IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF EMERY
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Roberts, of Hill House, Keynsham, near
Bristol, in the County of Somerset, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF EMERY."
Sealed the 29th August 1873, and dated the 22nd May 1873.

page_text: stamping or crushing machinery, and sifting machinery, substantially as
follows:-
:-
From the stone as imported I reduce it to the size required by
stamping or crushing in a manner similar to the stamping of tin orcs in
Cornwall. A current of water made to pass through the stamp carries out
the cmery as soon as it is sufficiently reduced to pass through a grating
placed at the sides of the frame of the stamps. The emery then passes
into a pit or tank prepared to receive it. The sizing partially takes place
in this first pit or tank. The corn or largest size in consequence of its
greater weight is deposited at the top or upper end and the finest is
carried to the extreme or lower end. The water with the light particles
and all dust and impurities suspended in it passes off at the extreme end
leaving the pure emery in the pit. It is then removed from the pit
dividing it into sections the finest or flour being at the lower end. This
flour is first removed and the coarser kinds after cach section being kept
separate.
The final separation is then performed, also by the agency of water.
A sifting or dividing machine which consists of a scries of seives of
graduated sizes is placed in water in which a slight flow is maintained,
consequently on its working in water, no dust arises to injure the work-
men employed. The whole of the water is carried into a catch pit or
tank which when full is allowed to settle whilst a similar pit is being
filled. Any number of pits may thus be filled successively so that no
detention of the works will be necessary while waiting for the settlement
of the pits.
The separation taking place in water entirely frees the corn
from dust and dirt.
The dividing or sifting machine being composed of different sized
sieves or gratings each size of the emery falls into an appropriate receiver
placed under the machine.
The process of drying takes place on a brick or iron floor heated by g
hot flues underneath, and the emery is dried veru ranidlu.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said Richard Roberts, in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 19th November 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
ROBERTS, of Hill House, Keynsham, near Bristol, in the County of
Somerset send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by He
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Richard Roberts, Her
special licence that I, the said Richard Roberts, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Richard Roberts, 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF EMERY," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Richard Roberts, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, 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 Richard Roberts, do hereby
declaro 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:-
1
The improvements consist in producing pure corn and flour of emery
by the application of water in conjunction with the ordinary tin ore.
stamping or crushing machinery and sifting machinery substantially as
follows:-

page_text: a stamping mill or apparatus with three or more heavy iron lifters, pestles
or stampers, with tappets, tongues, or projections thereon for lifting the
pestles in quick succession by iron cams protruding from the circum-
ference of a wooden drum or wheel. The lifters to have heavy iron
heads for operating on the emery and the apparatus being arranged that
these may fall closely or nearly against each other within a stamping
trough having wooden sides fitted or furnished with iron gratings which
may be removeable for the insertion of others according to the degree of
fineness of the openings which may be desired. The gratings consist of
sheets of very thin iron pierced or punched with very small holes. By
means of a spout a small stream of water is made to flow quickly into
and through the stamping trough so that when the fragments of the
emery are reduced sufficiently to enable them to pass through the
apertures of the gratings they may be carried off and directed by a spout
or spouts into one or two pits or tanks provided for their reception. The
sizing partially takes place in these first pits or tanks through which by
reason of their size the rate of the current of water slackens, the result
being that the corn or largest size in consequence of its greater weight
is deposited at the top or upper end and the finest is carried to the
extreme or lower end, while the water with the light particles and all
dust and impurities suspended in it passes off at the extreme end leaving
the pure emery in the pit. This is then removed from the pit, dividing
it into sections the finest or flour being at the lower end. The flour is
first removed and the coarser kinds after each section are kept separate.
The final separation is then performed also by the agency or assistance
of water as follows:-A sifting or dividing machine which consists of a
series of sieves of graduated sizes is placed in water in which a slight
flow is maintained, consequently on its working in water no dust arises
to injure the workmen employed. The whole of the water is carried
into a catch pit or tank, which when full is allowed to settle whilst a
similar pit is being filled. Any number of pits may thus be filled
successively so that no detention of the works will be necessary while
waiting for the settlement of the pits. The separation taking place in
water entirely frees the corn from dust and dirt.
The dividing or sifting machine being constructed with different sized
sieves or gratings, each size of the emery falls into an appropriate receiver
placed under the machine. The said sieves or gratings may lie hori-
zontally or inclined, or be fixed, or have imparted to them a jogging or

page_text: shaking motion; but preferably I employ cylindrical dividing or sifting
machine placed slightly inclined on the axis made to revolve in water
and simultaneously to have communicated to it a short jogging or to and
fro motion. The cylindrical sieve or grating surface being divided into
different degrees of fineness and receivers for each degree respectively
being provided beneath.
The drying of the emery is very rapidly effected on a brick or iron
floor heated by flues placed underneath.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Roberts have hereunto set
hand and seal, this Fifth day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
my
RICH³. ROBERTS. (L.S.)