Sam Stutz With His Gold Machine, 1934

Standard Iron Works head Sam Stutz with his gold machine in 1934. "This is not a trick machine," Stutz told skeptics. In a demonstration, the machine successfully separated two ounces of gold flakes from a tub of gravel and water. The device did not revolutionize gold mining...perhaps because Stutz's perception of the market was outdated. He said, "The machine can be taken apart in four sections, packed on mules, and taken almost anywhere. The machine weighs 1400 pounds."

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