IMPROVE- MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR WASHING ORES AND MINERALS
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields,
in the County of Middlesex, and of 166, Buchanan Street, in the City
of Glasgow, North Britain, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR WASHING ORES AND MINERALS."
-A communication from abroad by Victor Jules Baron and Albert
Denis Baron, of Paris, in the Empire of France, Engineers.
Sealed the 23rd December 1862, and dated the 12th July 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 12th July 1862.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, and of 166, Buchanan Street, in the City of Glasgow, North
Britain, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR WASHING ORES AND
MINERALS," a communication from abroad by Victor Jules Baron and Alber
Denis Baron, of Paris, in the Empire of France, Engineers, to be as-
follows:-
This Invention relates to a simple form of apparatus for washing ores,.
minerals, and metalliferous earths, whether of the richest or poorest descrip+:
tions, and consists in the employment for that purpose of a long tapered

page_text: vessel (partially filled with water) open at the top, and provided near its
surface with a correspondingly-shaped trough slightly inclined downwards
towards its narrow end. This trough receives a longitudinal vibratory
motion from a crank or eccentric on the main actunting shaft of the machine,
and it also receives a simultaneous rocking motion in a lateral direction.
The bottom of the vessel has a number of closed apertures made therein for
the purpose of removing the deposit which collects thereon, these apertures
being made gradually nearer together as they approach the narrow end of the
vessel, at which part also they are separated by double inclined partitions. The
feeding hopper is provided with a rose jet at its discharging mouth, which directs
a number of fine streams of water upwards into the minerals or orcs contained
therein, such minerals or ores having been previously crushed or reduced when
requisite by any of the well known methods. The richest ores or minerals
pass down the vibrating trough, and fall over at the end, being thus deposited
at the narrowest end of the vessel, whilst the refuse matter. and poorer par-
ticles are shaken over the sides of the trough before arriving at the end
thereof, the poorest being shaken over at the top end of the trough and the
better descriptions lower down, so that each aperture will give a richer
product as they approach towards the narrowest end of the vessel. The
water.in the vessel is stagnant, that is to say, it is not changed constantly by
having a current flowing through the vessel, as is the case in other washing
machines.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
10th January 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
and of 166, Buchanan Street, in the City of Glasgow, North Britain, Gen-
tleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Henry Johnson, Her special license that I, the said John
Henry Johnson, my executors,. administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, or assigns,

page_text: .
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at
all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR WASHING ORES AND
MINERALS," a communication from abroad by Victor Jules Baron and Albert
Denis Baron, of Paris, in the Empire of France, Engineers, upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
or under the hand and seal of one of them, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal
Patent Office, within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Henry Johnson, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the follow-
ing statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to tho
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:
The said Invention relates to a simple and economical form of apparatus
for washing ores, minerals, and metalliferous earths, whether of the richest or
poorest descriptions, and consists in the employment for that purpose of a
long vessel (or trough partially filled with water) open at the top, and
provided near its surface with another trough tapered towards one end, and
slightly inclined downwards towards that end. This second trough receives
a longitudinal vibratory motion from a crank or eccentric on the main
actuating shaft. of the machine, and it also receives a simultaneous rocking
motion in a lateral direction.
The bottom of the main trough or vessel has a number of closed apertures
made therein for the purpose of removing the deposit which collects thereon,
these apertures being made gradually nearer together as they approach one
end of the vessel, at which part also they are separated by double inclined
partitions. A feeding hopper is employed provided with a rose jet at its dis-
charging mouth, which jet directs a number of fine streams of water upwards
into the minerals or ores contained in the hopper, such minerals or ores
having been previously crushed or reduced when requisite by any of the well
known methods. The richest ores or minerals pass down the vibrating
trough, and fall over at the end, being thus deposited at the end of the main
vessel farthest from the hopper, whilst the refuse matter and poorer particles

