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By Selwyn G. Blaylock

I.-THE HISTORY OF THE SYSTEM TO trace the history of the development of the Co-operative Committee System in The Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company of Canada, Limited, one must look backward about twenty years. In 1915 and 1916, the first years of the W ar to really affect Canadian life, there were sixteen hundred men working in the Trail plant. These men were, on the whole, a splendid body of men and pa trio tic to the core. They were almost one hundred percent organized, ninety-five percent of them be-longing to the Union of the Western Federation of Miners. Most of the tradesmen belonged to their craft unions as well. For example, there were ? local machinist, steel workers', electrician, boiler maker, bricklayer, and carpenter unions. The Company had always maintained an open-shop policy and refused to enforce membership in any union, but recognized the right of every man to belong to unions. The only exceptions have been the I.W.W. and the One Big Union. Both of these organizations have always been fought by the Company. By 1916, membership in the Western Federation being practically 100 per cent, the Company recognized this organization's authority to make agreements, and a wage and hour agreement was drawn up and signed by the Company and the local officials of the Union, and ratified and signed by the Head Office of the Union in Denver, Colorado. This agreement was for the duration of the war.

Jan 1, 1936

By F. E. Lathe

RECENT events have emphasized with renewed force the well known fact that war greatly intensifies the demand for certain metals, particularly for iron, copper, and zinc. Any increase in the use of iron and steel, whether in war or peace, is also accompanied by increased consumption of those metals which find their chief application as ferro-alloys, such as nickel, chromium, manganese, molybdenum, tungsten, and vanadium. Further, since high temperatures are essential for the production of all these metals, activity in the metal industry is inevitably accompanied by an insistent demand for refractories. For example, in North American practice the consumption of magnesitic hearth refractories is frequently expressed in pounds per ton of steel. This quantity (not including straight dolomite) ranges on individual plants from about 7 to 12 pounds. When the industry is operating at approximately full capacity, the ratio of refractory to steel tends to increase, since the tonnage of steel produced is recognized as of paramount importance, and this leads to the harder driving of furnaces and less regard for the effect on refractories. It should also be observed that the cost of refractories per ton of metal produced is always so low, in comparison with other items, that it may even increase while the cost of metal per ton is being reduced through more continuous operation and the use of higher temperatures. As one prominent Canadian copper metallurgist has tersely expressed it, he is "not in business to save refractories but to smelt ore". The effect of war demands and of general industrial activity upon the production of basic and neutral refractories is clearly shown in Figure 1, which gives the value of chrome ore and magnesitic-dolomite produced in Canada during the period 1907 to 1937. Tonnages have not been shown, as these are not available for the full period; such figures as have been published from time to time are not strictly comparable, since both raw rock and finished products have on occasion been included. The preliminary figures for 1938, which are now available, have been prepared by the Dominion Bureau of Statistics on a different basis from those immediately preceding, and have therefore not been shown.

Jan 1, 1940

By R. A. McGuire

THE recorded production of the Sheep Creek camp from 1900, when the Yellowstone Mining Company first put its mill into operation, to the present day is in excess of $17,500,000. Of this total, $2,500,000 can be attributed to the early period from 1900 to 1916, at which time increased costs of labour and material due to the Great War forced abandonment of any operations on a large scale for a number of years. Since the camp was revived in 1929, at which time the Reno mine started large-scale operations, and the early 'thirties', when the increased price of gold induced the commencement of operations on other properties in the district, total gross production has been in excess of $15,000,000. In addition to the above totals, intermittent shipments were made by lessees and small operators, principally during the period of inactivity from 1916 to 1929, but no records of this production are available. The Sheep Creek camp would rank fifth in the Province-behind Rossland, Portland Canal, Bridge River, and Hedley-in gross gold production, but, because of relatively inexpensive mining and milling costs, would occupy a more prominent position in regard to total dividends paid. Operating mines at the present time include Reno Gold Mines, Gold Belt Mining Company, Kootenay Belle Gold Mines, and Sheep Creek Gold Mines. Each one of these companies, with the exception of Kootenay Belle, represents a consolidation of several smaller properties, all of which were in existence for a number of years prior to 1929. These four companies, at the present time, own, or hold options on, practically all the important claims in the district with the exception of a very few claims and fractions still held by private owners.

