IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF AND THE APPARATUS FOR TREATING AURIFEROUS AND ARGENTIFEROUS, MINERALS AND ORES FOR THE PURPOSE OF EXTRACTING AND SEPARATING THE, GOLD AND SILVER FROM THE OTHER METALS, MINERALS, AND SUBSTANCES. COMBINED THERE WITH ALSO IN THE METHOD OF TREATING THE VARIOUS RESIDUES USE RESULTING THEREFROM, AND IN THE UTILIZATION, APPLICATION, AND OF THE SAID RESIDUES WHEN BO, TREATED
Year: 1862

page_text: ETTERS PATENT to Thomas Cobley, Metallurgist, and James. Wright,
Civil Engineer, both of 42, Bridge Street, Blackfriars, in the City, of
London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF AND
THE APPARATUS FOR TREATING AURIFEROUS AND ARGENTIFEROUS, MINERALS
AND ORES FOR THE PURPOSE OF EXTRACTING AND SEPARATING THE, GOLD AND
SILVER FROM THE OTHER METALS, MINERALS, AND SUBSTANCES. COMBINED
THERE WITH ALSO IN THE METHOD OF TREATING THE VARIOUS RESIDUES
USE
RESULTING THEREFROM, AND IN THE UTILIZATION, APPLICATION, AND
OF THE SAID RESIDUES WHEN BO, TREATED"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Cobley and
James Wright at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 8th April 1862..
We; THOMAS COBLEY; Metallurgist, and JAMES WRIGHT, Civil Engineer, both
of 42, Bridge Street, Blackfriars, in the City of London, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF AND THE
APPARATUS FOR TREATING AURIFEROUS AND ARGENTIFEROUS MINERALS AND ORES
FOR THE PURPOSE OF EXTRACTING AND SEPARATING THE GOLD AND SILVER FROM
THE OTHER METALS, MINERALS, AND SUBSTANCES COMBINED THEREWITH; ALSO IN
THE METHOD OF TREATING THE VARIOUS RESIDUES RESULTING THEREFROM, AND IN
[Price 8d.

page_text: TH
UTILIZATION, APPLICATION, AND USE OF THE SAID RESIDUES WHEN SO TREATED,"
to be as follows:-
The auriferous and argentiferous minerals and ores which we propose to
treat we classify in the following manner, as each class require modifications
in the mode of treatment':-
First, quartoze and schistose, being substances where the principal matrices
in which the metals are deposited are quartz or schists or compounds of
these.
· Second, minerals and ores, which are principally composed of the first
class, but containing in addition tellurium and bismuth, which we call telluric
and bismuthical.
Third, minerals or ores similar to class one, but consisting chiefly of
sulphides, which we call pyritical or sulphureous.
Fourth, minerals or orés similar to class one, but containing considerable
portions of arsenic and antimony, or compounds of these, which..we call
arsenical and antimonial.
Our Invention consists, first, in the process and mechanical means we
adopt for the purpose of reducing the various ores and minerals into a much
more finely divided state than has hitherto been effected prior to treating
them with certain chemical compounds for the purpose of separating the
gold or silver therefrom.
Second, in the treatment of the ores and minerals when so pulverized or
comminuted by certain chemical agents and processes for the purpose of
separating the gold and silver from the residues and recovering the same.
Third, in the treatment of the residues for the purpose of utilizing the same,
and in the use and application of certain of these residues to purposes for
which the same have not-been-applied:
Hitherto prior to their treatment for recovering the metals, auriferous,
argentiferous, and other ores and minerals are crushed or ground, this has
been effected by means of crushers or stampers or such like machines, but in
no case has the material been reduced to anything finer than a coarse gritty
sand, hence in all the subsequent operations for separating the metals, whether
by amalgamation or by other chemical means, it has been impossible to effect
a perfect extraction of the metal:
As we conceive that the very essence of success depends upon the degree
of fineness to which the materials are reduced, we propose with all classes
of our ores in the first place to reduce them to a state of a very fine or
impalpable powder. To effect this we proceed as follows:-We take the ore
and subject it first to calcination in a furnace or kiln nearly similar to that

