IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF METALS AND METALLIFEROUS ORES
Year: 1852

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPIT
GIBBS, of Devonshire Street, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engincor,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-first day of
March, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the sixteenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Joseph Gibbs, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, Her especial
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that. I, the said Joseph
Gibbs, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Joseph Gibbs, my exors, adñiors, 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 expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and
the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, and all Her
Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE TREATMENT OF METALS AND METALLIFEROUS ORES;" in which said
Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Joseph Gibbs, shall
cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, to be enrolled in Her Majesty's High Court
of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being
thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Joseph Gibbs, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascertained
in and by the present Specification thereof, reference being had to the
Drawings hereunto annexed, that is to say :-
My Invention consists,-
First, in crushing and grinding metals and metalliferous ores preparatory to
the separation of the metallic particles therefrom.
Second, in the sorting or separating the particles so ground, or the sorting
and separating of alluvial or diluvial sands, gravels, or earths into such ar-
rangement of particles that each portion of the materials to be operated upon
shall correspond to other portions as nearly as may be in their several diameters
and dimensions.
Third, in washing the particles so assorted from the metal or metallic
material with which such substances composing the ground matrix ores,
alluvial or diluvial sands, earths, gravels, and other substances are com-
bined; and,
Fourth, in the separation of metals and metalliferous ores by the employ-
ment of certain machinery and apparatus, in which mercury and air, or air
alone, are brought into action to effect the desired object.
And the manner in which my Invention may be performed is as follows:-
The first part of my Invention for the crushing or grinding of metals and
metalliferous ores is performed by means of a machine shewn at Figure 1.
B represents the top stone and A the lower stone of a mill, similar in many
parts to those used for grinding Roman and other cements, but much greater
strength is required in the framing, the gearing, and other parts than for those
mills, and a much greater weight and less diameter in the mill stones become
indispensable; besides, these mill stones must be hooped with iron of much
greater strength than is now applied to mill stones used in cement mills; and
in some cases, where the material is very hard, instead of mill stones I use
two disks of iron, similar in shape but of less diameter than cement mill
stones; and where more than ordinary weight is required, additional disks are
laid upon the running disk, in order to increase the pressure upon the
materials to be ground. These disks may be chill cast, and furrowed or plain.
The spindle C of the upper mill stone has a rigger or pulley D fixed upon it,
which spindle runs through the eye of the loose pulley E. These loose and
fast pulleys are each faced with spirals F, F. The pulley E is of less diameter
than the pulley D; and as both are driven from the same drum, the smaller or
loose rigger will travel faster than the larger or fixed rigger, the effect of

page_text: which will be, that the surface of the two spirals will slide over each other at
intervals, and the upper stone or disk will be lifted periodically. The ma-
terials to be ground will be thereby crushed as they enter the space between
the stones previous to the grinding process taking place by the falling of the
upper disk or stone upon the lower; and in order that the process may be
carried on properly, steel rings are let into the upper and lower stones or
disks, as represented at H, which rings are keyed on to the disk or stone,
as represented at J, J, by proper bolts and keys, and when too much worn
they can be renewed. The spirals for lifting the upper stone or disk ought to
be faced with steel, as represented on a larger scale at Figure 2, A being the
spiral of the upper and B the spiral of the lower stone or disk. It will be
seen that the spiral or inclosed stud rises from a circular ring formed in such
a manner that a considerable portion of the revolution is performed without
the upper stone rising. In general one sixth of a circle will be the proper
proportion for the studs or spirals to occupy on the rings, and about eight
revolutions of the upper stone or disk should be made before that stone or
disk is lifted by the studs coming in contact with each other. When I here
speak of mill stones, it is without reference to the material from which they
are inade, and iron may be the material, though stone is spoken of. Many
modifications may be made of the combined process of grinding and stamping
with running horizontal mill stones, but in general the method pointed out
will be the best; but when it is desired to have the machine more nearly
approaching the nature of a stamping mill, I accomplish this by lessening the
diameter of the upper disk to such an extent that it may operate as a revolving
stamper or pestle. Figure 3 represents such an arrangement. A is a conical
or cylindrical block of cast iron placed in a firm foundation through a hole,
and through which passes the wrought-iron spindle B, on which is welled the
cylindrical disc C, and through which are the holes for letting down the materials
to be stamped from a hopper or other means of feeding. Upon the spindle B
is keyed a toothed pinion E, driven by the cog wheel F. This pinion is to be
made sufficiently wide on the face to slide up and down without losing any part
of its engagements with the wheel by which it is driven. The most convenient
means of lifting the spindle and the crusher or revolving pestle head C will be
by fixing a circular plate on the platform G, G, through which plate the
spindle B, B, revolves and slides up and down. On the surface of this plate
is cast a ring with a spiral incline, as marked at H, and which corresponds
with another spiral incline cast on the circular plate, which plate is keyed on
to the spindle, and as the spindle revolves these inclines will give the necessary
elevation or stamping motion to the spindle and crusher, whereby the crushing

