IMPROVEMENTS IN CRUSHING GOLD QUARTZ, AND METALLIC ORES
Year: 1852

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ISHAM
BAGGS, of Liverpool Street, in the County of Middlesex, Electrical Engineer,
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-ninth day of
January, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the fifteenth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Isham Baggs, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial
license, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Isham Baggs,
my exors, adiñors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Isham Baggs, my
exors, adiñors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, fron
time to time and at all times during the term of years therein expresed, should
and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales,
and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in the Islands of Guernsey, Jersey,
Alderney, Sark, and Man, and in all Her Majesty's Colonies and Plantations
abroad, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CRUSHING GOLD QUARTZ, AND
METALLIC ORES;" in which said Lettters Patent is contained a proviso, that I,
the said Isham Baggs, 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 inrolled in Her said
Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and

page_text: immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and
by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Isham Baggs, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which 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 certain arrangements and adaptations of
machinery for the application of the direct action of steam or of atmospheric
pressure to the movement of stamps for crushing and pulverizing gold quartz
and metallic ores.
Secondly, in certain improved arrangements for working the slide valves or
other class of valves of such engines, whereby the violent strain and concussion
which occur in the working of these valves in a direct manner is avoided, and
smoothness of action is obtained.
Thirdly, in a method of feeding such engines with the materials to be
crushed and pulverized.
And, fourthly, in an improved method of forming the stamps.
And here I wish it to be understood that I am aware the direct action of
steam has already been applied, in various modified ways, to the forging
of iron and the cutting and fashioning of metallic bars and plates, &c., to which
applications the present Patent bears no reference, it being entirely confined
to the pulverization of the materials included in the present Specification.
Figure 1 of the Drawings hereunto annexed is a front elevation of an
engine for crushing gold quartz, or metallic ores, in which the stamp is
worked by high-pressure steam; Figure 2, a side elevation of the same; and
Figure 3, a cross section. A, A, is the general framework, to which is bolted
by flanges the steam cylinder B; C is the piston; and D, the piston rod,
which passes through a stuffing box in the bottom of the cylinder B. The
piston rod D terminates in a cover and packing D', by which it is bolted to the
stamp E. F is the block upon which the gold quartz or metallic ore to
be pulverized is laid. This block is. imbedded in masonry or iron in the usual
manner. G is the valve casing bolted to the cylinder B, and H the slide
valve; I is the valve spindle, which passes through a stuffing box in the valve
easing G and into a small steam cylinder K, where it is attached to and passes
through the piston L; it is continued down through the bottom of the cylinder
K, and terminates in a screwed end, upon which are two nuts to regulate the
length of the stroke of the valve H, consequent velocity of upstroke of the

