Process for recovering metal values from gold and silver ores

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR RECOVERING METAL VALUES FROM GOLD AND SILVER ORES, SAID PROCESS COMPRISING FORMING A FIRST FLOWABLE MIXTURE OF PARTICLES OF SAID ORE WITH WATER AND LIQUID MERCURY, PASSING SAID MIXTURE AS A FLOWING STREAM INTO AND THROUGH A FIRST CONFINED HEATING ZONE, HEATING RAPIDLY SAID MIXTURE IN SAID HEATING ZONE SUFFICIENTLY TO VAPORIZE ALL OF SAID WATER TO STEAM, CREATING HIGHLY TURBULENT STREAM OF FLOWING FIRST DISPERSION CONSISTING OF SAID ORE PARTICLES, SAID MERCURY AND METAL AMALGAM IN STEAM, PASSING SAID DISPERSION IN HIGHLY TURBULENT FLOW THEREBY DISINTEGRATING SAID ORE PARTICLES AND EXPOSING CLEAN METAL VALUE SURFACES THEREON WHEREBY SAID MERCURY CONTACTS AND AMALGAMATES WITH METAL VALUES, FORMING AN AMALGAM, SEPARATING SAID AMALGAM FROM THE RESIDUAL ORE PARTICLES, AND THEN SUBJECTING SAID RESIDUAL ORE PARTICLES TO CYANIDATION TO RECOVER THE REMAINING METAL VALUES THEREFROM.