IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR CRUSHING OR GRINDING AND WASHING AND AMALGAMATING QUARTZ ROCK AND OTHER SUBSTANCES
Year: 1854

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 "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR CRUSHING OR GRINDING
AND WASHING AND AMALGAMATING QUARTZ ROCK AND OTHER SUBSTANCES."—
A communication..
Sealed the 25th April 1854, and dated the 5th January 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
5th January 1854.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR CRUSHING OR GRINDING AND WASHING AND
AMALGAMATING QUARTZ ROCK AND OTHER SUBSTANCES" to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a novel construction of machinery for extracting
metals from ores, and consists of a circular trough formed of iron, say, twelve
feet in diameter (more or less), and one or more edge wheels placed in said
trough, say, six feet diameter, weight from one to five ton (more or less), and
held in this position by an axle or shaft passing through the centre and
attached to a vertical shaft fixed in the centre of the trough, in such a manner
as to allow the axle to swing round and steady and support the wheel in its
place as it rolls around in the trough, and also to allow of sufficient rise and
fall in the wheel in running over the quartz. On the inside of the crushing
wheel, and attached to it, is a bevilled cog wheel of a less diameter than the

page_text: crushing wheel. This cog wheel gears into a segment wheel which is attached
to the trough, so that as the crushing wheel is propelled around by the axle
that passes through it, the lower edge of the wheel is made to slide back, that
is, as the wheel rolls forward the periphery is constantly sliding backwards,
thereby producing a grinding as well as a crushing action upon the substances
in the trough. This process reduces the quartz to an impalpable powder, so
that by a constant supply of water to the trough the ground quartz will run
off with the water as it flows over the outside edge of the trough and falls into
another trough which surrounds the end in which the quartz is ground.
In the outside trough is placed the quicksilver, and a disc or plate is made
to fit, or nearly so, the inside of the trough, with a loop attached to the inner
diameter, and rising high enough to come a little above the outer edge of the
trough, but leaving space enough to let the ground quartz and water fall
between them, and thus pass between the quicksilver and the plate or disc,
which are supposed to touch when there is no quartz in the mill; the amalga-
mating trough is provided with spouts to carry off the water or refuse rock.
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 5th July 1854.
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 Fifth day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth 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 there-
after 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 "IMPROVED MACHINERY
FOR CRUSHING OR GRINDING AND WASHING AND AMALGAMATING QUARTZ ROCK AND
OTHER SUBSTANCES," being a communication from abroad, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, by an instrument in

page_text: writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, 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 relates to a novel construction of machinery for extracting
metals from ores, and consists mainly of an annular trough formed of iron, and
one or more edge or crushing wheels placed in the trough and held in position
by an axle, which is jointed to and turns on a centre pin, thereby steadying
and supporting the edge wheel in its place as it rolls around in the trough,
and also allowing of a sufficient rise and fall in the wheel in running over the.
quartz.
On the inner face of the crushing wheel, and attached to it, is a bevilled cog
wheel (of a less diameter than the crushing wheel), which gears into a ring of
teeth attached to or cast on the trough, so that as the crushing wheel is driven
round the trough by the axle that passes through it, the lower edge of the
wheel is made to slide back, that is, as the wheel rolls forward the periphery
is constantly sliding backwards, and thereby producing a grinding as well as a
crushing action upon the substances in the trough. This process reduces the
quarts to an impalpable powder, so that by a constant supply of water to the
trough the ground quartz will run off with the water as it flows over the outer
edge of the trough and falls into another trough which surrounds the one in
which the quartz is ground.
In the accompanying Drawing A (Figs. 1 and 2) is the foundation or bed
plate on which the machinery is placed; B, B, is the annular trough into
which the material is thrown for crushing; C, C, are the crushing wheels
mounted loosely on the axle F; and D, D, are cog wheels connected to the
inner face of the crushing wheels; E, E, is a ring of teeth attached to the,
trough B; G, is a centre pin stepped into the bed plate, and to it the axle-of
the crushing wheels is jointed (a detached view of this pin is shewn at Figs. 3);
H, H, is an annular amalgamating trough or pan for containing mercury and
for receiving the overflow from the trough B; and I, I, are spouts to carry
the water and refuse material.
off
The axle F carries at its extremities a cog wheel K, into the teeth of which.

page_text: gears a pinion L, on a vertical shaft M, provided with a belt pulley for receiving
rotary motion from the motive power machinery.
It will now be understood that by applying motive power to the shaft M,
the shaft F will be driven round upon its centre pin G, and with it the
crushing wheels C, C, which wheels will keep their position in the trough as
well as revolve on their own axis. As the cog wheels D, D, are affixed to the
crushing wheels C, C, and are of a less diameter, and both are compelled to
make the same number of revolutions in going round in the trough, it will be
seen that the crushing wheels must necessarily slide on their periphery in the
trough to an amount just proportionate to the superiority of their diameter
over the cog wheels D, D. The material is thrown into the trough B by the
operatives in lumps four inches in diameter and under, and a stream of water
is let into the trough, the wheels being set in motion. As the material is
ground fine it flows out over the outside of the trough B with the water, and
falls into the trough H, and from thence runs out of the spouts I, I, and is
conducted wherever it is required.
The pin G is loose in its step, so that when one of the wheels C passes over
a large lump of quartz rock or other substance, the pin G will rise, and thereby
permit of the rise and fall of the crushing wheel.
In some cases quicksilver is put into the trough B, and also into the trough
or pan H, in which other wheels may be used solely, for the purpose of
amalgamating. When this is not done, the ground quartz may be run off and
amalgamated in the usual way.
In order to prevent the material which is being ground from passing off out
of the trough B before it is ground sufficiently fine, a hoop N may be raised
up to any required height and secured there by a band or any other device
most convenient. The object of the trough H surrounding the trough B is to
receive the ground quartz and water as it flows over at any and every point
all around the trough B. This is considered to be important, as it allows a
free discharge of the water and quartz from the trough B.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of "Improved Machinery
for Crushing or Grinding and Washing and Amalgamating Quartz Rock and
other Substances," as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, I
wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent I
claim, first, the general arrangement of machinery, as above described, for
effecting the operations above set forth; and particularly I claim the applica-
tion of the gearing, in the manner described, for the purpose of causing the
crushing wheels to slip and give a grinding motion as described, and also the
application of the pan or trough H, for the purpose set forth. I also claim

page_text: attaching the pin or centre (on which the shaft F vibrates, and around which
the crushing wheels rotate) at or near a point on a line with the lower edge of
the wheels C, C, so that the vibration is hardly perceptible, whereas, if it were
on a line with the centre of the crushing wheels, it would not allow of the
necessary rise and fall of the wheels without making a joint in the shaft.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have hereunto
hand and seal, this Fourth day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
my
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
A. V. NEWTON. (L.B.)