page_text: may be carried on with a rapidity and uniformity of result not to be obtained
by any of the methods now practised. A mode of forming the crusher without
the grinding process will be effected by suspending the stamper or crusher by
a circular wire rope of considerable length, as shewn in Figure 4, which rope
passes over the grooved wheel, one end being fastened to the crusher and the
other to the cam piece C. This cam is depressed by the cams on the shaft,
which depression causes the crusher to be elevated sufficiently high to give the
requisite blow, and the partial twisting and untwisting the rope will cause the
crusher slightly to rotate and prevent its always striking in one place. This
crusher may be made of cast iron with a hoop of wrought iron fixed upon its
upper end, which is to be slightly bevilled to prevent the hoop falling off.
This hoop is intended to hold together the material to be crushed. Tho
crusher has a spindle E passing through it and through the iron block, the
object of this spindle being to guide the crusher in its descent. Instead of the
spindle passing through the block, a guide may be formed above the block, the
spindle being carried upwards, instead of downwards, through the block. This
arrangement will admit of the stamper being partially cut away on the face
so as to resemble a series of heads of hammers or pestle faces radiating from a
common centre. The cam piece is guided by the cross pieces G, G, which are
held in their place by the braces H, H.
I claim, under this head of my Invention, the crushing and grinding of
metals and metalliferous ores preparatory to their being treated by one or
more of the processes herein-after described, and whether such grinding and
crushing be performed by ordinary mill stones used in grinding Roman and
other cements, or by the several methods herein-before described.
The second part of my Invention relates to the sorting or separating of the
particles of the metals or metalliferous substances ground either in the ordinary
way, or in the manner just described, in such manner that the particles of any
of these substances composing each lot shall be of as nearly an uniform
dimension as may be. I accomplish this in various ways, but principally by
sifting in sieves which range in gradation from the largest to the smallest sized
particles of the material to be operated upon. This sifting is of the most
essential consequence to the proper working of the separating process to be
described hereafter. The sieves may be worked by hand in the ordinary manner,
but I prefer using a machine similar to the dressing machine used for sepa-
rating flour from bran, only varying it so far as strength and coarsness are
concerned; and I inject a stream of water into the machine at the upper end
of the scive or cylinder to keep the meshes clear, and to facilitate the move-
ment of the material. In other cases I use framed sloping sieves graduated

page_text: over each other in a series of finenesses as regards the mesh. These sieves
are placed in a frame, and having a jumping motion given to them at the lower
end, which causes the material which is fed to the first sieve at the upper end
gradually to fall through the various sieves according to size, and the material
is delivered at the lower end of the sieves sorted in a proper manner; but in
many cases it is requisite to sift or separate the very finest particles still further
after they have passed the sieve having the smallest mesh. In such case I
cause the material to be passed through a bolting machine having a proper
bolting cloth, and similar in all respects to a flour bolting machine, and such
as is now in use. This very fine material to be bolted is dried and ground
if it has caked by the previous washing in the sifting machines. The mud or
slime which has passed away with and settled from the water derivable from
the sifting machine I also have broken up and passed through the bolting
cloth to assort the sizes of the particles of that material in the most ample
manner. Sifting and bolting machines are so well understood by mechanics
that further description of them is unnecessary; but it may be observed that
the correct working of the sifting and bolting process is of the utmost
importance and value to the accurate process of separation to be hereafter.
described, and no trouble can be too great in carrying out correctly this
part of my Invention.
I claim, under this second head of my Invention, the employment of sifting
machines and bolting machines for arranging into sizes the particles of the
ground or crushed ores or substances combined with metals into assorted
dimensions previous to the separation therefrom of the metallic particles with
which they may be combined.
The third part of my Invention relates to the washing and separating the
materials before described, in order to carry off the lighter materials, leaving
the heavier metallic particles behind. I accomplish this by one of the
machines represented in Figures 5, 6, and 7. Figure 5 being employed when
the metallic proportion of the material to be separated is small, and Figures 6.
& 7 when such metallic portion is great. A, Figure 5, is a regulating.
cistern, the water in which is always kept as nearly as possible at a uniform,
height. B is the separating vessel, into which the water is admitted by the
pipe C, and the material to be operated upon is raked from the feed bead D.
Near the bottom of the separating vessel, but above the pipe C, is placed a
fine sieve C in a moveable frame which fits the cylinder accurately and closes
the sides. The materials raked in fall upon this sieve, and the water being.
admitted through the pipe C below the sieve, and consequently below the
materials, gives a slight impulse to the lighter portions thereof, and carries
them over by the spout C, which may be lengthened to any convenient

