Improvements in Apparatus for the Amalgamation of Gold.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Apr., 1887
Complete Left, 18th Jan., 1888
Complete Accepted, 24th Feb., 1888
PROVIDIUNAL OF MUIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for the Amalgamation of Gold.
I, ALFRED WOODHOUSE, Mining Engineer, of 20 Upper Phillimore Gardens,
Kensington, W., do hereby declare the nature of the said invention to be as
follows:
-
My invention relates to apparatus for effecting the amalgamation of gold from its
crushed ores, and is designed to effect that amalgamation more perfectly by direct
contact without mechanical agitation.
My apparatus consists of all or several of the following devices, part of which are
known, and others improvements to be used in combination therewith.
The ore is first to be crushed or reduced to fine powder by any known mill or
pulverizer, and the crushed products are, after admixture with mercury or otherwise,
washed by a suitable stream of water to effect uniform delivery into a canister or box
provided with a perforated bottom, which, if of copper, is either amalgamated in the
usual way or electro-plated with silver.
The crushed ore is thence delivered upon a dropping amalgamator or silvered
copper table, with return incline, and provided with a retaining lip at the lower edge.
Thence the amalgamated ore is discharged over the usual known ripples, with or
without splash or guide boards, an inclined plane or planes, amalgamated or silvered,
amongst which I introduce an incline or inclines with corrugated surface. The
corrugations may be either in the ordinary rounded waves, or with sharp apices, or
with serrations to more effectually catch the amalgamated gold, the corrugations being
transverse to the flow of the ore.
I further add an amalgamating box or divided chamber of suitable material (such
as copper amalgamated or silvered) provided with a series of check gates.
These check gates consist of vertical plates placed transversely to the flow of the
amalgamated ore, and provided with orifices with side projecting faces or wings, the
orifices being so arranged as to flank each other in the successive check gates.
I may further use any suitable number of "ripples" amongst or beyond these
check gates.
By the combination of all or several of these devices, I seek to effect as perfect
amalgamation as possible of the pulverised gold ore by direct contact with the mercury
as it flows through the said apparatus, and without mechanical agitation.
Dated this 16th day of April 1887.
FELL & WILDING,
1, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: improvошению ш арраланин гVI
I, ALFRED WOODHOUSE, Mining Engineer, of 20 Upper Phillimore Gardens,
Kensington, W., 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 following statement :—
My invention relates to apparatus for effecting the amalgamation of gold from its
crushed ores and is designed to effect that amalgamation more perfectly by direct
contact without mechanical agitation.
My apparatus consists of all or several of the following devices part of which are
known and are used in combination with the novel amalgamating box as hereinafter
described.
In order that my invention may be the better understood I now proceed to describe
the same in relation to the drawings hereunto annexed, reference being had to the letters
and figures marked thereon.
Figure 1 is a general sectional elevation of a complete gold amalgamating mill.
Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional elevation of my improved amalgamating box.
Figure 3 is a part sectional plan of the same on the line C D.
The ore is first to be crushed or reduced to fine powder by any known mill or
pulverizer a, and the crushed products are after admixture with mercury washod by a
suitable stream of water to effect uniform delivery into a canister or box b provided
with a perforated bottom which, if of copper, is either amalgamated in the usual way
or electro-plated with silver.
The crushed ore is thence delivered upon a dropping amalgamator or silvered
copper table c with return incline and provided with a retaining lip at the lower edge.
Thence the amalgamated ore is discharged over the usual known"
"with or
ripples
without splash or guide boards and inclined plane or planes dd amalgamated or
silvered, some of which are formed with corrugated surfaces. The corrugations may
be either ordinary rounded waves or with sharp apices or with serrations, to more
effectively catch the amalgamated gold, the corrugations being transverse to the flow
of the ore.
In combination with these more or less known devices, I use an amalgamating box
or divided chamber e of suitable material such as copper (amalgamated or silvered).
I construct this chamber or box as follows and as shown in detail in figures 2 and 3.
The box or chamber is divided by a series of vertical plates ff placed transversely to
the flow of the amalgamated ore and provided with orifices gg with side projecting
faces or wings hh the orifices being so arranged as to Hank each other in the
successive check gates. I may further use any suitable number of " ripples
amongst or beyond these check gates.
ور
By the combination of all or several of these devices I seek to effect as perfect an

page_text: amalgamation as possible of the pulverised gold ore by direct contact with the
mercury as it flows through the said apparatus without mechanical agitation.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1st. The combination of a known ore mill or pulverizer, perforated distributor,
inclined amalgamating inclines plain or corrugated, and "ripples," with an amal-
gamating box, provided with check gates, substantially as described.
2nd. The construction and use in a gold amalgamating apparatus of an amal-
gamating box, consisting of a series of vertical plates placed transversely to the flow
of the amalgamated ore, and provided with orifices and side projecting faces or wings,
the orifices being so arranged as to flank each other in the successive check gates,
substantially as described.
1000