AN IMPROVED METHOD OF PREVENTING THE POLLUTION OF RIVERS BY MINING OR MANUFACTURING WORKS, AND DMPROVED APPARATUS IN CONNECTION THEREWITH
Year: 1883

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Thomas Davies Harries at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 30th October 1883.
THOMAS DAVIES HARRIES, of Aberystwith, in the County of Cardigan, Wales,
"AN IMPROVED METHOD OF PREVENTING THE POLLUTION OF RIVERS BY MINING
OR MANUFACTURING WORKS, AND DMPROVED APPARATUS IN CONNECTION
THEREWITH
The chief feature of my improved method or process is, that none of the polluted
wator leaving a mino, or factory, will be allowed to escape into the Streams or
Rivers.
Premising that my Invention is equally applicable to Tanneries and all kinds of
Manufactories, I will proceed to describo it, for example, as applied to Metalliferous
Mines
The polluted water leaving the dressing floors runs into a collecting Tank or
Reservoir, from whence it is pumped into another Reservoir (of a sufficient capacity
to contain the whole of the polluted water after one day's operation) placed at the
head of the dressing floors, where it is allowed to rest during the night. By the
morning the water is clarified, and is again used for the dressing floors. In this
way the water, after clarification, is used over and over again throughout the year,
a fresh water supply pipe being provided to compensate for loss from evaporation
and waste.
In order to carry out this process effectually, all that is required are three
reservoirs, each of sufficient capacity to contain the polluted water from one day's
operations; one roservoir situate below the dressing floors and two reservoirs
situato above the floors.
Referring to the accompanying Sheet of Drawing:-
Let A be the Reservoir below the floors, and B and C the two above the floors.
The process will be as follows:-
Start with B full of water.-A and C empty. The water from B supplies the
dressing floors for one day, arriving in a polluted condition at A. From A it is
pumped back into C, where it remains at rest until next morning, when C supplies
the floors, and the water is again pumped back into B, there again to rest during
tho night.

page_text: In this way the water is used over and over again, after twelve hours absolute
rest; or, in other words, whilst B supplies the floors, C receives the water pumped
back from A, and vice-versa.
The main object of Reservoir A is to provide for cases where there is not
sufficient motive power to spare for pumping back the polluted water during the
day. In that case the whole of the water is allowed to remain in Reservoir A
until the dressing machinery has ceased working, when the whole of the power
becomes available for pumping back the water.
Each Reservoir may be constructed to contain one day's supply of water,
together with three foot in depth for residual water, in which the settling takes
place, and which is not drawn off (or any suitable dimensions may be used).
When this residual water becomes displaced by slime the Reservoirs must be
cleared, which would take place say every six or nine months, according to
requirement.
The above is applicable to every mine, and, as is evident, at a nominal cost.
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