page_text: distance to take away the refuse of the washing. The water is let in by tho
valve F, which is raised by the lever and screw handle G, G. The amount of
the opening of the valve, and consequently the velocity of the water through
the machine, is always proportioned to the diameter of the particles of the
materials to be operated upon; so that whilst a great velocity is required
to bring over the non-metallic substances which have only passed through
the large sieves, a velocity scarcely perceptible is required for bringing
over the finest particles passing through the finest sieves or bolting
cloths. By properly regulating the velocity it will be found that the
lighter particles will be carried off by the spout C, while the heavier or
metallic particles will be retained upon the sieve or will be found in the
chamber G, and may be extracted from time to time by the opening mado
by unscrewing the cap H, and passing a stream of water through the
chamber. Where in the case of washing the precious metals a greater degree
of nicety is required to obtain every particle of valuable matter, it is proper to
increase the length of the upward current by elongating the separating vessel
B; and when the particles are very fine, several washings of the material may be
necessary to prevent the escape of any metallic particle. When it is intended
to wash and separate the metallic particles from the materials with which they
are associated in a large way, I use the machine, Figure 6 and 7. A is a
section of the separating vessel. B, the supply pipe, and C, the iron grating
on which is placed the sieve D. E, E, is a sluice cock for letting in and
regulating the flow of water through the machine. The separating cylinder is
suspended by a pointed pivot F and the pipe G, which is lodged in the socket
joint ; the separating cylinder is kept upright or moved by the pinion and
toothed quadrant I and the winch J into the position represented in Figure 6.
The advantage of this arrangement is the facility with which the accumulated
particles of metallic substances may from time to time be removed. The dotted
line A, Figure 7, shews the mode of depressing the mouth of the separating vessel
sufficiently to admit of its discharging its contents into the cistern B. When
this is done a very small quantity of water is sent through the separating vessel
whilst in its sloping position, and such particles as have dropped through the
sieve Dare taken out by the cap K, Figure 6. When the operation is of a
nature not requiring much nicety, the sieve D, Figure 6, may be dispensed
with, and a bent nozzle may be put in the pipe B, Figure 6, the mouth of
which will cause the water to flow downwards and clear the bottom of the
vessel before it commences its ordinary upward action. In that case it will be
better to make the separating vessel somewhat of a larger diameter below the
inflow pipe. In some cases I modify these separating vessels by causing them

page_text: to be a little wider at the top orifice, so that the velocity of the flow of water
in that part of the vessel is diminished, and the materials which have risen
with the water are in some degree suspended, so that heavier particles may
return to the bottom. Under these circumstances it is necessary to have a
second feed pipe to again increase the velocity of the water at the surface.
A, Figure 8, shews part of the separating vessel and apparatus with a wider
orifice, and B, the second supply pipe. Instead of using the cistern before
described, I sometimes use pumps, to which are connected an ordinary air
vessel to supply the requisite stream of water, the pressure on the air vessel
regulating and equalizing the flow of water. Where water is difficult to bo
obtained or in small quantity, I inject a current of air into the separating
vessel in the same manner as water is injected, which will bring the light
particles of the material to be operated upon to the top of the separating
vessel which has been previously filled with water; and I cause an inlet and
outlet pipe to be made in the separating vessel; A, Figure 9, being the inlet
pipe, D the feed head, C the separating vessel, and E the air injecting pipe,
B being the outlet pipe. After the materials have been some time agitated by
an injection of air, it will be found that the heavier parts are settled lowest ;
and when the lighter materials have arrived at a height above the pipes A, B,
then the pipe B must be opened to let out the water, and the pipe A open to
let in water at a velocity sufficient to carry out of the vessel all the materials
above the level of these pipes, and then they may be again closed whilst the
air injection and the supply of the materials from the feed head D are going
on. In this and in the cases before described there may be several separating
vessels all acting from one supply of water or air, and they must be made of
larger or smaller dimensions, varied by the nature and quantity of the materials
to be operated upon.
I claim, in respect to the third part of my Invention, the employment of the
separating vessels described in connection with the sifting process before
described, wherein water or air is applied to give an upward action to the
water, so as to cause the materials to be separated and arranged according to
their specific gravities.
The fourth part of my Invention relates to the treatment of metals and
metallic substances by the use of machinery or apparatus, by which mercury
and air or air alone are brought into action to effect the desired object.
When air alone is used I take the ground or crushed or pulverized materials,"
or diluvial or alluvial sands, gravels, and earths containing metallic particles
in a perfectly dry state, and prepared by grinding, sifting, and bolting, as
described in the first part of this Specification. The material is put into tho

