AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AMALGAMATING OR SEPARATING METALS FROM THEIR ORES
Year: 1884

page_text: I, JONATHAN ALDOUS MAYS of the National Liberal Club, Charing Cross, in
the City of Westminster, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention
for AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AMALGAMATING OR SEPARATING METALS FROM THEIR
ORES, to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the separation or amalgamation of metals by means of
mercury the object of the invention being to secure a more completo extraction of
metals from their ores than has hitherto been effected by causing each and every
particle of the ore to be independently bathed in and surrounded by the mercury
for an appreciable period of time.
In carrying out this invention the ore which has been previously finely crushed
is introduced into or beneath the mercury (preferably beneath the surface thereof)
while the one or the other is in comparatively rapid motion.
The mercury is contained in a suitable pan or vessel which is caused to rotate
upon its axis so as to produce a ring or band of mercury rotating in a horizontal
plane. A vertical pipe or pipes leading from a basin or reservoir of powdered ore
and water is or are caused to dip into the mercury to such a depth in proportion to
the height of the reservoir as shall permit of a flow or injection of the ore and
water into the mercury. The mercury should be moving at a greater speed than
that at which the ore is being injected into it, the particles of ore will therefore be
more or less separated from each other and be carried forward in a stratified form
while held in suspension by the mercury. The particles of ore will thus be
individually separated from each other and be completely bathed in a volume of
mercury.
The metallic particles will consequently become almost immediately amalgamated
with the mercury while the non-metallic particles will continue to be carried
forward in suspension in the mercury until they reach the surface of the same
and flow away or are carried off as tailings.
Instead of rotating the mercury the ore may be fed or introduced into the
mercury by means of a pipe or feeder, or pipes or feeders, to which comparatively
rapid motion is imparted; the mercury in this case being at rest or if desired
I may give the mercury a motion in the opposite direction to that of the ore
feeders

page_text: The finely ground ore may be injected into the mercury either by means of a
head of water or by any other convenient method as for instance by means of
pressure or by injections of air or steam or water.
The ore may also be introduced into the mercury without the aid of pipes or
feeders dipping beneath the surface of the mercury by causing it to fall into and
become imbedded in the mercury by means of a head of water sufficient to effect
the incorporation of the ore with the mercury, or in any other convenient manner.
It will probably be best in all cases to adopt a rotary motion in the case of the
moving parts of the apparatus but the same object can also be attained by giving a
reciprocating or other motion to the parts.
By my improved method of amalgamating the "sickening" of the surface of the
mercury is avoided and thereby much better results can be obtained while the
numerous washings and complex operations now required will be rendered
altogether unnecessary thereby materially reducing the cost and greatly simply-
fying the operation of amalgamating or separating metals from their ores.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE
DIECIFICATION.
I, JONATHAN ALDOUS MAYS, of 20 Dalcham Gardens, London, N.W. and the
National Liberal Club, Charing Cross, in the City of Westminster, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of my said Invention for " AN IMPROVED METHOD OF
AMALGAMATING OR SEPARATING METALS FROM THEIR ORES," and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
For the purpose of amalgamating or separating gold and silver from their ores
I propose to cause the powdered ore to be immersed in a bath of mercury and to
do this in such a manner and to cause the ore to be retained therein for such an
appreciable period of time and under such conditions as that all the particles of
gold or silver exposed by the comminution of the ore shall be brought into
intimate contact with the mercury.
I seek to accomplish this object by separating or segregating the particles of ore
from each other at the moment of their entering and by reason of the conditions
under which they enter into and are retained within the bath of mercury.
I effect this separation or segregation of the particles by causing an attenuation
or thinning out of the stream or streams of ore at the moment of their admission to
the mercury by communicating motion to the mercury while admitting or injecting
the ore into it.
Thus a suitable vessel containing the mercury may be caused to rotate, or the
mercury itself may be set in motion by means of rotating arms or by any other
suitable mechanical means and the oro may be led into the bath by means of
suitable pipes so arranged as to deliver their contents beneath the surface of and
in the direction of the motion of the bath.
The ore may be mixed with water. and supplied to the distributing pipe or pipes
in the form of a pulp or sludge in the usual way from a funnel or hopper placed at
such an elevation above the bath that the column of pulp will rather more than
counter balance the resistance of the mercury.
If the mercury into which the ore is thus introduced is moving forward with
greater velocity than that at which the oro is admitted it will follow that the
sticam or streams of oro will be attenuated in the ratio of the respective velocities.
Thus if the thickness or depth of the outlets of the distributing pipes are say one
tenth of an inch in thickness or depth and if the mercury is travelling forward at
ten times the rate of the flow of the pulp it will follow that the streams of pulp
will become attenunted or reduced to say one hundredth of an inch in thickness or
depth at the moment of escaping from the distributing pipes or nozzles.
Throughout this Specification I speak of fixed or stationary distributing pipes
and nozzles, but it is to be understood that such distributing pipes and nozzles may
if thought fit be so arranged as to have à motion on the same axis as that of the

