Gold pan

“ The principle of "panning" out gold is simple, and any woman could perform the work successfully without instruction, success depending upon the delicacy of manipulation. From fifty cents to two hundred dollars a pan are obtained by this old-fashioned but fascinating method. Think of wandering through this splendid, gold-set country in the matchless summers when there is not an hour of darkness; with the health and the appetite to enjoy plain food and the spirit to welcome adventure; to pause on the banks of unknown creeks and try one's luck, not knowing what a pan may bring forth ”

“ The extraction of gold from the soil is an industry so old that its first introduction is lost in the mist of ages. As before stated, gold is one of the most widely disseminated of the metals, and man, so soon as he had risen from the lowest forms of savagery, began to be attracted by the kingly metal, which he found to be easily fashioned into articles of ornament and use, and to be practically non-corrodable.
What we now term the dish or pan, then, doubtless generally a wooden bowl, was the appliance first used ”

“ They must surely be very different and easier to work.
"Reasoning thus I had wandered away a short distance by myself in order to let Pa's temper cool, and had forgotten the panning I had started out to do.
"I now returned. Taking up the gold pan I filled it with dirt and muck from the four foot hole taken directly above the objectionable ice, and though I found its weight almost more than I could carry, and Pa did not offer to help me in the least, I carried it to a small pool of water at no great distance and began to pan it. ”

“ Though the dipping gold-trace increased the man's work, he found consolation in the increasing richness of the pans. Twenty cents, thirty cents, fifty cents, sixty cents, were the values of the gold found in the pans, and at nightfall he washed his banner pan, which gave him a dollar's worth of gold-dust from a shovelful of dirt. ”

“ Half a dozen tin plates and dippers—we could have had gold if we had pleased, but that was too common—two or three pans and pewter mugs—a large tin pail for making soup—a frying pan and coffee-pot, together with a squad of battered boxes that had once contained sardines or preserved meats, composed the list of our culinary utensils. ”

“ Around the base of the rock was a filling up of gravel and clay, which we removed with much labour, when our eyes were gladdened with the sight of gold strewn all over its surface, and intermixed with a blackish sand. This we gathered up and washed in our pans, and ere night four of us had dug and washed twenty-six ounces of gold, being about four hundred and{72} sixteen dollars. The process of pan-washing is the simplest mode of separating the golden particles from the earth with which it is amalgamated. A common-sized tin pan is filled with the soil containing the gold. ”

“ At the time of which we write, only the two simple processes of washing, with the pan and with the cradle, were practised at Bigbear Gully, the more elaborate methods of crushing quartz, etcetera, not having been introduced.
The most simple of these was the pan process, which was much in favour, because the soil, or “dirt” was so rich in gold-dust that it “paid” well, and it only required that the miner should possess a pick, a shovel, and a tin pan. With this very limited stock in trade he could begin without delay, and earn at least a subsistence ”

“ Very little must be put on light or green calf, as these colours are stained very readily. Take the gold up on a cotton pad; lay it carefully down on the back; breathe on the gold, and press down again. If there be any places where the gold is broken, they must be mended. Now take a two-line fillet; heat it so that it hisses when placed in the cooling pan or the saucer with the wet rag in it, and run it the whole length of the back on the line made before paste-washing. ”

“ The pan he fills two-thirds full of dirt, then with water, rocks it gently with his hands, letting the water run over the sides, carrying the dirt away and leaving the particles of gold, which are heavy, at the bottom of the pan. ”

“ All the sand and gravel which remained upon the canvas he rinsed off into a pan and proceeded to wash it out at the stream after the usual method of panning. Roly [251] was delighted to see two little yellow nuggets appear, besides many small flakes and grains.
"There," said Uncle Will, as he finished, "you see we have here the yield of several panfuls, and it has taken but a few minutes to secure it. The rocker is a handy machine to carry from place to place wherever, by panning, we find the gold most abundant." ”

“ You move off to one side and wash another pan. If you find gold again, you move to one side further, and wash a third pan. If you find no gold this time, you are delighted again, because you know you are on the right scent. ”