page_text: of an ordinary flint kiln, from the kiln we draw it out, and while still in a
heated state immerse it in water, which has the effect of rendering the particles
more friable, the disintegrated pieces we then put into a mill or machine
constructed upon the principle of the flint mill, which consists of a circular.
pan or tub composed of wood or iron, having its bottom formed of hard chert
or other stone, which is ground to a surface, an upright arm fixed in the
centre of the pan has several radiating arms attached to it, and is arranged
to revolve on its centre with the arms. The calcined minerals, with water,
are introduced into the pan, several large blocks of chert, quartzite, or other
hard stones are thrown loose into the pan, motion is given to the arms, which
in revolving carry round with them the large chert blocks, which have the
effect of grinding to a pulp the materials or mineral ore contained. If it is
wished to obtain the materials in the shape of a powder (which in our sub-
sequent process we do not require), the liquid pulp is allowed to settle, the super-
natant liquor is then drawn off, and the residuum dried, after which it can
be at any time formed into a powder. When the ores are telluric and
bisinuthical, or when they contain with these a considerable proportion of
silver, we would in that case omit the calcining process. When the ores
or minerals are sulphureous and contain other metals, we omit the calcining
process prior to grinding, but adopt it after adding to the ground ore, an
admixture of chloride of magnesium so as to form soluble salts with the
metals, which may then be removed prior to their treatment for recovering
the gold, also in the arsenical and antimonial ores, especially when they
contain silver in addition to the gold, we would in like manner omit the
process of calcination prior to grinding, and afterwards treat the ground re
with nitric acid, so as to convert the arsenic and the silver into soluble com-
pounds and the antimony into an insoluble one; the soluble salts are washed.
out and the residue treated as hereafter mentioned.
We now come to the second part of our process, which consists in operating
on the ores thus far prepared in order to extract and obtain the gold there-
from. The ores being reduced to a proper degree of fineness in the grinding
mill, we decant off the water and obtain the materials in the state of a fine
soft pulpy mass, this mass we then introduce into a vat or vessel for the pur-
pose of treating with solvents in order to form compounds with the gold; the
solvents we use are either gaseous chlorine obtained from chloride of mag-
nesium and peroxide of manganese formed in a separate vessel and passed into
the silicious pulp by means of pipes, when sufficient gas has been passed into
it, we agitate, the mass by means of agitators inserted in the vessel, we then
filter or decant the solution formed, which contains chloride of gold, and pre-

page_text: cipitate the gold by means of tin or its protochloride or protosulphate of iron
or other well known precipitants, or instead of precipitating we distil the solution.
obtaining a powder of gold. In some cases, instead of using gaseous chlorine,
we introduce into the silicious mass a mixture of hydrochloric acid and
chloride of lime, or nitro-bydrochloric acid in a concentrated form, and in
order to accelerate the chemical action we raise the temperature and agitate
the mass as before mentioned; we then filter or decant the solution which
contains chloride of gold, and precipitate this by precipitants or by distillation
as, before mentioned. We continue to use the solvents before referred to
over and over again on fresh charges of materials as long as we find that any
solvent power remains in them. In telluric or bismuthical ores containing
silver we first treat them after pulverization with nitric acid or admixtures
of the same so as to form soluble compounds of silver, they are then
treated by the chloriding process for obtaining the gold as before described.
After completing the above process for triturating the metals contained
in the ores, we propose to utilize the residuary mass in the following
manner-One portion of the residue consists of a mass of finely divided
silica, this after treatment by washing and purification in order to separate
their extraneous matters, we propose to use, in the manufacture of glass,
porcelain, and other ceramic wares as a substitute for the materials now
used in the said manufacture and obtained by calcining and grinding
flints. The other part of the residue, consisting chiefly of more coarsely
divided silica or quartz, we propose to mix with a sufficient quantity of
chloride of magnesium, or a thoroughly saturated solution of the same, (for
example, the bittern of the bay salt works) so as to form it into a plastic mass,
out of which bricks, slabs, blocks, and stones are moulded, these are placed
in an appropriate furnace, forming most refractile, fire-proof, and endurable
building materials
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Cobley and James Wright in the Great Seal-
Patent Office on the 8th October 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, THOMAS
COBLEY, Metallurgist, and JAMES WRIGHT, Civil Engineer, both of 42, Bridge
Street, Blackfriars, in the City of London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the Twenty-fifth year of Her

