Thread by @MiningNS

In August 1895, D. M. Thompson of #Musquodoboit discovered gold in a boulder in #CowBay, #HRM.
Check out this thread for the history of #gold mining in the area!

@BarbaraAdamsPT @bill_karsten @DarrenFisherNS @darrellsamson @MikeSavageHFX #nspoli #novascotia #halifax #nshistory

After much trenching, in November he exposed a cross vein which was identified as the source of the boulder. In winter of 1895-6, he erected a 5-stamp, water-powered mill on #CowBay River, 1/4 mile south of his mine. From June-December 1896, he recovered 324 #gold ounces.
#nspoli

Thompson's success drew others and 3 or 4 veins were opened. In 1897, 560 ounces of #gold were recovered.
Despite properties changing hands and investments being made, the #CowBay mines were largely idle for several years until 1905 when 127 ounces of production were recorded.

Stamp mills were large machines that crushed #gold-bearing rock, the first step in the process of separating gold from the quartz in which it is usually found. Mills commonly had banks of five stamps with the largest operations having ten banks or fifty stamps.
#nspoli

The crashing of the stamps dropping on the ore could be heard for miles around.
In a stamp mill, quartz was washed with water and moved under the stamps that went up and down, crushing the quartz into sand. Each stamp would weigh about 800 to 1,000 pounds.
#nspoli #gold

In the 1800s, mercury was then used to separate the #gold from the sand, but mercury hasn’t been used in #NovaScotia since the early 1900s because it is bad for the environment.
#nspoli

There are two main reasons mercury was used back then – it worked and people didn’t understand the harm it did to the environment.
Gold dissolves in mercury but mercury does not absorb other impurities so it was effective at separating the #gold.
#nspoli

The mercury/gold mixture was recollected and heated until the mercury boiled away. A simple still like those used to make alcohol would draw away the vaporized mercury, collecting it for reuse, leaving mostly pure #gold.
#nspoli

The #gold was then refined for greater purity and formed into bricks or nuggets.
#nspoli

Misconceptions about modern #gold mining stem from historical practices, like use of mercury, that were not good enough. However, historical sites have nothing to do with modern mining, a sophisticated, science-based activity that takes proper care of the environment.
#nspoli

You can learn more about the differences between modern and historical #gold #mining at notyourgrandfathersmining.ca/modern-gold-mi…
#nspoli #novascotia