US531740A - Method of and apparatus for mining gold or other metals - Google Patents

Description

(No Model) A. McDOUG-ALL.

METHOD GP AND APPARATUS FOR MINING GOLD OR OTHER METALS No. 531,740. Patented Jan. 1,1895.

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NITED TATES ALEXANDER MODOUGALL,

OF- DULUTH, MINNESOTA.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR MINING GOLD OR OTHER METALS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 531,740, dated January 1, l 89 5.

Application filed June 18, 1894.

1'0 zc-ZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER McDon- GALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Duluth, in the county of St. Louis and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of and Apparatus for Mining Gold or other Metals; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

lily invention relates toa method of and apparatus for mininggold and other metals, found in mineral bearing sand and gravel forming part of river and lake bottoms.

The bottoms of many of the American rivers and lakes, particularly in the Northwest, contain considerable quantities of sand, earth and gravel in which are found gold, silver,copper and other metals and which I will hereinafter refer to by the generic expression, mineral bearing sand and gravel. These metals are either chemically combined with the sand and gravel or are mechanically mixed therewith. It is now the general practice to remove this mineral bearing sand from the bottom of rivers and lakes by suction produced by contrifugal or other pumps, after which it is drained of water and finally is treated for the removal of the particular metal desired in any well known way. It has however been discovered that this mineral bearing sand or gravel is frequently found to be mixed with heavy stones, rocks, boulders and other obstructions, which not only tend to clog up the suction pipes and damage the working parts of the pumps, but render it impossible to handle such sand and gravel with economy, so that when the mineral bearing sand and gravel are found to be mixed with obstructions of the character mentioned, no efforts are made to remove it, although it may be rich in minerals.

My present invention relates to a method of and apparatus for removing these heavy rocks, stones, boulders and other obstructions, so that the mineral bearing sand and gravel with which they are mixed, can be readily mined by a centrifugal or other pump.

For a better comprehension of the inven- Serial No. 514.972- (Nu model.)

tion, attention is directed to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a side elevation of my improved apparatus showing the bed of the river or lake in section, and Fig. 2, a plan view of the ap .paratus on an enlarged scale.

Referring to the views, A, is a Hat boat or scoW made preferably of the form illustrated, namely, with its sides inclined toward each other from thestern to the bow. It is to be observed h0wever,that any other construction form to the configuration of the river or lake bottom; is a rake B, provided with heavy teeth a, s0 arranged with respect to each other that they will engage and remove all stones or rocks which are of a size sufficiently large to damage the working parts of the pumps or obstruct the suction pipes thereof. I do not desire to be limited to any particular mechanism for carrying this rake, or to any particular device for raising and lowering it, yet the means illustrated for aocomplishin g these ends which I shall now describe, can be advantageousl y used.

Pivoted to each side of the scow A, preferably at a point a short distance back of its central axis, c'. e. at about its center of gravity, is a heavy arm 0, made either of wood or metal. These two arms extend parallel with the sides of the scow and if the latter is of the configuration illustrated, these arms will converge toward each other as shown, whereby a rake of reasonable Width, say from six to eight feet, may be attached in any desirable way directly to the free ends of these arms. By pivoting these arms 0, at a point back of the central axis of the scow it will be observed that very long arms can be employed for working in considerable depths of water and at the same time the entire resist- IOC . ance of the rake is imposed upon the scow at about its center of gravity, as explained,

whereby the scow will always preserve its line of flotation under all conditions. Furthermore, by so arranging these arms the rake will work in the river bottom at a point imafter referred to.: The arms 0, carrying the rake B, may be elevated 'or lowered inany suitable way, preferably by a cable 0, passing over a block d, carried by a supporting arm c, said cable being operated by a windlassf, supplied with steam from the boiler or operated by hand. In order that the scow-A,car-: rying the rake B, may be moved with respect -to the river bottom, I prefer to make useof a heavy'cable. G, which may be anchored at both ends, as shown, or be attached to stakes or posts, said cable being passed. over sheaves H, preferably beneath the deck of the scow,

and thence 'aroundthe drum of a steam windlass 1 by which thesaid scow may bepropelled.

With this apparatus I proceed to carry out my invention substantially as follows: The

cable G, is first arranged with respect to that portion of the river bed in which are found mineral bearing sand and gravel mixed with heavy rocks, stones and other obstructions, said cable passing through the scow, as explained, and over the drum of the steam Windlass 'i. The rake B, is now lowered, being preferably allowed to drag freely along the river bottom and the Windlass 1', is started so that the scow will be propelled along the line of the cable G, dragging the rake B, along the river bed and raking up and carrying with it allthe heavy rocks, stones and other obstructions. The scow is then returned to the starting point and this operation is repeated until the mineral bearing sand and gravel are free from all obstructions, the cable G, being shifted slightly to one side as the work pro- Stay rods Z), I), may be used for the gresses, if desired, after which the cable G,is

removed to another part of the river and the operation is repeated. After the river orlake bottom has thus been freed of such obstructions as are not removable by suction, the mineral bearing sand or gravel is removed by suction, and the particular metal recovered therefrom in anydesirable way.

. Broadly considered, my improved method consists in removing large stones, rocks,

b ouldersand other obstructions from mineral bearing sand and gravel and then in removthan those I have described and illustrated for propellingthe scow may be availed of.

For example, the scow may be moved with respectto the cable G, by a hand Windlass or capstan, or it may be provided with independe out means or mechanism, such as a screw, or I it may be moved by a separate propelling I claim as newtherein, and desire to secure by.

Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. The method of mining gold and other metalscontained in mineral bearing sand and gravel forming part of lake and river bottoms, which consists in removing by the action of rake teeth such coarse rocks and other obstructions as are not removable by suction, and then in removing the mineral bearing sand or gravel thus freed from'obstructions, bylsuetion, substantially as set forth. I

2. In an appar tus of the characterrdescribed, the combination of a floating vessel A, having its sides inclined from bow to stern, the arms 0, pivoted to said sides and converging toward each other at the rear end, and a rake B, carried by said arms in the rear of the vessel and capable of vertical movement, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereoflaffix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

I ALEXANDER MODOUGALL.

'Witnesses:

S. GEO. STEVENS, CHAS. W. LELAND.

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