IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING METALS FROM THEIR ORES OR MATRICES
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Haynes, of Bank Place, Holywell, in the
County of Flint, Metallurgist, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
OBTAINING METALS FROM THEIR ORES OR MATRICES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Haynes at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 23rd
February 1860.
I. WILLIAM HAYNES, of Bank Place, Holywell, in the County of Flint.
Metallurgist. do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN OBTAINING METALS FROM THEIR ORES OR MATRICES," to be as
follows:-
The nature of the Invention is this:-I first grind the ore to powder and
sift it, so as to secure its being of the requisite fineness, and then add what I
term my "agent." This is composed of certain substances not soluble in
water afone. such as bituminous matter, coal tar from gasworks, and such like;
for instance, gums or gummy matter, such, for instance, as india-rubber and
gutia percha, and fatty or oleaginous matters, and having mixed these together
I add one part of this mixture to from five to nine parts of the powdered ore,
and then I incorporate the whole together by mixing it in a mixing machine;
which being done, I add a sufficient quantity of water to cover the whole bulk,
and then pass the same into a triturating machine. Here the separation of
the metals from the other portion of the ores or matrices commences, and
[Price 6d.]

page_text: when the earthy or foreign matter has separated from the "agent" & metal,
I remove such earthy or foreign maiter, and replace it by fresh ore or matrix,
and repeat this till I find my agent will take up no more metal.
To remove the "àgent" from the metal, I put the "agent" and metal in
an alkaline solution, and in due time the metal is precipitated and can be
removed for use, and the agent used again, the alkaline being crystallised, and
thus removed from it. The earthy or foreign matter thus freed from metallic
admixture will often be valuable for commercial purposes. The details of
this Invention admit of variation according to the varied circumstances of
operation.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions, of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Haynes in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
23rd August 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HAYNES, of Bank Place, Holywell, in the County of Flint, Metallurgist,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the 23rd day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Haynes, Her special licence that I, the said William Haynes, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Haynes, 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 IMPROVEMENTS IN
OBTAINING METALS FROM THEIR ORES OR MATRICES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Haynes, 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 calender
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Haynes, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-

page_text: formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, that is to say:-
(I.) The nature of the said Invention, as hath been heretofore described in
the Provisional Specification filed on application for the said Letters Patent,
consists in this, viz., that having first ground the ore or inatrix (or ore and
matrix) to powder, and sifted it so as to secure its being of the requisite fine-
ness, I add thereto what I term my "agent," which is composed of certain
substances not soluble in water alone, that is, bituminous matter (coal tar
from gasworks, and such like, for instance), gums or gummy matter (amongst
others, gutta percha, india-rubber, for instance), and fatty or oleaginous
matter, and having mixed these together I add one part of the mixture thus
made to from five to nine parts of the ore, or ore and matrix, and then I
incorporate the whole together by agitation of the same in a mixing machine;
which being done, I add a sufficient quantity of water to cover the whole bulk,
and if thought desirable, pass the same into a triturating machine, when, upon
working the said triturating machine, the separation of the metals from the
otlier portions of the ores or matrices commences, although the separation
could be effected in the mixing, machine, as is hereafter described; and
when the earthy or foreign matter has separated from the agent and metal,
which alone remain in union, I remove such earthy or foreign matter, and
replace it by fresh ore or matrix, and repeat this till I find my "agent" will
take up no more metal. To remove the "agent" from the metal, I put the
agent in an alkaline solution, and in due time the metal is precipitated,
and can be removed for use, the alkali, if desired, being crystallized, and
thus removed from it. The earthy or foreign matter thus freed from the
metal, but combined with the alkaline solution, will often be valuable for
commercial purposes.
(II.) In order the better to exemplify in what manner the same Invention is
to be performed or put in practice, I would further state, that having as afore-
said crushed the ore or matrix, or ore and matrix, by any suitable method
adopted for crushing ores and matrices, and passed the same through a sieve or
sifting apparatus of 100 meshes to the lineal inch, or thereabouts, I add to
the finely divided substance thus obtained, one part, by weight, of my
agent," to from 5 to 9 parts of this sifted ore, if intended to be treated
according to my Invention; the variation in the amount of the "agent" in
proportion to the quantity of ore being governed by its character, as for car-
bonaceous orés, 5 parts, or thereabouts, might be sufficient; whilst for
sulphates and sulphurets, 7 to 9 parts would be required, according to the
predominance of sulphur.
:

page_text: "
What I term my agent " is prepared by mixing together some of the
substances mentioned in the outset of this Specification; the particular sub-
stances chosen being so chosen in accordance with the known chemical
affinity or properties of the particular ore to be operated upon. Thus, to take
the instance of rich sulphates or sulphurets, I make a mixture of 1 part of
common resin and 4 or 8 parts of coal tar, the use of the greater number
than 4 parts of coal tar being necessary when the same is not highly
bituminous.
!
Or, my agent is prepared thus:-1 part, by weight, of oily or fatty matter
to from 4 to 8 parts of bituminous, resinous, or waxy matter; the difference
between 4 and 8 parts being regulated by the character of the ore; ores con-
taining much lime, or forms of lime, requiring the less number of these parts.
This last-mentioned form of "agent" is adapted for all ores, except sulphates
and sulphurets, or other sulphur-bearing ores.
In preparing my agent I prefer to use such bituminous and resinous sub-
stances and oleaginous, fatty, or waxy matter as may be soluble in alkali.
Or, instead of the above, I form my agent of one part of coal tar to 2 parts
of india-rubber or gutta percha; but when this agent is applied to the ore, I
require to add water heated to 100 degrees of Fahrenheit's thermometer at
least, instead of cold water, which answers for the other forms of my agent,
though I prefer warm water in all cases.
Having thus prepared the agent in accordance with the character of the
ore about to be treated, I apply it to the finely-divided ore as aforesaid by
mixing the ore and agent together in a "mixing machine," that is, in an
ordinary brickmaker's pug mill, or mortar mixer, or in any other apparatus
that will effect the due mechanical admixture of the "agent" and the ore;
which being done, I add as circumstances may require, either hot, warm, or
cold water sufficient to well cover the whole, as herein-before referred to.
Whereupon the agitation being still kept up, the agent acts upon the metal,
and gradually effects the separation of the metal from the earthy or non-
metallic matters of the ore or matrix, or ore and matrix, the earthy matter
sinking to the bottom of the water, and the metal being retained by the agent
I might here observe that where I speak of ore only, ore or matrix, or ore
and matrix, should be understood.
To remove the agent from the metal, I put the agent and metal still in
union in a vessel containing an alkaline solution, for instance, a strong solu-
tion of caustic soda in water, and in a short time the metal is precipitated to
the bottom, and may be removed.
With regard to the agent having the india-rubber or gutta percha, or both,

page_text: in its composition, it may be that it will be found particularly useful for gold-
bearing, quartz, or siliceous ores.
The alkali and agent combined being a saponaceous matter, may be sold to
soap makers and others as a commercial product; or this saponaceous solution
may be used for the next operation, and so on, and then used for soap.
Where the refuse is silica, it will be found available for commercial uses,
being in fine powder.
(III.) Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim the Invention of
improvements in obtaining metals from their ores and matrices effected by
the use of the substances described in the outset (marked I.) of this my
Specification, in the manner herein-before set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Haynes, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this 23rd day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
Signed and sealed in my presence,
F. W. CAMPIN,
Patent Agent, 156, Strand.
WILLIAM HAYNES. (L.S.)