“ Pannin' is how a prospector gets gold. It sounds easy, but there's a trick to it, jest the same.
"A prospector's pan is just like an ordinary tin wash-pan, wi' slopin' sides, only it's smaller; about a foot across at the bottom, an' made of iron, not tin. Many a hundred men have got to be millionaires with nothin' but a pick, a shovel, an' a pan. ”

“ Rust and dirt are not flavourless articles of cookery. Suppose clear soup or jelly is to be made. In an iron pan it will be not clear, but thick; in a clean tin pan or even a fish-kettle it will be not the fault of the pan, but of the cook, if the jelly be not as clear as glass. The least speck of rust, the smallest remainder of yesterday’s cooking will spoil either jelly or soup. Why, indeed, should not tin serve all purposes, since it is with tin that all copper pans are (or should be) lined? And copper pans are the ne plus ultra of culinary furniture. ”

“ This powder is mixed with water, the dishes are passed through it, and they are rebaked in the oven, and keep their lustre. Afterwards, in order that the pottery may be gilt, they take very strong vinegar, mixed with about two reales (a small coin equivalent to 6d.) of silver in powder, vermilion, and red ochre, and a little wire. When all is mixed together, they paint with a feather on the dishes any decoration they may like, rebake them, and then they remain gold-coloured for ever. ”

“ When brass pans are used for boiling fruit for jams, it is usual to rub them inside with a slice of 116 lemon before putting in the fruit. A careful housewife will consider the reason for this custom. We remember once seeing a copper pan, that had been provided for the preparation of oatmeal porridge, with a band about an inch wide of green crystals on the inside. Inquiry elicited that the cook had thought it a convenient pan in which to prepare the fish (salt haddock) for breakfast. Ignorance of the chemical action of salt and acids on metals may lead to very serious results. ”

“ The "boiling-room" is in an upper story, and, rough as it seems, is one of the most interesting in the building, its office being to give us the gold and silver pure and true. Each kettle has a great leaden hood, since the vigorous chemical process evolves copious fumes of sulphurous acid. The gold contained in the granulations, not being soluble in sulphuric acid, is left from the cooking in the form of a yellowish brown powder, of which one tub often contains half a million dollars in value. ”

“ A regular chocolate-warmer which the supply-houses carry is the first thing to get, and in buying one I would advise you to get a good copper one as I have found through experience that one good copper pan will outlast 4 or 5 tin or sheet iron ones. Build a table so as the pan will set down into it and place a little shelf underneath the pan for a gas-burner, on the table so that it will slide up close to the pan place a slab of marble about eighteen inches square and an inch thick. ”

“ Mix gradually the sugar with the juice, till it is so thick you can scarcely stir it. Put it into a porcelain skillet. Set it on hot coals, or over a moderate fire, and stir it hard with a wooden spoon for five minutes after it begins to boil. Then take it off the fire, and with a silver spoon or the point of a broad knife, drop portions of the mixture upon a flat tin pan or [477] a pewter dish, smoothing the drops, and making them of good shape and regular size, which should be about that of a cent. When cold they will easily come off the tin. They are delicious, if properly made. ”

“ In cleaning copper pans, attend to the following directions:—If there are any lemon skins left from cooking, boil them in salt and water, dip a piece of flannel in the liquid, and rub your pan well. Then rinse with cold water, and dry with a linen cloth. Every pan must be rinsed or dusted out before being used, for the smallest speck of dirt will destroy a whole panful of sauce; and good sauces are the foundation of good cooking.
Cooks cannot be too careful in keeping their sauce-pans scrupulously clean. ”

“ Procure a piece of flat iron—an old spade will do as well as anything—insert the amalgam, and, having placed the potato, cut side downwards, thereon, put the plate of iron on the forge, heat up first gently, then stronger, till separation has taken place, when the gold will be found in a bright clean button on the plate and the mercury in fine globules in the potato, from which it can be re-collected by breaking up the partly or wholly cooked tuber under water in an enamelled or ordinary crockery basin. ”

