AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE PROCESS OF AND IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING METALS FROM THEIR ORES
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughts-
man, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE PROCESS OF AND
IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING METALS FROM THEIR ORES."-A
communication from abroad by Lewis Solomon, of New York, in the
United States of America.
Sealed the 7th October 1859, and dated the 4th July 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
4th July 1859.
J, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lanc,
in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE PROCESS OF AND
IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING METALS FROM THEIR ORES," to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates, firstly, to the use of a novel arrangement of appa-
ratus for effecting the intimate combination of gold or silver with mercury, for
the purpose of separating the precious metals from the ground or pulverized

page_text: ores of those metals. The apparatus (which is erected in a closed apartment
or closet, heated by steam or otherwise), consists of a main shaft turning in
bearings suitably supported, and carrying a series of chambers for receiving
the ore to be operated upon. These chambers are arranged radially around
the same hub or boss, and braced to each other at their outer extremities by
stays, and they are each provided with a collar at their outer end, through
which is an opening sufficiently large to put in the ground ore; a plug or bung
fits this opening, and is held in place by a cap secured to the collar. Through
-the centre of this cap and bung a small hole is made for pouring in and
discharging the mercury, and it is stopped by a plug, which in turn is
secured by a bar placed across its end. To facilitate the amalgamating
operation about twelve shots, more or less, of six pounds weight each, are
placed in each chamber, and as there are several distinct operations to be
performed in working this machine, it is found desirable, in order to prevent
any mistake in the charging or discharging of the several chambers successively,
to affix a register to each, by means of which cach operation as it is performed
is indicated. Into these chambers the ore, properly prepared, is placed, and
mercury in suitable quantity is added thereto. Rotary motion is now com-
municated to the apparatus, and an artificial heat kept up in the closet or
apartment containing the apparatus, during the progress of the operation. When
the amalgamation of the metals in each chamber is completed the amalgam is
withdrawn by removing the small plugs of the chambers, and turning them
severally head downwards, and afterwards the remaining contents of the chambers
are discharged by withdrawing the larger plugs. For the collection of the
amalgam and expulsion of free mercury, the mercurial portion of the contents
of the chambers is subjected to pressure in chamois leather bags, after which
the amalgam may be distilled, and the gold melted down in crucibles, and cast
in the usual manner.
In order to prepare the ore for the action of the machine, which preparation
forms the second head of the Invention, the ore is first broken fine, and
chloride of sodium is incorporated therewith. This mixture is then placed in
a furnace for roasting, care being taken during the first three or four hours
not to exceed a dull red heat, so as to avoid volatilization of the precious
metals, after which time, however, it may be raised at intervals to a higher
degree until all the sulphurous and muriatic vapors formed are expelled. The
ore is then withdrawn from the furnace, and allowed to cool. The ore is next
ground with wood ash, and bolted fine, which wood ash serves to separate and
keep apart the particles of ore, and makes it work free, and at the same time

page_text: assists in cleansing the metallic particles. The mass thus prepared is ready
to be placed on the above described machine to undergo the process of
amalgamation.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 4th January 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Alfred Vincent Newton, Her special license that I, the said
Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors, 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 "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE PROCESS OF AND IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING
METALS FROM THEIR ORES," being a communication from abroad by Lewis
Solomon, of New York, in the United States of America, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, by an instrument in
writing under my band and seal, 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 I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, 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, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, relates

page_text: to improvements in the process of and machinery for effecting the separation,
by the aid of mercury, of the precious metals from their ores.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of the
machinery used for this purpose, the same being arranged in a heated apart-
meut or closet, a portion of one side of the closet being broken away to show
the machine more clearly; Fig. 2 is an edge view of the machine removed
from the closet; Fig. 3, an end elevation of the closet open, shewing a vertical
transverse section of the machine taken through the centre; and Fig. 4, a
horizontal section of the same, taken on the line X, Xx, of Fig. 3, shewing the
steam pipes for heating said closet uncovered. The same letters of referenco
occurring in the several Figures indicate corresponding parts..
G
The common principle of action in all amalgamators heretofore invented is that
of a cylinder revolving on its axis, the objection to which is that the mercury
used for-amalgamation flows along-the-lower side-of-the-cylinder almost, if not
altogether, in advance of the ore, never-being-separated into globules, or
searching the ore by filtering through it the powdered ore, rolling over on the
top or surface of the mercury, which, therefore, only takes up such metallic
particles as may happen to coine in contact with it.
Now, the first part of this Invention consists in constructing a machine in
such form and manner as to remedy this difficulty, and ensure a more thorough
searching of the ore by the mercury for the precious metals which it contains,
as well as effecting some minor improvements, which will be fully set forth in
this Specification.
To enable others to make and use the Invention, I will proceed to describe
the construction and operation of the improved machinery. A represents the
apartment or closet in which the apparatus is erected. In the bottom of this
apartment a series of pipes B is arranged, into which steam is admitted for
keeping up the temperature during the operation; the steam enters through
the cock C, and the water which forms by condensation in the pipes passes off
at the cock D. A cover E is made to fit closely over this series of pipes to
prevent the accumulation of dirt between them whilst charging and discharging
the amalgamator with ore, &c. Transversely through the centre of this closet
runs a shaft or axle F, supported and rotating in bearings G, suitably con-
structed and arranged for that purpose. On one end of this shaft, outside of
the heated chamber, is hung a fast and loose pulley H, H', or other suitable
mechanical device for rotating the same, and on the other end is a friction
pulley and band for holding the mechanism in any desired position for charging
or discharging the amalgamator, which is mounted on the shaft F within the

