What is "hushing"

Hush \Hush\ (h[u^]sh), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Hushed (h[u^]sht); p. pr. & vb. n. Hushing.] [OE. huschen, hussen, prob. of imitative origin; cf. LG. hussen to lull to sleep, G. husch quick, make haste, be silent.]

1. To still; to silence; to calm; to make quiet; to repress the noise or clamor of.

   My tongue shall hush again this storm of war.
   --Shak.

2. To appease; to allay; to calm; to soothe.

   With thou, then, Hush my cares?
   --Otway.

   And hush'd my deepest grief of all.
   --Tennyson.

   To hush up, to procure silence concerning; to suppress; to keep secret. ``This matter is hushed up.''
   --Pope.

Hushing \Hush"ing\, n. (Mining) The process of washing ore, or of uncovering mineral veins, by a heavy discharge of water from a reservoir; flushing; -- also called booming and hydraulic mining.

n. The use of a heavy discharge of water to uncover a mineral vein or wash ore. vb. (present participle of hush English)

Hushing is an ancient and historic mining method using a flood or torrent of water to reveal mineral veins. The method was applied in several ways, both in prospecting for ores, and for their exploitation. Mineral veins are often hidden below soil and sub-soil, which must be stripped away to discover the ore veins. A flood of water is very effective in moving soil as well as working the ore deposits when combined with other methods such as fire-setting.

Hushing was used during the formation and expansion of the Roman Empire from the 1st century BC on to the end of the empire. It was also widely used later, and apparently survived until modern times where the cost of explosives was prohibitive. It was widely used in the United States, where it was known as "booming".

A variant known as hydraulic mining where jets or streams of water are used to break down deposits, especially of alluvial gold and alluvial tin, is commonly used.