IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR WASHING CRUSHED ORES
Year: 1885

page_text: I THOMAS VOSPER of 22 Stoke Newington Road in the County of Middlesex
Mining Agent do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for "IMPROVED
APPARATUS FOR WASHING CRUSHED ORES" to be as follows:-.
This invention relates to an improvement on the process of washing ores forming
the subject of an application for a Patent made by me in conjunction with John
Eastcott and bearing date the 11th day of October 1884 N° 13460.
In the Provisional Specification filed with that application the crushed ore is
described as being first delivered to a tank provided with an over-flowing stream
of water by means of which the lighter portions of the slimes are removed from
the metallic particles.
These latter as they fall to the bottom of the tank are collected and then
submitted to a rotating screen mounted in a second tank and charged with water-
By the action of this screen the coarser and finer particles of the ore are separated
and delivered into receptacles from which they may be taken to undergo further
treatment.
The object of the present Invention is to subject to further treatment in a simple
and efficient manner the washed ore received from the second tank.
To this end I provide an endless apron composed of boards attached to a pair
of endless chains carried by chain wheels which wheels are so disposed as to give
the endless apron a slight inclination. The axles of these chain wheels I mount in
bearings carried by suitable framework and this framework I place above a tank
which is supplied with water for washing the travelling apron-The washed ore to
be submitted to this apparatus is delivered on to the apron near the upper chain
wheels and a stream of water is discharged onto the apron at the upper chain
wheels. A travelling motion is given to the apron to meet the descending stream
of water and thus the ore delivered onto the apron will in passing upwards be
subjected to the action of the downflow of water By this means the waste will
be washed off and discharged over the end of the tank. The fine ore adhereing to
the table will be carried over into the tank and be washed off the apron during
the back traverse of the boards composing the surface of the apron-The metallic
particles as they fall to the bottom of the tank may be collected by an Archimedean
screw and delivered into a well ready for transference by, an elevator to a suitable
receptacle To prevent the downstream washing the ore over the edges of the
T

page_text: apron I provide fixed guides for the apron to run in and I make these guides.
watertight by means of felt or equivalent material-As the apron will be made of
large dimensions it will be desirable to give its upper part internal support This
may be done by providing a series of anti friction rollers within the apron the
same being adjusted so that the loaded portion of the apron shall run in contact
therewith.
When washing ore for the recovery of gold for example it may be desirable to
cover the boards with flannel canvas or equivalent material the better to ensure
the adhesion of the fine metallic particles to the endless apron.
Dated this 16th day of June 1885.
Exhibited to me this 16 day of
June 1885, by Thomas Vosper,
the declarant,
ROBERT BISHOP.

page_text: I, THOMAS VOSPER of 22 Stoke Newington Road in the County of Middlesex
Mining Agent do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
This invention relates mainly to an improvement on the process of washing ores
forming the subject of Letters Patent granted to me in conjunction with John
Eastcott and bearing date the 11th day of October 1884 N° 13460 but it applies
also to the treatment of crushed ores as they leave the stamps and of the waste
resulting from the processes ordinarily used by miners in separating the metal from
the earthy constitutents of the ore such waste containing an appreciable amount of
recoverable metal.
In the Specification of the above named patent the crushed ore is described as
being first delivered to a tank provided with an overflowing stream of water by
means of which the lighter portion of the slimes are removed from the metallic
particles.
These latter as they fall to the bottom of the tank are collected and then
submitted to a rotating screen mounted in a second tank and charged with water.
By the action of this screen the coarser and finer particles of the ore are separated
and delivered into receptacles from which they may be taken to undergo further
treatment.
The present invention consists in means for subjecting to further treatment in a
simple and efficient manner the washed ore received from the second tank or it
may be the crushed ores or waste products obtained as above indicated.
In the accompanying Drawings
Fig. 1. is a longitudinal vertical section of a machine which I employ for
further treating the washed ores or washing the ore taken directly from the stamps
or for recovering from waste products the metallic particles contained therein.
A is a rectangular tank fitted at top with a framing of cast iron B-This framing
is cast at its opposite ends with brackets for receiving the bearings of two chain
wheel axles CC on which are respectively mounted drums D, D₁ for carrying an
endless apron E.
Fig. 2 is a partial edge view of this endless apron on an enlarged scale.
Fig. 3 is a partial plan view of the same and
Fig. 4 is a partial transverse section of the apron showing one of a pair of fixed
guides in which the apron and the chain which carries it travels.
The endless apron is composed of a series of overlapping boards pivotted at
their opposite ends to a pair of endless chains F carried by two pairs of chain-
wheels one of which wheels is shown at G, Fig. 2.
These two pairs of chain wheels are made of different diameters and are so
disposed as to give the endless apron a slight inclination towards its discharging
end as shown at Fig. 1. The tank A is supplied with water for washing the
travelling apron F from a feeding trough H which delivers it onto the upper
end of the apron together with the crushed ore or waste product intended to be
submitted to this apparatus,

page_text: By means of suitable gearing connected with the axle O a slow travelling motion
in the direction of the arrow Fig. 1 is given to the apron to meet the descending
stream of mixed ore and water and thus the fine particles of metal delivered onto
the apron will by reason of their tendency to adhere thereto be carried upwards
and subjected to the action of the continuous down flow of water-By this means
the slimes or other extraneous matter delivered to the machine will be carried
down the incline washed off and discharged over the end of the tank.
At the same time the fine particles of metal adhering to the apron will be carried
upwards and over into the tank and be washed off the apron during the back
traverse of the boards composing the surface of the apron. These metallic particles
as they fall to the bottom of the tank may be conveniently collected by an
archimedian screw and delivered in the well-known manner into a well ready for
transference by an elevator to a suitable receptacle-To prevent the downstream
washing the ore over the edges of the apron I provide a pair of fixed guides I (see
Fig. 4) for the apron to run in and I make these guides water-tight by means of
felt or equivalent material fitted to the ends of the boards. As the apron will be
made of large dimensions it will be desirable to give its upper part internal
support This may be done by providing a series of anti friction rollers as shown
at K, K, K, Fig. 1 within the apron the same being adjusted so that the loaded.
portion of the apron shall run in contact therewith These rollers have their
bearings in longitudinal bars carried by transverse bars A¹ of the framing A.
When washing ore for the recovery of precious metals gold for example it may
be desirable to cover the boards from end to end thereof with flannel canvas or
equivalent material the better to ensure the adhesion of the fine metallic particles
to the endless apron while the descending stream of water discharges the extraneous
matters from the lower end of the apron.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said.
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what.
I claim is:-
The arrangement of apparatus above described for separating particles from the
extraneous matters with which they are combined.