Improvements in Extracting Gold from Simple, Compound, and Refractory Ores, or Slags, or Wastes, or Cinders of Ores or Metals Containing Gold or Gold Blends by Fusion with Anti- moniac Compounds.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 30th July, 1887
Complete Specification Left, 11th Apr., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 30th Oct., 1888
[Communicated to them from abroad by JAMES WOOLFORD, a British Subject, at
present residing at Brionde, Haute Loire, in the Republic of France, Smelter
and Matalune
1
Improvements in Extracting Gold from Simple, Compound, and
Refractory Ores, or Slags, or Wastes, or Cinders of Ores or
Metals Containing Gold or Gold Blends by Fusion with Anti-
moniac Compounds.
We FERRAR FENTON, of Soothill, Batley, Yorkshire, Stock and Share Broker &
ROBERT JACKSON PARTRIDGE, of Ben Place, Grasmere, Westmoreland, Financier,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
The extraction of Gold from all or any of the above named substances by means
of a Compound we call Antimoniac Oxysulphide of Iron in substitution of Quicksilver
or other mercurial substances by fusion in, along with, or by the aid of the said
Antimoniae Oxysulphide of Iron, both in a metallic and also gaseous state, both of
which work simultaneously upon the gold-bearing substances; that is to say the first
step of our operation is by simple fusion of the auriferous substances along with
the components of what in the subsequent steps becomes a gas as Antimoniac Oxy-
sulphide of Iron.
This matter, and gas, which is the invention for this purpose of James Woolford,
who has communicated it to us applicants hereto, is thus produced. The metal of
Antimony in any of its forms, or a blend thereof, or any chemical compound thereof,
or any ore simple or compound thereof, is or may be taken, and is or has been
taken by me, or us, and placed or used along with metalic Iron in any of its forms or
compounds, or Iron ores of any kind, or slags or wastes of Iron, into or upon or in
any furnace or plant or apparatus deemed applicable and convenient for the purpose,
along with, or intermixed amongst, or upon, or about, or in combination or conjunc-
tion with any ores or substances of an auriferous nature, and the whole fused

page_text: to-gether to a metalic liquid mass. I, or we, then by means of the admission of
atmospheric air as an oxydizing agent, and sulphur, or sulphuric gases, obtained
either from the ores operated upon, or the fuel burnt, or by direct exhibition thro'
the fires as a vaporizing agency of sulphur or sulphurous substances, and the carbonic
gases produced by the combustion of the fuels used in smelting, and which are stored
in a receiver for use till they are required, and by the use of Coal dust and Sodaic
Compounds, or Sodium, as reagents I proceed (or we proceed) to displace the anti-
monic matters from the amalgam, as well as the Iron matters therein, which have
been formed by simple fusions or chemical combinations in the retorts or furnaces
used to produce such fusions or combinations from the mass, so as to leave
the Gold, or Auriferous substances, in the bottom of the crucibles, or retorts, of
furnaces, in which the operations of its extraction have been effected.
then by means of Oxydation and carbonization of the Antimoniac and Ferric
compounds used as fluxes, I recover all valuable or usible parts of them, for re-use in
any manner desired, or for re-application as fluxes, or a flux, for operating upon
fresh auriferous matters, by collecting in water the teroxide of Antimony, or vapour
of water, which teroxide has been formed by admixture of the oxygen of atmospheric
air amongst the furnace gasses, by any suitable apparatus, and so becomes combined
or condensed from its gaseous forms into some solid or dense compounds of
antimony.
And

page_text: We, FERRAR FENTON of Soothill, Batley, Yorkshire, Stock and Share Broker and
ROBERT JACKSON PARTRIDGE of Ben Place Grasmere, Westmoreland, Financier do
hereby declare the nature of our invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN EXTRACTING GOLD
FROM SIMPLE COMPOUND AND REFRACTORY ORES OR SLAGS &o. and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
The extraction of gold from all or any of the above-named substances by means of
a compound we call Antimoniac Oxysulphide of Iron in substitution of quicksilver or
other mercurial substances by fusion in along with or by the aid of the said Anti-
moniac Oxysulphide of Iron both in a metallic and also gaseous state both of which
work simultaneously upon the gold bearing substances that is to say the first step of
our operation is by simple fusion of the auriferous substances along with the com-
pounds of what in the subsequent steps becomes a gas as Antimoniac Oxysulphide of
iron. The following proportions of the substances used to charge the furnace and
produce the flux when operated upon by heat along with the gold bearing substances
we have found preferable.
To each ton of auriferous material or substance we add in the furnace two
hundred weights of iron or iron ore containing at least metal equivalent to that
amount ten pounds of Carbonate of Soda and two hundred weights of Sulphate
or oxide of Antimony or Antimony ores containing metal equivalent or in access of
that amount.
The process of fusion and release of the gold from or by the above compound
charge can be affected in any kind of furnace deemed suitable but we prefer the
following apparatus specially designed for our purpose.
Fig. 1. A.
shutter.
D D represents a tower closed at the top by means of a moveable
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 represent eight affiliated furnaces attached to the base of
tower.
The 9 D's represent 9 moveable covers closing the upper surface of the S affiliated
retort furnaces, which contain the Crucibles in which the ores are smelted.
The 5 C's represent doors in front of each of the furnaces whose fronts do not
appear to view in the drawing attached hereto-the upper of these doors closes the

