IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SEPARATELY COLLECTING THE DIVERS METALS OF WHICH MINERAL ORES AND THEIR GANGUES ARE COMPOSED
Year: 1860

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Edward Gedge, at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 9th
June 1860.-A' communication from abroad by Randal Cresswell, of
the Rue Malher, Paris, in the Empire of France.
I, WILLIAM, EDWARD GEDGE, of the Firm of John Gedge and Son, of
No. 11, Wellington Street, Strand, London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare
the nature, of the said Invention of "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SEPARATELY
COLLECTING THE DIVERS METALS OF WHICH MINERAL ORES AND THEIR GANGUES ARE
COMPOSED," communicated to me from abroad by Randal Cresswell, of the
Rue Malher, Paris, in the Empire of France, to be, as follows:-
Taking, for example, an ore containing iron, and copper pyrites, which it is
desired to separate, the ore should be broken into pieces of about one inch,.
roasted and reduced to an impalpable powder, then again roasted, if
necessary, and, after sifting a certain quantity, passed into a funnel.forming
the upper part of a large cast or wrought iron tube. This tube is varnished
or otherwise prepared interiorly to prevent any delay in the descent of the iron
particles being caused by electricity or polarisation, and is filled with water,
which is renewed by a constantly ascending current arriving through a conduit.
pipe from a reservoir, placed above the level of the funnel, the conduit pipe
being provided with a tap by which the flow of water may be arrested at will,
and a discharge pipe projecting from the funnel always maintains the same
level of water therein. The metallic powders passed into the funnel descend
the vertical column of water, but with different rates of speed, according to

page_text: the size and specific gravity of the grains. After the roasting, according to the
state of the sulphurs, the grains containing iron will be heavier than those
containing copper, and will in their descent precede them. The column of
water being sufficiently high all the iron will have had time to separate from
the copper, and arrive first at the lower part of this tube. The ascending
current of water facilitates this separation by increasing the quantity of water
through which the grains pass, and carries to the top all earthy matters, which
disappear through the discharge pipe. In certain cases this tube may have
protuberances at intervals to produce vortices. At the lower extremity of the
main tube is fitted a reversed cone, which reunites the descending grains, and
guides them into a moveable iron reservoir of triangular form fitted to the
summit of the reversed cone. For the purpose of inspecting the descent of the
grains glasses are inserted in the tube and cone, two and two, on the same
axis and horizontal plane, and when it is seen that the iron is precipitated and
gathered in the triangular reservoir, the summit of the cone (which is
its lowest part, the cone being reversed) is closed by a screw hatch or trap
which shuts off the water. The triangular reservoir is then emptied or
changed while the copper is depositing in the cone, the complete deposit of
which being ascertained by observation through the glasses, a trap or hatch
at the lower part of the main tube is closed, and above this trap all foreign
matters which have not been carried up to the discharge pipe will be
deposited, and while this last deposit is taking place the copper is withdrawn,
and finally the trap is opened and the last deposit removed. The ascending
current continues during the three successive deposits, first, iron; second,
copper; and third, earthy or foreign matters, when the water is renewed and
the operation recommenced.
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