OCR Text |
Show MffliDffiisi EAGERLYAWfi!TEO Many Mining Companies Affected; Appeal to Supreme Su-preme Court Expected. The mining world awaits with Intense interest the decision expected to be handed down shortly by the United States court of appeals in Minerals Separation. Ltd., vs. Butte & Superior Mining company. com-pany. The ease was appealed by defendant de-fendant from the United States district court of Montana. The decision will have an important effect on between -00 ana 300 mining companies operating on this continent, which are alleged to be using Minerals Separation patents without a license. It Is believed that whatever t ie decision of the San Francisco court, the losins- oartv will make an effort to pro- sent the case to the United States preme court. B1 Mining men say that in ono move it, flotation process for the concentration , J ores accomplished an improvement 1V1 the saving of values which equaled in Jr portance the combined improvement I other methods during the cast twen years. Founded on principleslong kno.' to science, its practical application v? revolutionary In effect. Prior to the use of flotation, the chin i factor on which concentration depend. wan specific gravity. When the ore h3 ' been crushed and sized, the metallic , tides were heavier, and the forces ployed to separate them were principal gravltv. momentum and suction. WW the ore did not require too much crujk ing, results were comparatively satisfy torv. but at best the separation' was incomplete as to entail important losse The flotation process, however . stated to operate regardless of relitivi specific gravities and Is based on the at finity between contact with the metal hv means of oil. The latter, having bem admixed with the crushed ore, rises to the surface in the form of bubbles Z froth, with the metallic particles of'thi ore apparently clinging to it. The proce is completed by skimming off the metal lie froth and relieving the oil of Its valu! able burden. Minerals Separation patents cover a., application of the process which uses i ratio of oil to ore of less than 1 per cent Butte & Superior uses more than pe: cent of oil, and claims that, as the prlnc pie on which the patents were obtained is one that has long been establish and as the patents cover only details o( application, there has consequently no infringement. The federal court o' Montana held, however, that the use ot oil in excess of 1 per cent is unnecea. sarv, and that the defendant had, there, fore, infringed. While other points are disputed, it is chiefly on the relevant ol the percentage of oil used that . the de-cision de-cision of the San Francisco court of ap. peals is believed to hinge. Boston News Bureau. |