IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PULVERIZING, WASHING, AND AMALGAMATING QUARTZ AND MATTERS CONTAINING GOLD AND SILVER
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick William Emerson, of Trereiffe Chemical
Works, near Penzance, Cornwall, Manufacturing Chemist, for the Inven-
tion of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PULVERIZING, WASHING, AND
AMALGAMATING QUARTZ AND MATTERS CONTAINING GOLD AND SILVER."
Sealed the 30th May 1854, and dated the 16th March 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick William Emerson.
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th March 1854.
I, FREDERICK WILLIAM EMERSON, of Trerciffe Chemical Works, near Pen-
zance, Cornwall, Manufacturing Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of the
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PULVERIZING, WASHING, AND
AMALGAMATING QUARTZ AND MATTERS CONTAINING GOLD AND SILVER" to be as
follows:-
This Invention consists of a peculiar arrangement or combination of
apparatus for pulverizing, washing, and amalgamating quartz and matters
containing gold and silver. For this purpose a circular trough is used, and it
is caused to revolve in a vertical plane on a suitable horizontal axis, or, in place
of a complete circle, the trough may consist of part of a circle, and make
only a partial to-and-fro motion about its axis. The bottom of the trough is
formed of two inclines, which are plain or corrugated, as preferred. The sides
of the trough (some inches above the bottom) have openings covered with fine
wire gauze for the passage of water away (with matters suspended therein)
from the trough. Below the moving trough is a fixed trough to receive the

page_text: water and matters flowing off therewith, from which fixed trough descends a
pipe, which turns up at its lower end to contain a quantity of quicksilver, by
which arrangement the water will be deprived of any quicksilver it may carry
over with it, and also any amalgamated gold or silver. The rollers correspond
with the form of the bottom of the trough, and they are kept correctly in
position by arms, which move on the axis of the moving trough. The rollers
each having their own axes, which are received in slots or openings in the arms,
and the rollers are kept from contact with each other. Quicksilver is placed
in the moving trough, and the matters containing gold are fed in a broken
state into the machine. A constant flow of water is kept up during the working
of the machine, which is put in motion by any suitable power.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Frederick William Emerson in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 15th September 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERICK
WILLIAM EMERSON, of Trereiffe Chemical Works, near Penzance, Cornwall,
Manufacturing Chemist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Frederick William Emerson, Her special licence that I, the said
Frederick William Emerson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Frederick William Emerson, my executors, admi-
nistrators, 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 MACHINERY FOR PULVERIZING, WASHING,
AND AMALGAMATING QUARTZ AND MATTERS CONTAINING GOLD AND SILVER," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Frederick William Emerson,
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Frederick William Emerson, do hereby
declare 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 thereof (that is to say):-
This Invention consists of a peculiar arrangement or combination of
apparatus for pulverizing, washing, and amalgamating quartz, and matters
containing gold and silver. For this purpose a circular trough is used, and it
is caused to revolve in a vertical plane on a suitable horizontal axis, or, in
place of a complete circle, the trough may consist of part of a circle, and make
only a partial to-and-fro motion about its axis. The bottom of the trough is
formed of two inclines, which are plain or corrugated, as preferred. The sides
of the trough (some inches above the bottom) have openings covered with fine
wire gauze for the passage of water away (with matters suspended therein)
from the trough. Below the moving trough is a fixed trough to receive the
water and matters flowing off therewith, from which fixed trough descends a
pipe, which turns up at its lower end to contain a quantity of quicksilver, by
which arrangement the water will be deprived of any quicksilver it may carry
over with it, and also any amalgamated gold or silver. The rollers correspond
with the form of the bottom of the trough, and they are kept correctly in
position by arms, which move on the axis of the moving trough. The rollers
each having their own axis, which are received in slots or openings in the
arms, and the rollers are kept from contact with each other. Quicksilver is
placed in the moving trough, and the matters containing gold are fed in a
broken state into the machine. A constant flow of water is kept up during
the working of the machine, which is put in motion by any suitable power.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed to
describe the Drawing hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine constructed according to my
Invention; Figure 2 is a transverse section thereof. a, a, is a circular trough
made by preference in one casting. b, b, are two side plates, which have
openings through them at c, c, and which are covered with fine wire cloth.
These side plates are fixed by screw bolts and nuts to the circular trough. The
trough thus formed is connected with the hollow axis d by spokes or arms e,
as shewn. The bottom of the interior of the circular trongh is made up of
two inclines, so that the rollers used therein are conical and of the largest

page_text: and the surfaces of the rollers are to correspond with the bottom. The trough
is to have a fixed or stationary trough below, which is not shewn in the
Drawing, into which the water and ground matters capable of going off with
the water through the wire cloth pass, and the water flows off from such
trough. From the fixed trough descends a pipe, which is bent up at its lower
end so as to contain quicksilver, by which means any water descending
this pipe will deposit in the bend any quicksilver or amalgamated gold or
silver the water flowing from the moving trough may carry over with it. The
Drawing shows the use of two rollers f and g, of different diameters, and they
are kept apart by means of arms h, which connect the axes of the two rollers,
and keep them apart, as is shewn; and in addition to these arms h, other arms
may be used to connect the axes of the rollers f and g with the axis of the
revolving trough, allowing play in such manner as to admit of the rollers
moving to or from the axis of the rotating trough, in order that the rollers may
rise over any matters not crushed, or these further arms may be dispensed with.
The matters to be crushed and washed are to be fed into the trough between
the spokes, and water is to continually flow into the trough through the hollow
perforated shaft or axis. When using the machinery for amalgamating as well
as pulverizing and washing, a quantity of quicksilver is employed in the trough,
which is not to rise more than a few inches in the lowest part of the revolving
trough. It will be evident that a like action would take place if the trough only
vibrated on its axis, in which case the trough might be less than the whole
circle.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I make no claim to the
parts separately, nor do I confine myself to the details shown and described;
but what I claim is, the combined machinery herein described, whereby double
coned rollers are used in a rotating trough, the bottom of which is composed of
two inclines corresponding with the conical form of the rollers used.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick William Emerson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
Witness,
WILLIAM TONGUE.
F. W. EMERSON. (L.S.)