WAS BLACK GOLD FOUND AT BEAN HOLLOW? …..Story from John Vonderlin

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Story from John Vonderlin

Email John ([email protected])

Hi June,

I’m going to build one of these contraption (per description) as a piece of Marine Debris artplay. My belief is that there is virtually no gold on Bean Hollow Beach and that this was a scam. But, I’ll check. Enjoy. John

SAN   MATEO   GOLD.
The   Black   Sand   Said   to   Yield   In   Paylng
Quantities.
That   San   Mateo   County   should   come   for –
ward   at   this   late   day   as   an   exporter   of   gold
is   something   astonishing,   yet   that   is   what
has   now   come   to   pass     Calvin   Sweet   seems
to   be   solving   the   problem   of   how   to   get   a
fortune   out   of   black   sand,   which,   in   this   red –
wood   and   cheese   country,   is   astonishing.
That black sand  should   be   found   here   in   such
quantities   is   somewhat   surprising;   that   a
process   for   its   successful   treatment,   which
his   eluded   the   vigilance   of   the   best   experts
of   the   mining   camps   lor   years,   should   be
inaugurated   among   us   Is   equally   so;   that   a
man   who   has   spent   nearly   the   whole   of   a
long   life   in   the   carpentry   business   should
prove   the   lucky   inventor   of   a   successful
process   is   more   so.   The   black   sand   re –
ferred   to   is   found   at   the   mouth   of   Bean
Hollow,   three   miles   from   the   Swanton
House,   Pescadero,   and   within   a   stone’s
throw   of   the   surf.   Yon   can   dig   it   up   by   the
shovelful.   Not   a   hundred   yards   away   Mr.
Sweet’s   little   girl   was   picking   wild   straw –
berries   from   among   the   daisies   as   the   Times-
Gazette   man   quizzed   the   boys   working   the
machine   and   watched   their   father   retort   a
clean-up   showing   pretty   gold   worth   $18   the
ounce.
A   canvas   hose   from   a   reservoir   of   pure
spring   water   delivers   a   gentle   stream   into   a
trough,   Into   which   the   sand   is   shoveled,   and
which   empties   it   onto   a   series   of   board   sur –
faces,   one   foot   by   two,   set   out   from   a   center
post   as   the   threads   of   a   screw,   aud   inclined
inwardly   a   very   little.   Below   them   is   a
round   table   constructed   about   the   central
post,   six   feet   in   diameter   and   beveled   a   little
outwardly.   These   surfaces   are   covered   with
Brussels   carpet.   The   post   is   four   feet   high,
six   inches   square,   and   is   mounted   on   two
metal   wheels   free   to   move,   as   the   casters
of   a   bedpost.   A   pin   in   the   center   of
the   post   is   inserted   in   the   middle   of   a   steel
plate,   whose   surface   is   corrugated.   On   this
surface   the   wheels   travel   and   the   corruga –
tions   give   a   gentle   vertical   oscillation   to   the
post   and   its   attached   platforms   wben   in
motion.   Motion   is   by   hand-power   and   av –
erages   thirty   revolutions   per   minute,   the
boy   who   runs   it   being   six   feet   away.   The
centrifugal   force   of   the   revolving   post
throws   most   of   the   black   sand   off   the   edge
of   tbe   circular   platform.   What   remains
caught   in   the   carpet   surface   is   washed   out
The   gold   is   then   separated   in   the   usual   min –
ing   method   oy   means   of   a   miner’s   horn,
it   is   then   amalgamated,   retorted   aud   cleanedolO
with   acetic   acid.—Times-Gazette.

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