IMPROVEMENTS IN CRUSHING, PULVERISING, AND WASHING MINERAL EARTHS OR ORES, AND AMALGAMATING THE GOLD AND SILVER CONTAINED THEREIN, WHICH SAID IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE mo Cover AND PULVERISING OTHER SUBSTANCES
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Bashley Britten, of Anerley, in the County of Surrey,
Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CRUSHING, PULVERISING,
AND WASHING MINERAL EARTHS OR ORES, AND AMALGAMATING THE GOLD AND
SILVER CONTAINED THEREIN, WHICH SAID IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE
mo Cover AND PULVERISING OTHER SUBSTANCES
Sealed the 17th August 1854, and dated the 18th February 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Bashley Britten at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 18th
February 1854.
I, BASHLEY BRITTEN, of Anerley, in the County of Surrey, Gentleman, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CRUSHING,
PULVERISING, AND WASHING MINERAL EARTHS OR ORES, AND AMALGAMATING THE
GOLD AND SILVER CONTAINED THEREIN, WHICH SAID IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLI-
CABLE TO CRUSHING AND PULVERISING OTHER SUBSTANCES," to be as follows, and
consist of a strong circular fixed basin fitted securely in a framework:-
A heavy iron crusher or pestle, somewhat pear-shaped, is made to revolve in
the basin by any suitable power, acting on an arın or spindle extending upward
at an incline. The small end of the crusher being downward, rotates about a
cup at the bottom, so formed as to retain it in its place; and the motion com-
municated is of a rolling combined with a slipping or grinding nature. The
sides of the basin are shaped more or less to fit the curve of the revolving

page_text: crusher, and slope downwards at every point. The mercury being put into
the basin, falls into the cup at the bottom; the particles of gold or silver on
being released by the crushing and washing will also fall into the cup, and be
instantly absorbed by the amalgam. Water is constantly supplied in the
basin, & flows out through a conduit or conduits near the top, carrying with
it the refuse matter held in suspension. The mercury may be drawn off by a
pipe or tap (or other suitable means), the end of which may be enclosed in a
box & secured by lock & key. Heat is communicated from outside the
basin to assist the operations.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Bashley Britten in the Great Seal Patent Office on. the
18th August 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, BASHLEY
BRITTEN, of Annerley, in the County of Surrey, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of February, 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 Bashley Britten, Her special licence that I, the said Bashley Britten, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Bashley
Britten, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN CRUSHING, PUL-
VERIZING, AND WASHING MINERAL EARTHS OR ORES, AND AMALGAMATING THE
GOLD AND SILVER CONTAINED THEREIN, WHICH SAID IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLI-
CABLE TO CRUSHING AND PULVERIZING OTHER SUBSTANCES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Bashley Britten, by an instrument in 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 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 Bashley Britten, 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 state-
ment, that is to say:—

page_text: My Invention in the first part consists of a circular pan or basin, having a
sunken circular space at the bottom with a raised centre. In the said pan or
basin I place a crusher or pestle, in shape resembling a pear, with the smaller
end downwards. This crusher or pestle revolves round the pan or .basin
against its side, and at the same time obtains a downward slipping or grinding
motion. This slipping motion is caused by the small end of the crusher or
pestle not being able to rest in the centre of the pan or basin, in consequence
of its being raised, is thereby forced to work round the circumference of the
sunken space or cup. In reference to the pan or basin, the crusher or pestle
may be said to have three motions. One an orbital motion round the pan or
basin, another motion round its own axis, and a third, the slipping downward
motion just described. In reference to the substance to be ground it will be
seen there are two distinct actions, one a crushing action resulting from the
rolling of the crusher or pestle, and the other a grinding action caused by the
end of the crusher or pestle constantly slipping round the raised centre. It
will be seen that the basis of the above improvement is the ordinary pestle
and mortar, but that the object sought is,-First, to adopt mechanical means
of motion to it, so as to obtain the greatest variety of motion with the simplest
combination of parts, and enable the motion to be communicated by the steam
engine or any other source of power, thereby making the instrument more
simple and effective in its action, requiring only a minimum of power to do a
certain amount of work, and adapting it for use on a large scale. Second, to
enable mineral earths or ores to be washed at the same time as they are
ground, or to have the particles of gold and silver contained in them effec-
tually retained by amalgamation. There is, perhaps, this difference, that sub-
stances are pounded, that is, reduced partially by percussion in a mortar when
used by hand, and in this machine every action required in grinding is sought
to be done by the regular or equitable motion of the pestle. The action of
the machine when at work (crushing gold quartz, for instance, and amalgama-
ting the gold contained therein,) is as follows:-Mercury is put into the pan
or basin, and fills the circular cup at the bottom, and by its weight prevents
the ore from descending there and interfering with the slipping of the point
of the crusher or pestle, (it thus answers the purpose of a lubricating sub-
stance,) at the same time it serves to take up from the comminuted ore the
chief portion of the gold that is liberated. The mercury may be drawn off
by means of a pipe and cock from underneath the pan or basin, and the
crusher or pestle is made to revolve by machinery attached. The ore. is
supplied to the pan or basin at the top; and is ground-by the action of the
crusher or pestle. A stream of water flows constantly into and out of the pan

