US498979A - Hydraulic amalgamator - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) B. J. KENNEDY.

HYDRAULIC AMALGAMATOR.

Patented June 6, 1893.

NTTE TATES ROBERT J. KENNEDY, OE REDLANDS, CALIFORNIA, AssiGNOR OE TWO- THIRDS TO GEORGE H. oRAETs, OE SAME PLACE, AND GEORGE BOALICH,

OF COLTON, CALIFORNIA.

HYDRAULIC AMALGAMATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 498,979, dated June 6, 1893.

Application filed July 6, 1892. SerialNo. 439,138- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, ROBERT JAMES KEN- NEDY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Redlands, in the county of San Bernardino and State of California, have invented a new and useful Hydraulic Amalgamator, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide means for separating gold more rapidly, cffectively and economically than has heretofore been possible.

My invention is adapted for placer mining, for separating gold from black sand and for separating gold from crushed quartz and in fact for the separation of free gold from any disintegrated material with which it may be mixed.

My invention broadly stated comprises the combination of a receptacle having an elevated discharge opening; a charge of amalgamating material such as a body of quicksilver in the bottom of such receptacle; an inlet conduit or supply pipe arranged to discharge a stream against such amalgamating material. In practice as shown the inlet or supply pipe has its receiving mouth higher than the discharge opening of the receptacle or amalgamating chamber, and its lower end is arranged to discharge downward obliquely against the body of quicksilver in the amalgamating chamber.

My invention also comprises the combination with the amalgamating chamber and the inlet conduit, of a partition arranged at the front of the amalgamating chamber to form a dead water chamber.

My invention also comprises various other features hereinafter more fully set forth.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention.

Figure 1 isa perspective vertical longitudinal mid-section of an amalgamator embodying my invention. In this view the device is shown in operation. w--co Fig. 2 indicates the line of section. Fig. 2 is a perspective side view of an amalgamating device embodying my invention. A portion of the side of the chamber is removed to expose the arrangement of parts. Fig. 3 is a reduced end elevation of the same.

A A indicates the receptacle in which A indicates the amalgamating chamber which is provided with a substantially vertical downwardly tapering rear wall at having an outlet or discharge opening a which is arranged at a distance above the bottom I) of the chamber Which bottom is slightly concave and is provided with an opening I) closed by a cap b" and arranged to allow the discharge of the amalgam from the amalgamating chamber when desired. The front Wall 13 of the amalgamating chamber is preferably inclined and downwardly tapering as shown, and upon such Wall is placed the supply pipe 0. I prefer to make this pipe with an enlarged receiving mouth 0 a tapering body and a contracted discharge opening or nozzle 0 which is arranged to discharge into the amalgamating chamber below the outlet or discharge a of the amalgamating chamber, and obliquely against the bottom of the amalgamating chamber and the body of mercury therein.

D D are the side walls of the chamber and are preferably extended above the level of the opening a. a distance in order to wholly inclose the supply pipe 0 and allow sufficient fall to operate the device by gravity. The end Walls a, B, are wedge shape the upper portion being the widest, thus forming a ohamber which is wider at the top than at the bottom, the object of which I will hereinafter explain.

In order to prevent the sand from depositing in the chamber A out of the reach of the stream discharged from the supply pipe I provide a vertically inclined transversely arranged partition E which extends from above the wall of the discharge opening a to a point just above the discharge of the pipe 0, thus forming to the rear of the amalgamating chamber a dead water chamber A. The stream discharging from the conduit G creates a suction, current or swirl from the dead water chamber and a gentle circulation of water is thus maintained between such chamber and the amalgamating chamber which prevents any settling of the sediment or sand in the amalgamating chamber out of the reach of the discharging stream. If such dead water chamber were not provided a portion of the sand or sediment would settle in the rear of the amalgamating chamber in the corners thereof and the operation of the amalgamator would not be so thorough and efficient, since the heavy material which would thus settle would be that material which should be scoured by being forcibly brought into contact with the quick-silver bybeing repeatedly carried there against by the discharging stream and if such dead water chamber were not provided such heavy and rusty material might fail to become amalgamated.

