Page 2B December 1986 Cassiar Courier Section B PROGRESS MA Since April 1985, work has been proceeding on what is now known as the “wet mill process”. This project is a joint effort by Cassiar Mining Corporation and the National Research Council. Standard practice for milling asbestos has always in- volved using large quantities of air to separate the fibre from the waste rock and to convey the fibre through the milling process, In wet milling, water is used in place of the air. The result is a more efficient process which has a higher asbestos recovery, with the added bonus of being more environmentally sound. The National Research Council is contributing to owe Don Doyle, Manager, Mineral Processing Lab, CANMET, (L) and Carmel Jolicoeur, Professor, University of Sherbrooke, (R), tour wet milling facility at the mine. the development work on both a financial and a technical basis, as part of the Program for Industrial/Laboratory Projects. Through the Canadian Center for Mineral and ‘ Energy Technology (CANMET), a Department of Energy, Mines and Resources Canada, they monitor the progress of the research plant located at the Cassiar Mine. Pre- liminary research by CANMET provided the starting flow-sheet, but subsequent developments have led to a simplified, more efficient and economical design. Stan- dard gravity separation methods from the mining indus- try have been modified slightly to suit the nature of asbestos as treatment of fibre in place of granular mater- ial has required some rethinking. Standard off-the-shelf equipment has been used whenevery possible to keep down the costs. When necessary, specialized equipment was designed by the Project Crew and fabricated in the mill shop. Bruce Spracklin (L) and Jean-Marie Bilodeau (R) Fabricator-Welders, install new equipment (in pilot plant) The idea of wet milling asbestos is not new. Plants of various sizes have dated back more than 30 years. What they all had in common, however, was the production of a single (usually short) grade, with a relatively high dust content in the product. In effect, they produced the same type of product as their dry process would. At Cassiar, the aim has been to produce something new. The wet process should be refined to the point where the dust content is less than half of that in equivalent length dry produced grades. In addition, the product should be highly opened; that is, the individual fibres are separated rather than being bound together. And finally, a locally designed grading circuit is necessary for sorting of wet fibre by length, as is done in dry processing. This type of break-through will allow the wet milling process to compete directly with dry milling and will offer a super- ior product as well. There should be several advantages to wet processed oe Shown: establishment. fibre as compared to the dry process. First, because the dust content is much lower, there is more ‘fibre’ in a ton of product. This should yield a higher strength for equal weight used when making asbestos cement products. Conversely, it may be possible for the manufacturer to use less material as well. The drainage and freeness are im- proved, also advantages in asbestos-cement use. Similarly, the better dispersion due to higher opening should im- prove product strength. And, of course, the wet-milled asbestos itself may be safer to use as much of the fine dust with its potential for respiratory problems has been removed. While considerable progress has been made, more “work yet remains. Filtering, drying and packaging are now being examined. As with the complete stages, max- imum use will be made of existing equipment. While the possibility exists of noving into new techniques, such as pelletized product in place of the pressure packed fibre, ultimately the market itself will dictate the pro- cedures used. Mel Taylor, Mill Superintendent on the left, and Brock Taplin, Process Engineer in charge of the wet milling project on the right, inspect pilot plant modifications. Additional furniture, plants and some imagination turn the newly renovated accommodations into comfortable, private living quarters. upper left - the kitchen; lower left - a bedroom; and above is a bedroom converted to a bed-sitting room Pictured are typical examples of single and double accommodation now available to the employees of Cassiar Mining Corporation. Previous to the renovations, which began in early June and were completed by the beginning of August, the type of accommodation was bunk-house- cafeteria. This system of operation was discontinued.. Apartments and trailers were made available to all employees. Each. apartment is carpeted throughout (excluding the kitchen and bathroom) and is furnished with a fridge, stove, hide-a-bed sofa, coffee and end magazine tables, bedroom furnishings and a lamp. The employees who previously used the cafeteria are now cooking their own meals or using the cafeteria as a restaurant. The hours of operation at the cafeteria are noon to 7:00 p.m, Monday through Sunday. A coin-operated laundromat is available in the front portion of the dry-cleaning and laundry ’ A CHANGE OF LIFESTYLE © Section B Cassiar Courier December 1986 Page 3B DEIN WETMILLING MILLSHIFT BOSS RETIRES AF'TER 30 YEARS IN CASSIAR, DURI LEAVES A host of well-wishers gathered in the Curling Club Lounge the evening of September 26, 1986 to bid a fond farewell to Robert and Gina Duri, long-time residents of Cassiar. The decision to leave Cassiar was made in conjunction with Robert’s retirement after thirty years with the mine. A lovely dinner, provided by the company, was followed by speeches and presentations. On behalf of Robert's co-workers and friends, Mel Taylor (Mill Superintendent) presented the couple with a portable gas barbecue. Mel spoke well of Robert’s many years in Cassiar and in the mill. Robert began his employment with the company as a laborer in the mill on April 14, 1956, transferring to staff April 16, 1967 as a mill shift boss. On retirement, he was the Mill Foreman - Clean-up and Training. ‘ Over the years in Cassiar, Robert maintained an outstanding safety record, with no personal lost time accidents. In addition, he received a Supervisor’s Award from the B.C. Mining Association in September 1984. As of that date his crew had amassed a total of 33,000 man-hours without a lost time accident. Along with the gift of the gas barbecue, the Duris were presented with a plaque granting the couple a lifetime