page_text: reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the.
.said Thomas Cobley and James Wright, Her special licence that we, the
said Thomas Cobley and James Wright, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said Thomas Cobley and James Wright,
our 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 THE
METHOD OF AND THE APPARATUS FOR TREATING AURIFEROUS AND ARGENTIFEROUS
MINERALS AND ORES FOR THE PURPOSE OF EXTRACTING AND SEPARATING THE GOLD
AND SILVER FROM THE OTHER METALS, MINERALS, AND SUBSTANCES COMBINED
THERE WITH ALSO IN THE METHOD OF TREATING THE VARIOUS RESIDUES RESULTING
THEREFROM, AND IN THE UTILIZATION, APPLICATION. AND USE OF THE SAID RESIDUES
WHEN SO TREATED," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
Thomas Cobley and James Wright, our executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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 we, the said Thomas Cobley and James Wright,
do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement:----
The auriferous and argentiferous minerals and ores which we propose to
treat we classify in the following manner, as each class require modifications
in the mode of treatment.
1st, quartoze & schistose, being substances where the principal matrix in
which the metals are deposited are quartz or schists, or compounds of these.
2, minerals and ores which are principally composed of the first class,
but containing in addition tellurium and bismuth, which we call telluric or
bismuthical.
3rd, minerals and ores similar to class 1, but consisting chiefly of sulphides,
which we call pyritical or sulphureous.
4th, minerals or ores similar to class 1, but containing considerable portions
of arsenic or antimony, or compounds of these, which we call arsenical and
antimonial.
Our improvements consist, first, in the processes & mechanical means

page_text: we adopt for the purpose of reducing the various ores and minerals into a
much more finely divided state than has hitherto been effected prior to our
treating them with certain chemical compounds for the purpose of separating
the gold or silver therefrom.
2nd, in the treatment of the ores and minerals when so pulverized or
comminuted by certain chemical agents, and processes for the purpose of ex-
tracting the gold and silver from the residues, and recovering the same.
3rd, in the treatment of the residues for the purpose of utilizing the same,
and in the use and application of certain of these residues to purposes for
which the same has not been employed. Hitherto, prior to their treatment for
recovering the metals, auriferous, argentiferous, and other ores and minérals
are crushed or ground; this has been effected by means of crushers or stampers,
or such like machines, but in no case has the material been reduced to any-
thing finer than a coarse gritty sand, hence in all the subsequent operations for
separating the metals, whether by amalgamation or by other chemical means,
it has been impossible to effect a perfect extraction of the metal.
As we conceive that the very essence of success depends upon the degree of
fineness to which the materials are reduced, we propose with all classes of our
ores in the first place to reduce them to the state of a very fine or impalpable
powder. To effect this we proceed as follows:-We take the ore and subject
it first to calcination in a furnace or kiln nearly similar to that of an ordinary
flint kiln, from the kiln we draw it out, and while still in a heated state immerse
it in water, which has the effect of rendering the particles more friable, the dis-
integrated pieces we then put into a mill or machine constructed upon the princi-
pie of the flint mill, which consists of a circular pan or tub composed of wood or
iron, having its bottom formed of hard chert or other stone, which is ground to
a surface. An upright arm fixed in the centre of the pan has several radiating
arms attached to it, and is arranged to revolve on its centre with the arms,
the calcined minerals, with water, are introduced, several large blocks of chert,
quartzite, or other hard stones are thrown loose into the pan, motion is given
to the arms, which in revolving carry round with them the large chert blocks,
which have the effect of grinding to a pulp the materials or mineral ore con-
tained. If it is wished to obtain the minerals in the shape of a powder,
which in our subsequent process we do not require; the liquid pulp is allowed
to settle, the superabundant liquor is drawn off, and the residuum dried, after
which it can at any time be formed into a powder. When the ores are
telluric and bismuthical, or when they contain with these a considerable por-
tion of silver, we would in that case omit the calcining process.
When the
ores or minerals are sulphureous, and contain other metals; we omit the

