The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-07-15
LEDFoRD's QUEER ENTERPRISE.
His Suit Against a Mining Company for Milking Water From it's Mine.

HIS Sult Agalnst a Mining Company
 for Milking Water From it's Mine. l Butte, Mont, June GA peculiar damage suit is in progress in the Dis trict court of this city brought by one Ledford against the Anaconda Mining company, upon the rather novel charge Of having "milked" the water from the St Lawrence mine, one of it's largest copper properties.
 number of years ago a terrible fire ragged in the St. Lawrence mine, and in the efforts to extinguish the flames the mine was flooded with water, but an i idea of the extent of the conflagration can be gathered from the fact that now, after all these years, the fire Is still burning in some portions of the mine. Tn all the lower levels the fire was entirely extinguished, but in the older workings, in the upper levels, it has smouldered year after year, much of the time burning quite fiercely.
 Ever since the fire it has been mo- ticed that the water pumped from the mine was of peculiar color, totally different from what it had previously been. This was supposed to be due to the conflagration in some way but Ledford investigated the matter, and having ascertained by analysis that the water was strongly impregnated with copper in solution, and that by con- tact with iron the copper could be precipitated he immediately proceeded to put his discovery to practical use. He entered into a contract with the Anaconda Mining company whereby, for the payment of certain amount of money, he was to have the privi- lege of receiving and using the waste water pumped from the St Lawrence mine. Having secured this much, he built a number of large vats a short | distance below the mines, and con- structed Hume to connect the vats | with the mines. In the bottom of the vats he placed large quantities of re- | fuse iron, which he had gathered from 1 the back streets and alleys of the city, | consisting of scraps of iron, tin cans and cast-off ironWare. He then or dered the water from the mine turned 1 into the Hume, and was immediately ready for business.
 1 The results from this seemingly in significant beginning were remarkable. 1 The precipitation of copper by this somewhat unique method developed into q hourishing business, and the originator of the scheme soon had to enlarge his copper plant by increasing the number and size of his vats, while he employed small army of boys to collect for him the refuse scraps of iron. His income from this precipita- tion business soon became enormous. extending into the thousands each month, ranging, it is reported, from | fa I, Ia rental received by the mining company, which was twenty-five per cent. of the | proceeds, was no small sum.
 But in the midst of his increasing prosperity Ledford suddenly discov- cred that the water had been tempered with, or "milked"--in other words, that 1t had been robbed of much of the cop per contained in solution before 1t reached the vats. This discovery, to- gether with some additional facts learned upon inquiry, convinced Led ford that the mining company had
 been making use of his own process upon the water before 1t was allowed to leave the mine
 He immediately instituted suit, ask ing for an injunction to restrain the company from precipitating copper rom the water before 1t feacned the
 surface, and also asking for more than twenty thousand dollars damages for the time-four and one-half months during which he alleged the defendant company had carried on the precipita- tion, and which he claimed had dam- aged his business to the extent of five thousand dollars per month.
 The mining company admitted hav- ing precipitated copper from the water
 by means of old iron thrown into the levels, but claimed that they had been compelled to do so for the reason that
 the water had become so highly
 charged with copper that it destroyed
 the pipes throughout the mine, and
 was even injuring the pumps to such
 ar extent that the water could be raised to the surface only with the
 greatest difficulty; hence they had been
 obliged to purchase new pumps, and to
 precipitate a certain amount Of copper
 in the levels in order to protect them
 from injury
 The company claimed, however that