A NEW MINING MACHINE.

Kumara Times, Issue 1731, 18 April 1882, Page 2

A NEW MINING MACHINE.

The public teal b£ 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 Melbourue rt£ cently. The machine, which has been designed by Mr Charles Phillips, arid patented in nearly all the Australian colonies, is df a very simple character as far as working it is concerned, arid possesses the additional advantage of being cooipact and portable; features in connection with it are a series of inciihed riddles, fixed in square* frames, and shaking tables; with the" addition df a fan air-blast at one end. The aUriferotts sand or gravel is cast iutothe highest of these riddles, tile finer fragments of sand and gravel falling through it, while the' larger portions, by the continual movement of the tables, fiud their way over the* lower edge, and fall through shoots clear of the machine; The riddles td 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 orie being on the topi All the larger fragments of gold are caught and detained! by a series of ripples arranged diagonally across these riddles, none but the' very finest spec'ts being able to pass through the lowest of the series. Im: mediately on falling through, however,these small specks, with the accompaniment of dust and fine sand, come under the influence of the air-blastj the lighter material being blown through an apeVture, while the gold; by reason of its greater weight offering resistance' to the airj falls on an i-dined table underneath provided with a nuiHber iron ripples of superior constilictidn, acrtongst which it is detained. The whole al the contents of the ripples attached td both the riddles and tables, as well as the sand which eawa'ptes fr'ortf the is then panned off, and the gold sfc= cured. The machine can be worked by one man, and easily transported from one fcpot to another by a single* I horse. The test consisted of ptfttitfg through a load of ordinary mixed sand and gravel, in which 10|dwt. of fine and coarse gold had been mixed. The operatiou occupied 10 minutes, and on being panued off Sffdw't. of gold was re- | covered fiom the ripples aldne, the larger portion of the residue being usually discovered in the concentrated sand which escapes from the inclined tables, and falls in one spot beneath the machine. The machine is specially adapted for the treatment of blanket sand, &c, as by its aid the! finest gold is most easily secured, and while no doubt can be entertained of its usefulness where the washdirt is perfectly dry, the general principle of working leads to- the belief that when treating damp material, some difficulty wortld be experienced in keeping the* finer riddles from becoming choked upand useless. The chief merit of < thtf invention is its simplicity, both in construction audi method of working, and if the difficulty alluded to can be overcome it should prove almost invaluableto the owners of susall am-iferoua claims.—Dunetfin Morning Herald.