page_text: are shaken over the sides of the trough before arriving at the end: thereof,
the poorest being shaken over at the top end of the trough, and, the better
descriptions lower down, so that each aperture in the main. vessel below will
give a richer product as they approach towards the furthest end of the vessel.
The water in the vessel is stagnant, that is to say, it is not continually changed
by having a current flowing through the vessel, as is the case in other
washing machines.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood, I shall
now proceed more. particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose. I
shall refer to the several Figures on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed,
the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts throughout all the
Figures.
"
Figure 1 of the Drawings represents a.. longitudinal vertical section of the
improved ore washing machine; Figure 2 is a corresponding plan of the
same; and Figure 3. is a view of the driving end of the apparatus corresponding
to Figure 1. The constant and regular distribution or supply of the minerals
or other substances to be treated is effected by the hopper A, within which is
contained the rose jet B, directing from below upwards a number of fine jets
or streams of water supplied from the tank C through the pipe D. By this
means the settlement or deposition of sand and all irregularity in the feed is
obviated, the minerals descending in a constant and regular manner.
The main and lower portion of the apparatus consists of a long trough or
vessel D', having a constant and stagnant amount of water therein, within
which is placed a trough E, which is tapered towards one end, and slightly
concave in section. It is subjected to a longitudinal reciprocating motion
and to an oscillating motion on its longitudinal axis. This trough E is
inclined downwards towards its narrow end, such inclination being regulated
by the adjustable bent bracket at X, fitted to the end of the trough D¹ by
the screw a, a stationary pin or axis in. the bracket working freely through an
aperture in the end piece of the trough E. Figures 4. and 5 represent
respectively transverse sections of the upper and lower ends of the trough E.
The wider and higher end of the same trough is fitted with a cross bar a¹, to
which is secured the longitudinal vibrating rod or axis a.
The longitudinal vibratory motion is imparted to the trough E, by means of
the eccentric F, keyed. on to the shaft G, driven by any convenient primo
nover through the driving pullies P, or by hand if preferred. The transverso
oscillating motion of the trough E is derived from the following combination :-
The shaft G carries at one extremity an endless screw h, which gears with a
worm wheel i, keyed on to a spindle j, working in two small bearings. This

page_text: spindle has fitted to one end a crank 1, having a number of holes made
therein, in one or other of which is fitted a crank pin, connecting the rod m,
which is coupled at its other end with a lever n. This lever vibrates on a
fixed centre y, in the arm or support o, secured to one side of the main
vessel D. Two chains attached to the lever y are connected to the trough E,
so that at each revolution of the crank l, a vibration is imparted to the lever y,
and thence through the chains to the trough E, which thus receives a trans-
verse oscillating motion on its longitudinal axis. This oscillation may be
greater or less according to the position of the pin in the crank Z The
bottom of the vessel D' has apertures t, t, made in it, set wider apart towards
the head of the vessel, where the poor minerals or refuse are deposited' and
gradually closer together towards the farther end of the vessel, at which part
the apertures are separated by double inclined partitions s, between which the
richer minerals or ores are deposited, those spaces nearest the end of the
vessel receiving the richest. deposits. The apparatus being set to work, the
ores, minerals, or other substances to be treated tend to descend the incline of
the trough E, the richer portions depositing on the bottom of that trough, in
order to escape at the narrowest end whilst the poorer portions not being able
to be contained longer in the trough E, the width of which become more and
more contracted, is by degrees shaken over the sides or edges of the oscillating
trough E. The products of the washing are collected by opening the aper-
tures t, which are closed again, so soon as the deposit has escaped. Those
deposits obtained from near the head of the vessel may be thrown away as
refuse, but the deposits collected from the other apertures towards the farther
end of the vessel, should according to their richness be again passed through
the apparatus. A series of such apparatus would constitute a complete ore
washing establishment. According to the nature of the substances under
treatment, the concavity of the trough E may be increased or diminished.
One of the principal advantages derived from the use of this apparatus is the
facility afforded for readily separating the various qualities of the washings or
deposits which has not been attainable under the ordinary methods adopted,
and hence a considerable loss in this respect has hitherto occurred, a con-
siderable proportion of valuable washings being thrown away with the refuse
and worthless matter.
The same system and apparatus, by suitably modifying the dimensions, may
be adopted for washing other substances, such, for example, as coal, in which
latter case the result will be reversed, as the better portions of the coal will
deposit themselves in the same parts of the trough D' that would be occupied
by the inferior deposits from metalliferous ores or earths.

page_text: Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and
original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent, is,―
First, the general construction, arrangement, and combination of apparatus
for washing ores and minerals, as herein-before described.
Second; the application and use to and in the washing of ores, minerals,
and substances of a like nature, of a longitudinally vibrating and laterally
oscillating tapered trough, contained in a tank or vessel of stagnant water
provided with different apertures for the removal of the various qualities of
washings or deposits therefrom, substantially as herein-beforo described, and
illustrated by the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Tenth day of January, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
J. HENRY JOHNSON.
(L.8.)