membership in the Cassiar Curling Club. Bill Pratt, Drawmaster for the Club, presented the token of Robert and Gina Duri slice into their farewell cake. Friends and co-workers gathered to wish the couple a comfortable retirement in Kelowna. appreciation and spoke about Robert and Gina’s involve- ment in curling. The plaque allows them to join in club Se activities whenever they return to Cassiar for visits. As well, the curling club presented barbecue accessories. The Courier managed to chat with Robert and his lovely wife, just a day before their departure for Kelowna. Robert remembered that-his date /of arrival in Watson Lake/Cassiar was April 13th, 1956 (a Friday), a portent for trouble that had not materialized. The couple remin- isced about the growth of the town, and the constant moving of friends and neighbours. Gina remembered arriving two years after Robert, accompanied by their four year old son, Leo, with only a few days in Edmonton between Italy and Cassiar. Speaking very little English, Gina used a bilingual dictionary to shop for groceries. Leo attended school to Grade 10 in Cassiar, and eventu- ally obtained his Heavy Duty Mechanics Journeyman ticket while working for the company. Robert was involved in much of what we take for granted in Cassiar, helping to build both churches, the pool, the arena, and the youth centre. As well he spent some time on the Community Club Executive and was involved with the Boy Scouts. Gina was an active member of the Catholic Women’s League for several years. The couple will be residing in sunny Kelown and we are sure they'll turn the barbecue on for visitors from our northern community. ‘ SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSaracacccaaaacacsaoooooooooooosoossssosssosossssssssssssssss XPLORATION CONTINUES TMcDAME MOUNTAIN by A. A. Burgoyne Diamond drill rig underground at the 1415 meter level. McDame exploration work continued this summer. The McDame deposit is a very large, high-grade, world-class asbestos deposit located near Cassiar in nor- thern British Columbia. The deposit is below and to the southeast of the present Cassiar open-pit mine. Cassiar Mining Corporation is exploring the McDame deposit to ensure continued supplies of asbestos fibre. In 1985, the first stage of a major underground exploration program was successfully completed. This program was designed to access and bulk sample the deposit, which extends from 250 to 350 metres below the surface of McDame mountain. An exploration adit at the 1415 metre level of 1,081 metres in length was driven at a cost of $2.0 million. The adit intersected 45 metres of long-fibre, chrysotile asbestos. The min- eralized zone was bulk sampled and 1,073 tonnes were concentrated and processed through the Cassiar mill producing 84.5 tonnes of fibre for a grade of 7.9% fibre. By the end of 1985 the McDame deposit was estimated to contain 62.0 million tonnes of high- valued long fibre similar to Cassiar Mine. In 1986, the second stage of a major underground exploration program of drifting, bulk sampling, raising and drilling, costing $4.6 million, commenced on June 1. _ During the five-month period to the end of Oct- ober, the 1415 metre level adit was extended 300 metres further to the east and northeast, within fractured and sheared serpentinite. This drift provides access to the deposit for diamond drilling, bulk sampling, as well as determination of the mining characteristics of the host serpentinite and to develop the appropriate mining methods for future exploration and development. The drift dimensions are 3.35 metres wide and 3.75 metres high, with a positive grade of 3 per cent. Drifting advance was done by a combination of continuous miner and drill and blast methods. During August and September, the 1415 metre level drift was extended through the use of a Voest-Alpine AM 75, a continuous miner. The continuous miner effectively advances the drift by the use of two rotating blasting cycles of conventional development. As part of the drifting program, three underground diamond drill sta- tions have been excavated to date. These stations are large enough to house the drill and respective equip- ment, along with all accessory supplies. A typical drill station is 10 fnetres long by 5 metres wide by 4.5 metres high. From these drill stations it is possible to complete sectional fan patterns of drill holes along pre-determined sections. The Voest Alpine AM75 continuous miner on site In early June excavation of a raise to join the 1415 metre level drift to the upper 1563 level drift (the upper adit) commenced. This raise was excavated such that proper air ventilation would be available at the working face on the 1415 metre level at all times and to provide a secondary escape way from either the upper or lower levels. The length totalled 241 metres, with a width of 2.75 metres and a height of 2.43 metres. The raise breakthrough occurred on September 20 and final slash- ing to size was completed by mid-October. 1415 meter level at the face. The painted white lines indicate the location of the drift as a guide for drilling and blasting. Diamond drilling commenced in early August with one drill rig drilling on the 1415 metre level and with a second drill rig in mid-October on the 1563 metre level. In essence, four east-west sections spaced approximately 60 metres apart, with each section requiring from 1500 to 2000 metres of drilling, is to be completed. Accum- ulative, 6500 metres of drilling will be completed on termination of the 1986 program. To the end of Octo- ber, a total of 3000 metres over 18 holes have been completed on three separate east-west drill sections. The drilling will allow for the following: definition in detail of the geometry and outline of the McDame deposit; it will provide detailed information on the asbestos grade, fibre distribution, fibre quality, and rock quality data; it will provide detailed geological and structural information; and it will enable calcu- lation of geological and mining reserves for McDame _ deposit. To complete the 1986 exploration program, limi- ted drifting, with attendant bulk sampling of the depo sit, as well as a further 3500 metres of drilling will be completed prior to December 15, 1986. An exploration program for 1987 is currently being developed. Objectives will involve further drifting, to reach the McDame deposit at about the 1315 metre level, bulk sampling, and commencement of a mining feasibility study.