IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR TREATING DIAMONDIFEROUS EARTH, AND SEPARATING AND SORTING THE DIAMONDS FOUND THEREIN."
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Richardson, of the Firm Robey and Company, Lincoln,
in the County of Lincoln, Engineers, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR TREATING DIAMONDIFEROUS EARTH, AND SEPARATING AND
SORTING THE DIAMONDS FOUND THEREIN."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Richardson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 6th October 1880.
JOHN RICHARDSON, of the Firm Robey and Company, Lincoln, in the County of
Lincoln, Engineers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR TREATING DIAMONDIFEROUS
EARTH, AND SEPARATING AND SORTING THE DIAMONDS FOUND THEREIN."
This Invention relates to improvements in machinery for treating diamondiferous
earth, and separating and sorting the diamonds found therein.
Formerly this operation was performed by a number of separate machines, more
or less connected with each other, but requiring altogether a number of men to
attend to them, and consequently the owner had not only to bear the loss of wages
of said men, but also had great risk of losing many diamonds by theft.
In my Invention such improvements are made on the various machines as to
enable them to work automatically, and they are so connected together that all
operations go on consecutively and continuously from the tipping of the rough
earth into a hopper to the separating and sorting of the diamonds.
This last operation also is carried on in a closed and locked chamber, which can
be opened only by the owner periodically to remove the gems therefrom. Thus
not only is a great saving in labour effected, but absolute security from theft is
attained.
My first apparatus consists of a wrought iron or steel casing with a large hopper
shaped mouth into which the diamondiferous soil is tipped. In this hopper is a
coarse grating between which the soil falls to be acted upon by a series of steel
knives set at an angle on a revolving shaft, which knives pulverize and disintegrate

page_text: the soil, and at the same time mixes it into a pulp, with water introduced at the
hopper end of machine through a suitable orifice. The mixture then passes to
the lower end of the machine where the soil and diamonds fall through a fine
grating, and the stones are ejected by means of a steel screw blade or blades.
After the soil has been acted upon by any other well known machines to separate
the mud from it and discharge it in the form of small stones mixed with diamonds,
it is received or is passed into my sorting machine through a shoot, and is received
on a series of sieves each smaller in size and of greater fineness than the preceding
one. By these sieves the material is sorted into various degrees of fineness, and by
means of a pulsating action given to these sieves through ratchet and fork
appliances, the diamonds and jewels are gathered at the bottom of each sieve.
The apparatus is supplied with suitable entrance and exits for water, and the whole
are enclosed in an iron or steel tank, the doors of which are locked, so that the
operation of sorting is carried on, not only without the intervention of manual
labour, but also without the exposure of the jewels to the risk of being stolen.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Richardson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 5th April
1881.
JOHN RICHARDSON, of the Firm Robey and Company, of Lincoln, in the County of
Lincoln, Engineers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR TREATING DIAMONDIFEROUS
EARTH, AND SEPARATING AND SORTING THE DIAMONDS FOUND THEREIN."
This Invention relates to improvements in machinery for treating diamondiferous
earth, and separating and sorting the diamonds found therein.
Formerly this operation was performed by a number of separate machines more
or less connected with each other, but requiring altogether a number of men to
attend to them, and consequently the owner had not only to bear the loss of wages
of said men, but also had great risk of losing many diamonds by theft.
In my Invention such improvements are made on the various machines as to
enable them to work automatically, and they are so connected together that all
operations go on consecutively and continuously, from the tipping of the rough
earth into a hopper to the separating and sorting of the diamonds.
This last operation also is carried on in a closed and locked chamber, which can
be opened only by the owner periodically to remove the gems therefrom. Thus
not only is a great saving in labour effected, but absolute security from theft is
attained.
The accompanying Sheets of Drawings clearly represent my Invention.
Sheet 1 shows the first machine used in the operation, which machine consists of
a wrought iron or steel casing A, with a large hopper shaped mouth B, into which
the diamondiferous soil is tipped. In this hopper is a coarse grating C, between
which the soil falls to be acted upon by a series of steel knives D, D, set at an
angle on a revolving shaft E, which knives pulverize and disintegrate the soil, and
at the same time mixes it into a pulp with water introduced at the hopper end of
the machine through a suitable orifice. The mixture then passes to the lower end
of the machine where the soil and diamonds fall through a fine grating F, and the
stones are ejected by means of a steel screw blade or blades G..
Sheet 2 shows the washing up machinery after the soil has been acted upon by
a number of other well known machines, so as to separate the mud from it and
discharge it in the form of small stones mixed with diamonds; it is then received
or passed into this machine through the shoot a, and is received on a series of
sieves b, c, and d, each smaller in size and of greater fineness than the preceding
one. By these sieves the material is sorted into various degrees of fineness; and,
by means of a pulsating action given to these sieves through ratchet and fork
appliances e, g, the diamonds and jewels are gathered at the bottom of each
sieve.
The apparatus is supplied with suitable entrance and exits for water, and the
whole are enclosed in an iron or steel tank f, the doors h of which are locked so
that the operation of sorting is carried on, not only without the intervention of
manual labour, but also without the exposure of the jewels to the risk of being
stolen.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim as novel is, the special
construction of the two machines as described, and combining them with other
known machines in such a way as to save labour in washing diamondiferous
earth and sorting the diamonds found therein, and to prevent the risk of robbery.

page_text: Secondly. I claim the improved method of constructing the arms of washing
machines to buddle diamondiferous earth, said arms being of thin steel plates bent
to an E shape; also the method of attaching the knives to said arms.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Richardson, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Fourth day of April, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty one.
JOHN RICHARDSON. (L.S.)