US629947A

US629947A - Ore-washer.

Info

Publication number: US629947A
Application number: US66607298A
Authority: US
Inventors: Edwin J Beverstock
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1898-01-08
Filing date: 1898-01-08
Publication date: 1899-08-01
Anticipated expiration: 1916-08-01

Description

No. 629,947. Patented Aug. l, |399- E."J. BEVEHSTOCK.

R E WA S H E B (Application filed Jan. 8, 1698.)

FIIIIIIIL ylllllll!!lllllimlllllllllilu-"wu llllllmum cul 1' I lss the machine.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDVIN J. BEVERSTOOK, OF VASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

ORE-WASHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 629,947, dated August 1, 1899.

Application filed January 8, 1898. Serial No. 666,072; (No model.)

T0 a/ZZ whom t may concern: Y v

Beit known that I, EDWIN J. BEvERsTooK,

a citizen of the United States, residing at' is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relatesto ore-Washers or separators intended for the purpose of separating gold-from gravel or sandas practiced in what is known as placer-mining, although the invention may be employed in the other arts for the separation of matter comprising constituents of varying specific gravity.

Among several objects in View are the provision of a cheap, simple, and serviceable apparatus which shall rapidly separate particles of gold from gold-bearing earth or gravel and which can be operated for the purpose in View with a minimum quantity of water, and, furthermore, if necessary-as, for example, when used. in the winter season or in very cold climates-*provision is made for heatingl the contents of the machine to prevent the same from freezing and facilitate the separation of the goldtherefrom.

Another object of the invention is to thoroughly agitate the material to be operated upon with the least vexpenditure of power and, in addition to simply moving such ma-` terial over a screening-surface, to produce byu the action of the machine a rolling motionV or inversion of `the earth or other vmaterial being Washed, so as to Constantly present new'` portionsthereof to the screening-surface of tion at the top of the largerstones and coarser gravel contained therein, which facilitates the access of the finer portions of the earth to the screening-surface.

A still further object of the invention is to produce a machine which shall agitate the screened portions of the earth being acted upon in such a manner that the lighter constituents are separated from the bottom of the compartment in which such screened material is collected and are mechanically forced along and out of said compartment, while the heaviest or most precious portions of the lines at the left of Fig.'3.

after. i l

In this inversion of the mate` rial there is also secured a constant collecscreened matter, such as particles or grains of gold, by their superior specific gravlty are retained within and upon the bottom of the machine.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be mentioned hereinafter in the following description, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the 6o to show a detail otherwise undiscernible.

Fig. 2 is a perspective of the screeningmember of the machine. Fig. 3 is a vertical central longitudinal section of the machine, and Fig. 4 is a fire-box constructed and adapted for use in connection with the machine.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several figure of the drawings. l

A represents a tank which may be supported; by any suitable means-as for example, legs A--and which comprises in its makeup a curved bottom A2. The bottom of the tank may be continuously curved on a true circle, as indicated by dotted lines A3, or at one or both ends the said tank may be formed on a 'circle of greater radius than the curvature of its central portion, as shown by full The object of this diversion from a true circular curving of the bottomjof the tank will be The tank A is herein shown as provided .with certain appurtenances which render the machine capable of more convenient use, but which appurtenances are not essentialto the main or principal objects of the invention,

and they may therefore be omitted, as will be hereinafter further explained.

A4 A4 represent ribs, grooves, pockets, or'

explained hereinrifles formed crosswise of the bottom of the tank, and they may be in number increased or decreased in practice and may extend over a greater or less portion of the bottom.

A5 A5 represent openings which are eX- tended across the ends of the tank and are closed by means of doors AiA, supported, from the ends of the tank by hinges A7. These doors may be or may not be facedwith. any suitable packing A? for insuring a water-A IOO tight closure of the openings A5. To facilitate the manipulation of the doors A5, there are provided at each side of the tank levers A5, pivoted to the side of the tank at A9 and having pivotally connected rods A10, connected with the lever at A11, at points upon each side of the pivot A9. The rods A10 are connected with the doors A6 by passing through the same, and said connection is rendered adjustable by means of nuts A12, one upon each side of the door. A catch or stop A13 may be employed to retain the doors in a closed position by swinging the lever A8 against the end of the stop. Now it will be seen that by rotating the lever A8 upon its pivot in one direction the door at each end of the tank is swung outwardly, so as to permit the escape of water or other material from the opening A5, while the opposite move-r ment of the lever to the position shown in Fig. 1 closes the doors over said openings. It is readily seen that by changing the position of the nuts uponthe rods the tightness with which the doors may be drawn toward each other may be varied, so as to take up wear and to insure a water-tight closure of said openings.

