drywash, vac and dredge for years. However, some of newer people might not understand the process behind it all.

Seen on another forum where you mentioned you might start a few more holes.

Talk with you soon,

Rob Allison

[Ridge Runner]

29Prospector

Do you need me to come out and hold your feet so you can dig down in the bottom? Remember don't dig a hole you can't get out of! We have told our kids not to play in the dirt and now we are doing it and having all this fun getting dirty.

I've never work so hard as I have prospecting for gold and enjoy it. Best to you,I look forward to your post!

[29prospector]

Hello 29Prospector,

  Damn, your just moving right along on that hole.  Any chance you can explain the procedures of when you process the material? 

I would assume you dig the material down (overburden) and muck it out of the way, or do you drywash the overburden also? 

When you get down into the paying layers, I would assume you're using a drywasher.  Are you using a detector to scan the floor and walls when you're done digging?  Do you also scan over your coarse tailing pile(s)? 

I have a good understand of what you're doing as I used to drywash, vac and dredge for years.  However, some of newer people might not understand the process behind it all. 

Seen on another forum where you mentioned you might start a few more holes. 

Talk with you soon,

Rob Allison

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Rob,

You know I sometimes forget about newbies when I'm writting. We have been pulling the overburden down into the hole and muck it out behind us. A make shift cut and fill stope idea. Once we get the the paying zones we classify the material and drywash it. I usually run 6 2 gal. buckets thru the drywasher and then sit down for a rest while I pan. All pickers(those you can pick up with your fingers) go into 1 pan and all the smaller stuff goes into another pan.

At the end of the day I scan the walls and bottom with the detector and we also scan our tailings. We run our tailings 2-3 times during the week. Because of my lower back problems, I sit down in the hole to clean and shovel. That way I use my upper body instead of my lower body. I'm just an old prospector that refuses to quit. As for new holes, yes I want to open up 4 prospect holes. 2 in the wash we are in now, about 200 yards west and 2 in the old water well wash. This wash cuts the water well vein in 2 places and should carry good gold.

Bob

[29prospector]

29Prospector

    Do you need me to come out and hold your feet so you can dig down in the bottom? Remember don't dig a hole you can't get out of! We have told our kids not to play in the dirt and now we are doing it and having all this fun getting dirty.

  I've never work so hard as I have prospecting for gold and enjoy it. Best to you,I look forward to your post!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Geed evening Ridge Runner.

You know that holding my feet might just do it. I've been praying for a sky hook, but to no avail. We have the hole cleaned in such a way that we only have to crawl the last 3 feet. But like I've been told, you have to learn to crawl before you can walk. If we much deeper we will need a ladder. The bedrock is still going down at about 10 degrees. Help me here and pray in a sky hook.

Bob

[grubstake]

BOB, your working too hard, I couldn't keep up with you, I have a hard time just walking up the hill to my patch, there is a few tunnels up there, I think there drift mines, they go down at about a 45 deg. angle, way back in, I would not even thinkabout going in, although they sure had to be getting something out, it all had rock, granite looking stuff, but has quartz veins running in it. I know that where the gold is coming from, but my moma didn't raise no fool. I just ignor the tunnels. Grubstake

[29prospector]

BOB, your working too hard, I couldn't keep up with you, I have a hard time just walking up the hill to my patch, there is a few tunnels up there, I think there drift mines, they go down at about a 45 deg. angle, way back in, I would not even thinkabout going in, although they sure had to be getting something out, it all had rock, granite looking stuff, but has quartz veins running in it. I know that where the gold is coming from, but my moma didn't raise no fool. I just ignor the tunnels. Grubstake

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Grubstake,

That is a very smart move on your part. Most of the older mines were abandoned because of lack of profitable ore. Tunnels are a bit more easier to rehab. then a shaft. Yet, hard rock mining is not a cake walk. I never found any part of it that wasn't hard. Placer mining is much easier and your not underground.

Take care.

Bob

[Ridge Runner]

29Prospector

I have a friend that was doing the same thing that you are. He had just backed out of the hole when the top came down but lucky not on him. If it had he didn't have the time to kiss his butt goodby and he couldn't got out alone.

Go get you one of the old lineman spoons to muck out the dirt! I enjoy your post so be safe and show us all the gold one day you got out the that hole in the ground!

[29prospector]

29Prospector

    I have a friend that was doing the same thing that you are. He had just backed out of the hole when the top came down but lucky not on him. If it had he didn't have the time to kiss his butt goodby and he couldn't got out alone.

    Go get you one of the old lineman spoons to muck out the dirt! I enjoy your post so be safe and show us all the gold one day you got out the that hole in the ground!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ridge Runner,

Thanks for the reminder. I've spent many years working underground and had a stope cave-in once. Rock hit my hardhat and broke my lite. It got dark real fast. Once the dust settled, my other 2 partners were able to clear the rock and get to me. As for the Lineman's spoon, I worked the end of one of those for 4 years. Seems like every pole setting job we got was on the side of a mountain. Had to hand dig many pole hole that way. I like posting to much to go and get stupid. So I'll be around for awhile.

Bob