Jan 1, 1942

By W. S. Dyer

The lignite deposit at Onakawana on the Abitibi river is of particular interest at the present time, since the Ontario Government has recently decided to proceed with the extension of the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario railway to James bay. Forty-five miles of steel will be laid this year to the crossing of the Moose river. This will cross the lignite field. It has been known for many years that lignite occurred in the Moose River basin, but it was not until drilling was commenced at Blacksmith rapids (or Onakawana, as the camp is now known) in June, 1929, that a seam of economic thickness and extent was found. Early in 1929 the Ontario Legislature voted $25,000 for the carrying out of a drilling programme in the Moose River basin. This came as a culmination of two summers' exploratory work by the Geological Branch of the Ontario Department of Mines, and as the result of a report which said; in effect, that further information concerning the mineral resources of the basin could only be obtained by drilling, and that such a drilling programme was well worth while in order to establish once for all whether lignite, fire-clay, or oil or gas did or did not exist in economic quantities in the region.

Jan 1, 1930

By Côme Carbonneau

The ten -year case history of La Société Québécoise d'Exploration Minière (SOQUEM) is reviewed under the headings of the company's raison d'être, objectives, policies, structure and final goal. A brief analysis of its past operations is presented: aborted efforts, findings and developments. A projection is made of the future earnings, in terms of estimated present value, of its three main discoveries - Louvem , Niobec and Selim.

Jan 1, 1978

By P. H. Oliver

"The current theory of how explosives fracture rock offers no explanation for the improvements in fragmentation and the reduction of fly rock and back break which occurs when an adequate inter-row delay time is used. Nor does it explain why fragmentation improves with rectangular drill patterns where the hole spacing may be as much as four times the hole burden.A new theory of rock fragmentation is proposed which builds on the existing theory. It offers rational explanations for the many blast effects which the current theory does not address and the need for adequate timing delays between rows. It improves on the design of inter-row delay timing by defining the length of free-blasted face needed in front of a hole *Retired from Inco Ltd., Sudbury, Ontario when selecting the delay element which will provide an adequate inter-row delay time."

Jan 1, 2003

By P. H. Oliver

The current theory of how explosives fracture rock offers no explanation for the improvements in fragmentation and the reduction of fly rock and back break which occurs when an adequate inter-row delay time is used. Nor does it explain why fragmentation improves with rectangular drill patterns where the hole spacing may be as much as four times the hole burden. A new theory of rock fragmentation is proposed which builds on the existing theory. It offers rational explanations for the many blast effects which the current theory does not address and the need for adequate timing delays between rows. It improves on the design of inter-row delay timing by defining the length of free-blasted face needed in front of a hole when selecting the delay element which will provide an adequate inter-row delay time.

May 1, 2003

By A. G. Roach

HISTORY AND LOCATION SEAL HARBOR GOLD MINES, LIMITED, was incorporated in January, 1934, to take over 116 acres of mining lands in the Stormont gold district, Guysboro county, Nova Scotia. The nearby ten-stamp Mulgrave mill was also purchased, and since that time 974 acres of adjoining properties have been secured from the Government by direct lease. The property is served by a motor road and is about two miles from the village of Goldboro, situated on the shore of Isaac's harbour. The bulk of ?the supplies are brought in by coastal steamer from Halifax, a distance of about 100 miles, since the nearest railway connections are at Antigonish, some 40 miles distant. EARLYY WORK The Seal Harbor properties include the old Partington and Beaver Hat mines. A small tonnage of ore was mined from each and treated on the properties in stamp mills, which were later torn. down . A survey of old records shows that this ore averaged about $8.00 gold per ton. Development work by the present Company was confined to the 100-foot level until February, 1935, but after that rime the incline shaft was deepened to 425 feet and the 300-foot level was explored east and west of the shaft. Six belts of ore were intersected to the west of the shaft. The ore from these belts was hand sorted and the ore portion was put through the 10-stamp Mulgrave mill to defray operating expenses and to serve as a sample of the deposits. The average recovery per ton from this sorted ore was $6.10. Samples of the ore were sent to the testing laboratories of the Mines Branch, at Ottawa, and of Canadian Industries, Limited, at Toronto. Recommendations from both of these authorities were for removal of the coarse gold by concentration and barrel amalgamation, followed by cyanidation of the residue.

