IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING OR REDUCING ORES AND IN THE ADDARATHE EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Benson, of Allerwash House, Hexham,
in the County of Northumberland, Colliery Proprietor, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING OR REDUCING ORES AND IN THE
ADDARATHE EMPLOYED THEREIN"
Sealed the 9th November 1869, and dated the 18th May 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Benson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
18th May 1869.
I, WILLIAM BENSON, of Allerwash House, Hexham, in the County of
Northumberland, Colliery Proprietor, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING OR REDUCING ORES AND
IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object the more effectually and speedily
reducing ores or minerals for the purpose of washing or separating them
either from one another or from certain of their constituents, and consists
in the employment for that purpose of an arrangement of edge runners
in place of stamps which have hitherto been employed. The ores or
minerals may be fed to the runners by means of an upright hollow shaft,

page_text: the lower portion of which is conical, and over the exterior of the cono
and through openings in the shaft the ores or minerals are carried by
thin streams of water to the bottom of the pan or saucer and underneath
the edge rolls, by which means, the ores or minerals are ground or
reduced to a fine thin pulp or "slime," which is afterwards carried off
through openings in the side of the pan or saucer for subsequent treat-
ment; or the ores or minerals may be fed under the runners by spouts or
conduits from the exterior, or through the rim of the pan or saucer.
By these means a uniform and thin feed of the orcs or minerals is
continuously attained.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Benson in the Great Scal Patent Office
on the 16th November 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
BENSON, of Allerwash House, Hexham, in the County of North-
umberland, Colliery Proprietor, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Benson, Her special license
that I, the said William Benson, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said William Benson, my executors,
administrators, or assigns, 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 Irclaud, tho
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
TREATING OR REDUCING OBES AND IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Benson, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and seal, 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 noxt and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Benson, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
My said Invention has for its object the more effectually and speedily
reducing ores or minerals for the purpose of washing or separating
them either from one another or from certain of their constituents,
and consists in the employment for that purpose of an arrangement
of edge runners in place of stamps which have hitherto been employed.
The ores or minerals fed to the runners by means of an upright hollow
shaft, the lower portion of which is provided with lateral openings
and inclined spouts, over which spouts and through the openings in
the shaft the orcs or minerals are carried by thin streams of water
to the bottom of the pan or saucer and underneath the edge rolls,
by which means the ores or minerals are ground or reduced to a fine
thin sludge or slime. This is afterwards carried off through openings
in the side of the pan or saucer for subsequent treatment, wire gauze
being placed over the mouths of the openings to prevent the passing
through any material not sufficiently crushed; or the ores or minerals
may be fed under the runners by spouts or conduits from the exterior,
or through the rim of the pan or saucer. By this means a uniform
and thin feed of the ores or minerals is continuously attained.
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 shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of
Drawings, the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts
in all the Figures.
Figure 1 of my Drawings represents a side elevation of an arrange-
ment of edge runners for reducing ores or minerals; Figure 2 is an
elevation at right angles to Figure 1, with one half in section, and
shewing one of my modes of feeding or supplying the ores or minerals
under the edge runners; Figure 3 is a plan corresponding to Figure 1;
and Figure 4 is a horizontal section taken along the line 1-2 in
Figure 2.
A is a bed or foundation of masonry upon which are bolted the
circular bed plate B and footstep bearing C. Two concentric annular

page_text: c, c, are two
projections a are cast on the surface of the bed plate, which constitutes
the bottom of the annular trough or saucer D, the sides of which
trough are cast with or secured at their lower edges to the undercut
or dovetailed edges of the raised annular projections before referred
to. Between these annular projections is screwed an annular steel or
chilled cast-iron plate forming the surface upon which the edge
ruuners E, E, operate. An internal projecting rim or flange c is bolted
round the outer rim or edge of the annular trough in order to prevent
any accidental escape of the semi-fluid material contained in such trough
over the rim thereof. F is a vertical shaft turning in the footstep
bearing C, and in a collar bearing G, fixed to the main framing II;
this shaft carries a large bevel wheel I in gear with the bevel wheel
K fast on the driving shaft L, and thus receives a rotatory motion there-
from. The upper portion of the shaft F is made hollow, as shewn
at d, and by preference with the hollow portion slightly expanding
downwards in order to avoid any risk of the passage being choked up
by the lodgement of fragments of ore or mineral therein.
lateral openings made in the shaft and communicating with inclined
spouts M, M, which project over or into the annular trough D. The
interior of the upper end of the shaft is expanded sufficiently to receive
the lower extremity of an inclined spout N, in connection with a
feeding hopper O for supplying the ores or minerals to be treated to
the edge runners, or a funnel may be placed therein for that purpose:
this hopper may be provided with a regulating slide and with a
pipe and stop cock g for introducing a jet of water into and amongst
the small or crushed ores or minerals on their way down the spout N
to the tubular shaft. F. The top of the spout N may be made to open on
hinges, as shewn at h, for the purpose of clearing the same in case of
obstruction, and cross bars, as shewn in Figures 2 and 3, may be fitted
across the mouth of the hollow shaft F, in order to prevent the entrance
of fragments of ore or mineral of a size which would be liable to choke
up the passage and outlets below; P, P, are the yokes for propelling
the edge runners; they are bolted to the cross beams Q, Q, which are
secured to and revolve with the vertical shaft F. The crushed orc or
mineral to be operated upon are supplied to the feeding hopper O,
by elevators or otherwise, and descend thence along with a small
stream of water from the pipe g into the trough or saucer D, through
the spout N, tubular shaft F, and inclined spouts M, M, which direct
them under the edge runners. These latter as. they travel round

page_text: reduce the hard substances, to a powder by crushing or grinding them
between the steel or chilled cast-iron bed plate b, and the steel or iron
rim or tyre i keyed on to the stone runners. As the substances are
reduced they form in conjunction with the water a thin "sludge " or
slime, which flows out of the trough through the pipes R, R, carrying
with it in mechanical suspension the finely pulverized or reduced ores
or minerals and discharging the same into an annular gutter S, whence
the sludge is removed for the subsequent processes of making and
separating the solid contents; or the pipes R, R, may be made to
convey the semi-fluid material direct to the place where it is to be
further treated. The pipes R, R, are provided with wire gauze k, in
order to prevent any large or uncrushed substance from passing through
them.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature 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 reducing of ores and minerals mixed with water to a
fine state of division or sludge by means of edge runners working in
a trough or saucer substantially as and for the purpose hercin-before
described.
Second. The application and use to and in the feeding of ores and
minerals underneath edge runners of a hollow or tubular shaft fitted
with inclined spouts, and arranged and operating substantially as hercin-
before described.
Third. The combination of edge runners with an annular trough
or saucer provided with suitable outlet pipes or openings in the side
substantially as and for the purpose herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Benson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Thirteenth day of November One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-nine.