US1088759A - Placer-machine. - Google Patents

Description

C. E. J. ANDERSON.

PLACER MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 18, 1911. 1 1,088,759. Patented Mar. 3, 1914.

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PLACER MACHINE.

APPLIOATION IILED NOV. ua, 1911.

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COLUMBIA PLANounAPH co.,wAs||mnTnn n UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CARI. E. J. ANDERSON, 0F YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO, ASSIGNOR o NATIONAL PLACER MACHINE COMPANY, or YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF ARIZONA.

PLAGER-MACHIN E.

Application filed November 18, 1911.

To all whom it may 007LG67'7L.

Be it known that I, CARL E. J. ANDERSO a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Youngstown, county of Mahoning, and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Placer-Machines, of which the following is a specification, the principle of the invention being hereln explained and the best mode in which I have.

contemplated applying that principle, so as to distinguish it from other inventions.

My invention relates to a continuously operating placer machine of the type which is designed to use the same water over and over again. It is adapted for the separation of precious metals such as gold and silver from finely crushed ore or gravel containing these metals.

To the accomplishment of these and related ends said invention then consists of the means hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The annexed drawings and the following description set forth in detail certainmeohanism embodying the invention, such disclosed means constituting, however, but one of various mechanical forms in which the principle of the invention may be used.

In said annexed drawings: Figure is a vertical central section of my mproved machine; Fig. 2 is a plan View of the same; Fig. 3 is a view similar to that shown in Fig. 1 and illustrating a modified form of my device; Fig. 4. a view similar to thatof Fig. 3 showing a second modification of the machine.

In Fig. 1 in an external casing l is shown a water reservoir 2 overflowing at one end into a vertical conduit 3 which is connected with a horizontally disposed conduit or sluice-way 4.. The latter is connected at its other end with a second vertical conduit 5 which opens into the other end of the water reservoir 2. As will be seen the water reser voir 2 is V-shaped, thus permitting it to collect at the lower end such waste material as may precipitate therein. This waste material is removed by conveying means comprising a chain of buckets 6. These are adapted to continuously pass into the bottom of the reservoir by the rotation of the toothed wheel 7 by which the bucket chain is driven. These conveying means will remove all of the waste material from the reservoir as will be readily seen.

Specification Of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 3, 1914. Serial NO. 661,133.

In the horizontal conduit 4. a propeller shaft 8 is mounted by means of bearings 9 at the ends of the sluice-way. This pro= peller may be driven at the proper speed by one of the pulleys 10 and 11 which are nonrotatably attached to the exte'riorly extending ends of the shaft. The paddle blades 12 are mounted 'upon the shaft 8 at intervals and are adapted to force the water and waste material carried thereby from the conduit in the direction of the arrows.

They will also impart a rotary movement to the stream of water in the conduit 4 and will throw the materials carried by the water in a radial direction with a force dependout upon the weight of the materials. Along the bottom of the sluice-way are a number of buckets or depressions 13.

The action of the machine is as follows: Gold bearing me or gravel is supplied to the upper end of the conduit 3 by any desired means and a continuous circulation of water is maintained in the direction indicated by the arrow by means of the propeller shaft above described. In this way the gravel or ore supplied to the conduit 3 is drawn down into the horizontal sluice-way and is there given a forward and rotary motion. The gold being eight times as heavy as the gravel, and the silver about four times as heavy are accordingly cast against the walls of the horizontal conduit and are retained in the buckets 13. The buckets 13 would retain the precious metals even though the motion imparted to the same were merely a forward one since the greater weight of the metals would cause them to precipitate upon the bottom of the sluice-way. The sand and gravel is forced upwardly from the conduit 5 into the reservoir 2. The current across this reservoir is very much slower than the current in the sluice-way and accordingly the ore and other waste material will precipitate and be removed by the conveyer means. The water will then again overflow into the conduit 3 and the action will be repeated, the only loss of water being from evaporation and from the small amount of water carried away with the gravel and waste material. The precious metal can be removed from the buckets 13 by removing the pockets from the sluiceway. The Operation of the machine will of course have to be interrupted for this purpose.

In Fig. 2 it will be seen that the conduit 4 is centrally located and that the conveyer means are driven by means of a worm 1 1 which engages a pinion 15 on the end of the shaft.

The machine shown in Fig. 3 is not particularly different from the one already described, the only difference being in the metal retaining means which in this case comprise a removable trough 16 which extends the entire length of the sluice-way. In all other respects the construction and operation of this nachine will be the same as that of my preferred type.

In Fig. 4: the propeller means are disposed in a vertical conduit 5 and are driven by means of the bevel gear 1'7 and 18. The form of the sluice-way is here made serpentine, the metal retaining pockets being placed at the lowest point of each of the loops. somewhat different from that of those previously described, in that the water and ore in the sluice;way will not be made to rotate and the only action tending to cause the precipitation of the precious metals will be that of gravity. Gravity will also tend to act on the gravel and other waste material but the route of flow through the sluice-way will be designed to transport the gravel and waste material while not being fast enough to carry along the heavy gold and silver. As in the other machines the size of the reservoir will be sufficient to slow down the rate of flow therethrough to the point at which gravel will be deposited on the shaped bottom, fro-1n which it will be collected by the conveyer means already described.

It will be evident that in the several types of machines here described the action of gravity tending to deposit the heavy gold and silver is taken advantage of and the use of riflle boards for the purpose of amalgamating the precious metal is done away with.

The elimination of the necessity for using mercury to catch and amalgamate the metals is important, as it causes considerable sav- The action of this machine will be ing. The mercury was carried away by the waste water and material and had to be constantly renewed. Then too, one step in the mining is now saved since the gold and silver need not be separated from the mercury.

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employed instead of theone explained, change being made as regards the mechanism herein disclosed, provided the means stated by any of the following claims or the equivalent of such stated means be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention v 1. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a conduit having pockets along the sides thereof; a water-reservoir overflowing into said conduit; and a screwpropeller mounted longitudinally in said conduit and adapted to return the discharge from said conduit to said reservoir and adapted also to eXert a centrifugalaction in said conduit and to force the precious metals toward the sides thereof, whereby said metals are received by such pockets.

2. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a horizontally disposed conduit having pockets in one side; a waterreservoir disposed above said conduit; an overflow conduit connecting one end of said reservoir to the corresponding end of said horizontal conduit; a return conduit connecting the other ends of said horizontal conduit and said reservoir; and a screwpropeller mounted longitudinally in said horizontal conduit and adapted to return the discharge from said horizontal conduit to said reservoir and adapted also to exert a centrifugal action in said horizontal conduit and to force the precious metals toward the sides thereof, whereby said metals are received by such pockets.

Signed by me this 11th day of November,

CARL E. J. ANDERSON. Attested by G. H. DENNIsoN,

M. D. WVAYMAN.

Copies; of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G.

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