IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR WASHING AND DRESSING ORES
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Benson, of Allerwash House, in the
County of Northumberland, and John Johnson Hetherington, of
Stonecroft, in the same County, Engineer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR WASHING AND DRESSING
ORES."
Sealed the 9th July 1872, and dated the 3rd April 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Benson and
John Johnson Hetherington at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 3rd April 1872.
We, WILLIAM BENSON, of Allerwash House, in the County of
Northumberland, and JOHN JOHNSON HETHERINGTON, of Stonecroft, in
the same County, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of our said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR WASHING AND
DRESSING ORES," to be as follows:-

page_text: whereby economy of manual labor is obtained, and a considerable saving
in the consumption of water effected.
According to our Invention we propose to employ a single riddle or
sieve placed at a slight inclination in combination with a tub divided
into three or more compartments, and with inclined separators or spouts
at different levels communicating with the respective compartments. A
plunger worked by a crank or eccentric, and fitted with an inverted valve
or valves, or with a cupped leather or gutta percha packing, is disposed
on each side of the sieve in order to produce the requisite pulsations,
the back suction so objectionable in ordinary plungers being by this
construction of plunger entirely obviated. In addition to these plungers
one or more force pumps fixed outside the tub are employed for main-
taining a gentle flow of water through or over the sieve, the said water
being drawn from the end or other compartment of the tub, and returned
thereto after circulating through or over the sieve, thus using the same
water over and over again.
The various qualities of ore form themselves into different strata in
passing over the sieve, and are conveyed away by and with the current
of water along the different separators or spouts to their respective
compartments.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Benson and John Johnson Hetherington
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 3rd October 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
BENSON, of Allerwash House, in the County of Northumberland,.and
JOHN JOHNSON HETHERINGTON, of Stonecroft, in the same County,
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Third day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-fifth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said William Benson and John Johnson
Hetherington, Her special license that we, the said William Benson and
John Johnson Hetherington, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as we, the said William Benson and John Johnson

page_text: Hetherington, our executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 OR APPARATUS FOR WASHING AND DRESSING
ORES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said William
Benson and John Johnson Hetherington, our executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals, or
under the hand and seal of one of us, 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 we, the said William Benson and John
Johnson Hetherington, do hereby declare the nature of our said In-
vention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement,
reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the letters
and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
Our said Invention relates to a peculiar construction and arrangement
of self-acting "jigger" for washing and dressing lead and other ores;
whereby economy of manual labour is obtained, and a considerable
saving in the consumption of water effected.
According to our Invention we propose to employ a single riddle or
sieve which may be placed at a slight inclination in combination with
a tub divided into three or more compartments, and with inclined
separators and spouts at different levels communicating with the respec-
tive compartments. A plunger worked by a crank or eccentric and
fitted with an inverted valve or valves, or with a cupped leather or
gutta percha packing is disposed on each side of the sieve in order to
produce the requisite pulsations, the back suction so objectionable in
ordinary plungers for this class of machines being by this construction
of plunger entirely obviated. In addition to these plungers one or more
force pumps fixed outside the tub are employed for maintaining a gentle
flow of water through or over the sieve, the said water being drawn from
the end or other compartment of the tub, and returned thereto after

page_text: circulating through or over the sieve, thus using the same water over
and over again.
The various qualities of ore form themselves into different stratæ in
passing over the sieve, and are conveyed away by and with the current
of water along the different spouts to their respective compartments.
And in order that our said Invention may be fully understood we
shall now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that
purpose shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of
Drawings, the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts
in all the Figures.
Figure 1 of our Drawings is a longitudinal vertical section of our
improved ore washing machine; Figure 2 is a transverse vertical section
of the same taken along the line 1-2, in Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a
plan of the machine.
A is a slightly inclined riddle or sieve; and B is a tub or vessel
divided into four compartments 1, 2, 3, and 4, each of the compartments
1, 2, and 3 communicating by means of the corresponding inclined
spouts a', a², and the opening a³ with the surface of the riddle. 6, 6', are
the separators which extend from side to side of the riddle at its lower
or discharging end, and serve to divide and separate the different stratæ
as they pass off from the riddle. The lowest or heaviest stratæ is
separated from the lighter strata above it by the separator b, and passes
off through the opening a³ into the compartment 3. The next lighter
strata above is separated by the separator 1 from the top or lightest
strata, and passes off through the inclined spout a² to the compartment 2,
and the top or lightest strata is allowed to pass off freely down the
spout a¹ to the compartment 1. The compartment 4 immediately under-
neath the riddle receives the finer particles of rich ore which pass
through the meshes. The entire tub or vessel is filled with water to
such a level as will just cover the contents of the riddle, and this water
is caused to pulsate upwards through the riddle, as is well understood,
by means of two plungers C, C, working in chambers D, D, situate one
on each side of the riddle. These plungers are each provided with an
inverted valve or valves, or with a cupped leather packing c, the said
valve or packing being so arranged as to open and allow of the free
passage of the plunger through the water during its upward motion,
thereby avoiding what is known as "suction" in this class of machines.
E is a driving shaft mounted in bearings in the brackets F, F, bolted

