A NEW MINING MACHINE.

Inangahua Times, Volume VII, Issue 1078, 24 April 1882, Page 3

A NEW MINING MACHINE.

The public trial of a newly-invented machine, constructed for the novel purpose of removing gold from auriferous sand or gravel without the use of water, took place at Melbourne recently. The machine, which, has been designed by Mr Charles Phillips, and patented in nearly all the Australian colonies, is of a very simple character as far as working it is concerned, and possesses the additional advantage of being compact and portable. The main features in connection 'with it are a series of inclined riddles, fixed in square frames* and shaking tables, with the addition of a fan air-blast at one end. The auriferous sand or gravel is cast into the highest of these riddles, the finer fragments of sand and gravel falling through it, while the larger portions, by the continual movement of the tables, find their way over the lower edge, and fall through shoots clear of the machine. The riddles to which allusion has been made are placed : directly under each other; and all have the same incline. They vary in degrees of fineness, the coarsest one being on the top. Al the larger fragments of gold are detained by a series of ripples arranged diagonally across these riddles, none but the finest specks being able to pass through the lowest of the series. Immediately on falling, these small specks, with the accompaniment of dust and fine sand, come under the influence of the air-blast, the lighter material being blown through an aperture, while the gold, by reason of its greater weight offering resistance to the air falls on an inclined table underneath provided with a number of iron ripples of superior construction, amongst which it is detained. The whole of the contents of the ripples attached to both the riddles and tables, as well as the sa;o:l which escapes from the latter, is

then panned off, and the gold secured. The machine can be worked by one man, and easily transported from one spot to another by a single horse. The test consisted of putting through a load of ordinary mixed sand and gravel, in which lOJdwt of fine and coarse gold had been mixed. The operation occupied 10 minutes, and on being panned off Bfdwt of gold was recovered from the ripples alone, the larger portion of the residue being usually discovered in the concentrated sand which escapes from the inclined tables, and falMin one spot beneath I beneath the machine. The machine is specially adapted for the treatment of pyrites, blanket sand, Ac.' as by its aid the finest gold is most easily secured and while no doubt can be entertained of its usefulness while the washdirt i« perfectly dry, the general principle of working leads to the belief that when treatment damp material, some difficulty would be experienced in keeping the finer riddles from becomiixg choked up and usjeess. The chief merit of the invention is its simplicity, both in construction and method of working, and if the difficulty alluded tohsan be overcome it should pro ve almost invaluable to the owners of small auriferous claims. — »Dunedin Morning Herald.