Jan 1, 1937

By P. J. Routledge

THE purpose of this paper is to discuss the practical aspects of locating gravel deposits and of establishing efficient, portable concrete aggregate beneficiation plants for use on construction projects where limited amounts of high-quality gravel and sand are required. Certain projects are listed, in order to demonstrate the wide variety of problems encountered. Routledge Gravel Contractors Limited, North Vancouver, have supplied concrete aggregate for construction projects in British Colum-bia since 1957. In tl1at year, in sup-plying aggregate for a small project at a site on the northern coast of British Columbia, our quote was as follows: Concrete aggregate to specifications, f.o.b. scow, North Vancouver$ 1.75 per cu. yd. Scowing charges to site. $16.00 per cu. yd. At that time, our company realized that more attractive quotations could be submitted if local gravel was utilized where available. Port-able equipment was then acquired and a simple screening plant (Figures 1 and 1a) was at first used. This was later replaced by heavier, more versatile equipment. The use of suitable equipment, the keeping of cartage to a mini-

Jan 1, 1962

By Karl Hoover, Cassandra Spence, Brent Bachewich, Jaakko Levanaho

"Since year 2000 the gold recovery into copper concentrate at Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting has reduced considerably during the summer months. This initiated a testwork program in the fall 2003 to find reasons and solutions for such change. During the testwork mineralogical factors, water quality effects and different reagents were evaluated. The reason for the lower recovery appeared to be the sensitivity of some collectors to pulp temperature. As a result of the work different collectors are being used in the mill in the summer than in the winter. A modification to the water system was also made to provide cooler water to the mill in the summer months.INTRODUCTIONHudson Bay Mining and Smelting (HBMS) is located in Northern Manitoba, just on the border of Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The complex consist of four different mines, Callinan, Trout Lake, Konuto Lake and 777 mine including copper smelter and zinc hydrometallurgical plants producing metallic copper and zinc. Gold is a very important byproduct providing about 30% of the mine revenue. In early 1990s when the company was facing declining ore reserves and was starting to gradually close down the operations, the 777’th exploration drill hole discovered a new orebody, which initiated a $0.5 billion expansion program. The main projects were a new 777 hoist with underground development and a new zinc cell house. About $30 million was used to increase the mill throughput to the present 2.27 million tonnes or 2.5 million short tons per year. The expansion programs were finished by the end of the year 2003.Historically the gold recovery at HBMS has varied between 60 and 70%. The recovery has been somewhat lower during the summer months. Gold recovery improvement projects were conducted throughout the 1990s, but were not focused on the seasonal gold recovery variance. However, since 2000, when the water system modifications to meet the increased water demand were completed, the gold recovery during the summer has been much lower than in the past. In August 2003 gold recovery fell below 30%, which initiated a metallurgical research program to discover the reasons behind the low gold recovery in the summer."

