Long Tom (railroad)

A Long Tom was an early type of hydraulic excavator used in mining, especially during the California Gold Rush. It consisted of a large wooden or metal sluice box with a series of riffles, positioned next to a water source. High-pressure water, directed through a nozzle called a “bore” or “jack,” would wash gold-bearing gravel into the sluice, where heavier gold particles would settle behind the riffles, while lighter material washed away. This efficient method helped miners extract gold more quickly from large amounts of sediment, significantly boosting processing capacity in placer mining operations.