H. L. Pattinson
Longitudinal Section of J.D.
Stagg's Patent Apparatus
History | A Period of Innovation
All the companies which held leases for mining and smelting in the area were keen to introduce new ideas to make the work safer and, hopefully, more economical. Here are some of the main innovations that came to Nenthead:
1777: First 'Water Blast' to provide ventilation underground, installed in the Nent Force Level.
1796: Improved method of washing ores introduced by Cornishman Richard Trathen.
1833: Hugh Lee Pattinson perfected an improved method for extracting silver from lead, known as the Pattinson Process: Born in Alston, Pattinson patented a 'Crystallization Process' for separating silver from lead. Pure lead forms into crystals at a temperature above that of lead containing silver. The lead crystals could be ladelled off and the remaining liquid contained the silver. Compared with the previously used cupellation method, the crystallization process saved fuel and less lead was lost during treatment. The London Lead Company paid Pattinson £1,050 for a licence to use the process at its mills.
1847: Stagg's Fume Condenser began work: Everyone knew that valuable particles containing lead were being lost up the chimney during smelting. When Joseph Dickinson Stagg was appointed Manager of the London Lead Company's Smelting Mills in 1842 he was keen to improve the operation of collecting the particles for re-smelting. By 1843 he had invented a 'Condenser' which drew the furnace gases through a series of water chambers. Particles containing lead fell to the bottom of the chambers and could easily be collected.
1847: William Brunton Jnr introduced the 'Brunton Buddle' - a continuous cloth-belt separator for dressing very fine slime ores.
1867: Blake's Crushing Machine was in use - an early 'jaw' crusher.
1896-1908: The age of steam - magnificent traction engines were brought in to haul mineral concentrates of lead and zinc to the station at Alston.
1912: New locomotive delivered for use in Rampgill Mine - reputedly the first internal combustion engined loco used underground in Britain.