The screening member of the machine consists of a basket B, having journals B', adapted to be operatively supported in bearings A14. in the sides ofthe tank A. The bottom of' the screening member B is curved in a substantially true semicircular form, but of a radius somewhat less than that ofr the tank at its mid-length, so that when suspended within the tank there is a space D between the bottom of the screening member and that of the tank. Handles B3X are secured to the basket in any suitable manner and are the means employed for oscillating the basket upon its journals. The bottom B3 of the basket is perforated overa greater or less portion thereof, and the perforations B4 may be either plain or may have depending flanges B5, as shown. If hanged, they may be disposed either longitudinally or transversely of the bottom. In this instance the anges B5 at the mid-portion of the bottom of the basket are shown as transverse, while those at the end portions are disposed longitudinally of the bottom. The transverse disposition of the flanges aids materially in the operation of separating the screened matter, as hereinafter described.

Cy C represent transverse splasher-bars, which are secured on the bottom of the basket in` any suitable manner and which are provided with stirring pins or staples C. At each end of the basket there is a transverse flange B5, the purpose of which is to prevent the falling of material from the basket into the tank when the' basket is oscillated upon its bearings. Projecting from one end of the basket and at each side thereof are pins or lugs B7, the purpose of which is to support the basket upon the end of the tan-k during the operation of dumping material from the .the opening A5.

basket. Below the opening A5,at the frontend of the machine, there isa trough A15, which'is intended to collect the water passing through 'the openings A5 when the doors A6 are open and to conduct the same o at one side of the machine, and thus protect the operator when using the machine.

E, Fig. 4, represents a fire-box, the sides of which are intended to close the space between the legs at the ends and sides ot' the machine and the top of which is cut away, as at E', to fit the lower surface of the tank A. Troughs E2 are formed upon the fire-box to prevent access of water to any fire therein by conducting said water sidewise away from the machine. In using the machine in cold weather it is set over the fire-box, which serves to confine the heat upon the bottom of the tank and to protect the sides and the legs of the machine when constructed ot' wood from the fire.

The operation of the machine is as follows: Water is supplied by any suitable means and in anysuitable manner to keep the tank filled, and while the earth t0 be washed is being shoveled or otherwise placed into the basket the basket is swung upon its pivots, it being readily seen that while the earth is washed earth roll downwardly upon the finer portions.

within the basket at each eXtreme throw of the basket, so that by contin uouslyoscillating the basket (which having the weight of its load below its center of support enablesthe operator to work upon large masses of earth, thereby requiring the exertion of much less power than in machines where the point of support is below the load) there is not only a continuous sliding motion upon the screening-surface, but a rolling or inverted motion of the earth within the basket, and the whole being constantly submerged the result is a very rapid reduction of the earth within the basket and also a rapid passage of the finer particles through the screening-perforations B1 of the basket down into the space D between it and the bottom of the tank. As such finer particles collect in the bottom of the tank they are first stirred up and agitated by the pins or staples C, and when thus agitated are thrown by the splasherbars C forward and backward and ont of the machine over the delivery end of the tank and when present and not closed out through As illustrated, the tank is shown with a delivery end lower than the opposite end. If desired, both ends of the tank may be depressed from a horizontal line instead of one, as shown; but for the better protection of the operator against overflowing water and dirt the front end of the machine is not herein shown so depressed. It is found by experience that the splasherbars C during their movement from the front to the rear of the machine effectu-ally perform the function of discharging the water IIO IZO

carrying the lighter particles of the screened material, so that the depression of the front end of the machine while advancing that operation is not an essential, and hence the elevation of one end'of the machine for the protection of the operator. The operation above described-swinging the basket, supplying the water in proportion as it is thrown out with the ner particles of the screened material,and the feeding of material to be washedhaving been continued for a suitable time,

the doors A6 are opened for the purpose of finally cleaning up. Before describing` this portion of the operation it is proper to state that in accordance with the richness of the dirt in gold and with the size of the machine employed the operation of oscillating the basket and feeding the dirt thereto may be continued from one hour, more or less, to onehalf a day or to a whole day before opening the doors A6 andconducting the final operation of cleaning up. From the above it will be seen that by my invention it is possible to wash a large mass of pay-dirt without the necessity of a final cleaning up. During this prolonged process of washing, however,the accumulated coarser gravel or rocks are dumped from the machine by lifting the basket B by means of the handle B3 until the journals ride upon the edges. of the sides of the tank, when the basket is drawn toward the front end and the lugs B7 rested thereupon, thus forming a center upon which the basket may be tilted until all of the contents thereof may be dumped upon the ground. The basket is then returned to its bearings and the washing process continued.