page_text: or basin, carrying with it the ore when reduced to such a degree of fineness,
as to be suspended, as high as the outlets from the pan or basin. After leaving
the pan or basin, the ground ore passes down a pipe into the amalgamator
hereafter to be described.
The nature of the above Invention may be more fully known by reference
to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, in which the same letters of reference:
are used to represent similar parts where different views or diagrams are
shown. Fig. 1 is a section elevation of the crusher or pestle, and pan or
basin, showing machinery for putting the crusher or pestle in motion, and a
method of fixing the pan or basin. Fig. 2 is a plan of the machine with
framing complete. Fig. 3 is a plan of the crusher or pestle, and pan or basin,
showing the position of the crusher or pestle in the pan or basin when the
machine is at work. A, A, A, represents the framing for the support of the
driving pulleys B, and bevil gearing C, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and the pan
or basin E is bolted or otherwise fixed to the bed framing sunk in the ground
or concrete, as shewn. The crusher or pestle D is caused to revolve round-
the centre of the pan or basin by means of a crank piece bolted on to the:
horizontal wheel, and connected with a rod made fast to the crusher or pestle
by means of a link or bar with a collar; the collar works freely..or the
crusher or pestle rod, and the bar is not fastened tightly to the crank piece,
but has india-rubbers washers on each side of the crank piece as shewn. This
is only one of many arrangements that may be used to give the crusher or
pestle the desired motion: F, F, is a pipe passing round the pan or basin,
and leading to the amalgamator. There are openings to this pipe from the pan
or basin through which the water and ground ore escape to the amalgamator..
Gis a cock to draw off the mercury when impregnated with gold, and the
whole space beneath the pan or basin in which the amalgamator and mercury
cock are shown, is secured by a doorway under lock and key to prevent their
being tampered with. It may be desirable to have a fire lighted under the
pan or basin to heat the mercury, and this I propose to use if I think proper.
His the water supply pipe.
My Invention in regard to the second part consists of the amalgamator,
which is an iron case, as shown in Drawings Figs. 4 and 5, admitting the
ground ore suspended in the water at one end, which after being forced through
and also over a body of mercury escapes at the opposite end, leaving the gold
behind. A fire is raised beneath the mercury to increase its affinity for gold
or silver. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section of the amalgamator, and Fig. 5 is
a plan of the same. In both these Drawings the same letters refer to the
same parts. The mixed ore and water enter from the pipe A, which is a

page_text: continuation of that surrounding the pan or basin, and the stream is spread
out into a thin sheet by the flattened or elongated orifice of the pipe at b.
The pressure obtained by the fall from the pan or basin forces it through the
mercury at B, and it then spreads itself out along the surface of the mercury,
with which the particles of gold in the ore unite themselves, and the refuse
passes away at F. The mercury or amalgam is drawn off by a cock at E.
D represents a small fire to heat the mercury; C, a diaphragm to retain
the mercury. The red lines in Fig. 3 show the respective centres of the basin
& pestle.
Having thus described the nature and particulars of my said improvements,
I desire it to be distinctly understood that I do not confine myself to the exact
details herein described, as such may be varied or modified without departing
from the principle thereof. Besides other alterations that may hereafter
suggest themselves, I may mention that the pan or basin and crusher or
pestle, or either of them, may be made of iron or any other material.
The
curve of the pan or basin in vertical section may be varied, the crusher or
pestle may be either hollow or solid, and more or less spheroidal in shape, the
cup or sunken space may be greater in width or depth than is shewn, or
more than one crusher or pestle may be used in the pan or basin, by
adapting it accordingly. But I claim as new and of my Invention,―
Firstly, the application of a crusher or pestle working as described in a
circular pan or basin, having a sunken circular space at the bottom with a
raised centre, to crushing, pulverizing, and washing mineral earths or ores,
and amalgamating the gold and silver contained therein, also to the grinding
or crushing of earths or ores not containing gold or silver, also to the grinding
of earths, clays and other materials for the manufacture of earthenware, por-
celain, pottery, bricks and cements, and to the crushing, pulverizing and
washing of any other substances or materials.
Secondly, the application of the flattened pipe, and the arrangements
described for obtaining a large surface of mercury, to any apparatus for
amalgamating the gold and silver contained in ores already pulverized.
In witness whereof, I, the said Bashley Britten, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
BASHLEY BRITTEN. (L.S.)