Jan 1, 2005

By S. K. Kawatra, S. J. Ripke, T. C. Eisele

It was determined by the authors that the water that remains in the filter cake after filtration in iron ore concentrators can contain several hundred times greater concentrations of calcium ions and other cations, due to surface chemical effects carrying the ions along with the water. Filter cake from two plants was analyzed. The water retained in samples of magnetite concentrate filter cake in Plant 1 contained 5088 ppm calcium and 5995 ppm magnesium, while the Plant 2 filter cake contained 231 ppm calcium and 119 ppm magnesium. These levels were dramatically elevated compared to the water that was removed from the concentrate by filtration for recycle to the plants (9 ppm calcium/15 ppm magnesium for Plant 1, and 11.9 ppm calcium/9.3 ppm magnesium in Plant 2). In addition to possible effects on agglomeration performance, the presence of these cations also affected the efficiency of filtration. In order to reduce the effects of these cations on filtration in Plant 2, carbon dioxide was injected into the slurry before it entered the filter press. This was found to increase filtration rates by up to 23.7%. Comparison of the results from the two plants shows that the concentrations of cations present in the filter cake will vary greatly from plant to plant, with correspondingly large variations in their effects on plant operations.

Jan 1, 2004

By W. K. A. Congreve

Introduction Less than a hundred years ago the engineer was able to do his job without concern for the science that underlay his practices or for the men who operated his machines. But toward the end of the last century science began to be applied to industry, and its success was such that the plant which clung to empiricism was unable to compete with the plant that followed science. Even more recently, the engineer has been forced to consider the men who operate his machines, for modern large-scale industry has given these men education, social security, and power. Hence the engineer can get good, steady labour to operate his machines only if he can offer inducements. Wages are in general outside the control of the engineer, but he is able to control working conditions. This essay is concerned with one factor of good working conditions: safety. The writer became interested in this problem during three months' summer employment as a student at the Sullivan concentrator of the Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company and was surprised at the distance his investigations led him from the field of pure engineering into the fields of psychology, education, and publicity. Nevertheless, because safety has to do with machines and with men who operate machines, and because it profoundly affects plant efficiency, it is the job of an engineer, not of a psychologist or teacher, nor of the salesman publicity expert who is often so unfortunately employed in personnel relations. The size and complexity of the subject has limited the scope of this essay to the consideration of only a few aspects of industrial safety. Considerable attention has been given to the underlying principles, but the mechanical side of accident prevention, the design of equipment, erection of guards, etc., and the very important problems of organization and administration, have not been given attention proportionate to their importance.

Jan 1, 1948

By A. H. C. A. Zimmerman

WE have just heard what must be regarded as a thoughtful, constructive and somewhat painful analysis of the financial function of our industry. While thinking about this, it is interesting to reflect on the conditions which have stunted the growth of the financial side of our affairs. Mining must be regarded as a wealthy business. •while immeasurable grub takes and development budgets have been lost, there can be little argument that a productive ore-body nearly always produces the type of wealth that breeds some extravagance. I recognize that this statement can be attacked from many sides, but an historical comparison with a commercial enterprise involving similar investment will demonstrate what I mean. However, these old times are be-ginning to disappear for a variety of reasons. High amongst these are: ( l) Increased costs of exploration. (2) Remoteness of many new finds. (3) Fixed or declining metal prices (particularly when expressed in constant dollars). ( 4) Constant demands for higher wages.

Jan 1, 1962

By J. R. Goode

"Canada developed pioneering rare earth solvent extraction methods to recover the rare earths and thorium as by-products of uranium recovery operations in Elliot Lake, Ontario, and was a major supplier of these key elements from about 1960 until 1990. At one stage, Elliot Lake was supplying perhaps one third of the world’s yttrium as well as much of its thorium. This paper reviews the development of Canada’s early rare earth and thorium production facilities. INTRODUCTIONThe rare earths and thorium were first identified in the early 19th century but were little more than curiosities for the next century. However, in the mid-1960s the invention of rare earth-based phosphors for the cathode ray picture tube used in colour television sets launched a major demand for certain rare earths.The use of thorium as an alloying agent in aircraft and missiles grew rapidly in the late 1950s. In the same period, demand for uranium for both weapons and power production soared. Also in the late 1950s, the Elliot Lake uranium-thorium-rare earth deposits (also known as the Blind River deposits) were discovered. This conjugation of events led to uranium production in the Elliot Lake camp, quickly followed by the co-production of thorium and, later, the rare earths.Uranium production in the Elliot Lake camp continued from 1955 to 1996. Thorium was produced continuously from 1959 to 1969. Rare earths were produced, intermittently, from 1965 to 1990. Complete production records are not readily available but unquestionably Elliot Lake made a significant contribution to world thorium and the rare earth production. This paper, presented earlier in an abbreviated form (Goode, 2012), is intended to present as much of the information that is available."

