A NEW OR IMPROVED METHOD OF EXTRACTING METALS FROM THE MATERIAL FOUND COMBINED WITH COAL COMMONLY KNOWN AS IRON STONE
Year: 1884

page_text: I JOHN MILES Chief Engineer of the First Avenue Hotel, High Holborn in
the county of Middlesex do hereby declare the nature of my said invention
for A NEW OR IMPROVED METHOD OF EXTRACTING METALS FROM THE MATERIAL
FOUND COMBINED WITH COAL COMMONLY KNOWN AS IRON STONE to be as
follows:-.
The object of my invention is to extract the metals in a certain degree of purity
from the material found combined in a greater or less proportion with most coals
commonly known as iron stone so as to enable me to use these metals for a variety
of purposes.
With this object I take this iron stone in its natural state and burn it in
conjunction with coal in any convenient manner for a period of twenty four hours
or thereabouts. I find that the coal known as Derby Brights or Anthracite
smokeless steam coal is very suitable for this purpose and the burning can be
effected in any furnace or grate but preferably by what is known as the slow
combustion process. The iron stone is thus left in its primitive state all foreign
matters being burnt away from it. I then place the iron stone in a retort preferably
made with a steel bottom and sides and an iron cover and lined outside with fire
brick or cement to retain the heat. In this retort is also placed an equal amount
or thereabouts of steel preferably broken up into small pieces and a great heat is
applied to this retort for a period of forty eight hours or thereabouts but this heat
must not be sufficient to melt the metal. The whole inass is then drawn out of the
retort into a closed metal vessel and is allowed to cool down. It will then be found
that part of the iron stone is reduced to a fine metallic powder and the whole mass
consisting partly of this powder and partly of pieces of metal is placed in a closed
chamber across the upper part of which is a sheet of fine wire gauze above which
in the sides or walls of the chamber are a series of recesses. Communicating with
the lower part of the chamber is the pipe from any suitable air blower and an exit
pipe for the air is fitted to the top of the chamber the internal mouth of which
n

page_text: pipe is closed by extremely fine wire gauze to prevent the exit of any of the
powder. A current of air is then sent into the chamber by the blower and the
powder is separated from the pieces of metal and by the action of this current of
air passed through the sheet of wire gauze and lodged in the recesses in the sides
or walls of the chamber above the same. This process is continued until an entire
separation is effected between the powder and the pieces of metal when the metallic
powder can be collected out of the recesses and the pieces of metal will be found in
a clean state and in a certain degree of purity on the floor of the chamber when
both the powder and the pieces of metal are ready to be used in and for the
purposes to which I propose to apply them.

page_text: I JOHN MILES Chief Engineer of the First Avenue Hotel High Holborn in
the county of Middlesex do hereby declare the nature of my said invention
for A NEW OR IMPROVED METHOD OF EXTRACTING METALS FROM THE MATERIAL
FOUND COMBINED WITH COAL COMMONLY KNOWN AS IRON STONE and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:-
The object of my invention is to extract the metals in a certain degree of purity
from the material found combined in a greater or less proportion with most coals
commonly known as iron stone so as to enable me to use these metals in different
forms for a variety of purposes as I shall deem expedient.
To carry out this object I take this iron stone in its natural state as found and
I burn the said iron stone in conjunction with coal in any convenient manner for a
period of twenty four hours or thereabouts. I find that the coal known as Derby
Brights or Anthracite smokeless steam coal is very suitable for this purpose and
the burning aforesaid can be effected in any furnace or grate but preferably by
what is known as the slow combustion process or system. At the termination of
this burning aforesaid the iron stone is left in its primitive state and partially in
the form of a very rough powder all foreign matters having been burnt away
therefrom. I then place the whole of the iron stone in whatever form it may be in
a suitable retort and preferably made with a steel bottom and sides and an iron
cover and lined outside with fire brick or cement or other suitable substance to
retain the heat. In this retort I also place an equal quantity of steel or thereabouts*
preferably broken up into small pieces and the retort is closed when an intense heat
is applied thereto for a period of forty eight hours or thereabouts. This heat is
preferably as intense as is possible or practicable without melting the metal inside
the retort and may be produced and applied by and in any convenient and suitable
method and means. At the termination of the aforesaid period of forty eight hours
or thereabouts the whole mass is drawn out of the retort and placed in a closed
metal vessel wherein the said mass is allowed gradually to cool down. It will then
be found that a large part or proportion of the iron stone has been reduced to a
comparatively fine powder and this powder which may afterwards if required be
ground in any suitable mill or otherwise until it is reduced to the desired degree of
fineness is separated in any convenient manner from the pieces of metal when both
the powder and the pieces of metal aforesaid are ready to be used in and for the
purposes to which I may propose to apply them.
A convenient method of effecting the aforesaid separation of the powder and the
pieces of metal consists in placing the whole mass in a closed chamber across the
upper part of which is stretched a sheet of fine wire gauze or other analogous
contrivance or article above which in the sides or walls of the chamber are a series
of recesses. A pipe from any suitable blower is led into the lower part of this
chamber and an exit pipe for the air is fitted to the top of the said chamber across
the internal mouth of which exit pipe is stretched a sheet of extremely fine wire
gauze to prevent the exit of any part of the powder through the pipe. A current
of air is then sent through the chamber by the blower and the powder is separated
from the pieces of metal and by the action of this current of air is passed through
the sheet of fine wire gauze or other contrivance or article and lodged in the recesses
in the sides or walls of the chamber hereinbefore described above the same whence
when the separation aforesaid is entirely effected the said powder can be collected.

page_text: 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 method of and process for extracting metals from the material found
combined with coal commonly known as iron stone substantially as herein before 5
described and set forth.
.