“ Beat and add the remainder of the milk, and the egg. Beat vigorously for three minutes. Fill very hot gem pans three-fourths full. Bake thirty minutes in a hot oven. They are done when they have "popped" at least twice their size, and when they slip easily out of the pan. Iron pans are the best. ”

“ Fig. 30 is another Preserving Kettle, without a cover. The advantage of these is, that they are shallow, so that the fruit will not need to be piled. The cover265 preserves the flavor more perfectly. The best are of copper or bell metal. Porcelain ones are apt to crack.
Fig. 31.
Fig. 31 is a Cast Iron Sauce-pan, lined with tin.
Fig. 32.
Fig. 32 is a Tin Sauce-pan.
Fig. 33.
Fig. 33 is a Copper Sauce-pan.
Every housekeeper needs at least four different sizes of sauce-pans. The copper ones are the best, and most durable. The iron lined with tin the next best. The tin are the poorest.
266
Fig. ”

“ If the hour of dinner is uncertain in any establishment, no means of preserving the warmth and flavour of the dishes to be served is so sure and harmless as the employment of the bain-marie. Prices vary according to the number of stew-pans required. Each set comprises the bain-marie pan, 1 glazepot, 1 soup-pot, and from 4 to 12 stewpans in sizes ranging from 3 inches to 5+1⁄2 inches. A complete set of 7 strong, well-made tin stewpans, 1 glazepot and 1 soup-pot, in a bain-marie pan of wrought steel, may be obtained for £2. ”

“ Heat gem pans very hot on the top of the stove, fill them even full with the batter, place on the grate of a very hot oven. Let them remain ten minutes, then bake thirty minutes on the bottom of the oven. The “acorn” gem pans are essential. These are small, round, deep iron pans. Notice, three things are necessary for good gems: The best white wheat flour, very hot pans and oven, and the “acorn” gem pans. ”

“ The higher articles of preserved fruits may be bought at less expense than made. Jellies of fruit are made with an equal quantity of sugar, that is, a pound to a pint, and require no very long boiling. A pan should be kept for the purpose of preserving, of double block tin, with a bow handle for safety, opposite the straight one: and if when done with, it be carefully cleaned and set by in a dry place, it will last for several years. Pans of copper or brass are extremely improper, as the tinning wears out by the scraping of the ladle. ”

“ Meanwhile Picton descends in the hold with a bucket of salt-water to enjoy the luxury of a bath, and reappears in full toilet just as Cookey [Pg 85] is grinding the berries, burnt and green, with a hand-mill between his knees. The pan by this time is put to a new use; it is now lined with bacon in full frizzle; presently it will be turned to account as a bake-pan, for pearl-ash cakes of chrome-yellow complexion: everything must take its turn; the pan is the actor of all work ”

“ When the objects are inside ones, a coat of spirit varnish may be passed over the gold leaf, then a glow from the gilder’s chafing dish may be given, and finally a coat of oil varnish. The workman who causes the chafing dish to glide in front of the varnished surface, must avoid stopping for an instant opposite any point, otherwise he would cause the varnish to boil and blister. This heat brings out the whole transparency of the varnish, and lustre of the gold. ”

“ I like my kitchen, it is full of such queer, nice pots and pans; a row of deceitful copper saucepans hang along the wall, always bright, never used, but brushed over with white of egg, which acts like a varnish to protect the polish; a big white marble mortar, a long copper kettle for the fish, and the green and yellow bowls and mixing dishes are my favorite utensils. I foresee that the old brass scaldino J. picked up at the junk shop will some day serve as an ornament to the front hall at home. We have a brace of warming-pans and the queerest metal box for live{26} charcoal. ”

“ Our first supply of provisions cost us as follows: Flour, $40 per 100 lbs.; bacon, 75 cents per lb.; sugar, 75 cents per lb.; butter, $1 per lb.; syrup, $15 per gallon, and everything else equally expensive. Gold dust was the only kind of money we saw. Most of it came from Idaho City, which had the richest placer mines known in the world at that time. ”