Improvements in Furnaces for Chlorinating Ores and in the Process in Connection therewith.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Sept., 1886.
Complete Left, 15th June, 1887.
Complete Accepted, 15th July, 1887.
Improvements in Furnaces for Chlorinating Ores and in the
Process in Connection therewith.
We JAMES EDDISBURY BAUGH Accountant and CHARLES HINKSMAN, Mining
Engineer, both of 117, Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury in the county of Middlesex
do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES
FOR CHLORINATING ORES, AND IN THE PROCESS IN CONNECTION THEREWITH to be
as follows
"
The object of the invention is to generate chlorine for the concentration of gold,
silver, copper, and other metals from pyrites and ores generally, the furnace employed
being of special construction, economical in fuel, and avoiding the expense of
paddling or stirring, by either hand labour or mechanically; the furnace is there-
fore quiescent.
Its capacity would vary in accordance with requirements, and is capable of
operating on more or less large quantities of the pyrites," to the extent of 100 tons
at a charge. It is generally admitted that the secret of success in the humid treat-
ment of ores, consists mainly in their conversion from insolubles into solubles, or
from sulphurets into chlorides, whereby the metals may be eliminated therefrom;
hence the important desideratum is economy in the furnace necessary for the
conversion of the insolubles into solubles, on the maximum scale, with a minimum
expenditure in fuel and labour.
The furnace is Kiln form, and occupies only a short time in errection, at a trifling
cost, even in the most isolated parts of the world, since studs, strapping, plates,
bracings and the general use of iron can be entirely dispensed with when not
conveniently at hand. The outside walls are made in a solid manner either of
common stone, mud-adobes, or sun dried bricks, or moulds, or ordinary baked bricks,
to suit the available surroundings of any special mineral district.
Fire bars are dispensed with unless ordinary coal is available for the mere ignition
of the sulphur contained in the pyrites. The furnace can be made sufficiently large
to treat 100 tons and more at a single manipulation, when operations are to be carried
out on a very extensive scale. For ordinary purposes a capacity of 20 tons will suffice,

page_text: After
the object practically aimed at being to calcine and chloridize simultaneously, in
addition to utilizing the heat of the sulphur ores under the process of calcination, for
effectually manipulating the ores undergoing the process of chlorination.
preparing a simple foundation and rearing the outside walls for any required internal
size in length, width or height of the furnace, arches are sprung inside leaving
sufficient space beneath for the fire place.
In countries or districts where instead of ordinary coal for kindling the pyrites,
the fuel is either wood, petroleum, dried focal matter, turf, peat, or other com-
bustible substance, a plain brick hearth will be found to admirably answer all
purposes, without even the use of iron for fire bars.
Upon, and across the arches are placed fire or other tiles, laid together about
30 inches in width, apertures or spaces of about 2 inches being left between the
30 inches of tiles.
Pyrites in lumps are now laid over the two inch apertures forming a column of
about 10 inches in width and one foot in height, the whole length of the furnace ;
which for operating on 20 tons is about 12 feet square within and 14 feet high.
Pulverized, calcined ore mixed with salt in the ordinary manner is now placed
between the rock pyrites, on the solid beds of tiles. The columns of rock pyrites
first broken to any required lump, size are again reared a foot higher when more
prepared fine ore for chlorination is added as before, and so repeated until the furnace
is charged.
The raw pyrites ore contains fuel in itself to chloridize the calcined pulverized ore,
prepared with salt, for the purpose of chlorination, whilst after the use of a little fuel
to kindle the sulphur, the furnace may be left undisturbed without cost of material or
labour of any kind until the charge is completed and has cooled down ready to be
withdrawn.
The rock pyrites is then passed to the crusher for pulverization to be afterwards
mixed with salt for chlorination, when the already chloridized ores will be found
completely prepared for any of the soluble or humid processes.
The chimney may be any desired height, but for ordinary purposes (when no
objection is made to noxious vapours) 8 or 10 feet will be found sufficient, after
completing the top of the furnace in a pyramidical form with entrance to close or
open at will.