page_text: piston C, and lift of the stamp E; it also prevents the piston C from coming
in forcible contact with and striking the cover of the cylinder B. L', L', are
the induction ports, and L the exhaust port of the cylinder B; M is the steam
pipe from the boiler, connected to the valve casing G for supplying the cylinder
B; N, N, are two branch steam pipes from the pipe M, which are con-
nected by T-pieces to two three-way cocks 0, 0¹; P, P¹, are other pipes for
supplying steam to the small cylinder K above and below the piston. These
pipes serve alternately for induction and eduction pipes, according to the
position of the three-way cocks O, O', and are also attached to the exhaust
pipes Q, Q. W, W, are cocks upon the pipes P, P¹, for regulating the flow
of steam into the small cylinder K, and also for stopping and starting the
engine; R, R, are two plates bolted by the screws r, r, to the stamp E.
These plates have formed upon them, but in a position the reverse to each
other, two inclined projections or cams S, S', which actuate the bell crank
levers T, T, fitted upon the three-way cocks 0, 0, and serve to alternately
open the steam pipes P, P¹, into the small cylinder K, and also to open the
eduction pipes for the escape of steam from the opposite side of the piston;
V, V, are two strips of vulcanized india-rubber fastened to the bell crank
levers T, T, and framework A, A, for the purpose of keeping the levers
in close contact with the cams S, S¹, and thereby insure the working of the
three-way cocks; t, t, are friction rollers in the ends of the levers T, T¹.
The action of this machine is as follows:-Supposing the piston in the
cylinder B to be at the bottom of its stroke, and therefore the stamp down
upon the block, upon steam being admitted into the cylinder below the piston C
it is caused to rise to the top of its stroke, and carries with it the stamp; the
stamp in rising causes the cam or inclined piece S to come in contact with the
lever T, which opens the three-way cock O and admits steam into the small
steam cylinder above the piston and causes it to descend while the strip of
india-rubber or spring VI, acting upon the lever T, opens the three-way
cock O, and allows the escape of steam from beneath the piston into the
exhaust pipe Q. This descent of the piston moves the valve and opens the
top port. The piston C in the large cylinder being now at the top of its stroke
is caused to descend rapidly on the steam being admitted (both by the action
of the steam and gravity of the piston and stamp) upon the block, thereby
crushing and pulverizing whatever gold quartz or metallic ore may be between
them at the time. The downward action of the piston and stamp causes the
cam S¹ to come in contact with the lever T' and three-way cock O', and
reverses its position, allowing steam to enter below the small piston, aud
thereby causes it to rise, and at the same time the other three-way cock O is

page_text: reversed by the action of the spring or india-rubber strip V, and forms the
exhaust from above the small piston. This upward motion of the piston
causes the valve H to rise and open the lower port in the large cylinder B for
the admission of steam into it and below the piston, and the exhaust being
open above, it is caused to rise in the manner before explained, and the action
of stamping and crushing repeated wherever facilities exist for the formation
of a partial vacuum. The power required for moving the stamp may be
obtained by steam pressure or by the pressure of the atmosphere operating
against such vacuum, in accordance with the methods of application already
well understood by engineers and frequently introduced in modified forms of
the steam engine. Instead of using the engines above described for working
the stamp for crushing gold quartz or metallic ore, I make use of an engine
worked by atmospheric pressure in the following manner:-The stamp is
attached by means of a rod to a piston, the cylinder of which is open at top
but closed at bottom with a cover, in which is a stuffing box to allow the
piston rod to pass through. The stamp slides up and down between guides in
the general framework of the machine, and carries a crosshead, which is raised
by means of cans or other suitable mechanical contrivance, worked by a water
wheel or other prime mover. As the cams revolve, the crosshead is caused to
rise, and with it the stamp and piston, which causes a partial vacuum to be
formed beneath it, so that when the crosshead is released from the cams the
pressure of the atmosphere above the piston, together with its own gravity and
the weight of the stamp, causes it to descend with a blow upon such gold
quartz or metallic ore as may be upon the block. A small valve opening
upwards should be placed on the top of the piston, so that any leakage from
above into the cylinder by the sides of the piston may be allowed to escape
upon the descent of the piston, as in the event of any accumulation of air
beneath an air cushion would be formed, and the piston and stamp would be
prevented from reaching the end of the stroke. Or instead of the above
arrangement, the position of the cylinder may be reversed, that is to say, the
stamp attached to the piston rod as before, but the cylinder closed at top and
open at bottom. It is necessary to observe that the cylinder in this case
should be one half, two-thirds, or some other convenient proportion longer
than the stroke of the stamp and piston. The stamp is raised by cams, &c.,
as before, but instead of this action producing a vacuum under the piston, as
before, a condensation of air is produced above it, which condensed air, acting
in conjunction with the weight of the stamp and piston, forces down the stamp
violently upon the gold quartz or metallic ores to be pulverized in the manner
already explained. It is desirable to have a small valve opening inwards in

