By Karen Morris, CHS President
COARSEGOLD — The Coarsegold Historical Society has three pieces of mining machinery on display at the Coarsegold Historic Museum. They were donated quite a few years ago and we need help with the names and how they were used. We think the middle one was possibly some kind of rock crusher. If you can help us with any information, we would appreciate it.
You can leave a message or comment on this page or email the Coarsegold Historical Society at chs@sti.net or call 559-642-4448 or visit our Facebook page.
Thank you for your help and interest in the History Mystery project.
Follow-Up to History Mystery #88
By Debra Carter
The Civil Defense hospital that was placed at Bass Lake in 1970 is still somewhat of a mystery. At Leonard Brown’s suggestion, I contacted Cliff Neufeld to see if he knew anything. He had never heard of it but agreed with Leonard that the most likely place to store it would have been at the airport.
He also said that when he worked at Bass Lake School, he noticed an extra water tank that did not feed into the school and asked an “old-timer” about it. Cliff was told that there had been a nuclear missile site at Chepo Saddle, and this tank was the water supply for it!
There is still a chain-link fence on the north side of Road 222 that was there to protect the site. This might explain why Bass Lake merited this field hospital. Cliff plans to try to contact Tim Snyder, son of Dr. Walter Snyder, to see if he knows anything about it.
Thanks for all of your responses.
Comment from Vince Smith – In looking at the photo of three pieces of mining equipment, the rock crusher is in the center.
On your left side of the crusher is a centrifugal water pump.
Both pieces of machinery (the rock crusher and water pump) would have been powered
by a flat belt connected to an engine or electric motor.
To the right side of the rock crusher appears to be what’s left of the cylinder portion of
an old slush pump (mud pump).
Comments from Facebook:
Barb Jensen My husband says #1 is a pump and #2 is a rock crusher.
Karen Tex Morris Barb Jensen thank you for the information.
Gary Gomez Left: Small pump probably belt driven. Center: A rock crusher used to crush small samples of ore for assaying. Right: ???
Karen Tex Morris Gary Gomez Thank you for the information
Jeff Yaugher HIT B MISS ENGINE
Karen Tex Morris Jeff Yaugher is this a name of one of the pieces?
Kip G Lambel The pump is too small for placer mining, so it’s probably just to move water to a sluice box near a mine, so ore could be crushed and washed on site, instead of lots of heavy hauling. In the center is a small ore crusher. Don’t recognize the thing on the right, but this looks to have come from a 1-2 man operation.
Karen Tex Morris Kip G Lambel Thank You for the information.
Jeff Yaugher https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjAi6dTJvaM
2HP Sandwich Tulip Top Hit Miss Engine
YOUTUBE.COM
2HP Sandwich Tulip Top Hit Miss Engine