page_text: calcining process prior to grinding, but adopt it after adding to the ground
ore an admixture of chloride of magnesium, so as to form a soluble salt with
the metals, which may then be removed prior to their treatment for recovering.
the gold. Also, in the asenical and antimonial ores, especially when they
contain silver in addition to the gold, we would in like manner omit the cal-
cination prior to grinding, and afterwards treat the ground ore with nitric
acid, so as to convert the arsenic and the silver into soluble compounds, and
the antimony into an insoluble one; the soluble salts are washed out, and the
residues treated as herein-after mentioned:
We now come to the second part of our process, which consists in operating
on the ores thus far prepared in order to extract and obtain the gold therefrom.
The mass being reduced to a proper degree of fineness in the grinding mill,
we decant off the water and obtain the materials in the state of a fine soft
pulpy mass. This mass is then introduced into a vat or vessel for the purpose
of treating with solvents in order to form soluble compounds with the gold.
The solvents used are either gaseous, chlorine, obtained from chloride of mag-
nesium, and peroxide of manganese formed in a separate vessel and passed
into the silicious pulp by means of pipes; when sufficient gas has been passed
into it we agitate the mass by means of agitators inserted in the vessel, and
then filter or decant the solution formed, which constains chloride of gold, and
precipitate the gold by means of tin or its protochloride or protosulphate of
iron, or other well known precipitants, or instead of precipitating we distil
the solution, obtaining a powder of gold. In some cases, instead of using
gaseous chlorine, we introduce into the siliceous mass a mixture of hydro-
chloride acid and chloride of lime or nitro-hydrochloric acid in a concentrated
form, and in order to accelerate the chemical action we raise the temperature
and agitate the mass as before mentioned, we then filter or decant the solution,
which contains chloride of gold, and precipitate this by precipitants or by
distillation as before mentioned. We continue to use the solvents before
referred to over and over again on fresh charges as long as we find that any
solvent power remains in them. In telluric or bismuthical ores containing
silver, we first treat them after pulverization with nitric acid, or admixtures of
the same, so as to form soluble compounds of silver; they are then treated
by the chloriding process for obtaining the gold as before described. After
completing the above process for extracting the metals contained in the ores,
we propose to utilize the residuary mass in the following manner :-One por-
tion of the residue consists of a mass of finely divided silica; this, after
treatment by washing and purification in order to separate the extraneous
matters, we propose to use in the manufacture of glass, porcelain, and other

page_text: ceramic wares as a substitute for materials now used in the said manufactures
obtained by calcining and grinding flints.
Having now described the nature of our Invention, and how the same is
carried into effect, we wish it understood that we claim as new and desire
secured by the before in part recited Letters Patent the methods of treating
auriferous and argentiferous ores for the purpose of separating the gold and
silver from the metals, minerals, and substances combined therewith, by the.
process and in the manner as fully here-within set forth and described.
And we also claim the application and use of the residuary silicious pro-
ducts after such treatment of ores to be applied to the manufacture of pottery,
porcelain, and other ceramic purposes, substantially as here-within described
and set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Wright, have hereunto. set my.
hand and seal, on behalf of myself and the said Thomas Cobley,
this Eighth day of October, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.