Click on any picture to load a larger image, and then use your browser "back" button to return here.
June 7, 2010
This page was last updated: June 28, 2010
The oscillating table used in this gold plant was originally used in the Cassiar Asbestos mine for processing asbestos. This machine was built from scratch by Steve, a Samoan welder and fabricator who found himself working a long way from home in the Cassiar gold fields one summer. The table is driven by a 30 horsepower hydraulic power pack system which provides the energy to oscillate the table in a circular motion. The power pack also drives the conveyor belt to haul the waste away and runs the vibrator in the dump feed box. The vibrator breaks up any muck and rocks fed into the plant into more manageable material which will flow through the plant. There are also boil boxes ahead of the live sluiceboxes with their water-charged hydraulic riffling which all helps separate the gold from the slurry. The plant operator can also find the perfect angle for the plant setup to get maximum efficiency with the hydraulic leveling system. This gold plant could be used either as a land-based machine as it was on Holloway Bar a few years back or could be fitted with pontoons to provide floatation when working as a floating plant in the water, and it could be fully operated by a two-person team.
June 14, 2010
Dease Lake is a popular launching spot for wilderness enthusiasts looking for an adventure. Canoeists often charter aircraft to transport them, their gear, and a canoe or two tied onto the outside of a floatplane like the deHavilland Otter. The most common destination for canoeists departing from Dease Lake is the upper Stikine River. Happy, Tuaton and Laslui Lakes are located near the headwaters of the Stikine and act as the main drop-off spots for adventurers on their trip downstream. Once they've been left in the wilderness and the Otter returns to home base, the travellers begin to sort out and organize their gear for the long journey downstream. The 280+ kilometer river trip from the headwaters of the Stikine to the Stikine River bridge on Highway 37 will probably take them almost two weeks. The downstream trip won't be totally smooth sailing as there are 5 or 6 portages around the more difficult portions of the river as well as a number of rapids that must be navigated safely. No one plans to go past the highway bridge as those waters are not navigable due to the "Grand Canyon of the Stikine", where the entire river flows between canyon walls that narrow to less than 10 feet across!
June 21, 2010
Water is a lot of different things to a lot of different people. In the northern springtime, water transforms from the white mountaintop snowcaps into a raging torrent in the streams and rivers as it rushes downhill to the oceans. On Holloway Bar, water is one of the key ingredients for placer mining as it's temporarily sucked from the creek and pumped through the gold plant to wash the gold from the gravels. Once it drains from the plant, it gathers in the settling pond before filtering back and rejoining McDame Creek, as clean as it was before washing the gold. It also brings energy to camp - as another part of the spring melt travels down the Fox Mountain waterline, spinning the turbine the micro-hydro power system before again being released on its journey to the seas. Water is good, but sometimes too much water brings challenges. This time of year the spring melt is at its maximum, filling the creeks and rivers to their banks. The water carries with it small trees and other debris picked up along the way, so the miners must also be alert for trouble at the bridge if debris gets caught up on the bridge supports - and quickly clear it away before a bigger (and potentially more dangerous) problem is created!
June 28, 2010
For the past 40 years, many Canadians have been watching our national aerial demonstration team - The Snowbirds - flying in the skies near their hometowns. This year, as Canada celebrates its 143rd birthday on July 1, the Snowbirds will be flying over the Canada Day celebrations in Ottawa. Perhaps their 40th anniversary tour will bring them close to you during their 2010 international tour of airshows and other events to thrill you with their world-class precision aerobatics and formation flying!
Happy Canada Day from all of us on Holloway Bar!
May you and your family have a safe journey to the gold fields to find your fortune this upcoming Canada Day long weekend...