It will thus be seen that by our entirely novel furnace we operate upon the
maximum quantity of ore, with the minimum of cost, in effecting and generating (the
object desired viz:) chlorine, which in addition is effected without paddling or
stirring, or other mechanical movements, and consequently is not wasted through the
chimney, but is made to permeate through the whole body of ore by the quintessence
of quiessence.
A. C. HENDERSON & Co.,
Agents for James Eddisbury Baugh
and Charles Hinksman.

page_text: Process in Connection therewith.
We JAMES EDDISBURY BAUGH, Accountant, and CHARLES HINKSMAN, Mining
Engineer both of 117, Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury in the county of Middlesex,
do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES
FOR CHLORINATING ORES AND IN THE PROCESS IN CONNECTION THEREWITH and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement :-
The object of the invention is to generate chlorine for the concentration of gold,
silver, copper, and other metals from pyrites and ores generally, the furnace employed
being of special construction, economical in fuel, and avoiding the expense of paddling
or stirring, by either hand labour or mechanically; the furnace is therefore quiescent.
Its capacity would vary in accordance with requirements and is capable of operating
on more or less large quantities of the pyrites, to the extent of 100 tons at a charge.
It is generally admitted that the secret of success in the humid treatment of ores,
consists mainly in their conversion from insolubles into solubles, or from sulphurets
into chlorides, whereby the metals may be eliminated therefrom, hence the important
desideratum is economy in the furnace necessary for the conversion of the insolubles
into solubles, on the maximum scale, with the minimum expenditure in fuel and
labour.
The furnace is kiln form and occupies only a short time in errection, at a trifling
cost, even in the most isolated parts of the world; since studs, strapping plates,
bracings and the general use of iron can be entirely dispensed with, when not
conveniently at hand. The outside walls are made in a solid manner, either of
common stone, mud adobes, or sun dried bricks, or moulds or ordinary baked bricks,
to suit the available surroundings of any special mineral district.
Fire bars are dispensed with, unless ordinary coal is available for the mere ignition
of the sulphur contained in the pyrites.
The furnace can be made sufficiently large to treat 100 tons and more at a single
manipulation, when operations are to be carried out on a very extensive scale. For
ordinary purposes a capacity of 20 tons will suffice, the object practically aimed at
being to calcine and chloridize simultaneously, in addition to utilizing the heat of the
sulphur, arsenic or other volatile ores under the process of calcination, for effectually
manipulating the ores under-going the process of chlorination.
After preparing a simple foundation and rearing the outside walls for any required
internal size in length width, or height of the furnace a number of small arches are
sprung inside leaving sufficient space beneath for the fire place.
In countries or districts, where instead of ordinary coal for kindling the pyrites,
the fuel is either wood, petroleum, dried foecal matter, turf, peat or other combustible

page_text: substance a plain brick hearth will be found to admirably answer all purposes, without
even the use of iron fire bars.
The Figure shown in the accompanying drawings represents a vertical section
(the arches cut through the side) of a Furnace embodying our invention.
Upon and
across the arches A are placed fire or other tiles or metal bearings laid together
about 30 inches in width, apertures or spaces B of about 2 inches being left between
the 30 inches of tiles.
Pyrites in lumps C are now laid over the two inch apertures forming a column of
about 10 inches in width and one foot in height, the whole length of the furnace,
which for operating on 20 tons is about 12 feet square within and 14 feet high.
Pulverized calcined ore D mixed with salt in the ordinary manner is now placed
between the rock pyrites on the solid beds of tiles.
The columns of rock pyrites, first broken to any required lump size, are again
reared a foot higher, when more prepared fine ore for chlorination is added as before
and so repeated until the furnace is charged.
The raw pyrites ore contains fuel in itself to chloridize the calcined pulverized ore,
prepared with salt for the purpose of chlorination, whilst after the use of a little fuel
to kindle the sulphur, the furnace may be left undisturbed without cost of material or
labour of any kind, until the charge is completed, and has cooled down ready to be
withdrawn.
