A long Tom is an early gravity separation device consisting of a long, sloping wooden flume that widens at the discharge end. Miners shoveled auriferous gravel into the upper section while a steady flow of water washed the lighter dirt away, allowing the heavy gold particles to drop through a perforated plate and catch in riffles below.
Heard on the job
We found the rotting remains of a long Tom near the creek, left over from the old placer miners.