^Lot 1059 Mining Dry Washer Mining Hard goods/Important Mining Publications

While “Gold Rush” may make many people think of gold pans, sluice boxes, and other methods of using water to separate rock from gold, water was unavailable in many mining claims. To separate material without water, tools such as this Dry Washer were often used. A pail of rocks and dirt would be poured onto the top screen. Large rocks would sit atop the screen, and smaller material would pass through into the reservoir. The reservoir would be shaken, and the fine matter would fall through a slot into the riffled canvas tray. The handle would be used to pump air through the bellows at the bottom of the stand. The force of the air moving through the canvas material would blow away the lighter grit and leave behind the gold. This dry washer is 32” tall, 21” long, and 10” wide. The bellows still works, although it is dry-rotted and there are some holes in both the bellows and the canvas.