IMPROVEMENTS IN GRINDING, AMALGAMATING, AND WASHING QUARTZ AND OTHER MATTERS CONTAINING GOLD
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Trueman, of Swansea, and Isham Baggs, of
London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN GRINDING, AMALGAMATING,
AND WASHING QUARTZ AND OTHER MATTERS CONTAINING GOLD."
Sealed the 11th March 1854, and dated the 31st December 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Trueman and Isham
Baggs at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition.
on the 31st December 1853.
We, ALFRED TRUEMAN, of Swansea, and ISHAM BAGOS, of London, do
hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN GRINDING,
AMALGAMATING, AND WASHING QUARTZ AND OTHER MATTERS CONTAINING GOLD," to
be as follows:-
This Invention consists of applying a heavy spherical crusher within a trough
or vessel mounted on hollow horizontal axes. The trough where the crusher
works is of a semicircular section corresponding with the diameter of the crusher.
The matters to be ground are fed in through one hollow axis, and water
is caused to flow through the other hollow axis; and there are openings at
the sides of the trough to allow of the water and matters capable of being
carried off thereby flowing away constantly. A quantity of mercury is intro-
duced into the trough; the quartz or matters are fed into the trough, and
water flows into and away. The trough is constantly rotated. The crusher will
by its gravity remain at the lower part of the trough. The process of grinding,
amalgamating, and washing will go on simultaneously, and when the process
is complete, the amalgam is to be drawn off by a suitable valve or tap in
the trough.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alfred Trueman and Isham Baggs in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 80th June 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, ALFRED
TRUEMAN, of Swansea, and ISHAM BAGGS, of London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the seventeenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said Alfred Trueman and Isham Baggs, Her special licence that we, the said
Alfred Trueman and Isham Baggs, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as we, the said Alfred Trueman and Isham Baggs, our execu-
tors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man,
an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN GRINDING, AMALGAMATING, AND WASHING
QUARTZ, AND OTHER MATTERS CONTAINING GOLD," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said Alfred Trueman and Isham Baggs, or one of us,-
by an instrument in writing under our hands and scals; or under the hand and
seal of one of us, should particularly describe and ascertain the-nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE; that we, the said Alfred Trueman and Isham Baggs,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention consists of applying a heavy spherical crusher within a trough
or vessel mounted on hollow horizontal axes. The trough where the crusher
works is of a semicircular section corresponding with the diameter of the
crusher. The matters to be ground are fed in through one hollow axis, and
water is caused to flow through the other hollow axis; and there are openings
at the sides of the trough to allow of the water and matters capable of being
carried off thereby flowing away constantly. A quantity of mercury is intro-
duced into the trough; the quartz or matters are fed into the trough, and water
flows into and away. The trough is constantly rotated. The crusher will by
its gravity remain at the lower part of the trough. The process of grinding,

page_text: amalgamating, and washing will go on simultaneously, and when the process
is complete, the amalgam is to be drawn off by a suitable valve or tap in the
trough.
Having thus stated the nature of our Invention, we will proceed to describe
the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1, shows a side view; Figure 2, a transverse section; and Figure 3,
a plan of a machine constructed according to our Invention.
a, a, is a hollow
vessel mounted on hollow horizontal axes a', supported in bearings formed in
the standards b, b. The vessel a is constructed in two parts, and connected
together by flanches, as shown, in order to introduce the spherical crusher c,
into the semicircular trough formed on the inner circumference of the vessel
, to correspond with the diameter of the crusher c; and as the inner circum-
ference or trough of the vessel a is subject to considerable wear, we find it
desirable to line that part with stout metal of corresponding form, which may
be renewed from time to time when required. d is a hopper communicating
with one of the hollow axes, in which a spiral thread is fixed; and the quartz or
other materials containing gold which is to be ground being fed into the hopper
d, will be conducted by the revolution of the hollow axis and screw into the
interior of the vessel a, to which rotatory motion is communicated by a strap
from a steam engine or other motive power passing over the pulley a², fixed on
the axis of the vessel a. e is a pipe connected to the other hollow axis through
which water is caused to flow into the interior of the vessel a. a³ are openings
at the sides of the vessel a, covered with wire gauze; and a' are funnels fixed
in the openings to conduct the water and matters capable of being carried off
thereby flowing constantly away into the fixed casing f, and through the pipe f',
which will be readily understood on examining the Drawings. 9 is a plug,
by which mercury is to be introduced when the apparatus is employed for the
amalgamating process, and also for discharging the contents of the vessel a,
when required. The quartz or other matters being fed into the vessel a, water
is to be allowed to flow through the pipe f', and the vessel caused to rotate;
the spherical crusher c, will by its gravity remain at the lower part of the
trough, and the process of grinding, amalgamating, and washing will go on
simultaneously, and when the process is complete, the amalgam may be drawn
off by removing the plug g.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention and the manner of
performing the same, we woull have it understood that we do not confine

page_text: ourselves to the precise details herein described, so long as the peculiar character
of our Invention be retained. But what we claim is, the combined apparatus
herein described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Alfred Trueman and Isham Baggs, have
hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-seventh day of June,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
ALFRED TRUEMAN. (L.B.)
ISHAM BAGGS.
Witness to the signing, sealing, and delivery
by the said Alfred Trueman,
J. TREV. JENKIN,
Sol', Swansea.
Witness to the signing, sealing, and delivery
by the said Isham Baggs,
WILLIAM TONGUE.
(L.B.)