Jan 1, 2012

By Karina Forster

Rock mass characterisation is a critical component of effective stope design. Unexpected excessive stope dilution or uneconomic stope sizes can be the result of rock mass characterisation that is not representative of actual stope conditions. Comprehensive characterisation of the rock forming the stope hanging wall, back, ends and footwall is best done by a rock mechanics or ground control expert, however, this is time consuming and is often limited by available access. There are two general approaches for characterising a stope hanging wall for dilution estimating. Detailed classification and mapping data can be collected in local areas where good exposure is available. Personnel, exposure and time are usually not available to do a thorough analysis for all stopes. The stope hanging walls are then broken into lenses or domains and similar conditions are assumed for each area. The second approach consists of using readily available data such as RQD. Other rock mass properties which influence hanging wall behaviour are estimated based on back analysing a few case histories. Stope design is then based on the variability of the one parameter, such as RQD, that is consistently measured for the rock mass surrounding the ore body. This paper presents a third approach which looks, in depth, at the interpretation of geological core logging data for rock mass characterisation. Several rock mass properties that influence stope design, such as joint alteration, rock mass strength, joint spacing and orientations, have been linked to data collected by the mine geologists. This drill hole logging data was calibrated against underground mapping and used to back analyse the dilution prediction for mined-out stopes.

May 1, 2006

By L. Frost

Physical Conditions Great Britain The physical conditions in the mines investigated in Great Britain are similar to those found in the mines of the Dominion Steel and Coal Corporation, with the important difference that many of the coal seams visited were interspersed by a large number of heavy faults, making the development of a continuous face operation difficult, and in many cases the life of a unit development was exceptionally short, adding to unit cost; but in spite of these difficulties, a great deal has been accomplished in the application of mechanical loading units in a number of the mines in the areas visited. The coal-bearing measures, as in Nova Scotia, consist of shales and sandstones, and in some sections mussel bands overlie the coal seams making roof conditions difficult'. In several mines, the main roof consisted of weak shale bind, being held by a coal roof of varying thickness. This shale bind had a tendency to flow when the coal roof was broken. The floor, in some cases where cutter loaders were operated successfully, consisted of weak, flaky shales with very little resistance and a tendency to disintegrate into powder when broken. The depth of cover under which these mines were operating varied from 250 feet to 2,340 feet, with an average of 1,700 feet. The coal seams varied in height from 3 feet to 8 feet 6 inches, and the gradients from level to 33 per cent. The seams vary in hardness, but all-with the exception of one seam, the 'Morrison Busty'- presented a cutting problem similar to that found in Nova Scotia. The structure and cleavage of the coal was well defined and uniform. Some of the seams visited were gassy, ?but the temperature of the workings generally was not in excess of 70°F.

