IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT OF MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING METALLIC AND OTHER BODIES FROM CALCAREOUS AND OTHER EARTHS
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Benjamin Tillett of Wellsville Bulwer Road, Fillebrook
Estate, Leytonstone in the County of Essex for an invention of IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT OF MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
FOR SEPARATING METALLIC AND OTHER BODIES FROM CALCAREOUS AND OTHER
EARTHS A communication from abroad by Erastus S. Bennett of Denver
Colorado in the United States of America
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Benjamin Tillett at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 4th April 1882..
BENJAMIN TILLETT of Wellsville, Bulwer Road, Fillebrook Estate, Leytonstone
in the County of Essex "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGE-
MENT OF MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING METALLIC AND OTHER
BODIES FROM CALCAREOUS AND OTHER EARTHS (A communication from abroad
by Erastus S. Bennett of Denver, Colorado in the United States of America.
"
The object of this invention is machinery for washing earths and separating gold
and other metals held therein, the washing and separating may be effected by a
couple or more of operations or by one continued operation in the same or in
separate machines which may be of a portable character and arranged in
proximity
The quartz or other earth is placed in a revolving drum of wire or meshed work
and provided with a screw like blade or a number of them if desired in the interior,
so that the particles larger than the meshes may pass to the end to be further
reduced, the finer particles pass through the meshes and meet with jets of water
forced upwards in all directions from nozzles which saturate and partly break up
the particles.
The particles fall into the bottom of the vessel containing the nozzles from which
the water keeps up a continual agitation as the washed material moves towards the
further end of the machine from which it is lifted by an elevator wheel to be
deposited into a shoot.
The lower part of the machine is provided with one or more pumps driven by.
suitable gearing and power.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in
pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed.
by the said Benjamin Tillet in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
2nd October 1882.
BENJAMIN TILLETT, of Wellsville, Bulwer Road, Fillebrook Estate, Leytonstone,
in the County of Essex "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGE-
MENT OF MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING METALLIC AND OTHER
BODIES FROM CALCAREOUS AND OTHER EARTHS." (A communication from abroad
by Érastus S. Bennett, of Denver, Colorado, in the United States of America.)
The object of this Invention is machinery for washing earths and separating gold
and other metals held therein, the washing and separating may be effected by a
couple or more of operations or by one continued operation in the same or in
separate machines which may be of a portable character and arranged in proximity.
The quartz or other earth in a pulverised state is placed in a revolving drum of
wire or meshed work and provided with a screw like blade or a number of them if
desired in the interior, so that the particles larger than the meshes may pass to the
end to be further reduced. The finer particles pass through the meshes and meet
with jets of water forced upwards in all directions from nozzles which saturate and
partly break up the particles. The particles fall into the bottom of the vessel
containing the nozzles from which the water keeps up a continual agitation as the
washed material moves towards the further end of the machine from which it is
lifted by an elevator wheel to be deposited into a shoot. The lower part of the
machine is provided with one or more pumps driven by suitable gearing power.
The principles employed are gravitation and amalgamation, The gravitation
takes place in comparatively still water, is assisted by the descending currents
(caused by the ascending jet currents) which carry the particles from the centre to
and down the sides of the main tank (even when so light as to float on water) and
against the corrugated faces of amalgam plates. Gravitation is still further assisted
by the jarring motion caused by the engine. This jarring motion may be increased
by notching the collars on the cylindrical grate so that, a vertical jarring will be
iniparted to the tank which rests on springs as shewn in the drawings hereunto
annexed..
Amalgamation takes place theoretically, the instant a particle of gold touches a
surface of quicksilver, but practically, not so quickly. Stamp mills give two chances
for amalgamation and yet lose much gold.
In this machine, the gold which is not caught on the first plate is taken by a jet
of water and thrown upward and forward so that it gets a second dropping on the
plate a little in advance of where it first fell, if not caught it is again thrown
upward and forward and so on until it has had from 15 to 20 such projections,
Each time it is thus projected it alights on one of the many steps which form the
corrugations; each of these steps has a very slight inclination so that it soon shakes
off from the first down on to the next and if yet uncaught down on to the next
and so on until it reaches the bottom where unless very light it will settle down
between and below the jets; if very light it may ride the sand (of which there is
always a little around the jets) and be taken by the next jet and projected for
another trip down the plates.
Thus each particle receives 15 to 20 main chances each main chance including
about 20 minor chances for amalgamation, making a total of three or four hundred
chances as against the two chances given by the stamp mill.
This process is assisted by the scouring process the particles receive both in the
cylindrical grate and each time the particle comes in contact with a jet, so that even

page_text: rusty or coated gold, will be cleaned so as to enable the plates to lay hold of it ere
it reaches the end of the treatment.
The machine consists of a grate, hopper, feeder, cylindrical grate, supply water
pipes, jets, amalgamating surfaces, tailing tank, tailing wheel, and engine.
