Record 8/33 |
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Description
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| A laminated onto cardboard drawing by prue Matthews of a water pipe being used to extract gold. This is possibly the original drawing, rather than a copy. Made by Prue for the original 1997 Marlborough Museum Gold Mining display. Label from old Museum gold mining display which has been used again. No author, no source: "Once the easy surface gold had been won many miners began to be lured by the gold lying under the thick layer of overburden. Sluicing was a way to remove this layer but it required a considerable volume of water. "Streams were plentiful in Marlborough and the miners made them work. Small dams were built and water directed to them along races or ditches. In many cases these ran for miles round spurs and gullies following the contours. "When the dam was full, the water was released into a series of pipes, each section narrower than the last and finally forced out through a movable nozzle. The jet was directed at the overburden which washed away along tail races to leave the gold bearing pay dirt exposed. A sluice box was then rigged up in the tail race to catch the gold washed out of the paydirt. If the miner was lucky he would find the gold glistening among the riffles and matting of his sluice box at the end of the day." |
Miner with water pump
-Marlborough Museum Collection of Gold Mining Objects and Photographs
-Copyright Marlborough Museum - Marlborough Historical Society Inc
When using this image please quote "Image courtesy of Marlborough Museum - Marlborough Historical Society Inc"
| 0000.500.0311 |
When using this image please quote "Image courtesy of Marlborough Museum - Marlborough Historical Society Inc"