page_text: this arrangement to obviate the evil arising from leakage. The object of these
last named modifications is to obtain with any prime mover the smartness of
blow and consequent increase of crushing power which arise from the sudden
operation of elastic force. Whether steam or atmospheric air is employed,
the piston may be fixed and the cylinder itself attached to the stamp and move
with it, but I consider the arrangements I have already described as preferable
modes of applying the power.
When the work to be done is heavy and the lumps of gold quartz or
metallic ore are large and tough, I find it desirable to cast the stamp all in
one piece, as represented in Figure 6, as the face of such stamp is not so
liable to breakage as if constructed as stamps now ordinarily are by having the
face of the stamp fitted to the upper part by a dovetail joint. And I find this
description of stamp very durable.
The stamping engines here described may be conveniently fed by hand, the
materials to be crushed being thrown into a wooden trough, which inclines
downward towards the top of the iron block F, and being then thrust forward,
and after pulverization, pushed away as the stamp rises; but where expedition
is of great moment, I employ a feeding apparatus, worked by the engine itself,
a front elevation of which is represented in Figure 4, and a plan of the same
in Figure 5.
A is the block, and B the stamp, as usual; C is a strong iron framing,
bolted firmly to the side of the block A; D is a shaft, stepped in the lower
part of the framing, and to which is securely bolted a circular trough or
table E for receiving the gold quartz or metallic ores to be crushed and
pulverized.
The under side of the trough part of the table rests upon the block A.
F is a bevil wheel, cast in a piece with the table, and into which the bevil
pinion G, keyed upon the shaft H, gears; I is a ratchet wheel on the shaft H,
a separate side view of which, together with its appendages, is given in
Figure 5; K is a pall, which takes into the teeth of the ratchet for the
purpose of imparting motion to it when acted upon in the manner herein-after
explained.
The lower end of the pall K is centred between two levers L, L, one of the
ends of which is centred loosely upon the shaft H, while the other end is
attached to a rod M, connected to a crank N upon the rocking shaft O, which
works in the general framework of the engine; P is a lever, which projects
out from the boss upon the rocking shaft, and Q, a rod attached to the stamp,
which rises and falls with it; R is a piece of stout sheet iron, which serves
as a scoop to collect the pulverized gold quartz or metallic ore after it
passes

page_text: from beneath the stamp, and delivers it over the side of the table into a
receiver.
The action of this feeder is as follows:-Upon the rising of the stamp B,
the rod comes into contact with and strikes up the lever P on the rocking
shaft, which causes it partially to rotate, and by the action of the crank N
raises the rod M and with it the levers L and pall K, which, taking into the
ratchet wheel I, causes it to be moved slightly round together with the bevil
pinion G, which gearing into the bevil wheel F, gives to the table and trough E
a partially circular motion in the direction of the arrow, so as to bring at
every rising of the stamp a fresh supply of gold quartz or metallic ore
beneath it.
The pulverized materials after passing from beneath the stamp are carried
up the scoop and delivered over the side, as before explained.
The descent of the stamp liberates the lever P, and also allows the pall K
to take up another tooth of the ratchet wheel I, so that the circular motion of
the table is rendered continuous upon every rising of the stamp.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, I declare that I do not confine
myself to the precise mechanical details here described; but that I claim as of
my Invention,--
First, the direct application of steam or atmospheric pressure to the move-
ment of stamps, for crushing and pulverizing gold quartz and metallic ores in
any stage of preparation, and this whether such stamps are lifted by the force
of steam or atmospheric pressure, or caused to descend alone by such force, or
are both lifted and caused to descend thereby.
Second, I claim the use of a second and independent cylinder for working
the valves of engines, as herein described, for all such stamping machines
employed in the process of crushing gold quartz and metallic ores.
Third, I claim the use of a moveable table placed under the stamp, for
the purpose of feeding such engines in a regular manner with gold quartz
and metallic ores to be crushed, and of clearing the same away after
pulverization.
And, fourth, I claim the mode, hereiu-before described, of forming the
stamps of such engines of a single piece.
In witness whereof, I, the said Isham Baggs, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two.
ISHAM (L.S.) BAGGS.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-eighth day of July, in
the year of our Lord 1852, the aforesaid Isham Baggs came before our said
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore-
said, 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-ninth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-two.