After the washing process has been continued for a desired period it will be found that there is within the bottom of the tank a depth of screened or washed matter practically equal to the length of the stirring pins or staples O'. This screened and washed matter extends across the bottom of the tank and contains all of the gold which was originally in the pay-dirt before washing, except that which may be caught andheld by the riflles` is swung upon its bearings backward and forward, and by means of the splasher-bars C and the pins or staples the matter in the tank is agitated and the lighter portions are thrown forward and backward to be expelled through the openings A5. In this operation the oscillations of the basket are less pronounced than when the doors are closed oversaid openings, and any gold particles that are thrown toward said openings drop by their greater spe-l my invention may be secured without the emv ployment of all or of the particular details of the construction herein shown, and the invention is therefore not limited to the same, and it is apparent that the proportions of the parts in some respects may be changed without a ity of the machine, and the same maybe opc erated by artificial rather than manual power, if desired. It is also apparent that in order to secureV a lower point of discharge which' the openings A5 provide in cleaning up said openings may be omitted and the front end of the machine elevated to produce the same result, so that the invention is not dependent upon an apparatus provided with such openings anddoors as shown. So,also,the splasherbars may be omitted, because the action of the screening-basket upon the water and screened matter below it serves to discharge the same over the end of the'tank, and this action occurs whether the bottom of the basket be curved or not, and hence the invention is not limited in these respects.

Having described my invention and set forth its merits, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by LettersPatent, is-

l. In a machine of the class described, pivotally-suspended basket having a curved screening-bottom in combination with a stationary tank having an imperforate bottom of similar curvature; substantially as specified.

2. A machine of the class described comprisin g a pivotally-suspended screening-basket having a curved bottom and a tank having a bottom similarly curved at its lower portion and outwardly deflected at the discharge end thereof.

3. A machineiof the class described comprising in its make-up a pivotally-suspended screening-basket having an open top and curved bottom with exterior transverse splasher-bars thereon. A

4.. In a machine of the class described,4 a pivotally-suspended screening-basket having a perforated bottom curved on a circle derived from the center of support of the basket whereby the load carried by the basket is supported below its center of motion in combination with a tank having a similarly-curved im-perforate bottom.

5. In a machine of the class described, a basket pivotally supported for swinging and IOO iro

l having a curved bottom, in combination with 8. The combination with a swinging basket.

having a curved bottom provided with flanged perforations, of agitating devices secured to said bottom and projecting below said lian ges; substantially as specified.

9. The combination of a pivotalIy-snspendj ed basket having a curved perforated bottom,

with atank having a similarly-curved bottom provided with an opening at one end' of said' basket, and means for closing said opening; substantially as specified.

' l0.- The combination with a swinging basket having a curved perforated bottom provided with agitators projecting therefrom, of astationarytankhavingacurvedbottomwith openings therein at opposite sides, doors for closing said openings, and means for opening and closing the doors.

11. In a machine-of the class described, a

pivotally-snspended basket having a curved perforated bottom, a stationary tank having a curved bottom, and a fire-box adapted to fit the bottom of the tank; substantially as specia ed.

12. The combination with a screening-basket, of a tank, and a fire-box adapted to Ii-t the tank and provided with troughs'.

13. The combination with a tank having openings, of doors for said openings', a pivoted lever, rods extending from the doors, di= rectly to and connected at opposite sides of the pivot of said lever for operating said doors; substantially as specified.

14. The combination with a tank, of a -pivotally-suspended basket mounted therein and provided with diametrically-projecting lugs projecting from the ends of the basket; substantially as specified.

15. The combination of a perforated pivotally-suspended screening-basket and a sta-v EDWIN J. BEVERSTO'CK.

Witnesses:

ALFRED T. GAGE, E. B. S'rocKING.