F represents a fragment of a sluice box arranged to convey material into pipe 0 and F represents a sluice arranged to convey the discharged material from the amalgamating chamber.

In Fig. 1, I have shown two amalgamators arranged in aseries thus subjecting the material to the amalgamating action twice; in some cases one amalgamator will do the work perfectly, and in other cases it may be advantageous to place a series of amalgamators each subsequent one receiving the tailings of the one in advance. In practice the material is passed through a forty mesh screen G into the supply pipe 0 through which it is forced byhydraulic pressure and issues from the contracted openings with considerable velocity which carries the water and material against the mercury H in the bottom of the chamber A. All the free metal is immediately amalgamated, while the lighter particles of debris are carried up by the flowing water and are discharged through the opening a. The chamberA being wider at the top than at the bottom the force of the outflowing current is not as great as the force of the current near the bottom of the chamber, and consequently the heavier particles will hang in suspension in the outflowing current which is practically all at the rear of the chamber and next to the wall a. The force of the stream discharging from the pipe 0 into the bottom of the chamberA at the front of the chamber causes a suction which draws the water from the front of the chamber, and so gradually attracts the heavier particles which are suspended in the upward flowing stream, so that they are again and again drawn down into the supply stream and forced against the mercury so that if there is gold surface exposed on any particle of the material, it will be brought into contact with the mercury and amalgamated.

My invention is to be distinguished from those amalgamators in which the material to be amalgamated is forced through a body of quick-silver. And is also to be distinguished from those. inventions in which the inlet conduit is arranged to cause the material to be amalgamated to simply flow over the surface of the mercury without being forcibly discharged thereagainst. In my invention the stream of material is discharged from the contracted conduit into the chamber with considerable velocity and the matter which contains metal is forced against the mercury and then rises and is held in suspension in the water of the amalgamating chamber until it is drawn back into the stream which is dis charged from the conduit and is thus forced against the mercury over and over again, scouring the surface of the particles of matter until the metal is all amalgamated, thus freeing the rock of its weight of metal and allowing it to be carried off by the stream.

The action of the stream discharging against the body of mercury causes the surface of the mercury to be kept scoured and free from impurities.

Now, having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of an amalgamating chamber having an elevated discharge opening; a supply pipe having its receiving mouth higher than the discharge opening of the amalgamating chamber and its lower end arranged to discharge toward and against the bottom of the amalgamatingchamber and a partition arranged at the front of the amalgamating chamber to form a dead water chamber.

2. In an amalgamator the combination of an amalgamating chamber provided with a substantially vertical downwardly tapering rear wall having a discharge opening arranged above the bottom of the chamber, and provided with an inclined downwardly tapering front wall; the supply pipe arranged upon such sloping front wall and having an enlarged receiving mouth and a contracted discharge opening arranged to discharge into the amalgamating chamber substantially below the horizontal plane of the discharge opening of the amalgamating chamber, and a body of mercury placed in'snch chamber.

8. The amalgamator set forth comprising the combination of an amalgamating cham her having an elevated discharge opening; a charge of amalgamating material in such chamber; an inlet pipe arranged to discharge a stream against such amalgamating material, and a partition arranged at the front of the amalgamating chamber to form a dead water chamber.

at. The combination of the receptacle having the elevated discharge; the inclined tapering inlet pipe arranged to direct a stream downward obliquely against the floor of the receptacle and the intermediate partition arranged above the discharge of the inlet pipe to divide the receptacle below the outlet into the amalgamating and dead water chambers.

5. The combination in an amalgamator of a suitable amalgamating chamber having an elevated discharge; an inclined tapering conduitarranged with its discharge mouth within such amalgamating chamber and terminating above-the bottom of such chamber, adapted and arranged to discharge obliquely against a body of mercury placed in such chamber.

6. An amalgamator comprising the combiand adapted to direct the discharge downnation of an amalgamating chamber adapted ward against such mercury. to contain a body of mercury and having an Los Angeles, California, June 14, 1892.

elevated discharge; a tapering conduit hav- ROBERT J. KENNEDY. 5 ing a contracted discharge mouth arranged Witnesses:

above the bottom of the amalgamating oham- JAMES R. TOWNSEND,

her and the body of mercury placed therein, GEO. H. CRAFTS.

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