TEchniques Used during the gold rush
During the gold rush, techniques were used. They helped miners find gold on the land or in the lake or river. Here are some of the techniques used:
Shaft Mining- When many miners couldn't find a lot of gold in the ground, they turned to digging much deeper holes, which then led to shaft mining. First they dug up a shaft/hole and added timber to the sides to help keep the hole from collapsing. Then they created what is called a windless, which is a haul or lift that carries a bucket that would be filled with dirt. They at least 1 or 2 miners digging soil into the bucket with about 2-3 miners hauling it up. Next, they would try to find some gold among the dirt.
Panning- Using a gold pan, they would fill it with a mixture of near the lake, and a little bit of water to help wash the dirt out. Then they would keep on shaking it, adding a tiny bit of water every now and then, until they saw little tiny flecks of gold.
Cradling- With the wooden box, they would add soil and water. They would mix them together, whilst shaking until only solids were left. Large pieces of rock were sorted through and discarded if they did not contain any gold.
Puddling- Small amounts of clay and gold mixture were dumped into a large container and it was then filled with water. As it was stirred with a paddle or wooden stake, the clay would dissolve and the gold particles would sink to the bottom.
Shaft Mining- When many miners couldn't find a lot of gold in the ground, they turned to digging much deeper holes, which then led to shaft mining. First they dug up a shaft/hole and added timber to the sides to help keep the hole from collapsing. Then they created what is called a windless, which is a haul or lift that carries a bucket that would be filled with dirt. They at least 1 or 2 miners digging soil into the bucket with about 2-3 miners hauling it up. Next, they would try to find some gold among the dirt.
Panning- Using a gold pan, they would fill it with a mixture of near the lake, and a little bit of water to help wash the dirt out. Then they would keep on shaking it, adding a tiny bit of water every now and then, until they saw little tiny flecks of gold.
Cradling- With the wooden box, they would add soil and water. They would mix them together, whilst shaking until only solids were left. Large pieces of rock were sorted through and discarded if they did not contain any gold.
Puddling- Small amounts of clay and gold mixture were dumped into a large container and it was then filled with water. As it was stirred with a paddle or wooden stake, the clay would dissolve and the gold particles would sink to the bottom.