page_text: closet. This amalgamator consists of a series of cylindrical, conical, oval
shaped, or other elongated chambers I, attached endwise and radially to a
hub K, keyed on the shaft F, and braced to ach other at their outer
extremities by stays L. Each of these chambers I is provided with a collar M
serewed into or otherwise firmly attached to its outer end, through which is an
opening sufficiently large to put in the ground ore. A plug or bung N fits
this opening, and is held in place by a cap O secured to the collar. Through
the centre of this cap and bung a small hole is made for pouring in and dis-
charging the mercury, and it is stopped by a plug P, which in turn is secured
by a bar Q placed across its end.
As there are several distinct operations to be performed in working this
machine it is desirable, in order to prevent any mistake in the charging or
discharging of the several chambers successively, to affix a register R to each.
by means of which each operation as it is performed is indicated. For working
gold the chambers may be made of iron, but for silver they should be made
of wood or other material that will not be affected by chloride of silver.
I will now describe the improved mode of proceeding to effect the amalga-
mation of the precious metals with mercury, in conjunction with which process
the merits of the improved machine will bo most fully demonstrated.
The ore to be operated upon is first stamped or broken fine in any of the
well-known machines for that purpose, and passed through a sieve of about
twenty-eight meshes to the inch, such portions as are too large to pass the
meshes being again returned to the stamps for further crushing; after which
about four per cent. by weight of chloride of sodium is added, and mixed or
thoroughly incorporated with the ore by being passed through a burr stone
mill. This mixture, thus prepared, is then placed in a furnace for roasting,
care being taken during the first three or four hours not to exceed a dull red
heat so as to avoid volatilization of the precious metals; after which time,
however, it may be raised at intervals to a higher degree, until all the
sulphurous and muriatic vapours formed are expelled. The ore for this
purpose must be occasionally stirred so as to expose it more thoroughly to the
action of the flame and air, and when no further sulphurous or bydrochloric
vapours rise, the ore may be withdrawn from the furnace, and allowed to cool.
The ore should next be ground in the usual manner with about three per
cent. more or less of wood ash, and bolted fine, the wood ash serving to
separate and keep apart the particles of ore, and making it work free, and at
the same time assisting in cleansing the metallic particles. The mass thus
prepared is now to be placed in the above-described machine to undergo the

page_text: process of amalgamation, and a sufficient quantity of water added (which may
be estimated by weight) to reduce the mass to a consistency suitable to cause
the mercury to separate into globules and filter through it instead of passing
through in a body; one per cent. of soda ash is also added to cleanse the
mercury and minute metallic particles of all earthy and greasy substances so as
to increase their affinity for each other. About fifty pounds of one inch square
bar iron is now placed in each chamber of the machine in pieces of about
three inches in length, which is considered the best form and size for
trituration, and which will also have the effect of decomposing the chlorido
of silver, should any have been formed during the previous operations.
The machine is then put in motion until these several ingredients are
thoroughly incorporated, which will take from one and a half to two hours;
then pour about two hundred pounds of mercury into each chamber of the
machine, and set it in motion at the rate of eight or ten revolutions per
minute for about sixteen hours, in which time the free gold will be taken up
by the mercury. During this time heat has been applied to the apparatus, so
as to raise the temperature of the mass to about one hundred and thirty to
one hundred and fifty degrees Fahrenheit, in order to expand the mercury,
and increase its affinity for the gold. In this process, in order to incorporats
the ore and mercury more thoroughly, ten, twelve, or more six pounds' shot
may be placed in cach chamber of the machine, which shots acting as
triturators of the mass, will, with the heat above mentioned, have the effect of
preventing the formation of the proto-chloride of mercury which might other-
wise appear.
At the expiration of about fourteen or sixteen hours, one and a
quarter pounds of sulphate of iron in solution is added to the contents of cach
chamber, to decompose the chloride of gold if any has been formed, and
precipitate it in the metallic state, in which condition it is taken up by the
mercury, the chambers being again closed and set in motion as before for
about four hours, or until that result is produced. The consistency of the
mass is then reduced by adding water, which for this purpose may be heated
before use on the top or in the upper part of the heated chamber, and the
machine is again rotated for about an hour, or until the globules of mercury
shall collect in a body. When this end is attained, the machine is stopped,
and the mercury is drawn off' from the mass, and the residuum subjected to a
wasbing process, to separate the remaining mercury from the ore, after which
the mercury may be separated from the gold by any process of straining and
evaporation now known.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of "An Improvement in

page_text: the Process of and Improved Apparatus for Separating Metals from their
Ores," as communicated to me from abroad, and explained the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above
in part recited Letters Patent I claim the micans herein described whereby the
mercury is enabled to act more efficiently than heretofore on the pulverized
auriferous or argentiferous ore submitted to its action, and extract the precious
metals therefrom.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Fourth day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
A. V. NEWTON. (L.S.)