page_text: mercury. Such motion must always be in the opposite direction to that of the
mercury however, and must not be sufficient to neutralise such opposite motion of
the mercury.
In the accompanying drawings like letters and figures refer to like parts. In
Figs 1 and 2 A represents a pan of metal or other suitable material partly shown
in section and supported on framing G and made to revolve upon a vortical axis
by means of the hollow spindle S driven by means of the pulley P. B is a hollow
ring or annular chamber suspended within the pan A by means of the inain supply
pipe F leading from a hopper or reservoir of pulp which is not shewn. This hollow
ring B is provided with a number of distributing nozzles D. D. shewn in detail in
Figs 3. 4 and 5. The pan A being rotated and being supplied with sufficient
mercury to more than cover the mouths of the distributing nozzles when the pan
is rotating the pulp is led in from the hopper through the main supply pipe F and
the hollow ring F to the distributing nozzles D. D. From these the streams of ore
pass directly into the mercury and become attenuated or thinned out at the
moment of entering it in the way already described-Eventually the ore and water
by reason of their lighter specific gravity risc through the inercury and are allowed
to flow away by means of the central discharge pipe C leading to and through the
hollow spindle by means of which the pan A is rotated.
Figs 6 and 7 represent a method of applying my invention by giving velocity to
the mercury by means of revolving arms and without causing the pan to rotate-
A is a pan supported on framing G; and having an annular section or hollow ring
like cavity for containing the bath of mercury.-The ore pulp flows from a hopper
or reservoir not shown through the main supply pipes F. F. and the external
annular chamber B to the distributing' nozzles D. D. in the interior of the pan A
which as in the case of the rotating pan is to contain mercury to a height more
than sufficient to cover the mouths of the distributing nozzles when the mercury
is rotated.
The ore and water flow into and rise through the mercury as already described
in reference to Figs 1 and 2 and are allowed to pass off through the central
discharge funnel and pipe C.
.
From the sides of the funnel C. spring cross bars H. H. giving support to the
lower end of a vertical spindle K driven by tho pulley P, à cover or top L to the
pan A is keyed upon the spindle K and upon the underside of it arms or stirrers M
aro fastened. These arms dip beneath the level of and impart a rotative motion to
the mercury when the pulley P is revolved.
The taps or plugs O in Figs 1 and 2 and 6. 7 are for the purpose of drawing off
or removing the mercury.
The period of time during which the ore will be retained within the mercury and
the extent to which its particles will become so to speak separated or segregated
from each other by reason of the more or less attenuation of the streams of ore will
depend upon the height of the mercury above the mouths of the distributing
nozzles and upon the speed with which the mercury is rotated in relation to tho
rate of the delivery of the ore.
If the pan or the mercury is rotated at sufficient velocity the admission of the
ore will apparently be facilitated by the creation of a vacuum at the mouth of each
of the destributing pipes or nozzles, but this in my opinion will be found to be
undesirable inasmuch as the ore will then tend to enter the mercury at almost the
same velocity as that with which the mercury is moving and this will be inimical
to that thinning out or attenuation of the streams of ore which must result from a t
comparatively low speed of feed of ore into a body of mercury moving at a higher
speed.
Having thus described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
invention and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect I would observe in conclusion that I do not restrict or confine myself to the &
precise forms of the parts as shown in the drawings but what I consider novel and

page_text: original and therefore claim as the invention secured to me by the hereinbefore in
part recited Letters Patent is
1. In amalgamating apparatus causing the ore to be introduced beneath the
surface of mercury in motion by means of distributing pipes or nozzels which
may either remain stationary or have motion in the opposite direction to that of
the mercury.
2. In amalgamating apparatus causing the mercury to have motion in or nearly
in the same direction as that of the flow of the ore from the mouths of the
distributing pipes or nozzels.
3. In amalgamating apparatus.causing the distributing pipes or nozzels to have
motion in one direction and the mercury beneath which such distributing pipes or
nozzels are submerged to have motion in the opposite direction.
4. In amalgamating apparatus attenuating the streams or supplies of ore to and
within the mercury after the manner herein described.