Jan 1, 1948

By Linda Duncan, Trevor Yeomans, Chris Potorieko, Michael Fullam

"NVI Mining’s Myra Falls Operation is a 4,000 mtpd copper/zinc flotation circuit with by product gold of ~28,000 ounces per year. Gold recovery has historically averaged 40-55%, however, a portion of this was recovered in the zinc concentrate and received poor payment. Two Knelson CD-30 Concentrators have been operating in the grinding circuit since 1992, with gravity recovery averaging about 2-5% over that time period.The Myra Falls gravity circuit was one of the very first hard rock mining installations operating in the world with automated Knelsons. The mine has employed a unique and unusual upgrading method for the Knelson concentrate that had never been evaluated as to its efficiency. Recent Gravity Recoverable Gold Testing by McGill University, and mathematical modelling of the Gravity Circuit by Knelson Gravity Solutions indicated the gravity circuit was not living up to its potential. Myra Falls Personnel changed the upgrade system-operating regime, and a complete gravity audit of the grinding circuit was carried out, with the results confirming the initial suspicions. Gravity recovery increased from 5% to 15%, with overall gold recovery improving by 5%.INTRODUCTIONNVI Mining operates a 4000 tpd mine and mill complex on Vancouver Island. The milling circuit consists of open circuit rod milling, closed circuit ball milling, gravity recovery, copper flotation, zinc flotation, and tails disposal. There are two milling circuits, “A” circuit, and “B” circuit."

Jan 1, 2006

By Bob Robinson

In 1990, the European Space Agency (ESA) initiated a technology transfer program to stimulate the wider use of technology developed by the European and Canadian space communities. This paper focuses on the method of technology transfer from the space industry to terrestrial industries, with a focus on the mining resource sector within a program called the Harsh Environments Initiative (HEI) created in 1997. Other resource sector applications include forestry and oil & gas. C-CORE in partnership with the Mining Innovation, Rehabilitation and Applied Research Corporation (MIRARCO) supported by ESA, Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and European R&D organizations conduct projects to promote and demonstrate the transfer of innovative technologies from space to non-space industries. Space programs have and continue to develop new knowledge for extra-terrestrial application, e.g., satellite earth observation, manned missions and unmanned planetary exploration. Many of which hold the potential for application on land and ocean. Currently, space technologies of interest to the mine sector range from robotics and image analysis to sensors, software and advanced materials. The HEI works to identify and apply these types of technologies in the areas of automated/tele-controlled mine operations and mine monitoring.

May 1, 2001

By Donald P. MacKinnon

"This paper is a commentary on selected trends within the transportation industry.In general, innovations are taking place within all modes of transport (road, rail and water) serving the industrial minerals industry which will affect future distribution patterns, methods and costs. Significant technical innovations in the transportation of solids by• pipeline will also appear, perhaps in the near future, permitting the transport of specific commodities, including some industrial minerals. However, the timing and magnitude of the commercial exploitation of solids pipelines are heavily dictated by marketing factors and distribution system logistics, as well as by the innovations likely to take place within competitive modes of transport. Competitive technological developments will include increased ship capacities, improved bulk-handling facilities, larger and specialized bulk-handling rail equipment, unit trains, containerization, larger ""off-highway"" vehicles and greater inter-modal integration. Equally significant are some ""soft-ware"" techniques such as the growing interest in total distribution cost concepts. However, the impact of the developments will not be spread uniformly over all Canadian industrial minerals."

Jan 1, 1967

By D. S. Speakman

The copper-zinc orebody at Sherritt Gordon's Ruttan Mine occurs in a structurally complex area of the Rusty Lake greenstone belt in northern Manitoba. Problems in interpreting drill results indicated a large deviation, and the structural complexity an erratic deviation, of drill holes. This was confirmed when a surface hole was intersected 420 feet to the left of line on the 800 level. This problem acted as a catalyst in promoting a search for a suitable down-hole survey method. The instruments investigated included magnetic multishot and gyroscopic units as well as the ABEM Reflex-Fotobor. Only the Fotobor came close to meeting the company's needs of simplicity, reliability, accuracy and ownership. In this paper, the methods of operating this instrument, as well as the data extraction and reduction techniques, are described. Data on the accuracy and repeatability of the instrument are presented, and a tabular presentation of the results of surveying on 86 holes totalling 64,000 feet of drilling is made. Preliminary statements of the results of ongoing research on causes of hole deviation are presented and recommendations for minimizing deviation are given. The use of the survey device is recommended in areas of structural complexity, for very steep or backsight holes and where expected ore intersections are missing.

Jan 1, 1978