The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1894-01-20
An Automatic Gem Separator

An Automatic Gem Separator
An automatic gem separator has been
devised for the purpose of selecting
precious stones from the worthless
gravel or debris with which they are
associated without the intervention of
the manipulating now practiced, thus
avoiding the danger of less by theft
and other diSs dvantageS. The systems
OF washing vary in different countries,
South Africa, Burmah, Siam, Ceyloh
and other parts of the world having
their distinctive methods. All systems,
however, resolve themselves finally into
the picking over of a concentrated de-
poslt OF clean " ashed gravel to discover
the gems it may contain, and it is at
this point that the separator comes
III to perform what has hitherto been
done by hand. When it is realized that
the proportion of gems to worthless
pieces OF mineral is not percentage
Merely, but one of many thousands.
the utility of such machine is obvious.
Ihe concentrated gravel when washed
is most carefully classified into sizes.
beginning for diamonds at 1-16 inch
and increasing by .sixteenths up to 5-S
i ch, or still further if required. Each
size Of gravel is fed into separator
adapted to it. The separator has no
moving parts, and the principle on
which it is utilized is the running OF 4
stream Of water through it snd the tax
ing advantage of the difference in spe-
c1dc gravity. between the gems (35 tc
~ and the worthless minerals (2.5 to
81. 1t is quite possible to separate such
substances by immersing them in
prepared solution Of high specific gray
lty, just as pebbles and chips may be
separated In water, but there are Drac-
tlcal difficulties about srch 4 process,
ana the gem separator substitutes a
moving current of water for the heavier
solution. The advantages thus gained
are that the process is continuous, the
separated materials being deposited in
their proper receptacles,s those Tor the
gems being guarded by locks. The ma
chine requires sixteen gallons Of water
per minute, and the water can be
used over and over again. The opera
tlons OF the machines are not, however.
confined to gems. The separation of
any material from it's gangue, provided
there is slight difference in sDecifc
gravity, may be effected, and the ma
chine will work on broken material in
dry or merely wetted state, or on
shines run in with stream Of water.
TeleGraphins Without Connecting
Wires.
dt does not seem so very wonderful,
perhaps. to send messages over 4 wire.
because something that we can sec con-
rects the two places. But what would
you say if you were told that mes
sages could be sent through empty space
for miles-not signals like light flashes,
but ordinary telegraphic signals? Yet
this has been done. Edison showed
some time ago that the currents carry
ing signals on telegraph lines will in
dl1ce currents in a telephone carried
on moving train without connecting
wires, so that the telegraphic signals
may be heard in the telephone
Mr.. Preece, of the English telegraph
service, used strong currents to- make
the telegraphic signals, which caused
vibration in a telephone more than
three miles away. In this way ships
| can send messages to each other. at
sea, through darkness, fog, rain and
snow. 1t must be just as Faraday be-
| lieEed.
everywhere Jhere is q wonderful
/ f1'hd which we can neither feel nor sec.
Dit whose waves will carry our mes.
Aages for us, as well as bring us light.
Small Engine.
There is one eAhif1it in the gallery
OF the electrical building at the Chi
| cago fair which most people will miss
because it is so small and has such
modest position. It is a horizontal
engine. complete ia every part, made
| by Max Kohl, a German instrument
maker, and is so little that with it's
| boiler it rests in half a walnut shell,
with plenty Of room to spare 1t takes
nagnifying glass to see all it's parts
distinctly.
What a difference there is between
this tiny thing and the monster 1000
horse power Allis engine in the machin-
cry building. Another interesting OBJ
ject in the Maryland building is the
perfect working model Of locomotive
about three feet long, built by a Bal.
tmore boy II years old.