page_text: adit for extracting the molten metal, and the lower one represents the stoke hole for
the fire.
The retorts or Crucibles are opened at the top-but the furnaces in which they stand
are closed-for the escape of the gases involved during the process of smelting into
the central tower D which constitutes a chamber for the purpose where the products
of combustion are mixed with them along with a powerful current of atmospheric air
drawn down the said tower or chamber by the action of the fans hereafter described
and so mix the gases, atmospheric air and the products of combustion are drawn
through the two flues 9. 9. (fig. 2 A) by the action of the said fans hereinafter
described.
E, E, E, represent draft holes to be used when occasion requiros.
Fig. 2. C. W W shows the door by which the furnace can be entered.
A, A are two water pipes which throw water into the flues 9-9.
11-11-a stand for two fans placed intermediately and in connection with the
flues 9 9 & 12-12-into these fans whilst driven at high speed small jets of water
are constantly flowing, by the action of the fans the water is beaten into spray and
converted into steam by the heated current of air & metallic vapors drawn down the
central tower and through the stoke holes of the furnaces by the suction of the said
fans and the spray or steam united with the atmospheric air oxydizes the metallic
vapors as hereafter described; the oxydes and the aqueous vapor and spray are
beaten into combination when they present an appearance like paint and are driven
through the flues 12-12-into the water contained in the well 22-together with
any portion of gas not combined, which passes into a tower and abuttment 15 & 14-
in this tower a turbine works and by its beating action amalgamates any traces of
vaporized metal by means of the mixture of steam and air arising from the well 22
into a similar oxyde or paint like substance which then falls back into the well.
On the top of 14 an engine may be placed to drive the fans and turbine.
The five 16's are condensing flues conduct any remaining vapor and air not yet
combined from the top of this turbine tower 15 to 20 which is a bed upon which a
fan is placed in connection with flues 16 & 21 to continue the amalgamating or
oxydizing process as above described.
TT is the Canal to conduct any free metallic vapors from the hollow bed upon
which the fan stands back to the well 22-when they are re-operated upon by the
beating process as before detailed.
B is a water jet from whence a stream of water falls into fan standing upon 20,
the flue 21 is for the escape of air and gas into the chimney.
(Fig. A. B) A. A. indicate two retorts in position for work, these stand three inches
from the retaining wall of the furnace the bottom resting upon fire brick pedestals
or pedestals made from some infusible material, in height these retorts reach within
two & a half feet the roof or cover of the furnace.
P. P. represents stands for other retorts-E the fire bars. F the ash-pit. G the
stoke hole H. ground floor-four C's ventilation holes, four D's dampers B. entrance
to flues in the side of the wall-1 wall of the chimney-Z a raised platform for stoking
from.
Fig. 2 B.
Five O's represent vents in the side of the retorts-from which the
molten slag or recovered metal flows upon the withdrawal of the plugs.
P. shows one of the vents un-pluged.
In emptying the retorts after their contents have been reduced to a liquid con-
dition the slag being of lighter Specific Gravity rises to the top of the molten mass
and is drawn out at the upper tiers of vents, the metal being discharged by the
lower ones.
Fig. 3 B. is a spout or gutter for insertion into the vents marked 0 to conduct
the contents of the retorts into moulds or other recepticles, these should be adjusted
previous to the withdrawal of the vent plugs.
Fig. 4 B. is a gutter formed of any infusible material which is inserted inside the
cast iron gutter previously described to prevent its destruction by the heat of the out
flowing slag or metal.

page_text: Having now particularly described & ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare what we claim is
The process above described for operating upon ores or metals containing Gold or
Gold blends by the plan of fusion or evaporation of them with or by Antimoniac
Compounds in union with iron or ores or substances containing that metal along with
Carbonate of Soda and seperating of the released Gold in a metallic state along with
Antimony and the superfluous antimony in a compound state with oxygen and sulpher
as above described.