Weekly North Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1850-1858, 1853-03-02

AN IMPORTANT INVENTION.
We find in late number of the New York Mer-
camille Journal an account Of an invention by
Mr.. Berdan for grinding quartz and extracting
gold, which promises to come into general use
with miners, and to be Of great benefit in bring
ing out and of thus increasing for circulation this
precious metal. The Journal speaks as follows
Of Berdan's Crusher:
sour attention has been called to tie report recent
y put forth by committee appointed by the Phoenix
Gold Mining Company for the examination of fmachin-
cry for the of that Company. One of the state
meats made in the report was of SO surprising ma
ture that we led TO devote little enquiry
TO the subject. We visited the Novelty Iron Works,
where We found in Mr.. Berdan (the inventor of the
machine which in one operation professed to grind
the quartz rapidly, to do the amalgamating and to
extract all the gold gentleman of scientific attain
mens and liberal information, disposed to be commu-
nlcatve and willing to assist in the object had in
view. From the statements made and certificates.
possessed by MIR. Berdan, we have doubt that the
desideratum long sought for by miners has length
been discovered, viz: machine that ,uiN reduce The
ore to impepab poDder and erfraethe WhoIe IF the
mineral held therein. The importance of an nven-
ton that would efectualy perform this operation
content if their have produced cents per lb.;
an experiment is cited by the COMMITTEES wherein they
tested SO lbs. of gold bearing quartz from mine The
ores of which had not previously yielded more than
half cent. per lb. and which specimen subjected
TO the test Of the machine invented by Mr. Berdan,
gave $l.5O of pure gold. Thus the proceeds were
increased three fold by the system, with further
Satisfaction that the resduuu. tangs were entire
ly deprived of gold.
Comment such result is scarcely necessary
\ tho n.l,
learn, have poured in upon the manufacturer in such
profusion that he cannot keep pace with the demand,
although he has more than one hundred men employ
ed in the manufacture. In few shor: months the
produce of the California mines must be quadrupled
not only by the power these machines give the vari
companies to pro6tahly rework their present
cumulaton of refuse or tangs, but by the increased
yield drawn from tie quartz. The improvement OF
Mr.. Bsrdan consists in combining crushing, pulver-
| izing, washing and anna gamating and the
operation. This is achieved, and satisfactorily that
orders have been given for machines in which the
puverizing balls 10 weigh five thousand lbs icast
hollow and 10 be filled in the mines,) they will be
used without stampers, the balls being sufficient to
crush the as it comes from, the mines."
The same paper contains the report of the Com
mittee above alluded to, signed BY William Cut
ting, S. p. Andrews, John P. Lord, and John H.
Lester. Mr.. Cutting, it is stated, "is gentleman
extensively known for his great experience and sue
cess in practical mining operations" The follow
ing from this report embra description of this
machine with its advantages over all others:
| "Mr. Berdan's machine seems, however. to us to
combine every advantage. 1t performs all the opera
lions after the rock is partially broken by s,ampers
to the complete separation of the last particle Of gold
| The following description Of the Mill will, it is
hoped, be found sufficient Ineligible.
The pulverizer and amalgamator consisted Of cast
\ h,St. fact and oyrnf.a
deep. The periphery of the basin up in cir
Gle of "a inches. This basin is secured to wrought
iron shalt, which stands at angle of about Is de-
grses from perpendicular line compelling the basin
to revove in tilted inclined position, keeping
side about 90 inches lower than the other. This ba-
nace-ihe smallest and lower end resting a collar
| on the shaft the step. In the lower side OF the
basin is placed iron ball "a inches in diameter
weighing 1000 pounds. This basin is revolved with
the shaft and furnace in the inclined position by ap.
plying the power by geering which is cast the
| under side Of the basin. When the basin commence
rotate the ball revolves by its gravity.
stan,ly remaining at the lowest point in the basin
the ball just fitting the basin produces beautiful
grinding effect, (rom the fact that the ball has dou
ble notion rolling and spiral motion, which crush.
es and grinds at the same tme The quicksilver is
placed in the inclined basin and is compelled TO Keep
the crushing point Of the ball. and is kept partial
y warmed by the furnace underneath the basin to in
ken up 10 about the size of shot by siampers, which,
are in separate frame, and placed slight eeva-
.on above the basin, SO as 10 use spouis to conduct
the ore and water in the basin. The ball pulverzes
the to an mpa pabie powder the bottom Of the
mercury, thus bringing every particle of gold ircon-
: tact with the pure and warm quicksilver, and is
ANAL gamated as it is freed from the quartz
while the earthly matter, when sufficiently Palver-
lied, rises in the by the agitation of the water
, by the ball. and passes of sediment through
openings in the sides of the basin near the top.
is the great advantage of this arrangement that Il
brings the gold in contact with the quicksilver below
the surface from the fact that all the Impurities and
foreign substances rise TO the top and form scuu
with the oxide Of iron and other substances yielded
by the ore, which scum prevents the particles
gold from coming in actual contact with the quick
silver, if it is suffered likewise to float up to the
face il will do on that fluid only. The defect o
the amalgamaors heretofore is, that they anal
gamae al the surace else pass the gold and quartz
dust through the quicksilver in such large bodies tina
each distinct particle of gold is not exposed to its
ton. Stampers indispensable for breaking ihs
ore in the first place. bot do not reduce fine enougl
to free the fine particles of the gold from the stone
, The double motion. the crushing and grindn.
movement, of the ball, are obtained by exceedingl
n simple and ingenious means The latter is secure
Ay spiral effect given TO the motion of the ball as
rolls in the basin by means Of attaching fixed poin
in the ball by rotating pivot, turning in slee We
q which revolves the endIine shaft which support
the basin, SO that while the ball rolls down the in
cned basin constantly presented to it by the revov
ing basin by its own gravity, the inner side OF IN
ball is held hack and the side forced to NOV
round upon centre Of motion which is the same a
$ the centre OF the grinding surface of the ball in tn
basin. The first can be changed TO four diherer
points to keep the bali always round onefourt
of the surface Of the ball filing the basin, while tn