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(...continued) Silsby and Trotter immediately entered into a series of bitter disputes over the rights to use the tunnel resulting in several court injunctions. In mid-January 1878, a final court opinion determined that Silsby�s rights were secondary to Trotter's. Trotter would have almost exclusive use of the tunnel. Acting as Trotter's subordinate, Bilsby would only be able to mine iron and zinc ores for him upon proper notification and when Trotter's use was not deemed necessary to have sole use.
Unfortunately for him, Trotter's victory was brief. In April of 1878, the Franklinite Steel and Zinc Company sold its rights to a third party intermediary which transferred them to the Manganese Iron Ore Company, presided by John Silsby. Bearing no legal obligation to recognize Trotter's lease, Bilsby would now have complete control of the tunnel. Despite all this, Bilsby was presumably able to mine 45,000 tons of franklinite iron ore by 1879.
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