DECISION RELATING TO PLACER CLAIMS the following decision relating to placer mining claims has been handed down hy by justie justice willis van devanter of the supreme court of the united states january 29 1912 affecting two placer mining claims in alaska this is the case of F rank frank H baskay and others petitioners petition ers against joseph hammer arid and others and brings out three different points to which the attention of the local government officials is called these are 1 no deputy mineral surveyor has the le legal ga I 1 right 0 to locate a mining claim and if lie he attempts to do so his action shall be absolutely sol void 2 the discovery of 0 minerals within a mining location later than the date of location but prior to any adverse claim being filed renders the location valid 3 when a location includes more than twenty acres and the locator later contracts his lines to include only twenty acres and leaves outside s de of the new boundaries his discovery point the location becomes invalid