The material to be treated is hauled to the machine usually by scrapers and
dumped on the grate A. This grate is set at an incline, so that stones too large to
pass its openings slide off at its lower end and are thus got out of the way of coming
loads of gravel. What passes through this grate, the pay dirt and stones to be
treated drops into the hopper B which passes it into the feeder C, the latter
revolves with the cylindrical grate and is provided with flights ċ which carry the
material into the cylindrical grate D. This cylindrical grate is partially submerged
in the water in the main tank F. This partial submerging of the cylindrical grate
is a most important part of the plan of operation, because First; the material as it
leaves the feeder C drops into water instead of directly on the screen of the grate D.
Second; While the screening is proceeding each particle is being washed the clay
is being dissolved as well as broken up and as the cylinder is revolving, the water
which rushes in at one side lifts and loosens the material while that which is
rushing out at the other carries the pay dirt out into the tank F for treatment.
Third being submerged and revolving, the direction of these ingoing and outgoing
waters is changed constantly with reference to the screen, for the part of the grate
at which the water is rushing out at one instant is the next instant the part
through which it is rushing in with equal force. This constant change of direction
of flow through the screen D prevents the wedging of particles in the mesh which
would otherwise take place to an extent to materially interfere with the
effectiveness of the screen.
The general advantages of the submerging of the cylinder D are obvious and its
being thus partially submerged is an important factor in the process.
The material is carried over the surfaces of the double grate by means of
archimedian screws d inside the course grate D and between it, and the fine grate
composing the cylindrical grate. When the thoroughly washed refuse reaches the
discharging end D' of the cylinder it is lifted up and thrown out as course tailings
by means of suitable shaped pieces of metal set for that purpose.
The entire inner surface of the main tank F is lined with amalgam plates a a
which are corrugated so as when in position they form a series of steps from top to
bottom. The tank F has two V shaped valleys in its bottom; there may be more
or less of these valleys or the tank may be of any other shape so long as the active
surfaces form one or more valleys. In the bottom of each valley thus formed is a
line of water jets e receiving their water supply from any suitable point. These
jets have considerable force and are arranged to throw the streams of water
upward to the surface of the water in the tank; they have also a slightly forward
inclination and are pointed alternately a very little to the right and left in a tank.
As the material or pay dirt and sand is washed out of the cylindrical grate D it
drops through the water onto the steps of the amalgam plates a.
The jarring
motion before referred to causes it to drop from step to step on these plates a until
it reaches the bottom. Here it is taken by the first of the series of jets e and
projected upward and forward and slightly to the side so as to deposit the material
again on the steps but a little further forward, it again is jarred from step to step
until it reaches the bottom and is again taken by a jet, which operation is repeated
until it reaches the tailing end of the machine when the last few jets throw it into
the tailing tank F' through openings f¹ between the two tanks, here it settles and
is taken up by the buckets g of the tailing wheel G and discharged via plate and
shoot H as fine tailings.
The main tank F should have an inclined or angular bottom. Any other device
may be used for taking out the fine tailings such as an endless chain or other
belt provided with suitable buckets, or a tailing wheel dumping at the periphery
or from its face will answer, but I prefer the kind shewn in the drawings.
The columns of water thrown by the jets e may be square, round, oval or

page_text: 'oblong as to their cross sections, but I prefer them round and there may be any
number of them; they may be combined so that instead of jets the water shall
be in the shape of a sheet or sheets, I prefer however to use the jets.
The revolving grate D may be of any form as square or many sided as to its
transverse section, and may be constructed in any suitable manner so long as it
receives either a continuous, intermitent or reciprocating rotary motion; as it is
evident that either of these would accomplish the purpose. I prefer however the
'continuous rotary motion.
The plates a may be corrugated in any desired form but I prefer them in steps.
The revolving or vibrating grate D must be so placed as to be partially submerged
in the water when the tank E is full as it always is in operation.
The following is a description of the annexed drawings.
Figure 1, is a side elevation of the machine complete.
Figure 2, is a front end elevation looking at tailing wheel.
Figure 3, is a back end elevation looking at cylinder.
Figure 4 is a longitudinal section made on line C Figure 2.
Figure 5, is a transverse section made on line B Figure 1; and
Figure 6, is a transverse section cutting through Cylinder on line A Figure 1.
E E are the pipes with the jets e attached to lead the water from the supply
pipe E. is a partition separating the upper part of the main tank F from the
tailing tank F. j and j¹ are chains, connecting the sprocket wheels kl for giving
the necessary motion to the tailing wheel G from the main shaft I through the
shaft K and worm gearing I the Cylinder D also receiving its motion in a similar
manner by the chains j¹¹¹ and sprocket wheels k² and 5, J being the steam
engine by which the several parts are operated. are the springs between the
travelling wheels and the body of the machine..
Having now described the nature of the said Invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I declare that I claim -
The general construction and arrangement of parts forming a machine as
described and shown in the annexed drawings for treating auriferous material as
set forth.
Secondly, I claim :-The partially submerged revolving double meshed cylinder D
as and for the purposes described.
Thirdly The arrangement of the jets e as and for the purposes set forth.
Fourthly. The rotating tailing wheel G in combination with the jets e as and
for the purposes described.
In witness whereof I the said Benjamin Tillett have hereunto set my hand
and seal this Twenty ninth day of September in the year of our Lord,
One thousand eight hundred and eighty two.