page_text: to the tub, the said shaft carrying eccentrics or cranks G, G, which
are connected by the eccentric rods H, H, to the forked rods I, I, of
the plungers C, and thus impart a rising and falling motion to the two
plungers simultaneously. K is a force pump situate outside the tub
and mounted on a pipe L which communicates at one end with the
interior of the tub, whilst its opposite end opens into the feeding
spout M of the riddle. The plunger of the force pump is actuated by
an eccentric N on the driving shaft. O, O, are fast and loose driving
pulleys mounted on the end of the driving shaft, and driven by a strap
or belt from any convenient prime mover. By means of this pump a
constant circulation of the same water may be maintained through the
apparatus. Water is allowed free access to the tops of the pulsating
plungers C, C, through the pipes and stop-cocks P, P, communicating
with the end or other compartment.
In order to facilitate the removal of the different qualities of ore from
their respective compartments, we propose to attach to the bottom of
each compartment a vessel or receiver similar to that shewn at Q, in
Figure 2, the sides of the compartment towards the bottom being sloped
so as to form a species of hopper for directing the ore into the receiver
or vessel which is bolted to the "under side of each compartment of the
tub, the said tub being mounted on supporting columns R, R, to allow
of the receivers being so placed. Down the centre of each receiver
there passes a rotatory valve spindle S carrying a disc d, d, near its
upper and lower ends, which discs work over other discs e, e¹, respec-
tively fixed to the top and bottom of the receiver. An opening f,f¹, is
made in each of the rotatory discs, and a corresponding opening g, g', is
made in each of the stationary discs. These openings are so disposed
that when the two fand g at the top of the vessel coincide with each
other in order to afford a free inlet for the ore into the vessel those at the
bottom f¹ and g¹ do not coincide, and consequently the bottom will
remain closed, or vice versa, for on turning the valve spindle the top
openings may be closed so as to shut off the vessel or receiver from the
compartment, as shewn in Figure 2, whilst at the same time and by the
same act the bottom valve is opened in order to discharge the contents
of the receiver. If desired, by having an additional opening made either
in the valves d, d', or in the seats e, e¹, the top and bottom of the vessel
may be also opened and closed simultaneously. The valve spindle may
be worked by a cross handle from below or otherwise. h, h, are air

page_text: pipes for venting the vessels or receivers Q in lieu of allowing the con-
fined air to bubble up through the water, which would have the effect of
disturbing the deposited ore in each compartment each time the receiver
was opened.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of our
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or
carried into effect, we would observe in conclusion that what we consider
to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to
us by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First. The application and use of the separators 6, 6¹; or their
equivalent in combination with inclined spouts for separating the different
stratæ of ores on the riddle of an ore washing machine, and depositing
them in separate chambers, substantially as herein-before described.
Secondly. The peculiar combination and arrangement of parts con-
stituting our improved ore washing machine substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated by our Drawings.
Thirdly. The combination of a force pump with the tub of a washing
machine in order to maintain a constant circulation of the same water
over or through the riddle or sieve, substantially as herein-before
described..
In witness whereof, I, the said William Benson, on behalf of
myself and the said John Johnson Hetherington, have to this
our Specification, set my hand and seal, the Second day of
October, One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.