Improvements in Apparatus for Separating Gold from other Materials.
Year: 1896

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Separating Gold from other
Materials.
1, WILLIAM HERBERT HYATT, of 1 Milton Road, Herne Hill, in the County of
Surrey, F.C.S., Chemical Engineer and Metallurgist, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in the apparatus described in my
Specification No. 24782 of 1894.
In order to improve the feed I shorten the pipe leading from the hopper and I
connect the bulb at the top of this pipe with the blast.
I also construct a horizontal apparatus consisting of a chamber having fixed
riffles at the bottom of a trough of mercury which are concave towards the blast and
other rifles also concave towards the blast at intervals along the chamber. The latter
riffles are pivotted at their upper edges near the top of the trough and they are of
such a height that when no blast is passing they dip into the mercury but when the
blast is turned on they swing back about their hinges and allow the air and material
to pass but at the same time cause it to eddy onto the mercury. The trough and
bottom riffles I make of iron or some other suitable material, the top and sides of the
chamber and the swinging rifles of amalgamated copper. I also place an inclined
amalgamated copper plate at the end of the chamber over which the tailings are
discharged.
In order to recover any mercury that may have been carried over with the blast I
pass the tailings down through a chamber over inclined shelves of amalgamated
copper projecting alternately from two opposite sides.
5
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Separating Gold from other
Materials.
I, WILLIAM HERBERT HYATT, of 1 Milton Road, Herne Hill, in the County of
Surrey, F.C.S., Chemical Engineer and Metallurgist, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to improvements in the apparatus described in my

page_text: The improved apparatus is shown in longitudinal section in the drawing.
In order to improve the feed I shorten or omit the pipe leading from the hopper a
so that the bulb a' at the top of this pipe opens directly or almost so into the blast
pipe b.
near
I also construct a horizontal apparatus consisting of a chamber c having fixed
riffles d at the bottom of a trough of mercury e which are concave towards
the blast and other riffles also concave towards the blast at intervals along the
chamber. The latter riffles are pivotted at their upper edges at
the top of the trough and they are of such a height that when no blast is
passing they dip into the mercury but when the blast is turned on they swing back
about their hinges and allow the air and material to pass but at the same time cause
it to eddy onto the mercury. The trough and bottom riffles I make of iron or some
other suitable material, the top and sides of the chamber and the swinging riffles of
amalgamated copper. I also place an inclined amalgamated copper plate at the end
of the chamber over which the tailings are discharged.
In order to recover any mercury that may have been carried over with the blast. I
pass the tailings down through a chamber l over inclined shelves h¹ of amalgamated
copper projecting alternately from two opposite sides.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what is
claim is :-
1. Making the bulb at the bottom of the hopper open directly or almost so into the
blast pipe substantially as described.
2. The combination of a horizontal chamber and pivotted rifles substantially as
described.
3. The combination of the horizontal chamber, the mercury trough and the fixed
and pivotted riffles substantially as described.
4. The inclined plate g substantially as described.
5. The chamber and inclined shelves for recovering the mercury substantially
as described.
6. Apparatus for separating gold from other materials substantially as described
and shown in the drawing.
Dated this 20th day of April 1897.
WILLIAM HERBERT HYATT.