AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR DRESSING ORES
Year: 1843

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
VIVIAN, of Gwennap, near Redruth, in the County of Cornwall, Gentleman,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-fifth day of November (One thousand eight hun-
dred and forty-three), in the seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her
heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Alexander Vivian, my
exors, adñors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said Alexander Vivian, my exors, admors, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Alexander Vivian, my exors, admors, or assigns,
should at any time agree with (and no others), from time to time and at
all times during the term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within that part of Her Majesty's
United Kingdom of Great Britain called England, Her Dominion of Wales,
and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, Her islands of Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney,
Sark, and Man, and in all Her said Majesty's Colonies and Plantations
abroad, my Invention of "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR DRESSING ORES;"
in which said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso, that I, the said
Alexander Vivian, shall particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instru-
ment in writing under my hand and seal, and to cause the same to be inrolled
in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months

page_text: next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent,
as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at
large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Alexander Vivian, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be fully described and
ascertained in and by the following description, reference being had to the
Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say-
My Invention relates to a new mode of dressing and rendering marketable,
copper, tin, and other ores, and consists in certain mechanical combinations
and arrangements constituting an apparatus for that purpose, whereby the
operation of dressing or washing ores is rendered more simple and considerably
less expensive than by the employment of the apparatus or machines hitherto
constructed and designed for that purpose.
And in order to explain my said improvements as completely as possible,
I will proceed to describe the before-mentioned combinations and arrange-
ments of parts, which I consider well calculated for that purpose and for
carrying out my said Invention, which will be found to answer extremely well.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 represents a partial sectional elevation of an apparatus for
dressing ores; Figure 2, a plan view of the apparatus, a portion thereof
being removed to expose to view some of the parts; Figure 3, an end
view thereof. A, a cistern to contain water, which water is allowed to
pass off through cocks, plug holes, or by any other convenient outlets B,
situate at the front of cistern A (as shewn at Figure 1), and for the
purposes herein-after mentioned; C, the hopper, or that part of the appa-
ratus wherein the work or the ores to be dressed are to be placed. At the
lower extremity of this hopper, I dispose and arrange a series of angular or
"saddle-back" bars D, D, shewn also in Figures 2 and 3, whose extremities are
securely attached to transverse bars or pieces E, E; the ends of these bars are
supported upon and slide over friction rollers F, F, (Figures 1 and 2), situate
at each side of the apparatus, see Figure 2. G is a lever, having its fulcrum
at H; to one end of this lever I connect the transverse bar E, the other end
being constructed with a handle for actuating the said lever, and the parts in
connection therewith, by the attendant, or by any other convenient means; I, a
rake and scraper, with which the attendant is enabled to feed the hopper or
the buddle, by means of the handle Z.

page_text: I will now proceed to describe the mode of conducting the process of
dressing or washing ores according to the combinations and arrangements of
the several parts of the apparatus above described. The operator, having
charged the hopper C with the work or the ore to be dressed, and opened the
cocks or plug holes B for the discharge of water from the reservoir A, proceeds
to move the lever G to and fro, placing himself upon a board X, situate across
that part of the apparatus commonly called the buddle, marked K in the
Drawing. It will appear clearly that vibratory motion being thus given to the
"saddle-back" bars, D, D, will have the effect of dividing or agitating the ores
contained therein; to ensure the more perfect division or agitation of which,
the hopper C is furnished with spears or knives L, placed horizontally or per-
pendicularly (as shewn at Figure 1); the smaller portions or fragments of the
ore so divided pass between the spaces of the said bars, and are deposited upon
the inclined plane M, and are carried off or delivered into the "buddle," where
the settlement and division of the ores from the waste or remaining portion of
earthy matter takes place by the several streams of water springing from the
cistern A, through the cocks or plug holes B, the said inclined plane being
furnished with projecting pieces or ribs for the purpose of directing the course
of the water, as found necessary. In order, however, to arrest and partially
separate the earthy or gravelly portions contained in or adhering to the ore from
the metallic portions thereof before it passes into the buddle, I employ a
grating or a perforated plate (N) Figures 1 and 2, which it will be found
necessary to empty from time to time, the water passing through the buddle
through openings formed in the said plates; thus as the fragments of the ores
fall by their own gravity between the spaces of the said bars, the water flowing
down the inclined plane will carry off the lighter portions of the ore, the
heavier portions thereof being removed by the attendant to the buddle K,
where they have to undergo the operation of cleansing and washing, which may
likewise be performed by the attendant standing on the board placed across
the buddle, or by machinery, and stirring the ore with a broom or other
suitable instrument, the slime and water thus produced passing off through a
strainer or grating (o) from the buddle or the stamps, where it is more
effectually prepared for the use of the buddle (see Figure 3); and the ore thus
washed or dressed may be removed therefrom in any convenient manner.
Now since this water contains a great quantity of mineral particles, which, by
the constant agitation of the water in the buddle and stamps, remains sus-
pended, it will be found necessary, in order to collect the said particles, to
remove the slime and water to some other cistern or vessel, wherein the said
water may become tranquil and the denser portions be precipitated; for which

page_text: be
purpose I employ an ordinary lift pump P, P, Figures 1 and 2, which may
worked by the attendant actuating a lever (Q) connected to the bucket of the
said pump, or by any other ordinary means, the water thus raised passing
along a pipe or trough (R) leading to the said cistern or vessel in which the
slime and water are to be deposited, the residue being afterwards subjected to
the well-known process of trunking.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I wish it to be distinctly understood, that I do
not claim as my Invention the exclusive use of any of the separate parts before
mentioned, except so far as the same may be employed for the purposes of my
said Invention, which I hereby declare to consist in, and I claim, the general
combinations and arrangements of parts above mentioned as constituting an
apparatus for dressing ores, as herein-before particularly described and repre-
sented by the Drawings hereunto annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Vivian, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twentieth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-four.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twentieth day of May, in the
year of our Lord 1844, the aforesaid Alexander Vivian came before our said
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore-
said, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Twenty-fifth day of May, in the year of our Lord One 2
thousand eight hundred and forty-four.