page_text: hopper of a blowing machine, Figure 10. A is the fan for creating a blast, on
the spindle of which is the friction wheel B. There is one of these wheels on
each side of the machine, as shewn in the cross section; the fan is driven by the
larger wheel, which is set in motion by hand or any other power. The materials
to be separated drop through the opening in the bottom of the hopper and
fall on the first shaking plate E, and then to the second shaking plate F, from
which they drop before the blast, and according to their specific gravity will
be carried forward to a greater or less distance, and will fall into the partitions,
some of which are marked I, I, I; the heaviest and most metallic particles
will be found nearest the fan. I recommend that all the preliminary opera-
tions described in the former parts of this Specification for arranging the
particles of material into sizes by sifting and bolting be carefully followed
when this blowing machine is used, otherwise the result will be imperfect.
When air and mercury are employed in combination to produce an amalga-
mation between the mercury and gold or silver, I use a machine like that
represented at Figure 11, where A shews the mercury vessel filled up to the
line B. C is an air pump and solid plunger drawing air through the orifice
C², which air is forced through the valve D below the mercury in the vessel
A. F is a vessel into which are placed the ores or sands combined with the
metals to be amalgamated with mercury. This vessel has a cover made
perfectly air-tight and held down by the screw G. H, H, is a small air pipe
to connect the top of the vessel F with the air-pump chamber, so as to main-
tain an equilibrium between the compressed air in the pump and in the vessel
containing the materials to be amalgamated. F is a valve to prevent the air
returning to the air pump. I is a plunger working through an air-tight
stuffing box J.
This solid plunger just reaches when withdrawn the opening
from the vessel F, and on its being thrust forward by the same actuating
machine which works the plunger C, a small quantity of the sand or ground
material which has fallen from the vessel F during the withdrawal of the
plunger will be pushed forward on the return stroke of this plunger, so as to
come within the influence of the air plunger C, the air being compressed on
the mercury, which at the cominencement of the operation will be about the
level of the dotted lines at B and K; but as the air continues to be forced in
by the air plunger C, and the materials to be amalgamated are also projected
in by the small plunger I, the level of the mercury will be changed until the
compressed air and materials have arrived at the syphon bend L. The air
and materials which have been injected will then risc through the mercury
under considerable pressure past K and B, and the air will escape at the
upper orifice M. The waste materials will be accumulated on the top of the

page_text: mercury until they are of sufficient quantity to fall down the spout N. The
metallic particles will be detained and absorbed by the mercury and will form
the amalgam. So long as it is found advantageous the metallic particles and
the other materials may be passed several times through the amalgamating
machine. In order to make a very quick amalgamation, I sometimes pass
the mercury and pulverized materials or fine sand or earths properly sifted
through and between a pair of millstones similar to those used for grinding
corn or oil paints. The ground or other material is fed by a hopper, and the
mercury by a pipe leading from a reservoir. The mercury after leaving the
stones falls into a cistern, from whence it is again elevated by mechanical
means (which need not be here described, (these contrivances being so well
understood), and is again passed through the upper eye of the millstone
either with the same material again put through the hopper for a further
operation, or a fresh quantity of the material brought in contact with the
mercury until the mercury is sufficiently charged or amalgamated with as
much of the metal as it can take up. When stones of small diameter are
used and driven with considerable velocity, the mercury may rise on the sides
of the case by the centrifugal force of the stones (the-outer case being for the
purpose made of iron and exceedingly tight), and may then be conducted over
a fixed sloping cover to the stone, as shown in section, Figure 12, A being the
lower stone, B the upper, and C, C, the outer iron case. E is a disk of iron
rivetted to the case, and pierced with a row of holes close to the case. When
it has by this means been sufficiently amalgamated, then an opening by a tap
or sluice on the side of the case, as at F, may be made, and the mercury will
run out in the direction instead of rising over the disk.
I claim, under this fourth part of my Invention, the employment of blowing
and winnowing machines in combination with the sifting and bolting apparatus
described, for the purpose of extracting the heavy metallic particles from the
non-metallic or less metallic particles with which they are associated.
I also claim the injecting of air and the pulverized matters with which
gold and silver are combined through mercury, so as to form with such
mercury an amalgam.
And I further claim the use of mills fixed in iron cases similar to those
used for grinding corn or oil paints, through which mills mercury and the
materials to be amalgamated are ground together to form an amalgam.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Gibbs, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of September, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-three.
JOSEPH (L.S.) GIBBS.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-first day of September,
in the year of our Lord 1853, the aforesaid Joseph Gibbs came before our
said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, 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-first day of September, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.