The Quicksilver Retort was used to separate the gold from the dirt. The Retort is made of cast iron because if it was made of metal, the Quicksilver would melt the metal.

The miners got rocks with gold in them. They ground them up. After, they used a box coated with a copper plate and they poured mercury over it They washed the rocks over the mercury. The gold and mercury were mixed together. Then they put them both into the Retort under heat. The mercury evaporated leaving them with pure gold.

Quicksilver or mercury can be dangerous and it can be found inside cinnabar. Cinnabar is a rock.