Grip Collection 86-P-21-002

86-P-2l-002
Man working a giant. Water was pressurized to the giant from a ditch along the hillside. It came down into the valley in pipes, starting at 4' diameter and reduced so that you could get the pressure from the gravity of the water. The giant was used to thaw and remove overburden and muck. As water reached the giant, "they opened the nozzle with a small rod that the fellow that was oprating the giant directed the water against the muck or overburden. The idea was to get down to the gravel so that the dredge would be digging thawed ground. As I recall, you would find gold 3 and 4 feet and on down to bedrock." On the back end of the giant was a counter weight, or jockey box, filled with rocks to balance. The overall length of giant and jockeybox was around 12 feet. "But, if the fellow that. was running the giant, after 12 hours or during the l2-hour span of standing there, would get mesmorized by the water, it could get away from him. Then the giant would swing around and, if he wasn't careful, it would knock him down and the water was pushing him. It could cause someone to die."