The rock pyrites is then passed to the crusher for pulverization, to be afterwards
mixed with salt or any other chloridizing agent for chlorination, when the already
chloridized ore will be found completely prepared for any of the soluble or humid
processes, and more particularly for the process in connection therewith hereinafter
described.
The chimney may be any desired height, but for ordinary purposes, when no
objection is made to noxious vapours 8 or 10 feet will be found sufficient, after
completing the top of the furnace in a pyramidical form, with entrance to close or
open at will.
It will thus be seen that by our entirely novel furnace, we operate upon the
maximum quantity of ore, with the minimum of cost, in effecting and generating the
object desired, viz: chlorine, which in addition is effected without paddling or stirring
or other mechanical movements and consequently is not wasted through the chimney;
but is made to permeate through the whole body of ore, by the quintessence of
quiescence.
After the calcination and chlorination of pyrites and other ores, as effected by the
above fuel saving furnaces, which are effective as well as economical in every detail.
We first ascertain by laboratory test or assay whether the whole of the gold has been
converted into a soluble state, during the process of chlorination.
Our object (which is at variance with all other processes) is to convert metallic
sulphides or arsenides especially copper, and silver into chlorides, in order to secure
the whole of the gold from the ore under treatment although not in a highly
concentrated state. We also either obtain the gold separately, or each metal
separately or the gold, silver and copper together, or the silver and copper together.
When the gold is contained in the ore in the form of arsenide or sulphide, we find
it is converted simultaneously with the copper and silver into chloride, whilst at the
same time, the chlorine gas generated at a minimum of cost by our improved and
above described furnaces, always converts a large per centage and often the whole of
the metallic gold into chloride of gold. When however, the laboratory test proves
that a portion of the metallic gold still remains in the ore, we pass free chlorine gas
through it generated in the ordinary manner, or cause chlorine to be introduced by
any ordinary means but at a trifling cost, by reason that the sulphides and arsenides
have been already chloridized leaving only a portion of the metallic gold insoluble.
This is effected either by first leaching the metals held in solution, by the aid of
boiling brine as the solvent and afterwards passing free chlorine gas through the ore
to chlorinate the remaining metallic gold, or by completing at will the chlorination of

page_text: the gold before commencing lixiviation. In either case, it will be found advantageous
to bring the gold, silver and copper solutions together in the precipitation tanks,
whether obtained separately or otherwise in order that metallic iron may be used as
the precipitant to precipitate the chloride of copper. By this means both gold and
silver will be precipitated in combination with the copper, for the same expense of
metallic iron that is used for the precipitation of copper only. Hence independent
of our economical furnaces above described, for the calcination and chlorination of
ores, by the process in connection therewith we secure both silver and copper when-
ever it is present with the gold and thereby effect the great desideratum of the
mining community, viz: the reduction of gold, silver and copper, with commercial
success.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we claim is :-
1st. The internal construction of furnaces for the special purposes of simultaneously
calcining and chloridizing orės generally, the furnaces being so arranged and charged
that when once heated by the fires, the columns of incandescent rock pyrites in
lumps continually evolve sulphur, arsenic and other volatile chemical and mineral
elements which are utilized as fuel for the effectual manipulation of the ores under-
going chlorination.
2nd. The method of constructing the furnaces internally having a number of
slightly curved arches (the number varying with the dimensions of the furnace)
arranged in rows at equal distances apart the spaces between each arch being spanned
by fire or other tiles or metal bearings laid together in width of about 30 inches
leaving apertures or open spaces between each span of tiles of about 2 inches in width
over which openings the columns of rock pyrites in lumps are raised whilst the
spaces between these columns are filled in with pulverized calcined ore mixed with
chloride of sodium or other chloridizing agent which rests on the solid bed or
spans of tiles, the whole in the manner by the means and for the purposes herein-
before described.