Mining Honors Its Own: Nine Pioneers enter the Canadian Mining

Randolph Diamond

(1891-1978)

Metallurgist who created the world’s first successful large-scale differential flotation operation, which unlocked the zine-lead treasures of B.C’s Sullivan Mine.

John Hammell

(1876-1958)

Aircraft pioneer and co-founder of Northern Aerial Minerals Exploration who was partly responsible for developing the Flin Flon operations of HBM&S.

Albert Koffman

(1910-1983)

Mining veteran who developed the exploration technique known as “saturation prospecting,” now in use around the world as standard operating procedure.

John MacIsaac

(1906-1991)

Pre-eminent mining contractor whose company developed innovative shaft-sinking methods and fostered the development of new shaft-sinking equipment.

Viola MacMillan

(1903- )

Legendary prospector and developer as well as a driving force behind the growth of the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (see On the Move section).

Ralph Parker

(1898-1983)

Mine superintendant and a driving force behind the growth of Inco’s Sudbury operations and the discovery of the Thompson, Man. nickel deposits.

Norman Pearce

(1898-1967)

and Richard Pearce, Sr.

(1892-1971)

Chronicled the burgeoning Canadian mining industry in the pages of The Northern Miner newspaper.

John Simpson

(1901-1988)

Under whose direction, Placer Development became pre-eminent in high-tonnage, open pit mining operations in British Columbia and overseas.

FORDING COAL CO.

AT THE TOP OF THE HEAP

Fording Coal Co.’s Fording River mine (right), near Elkford, B.C., is at least 5,000 ft. (1,500 metres) above sea level, which makes it the highest North American mine. At one time Fording was mining at 8,000 ft. (2,400 metres).

A runner-up is Quintette Coal’s Mesa Wolverine pit, which is about 6,000 ft. (1,800 metres). Another is the McDame underground mine, owned by Princeton Mining Corp., which is 4,641 ft. (1,392 metres) above sea level. The crest of the open pit is about 6,000 ft. above sea level.

COAL ENTERS THE PICTURE

Eastman Kodak Co. is one chemical producer largely unaffected by the recent oil price hike. The company manufactures chemicals for a variety of products, including photographic film, by using a coal gas instead of petroleum.

“We realized our dependency on petroleum was not what we would prefer,” said Calvin Anderson, representative for Tennessee Eastman, Kodak’s chemical-making subsidiary. “We knew from research that we could produce the chemicals from other bases. Coal was the answer.”

Inspired by the oil embargoes of the 1970s, the company turns coal into a gas that is used to produce acetic anhydride — an ingredient for film. About half of Kodak’s acetic anhydride is derived from coal and the firm hopes to increase that proportion later this year.

— Mining Association of

B.C. Newsletter

FEWER INJURIES

Some encouraging safety news from the Ontario Mining Association. The industry now has a compensable injury rate that is lower than the average of all other industries in the province. Over the past 15 years, mining in Ontario has experienced an 80% improvement in its loss-time injury rate.

FROM THE BOOK OF JAMES…

James Wade, president of Toronto-based James Wade Engineering, recently submitted to The Northern Miner what he considers to be The 10 Commandments of Mine Feasibility. Wade’s Decalogue should govern the decisions of all who plan to either develop a new mine or bring a new mine into production:

Thou shalt not assume that the geological reserve grade will be the eventual millhead grade.

Thou shalt honor continuity of ore zones above all.

Thou shalt be certain that all forecasts are based on representative samples.

Thou shalt initiate mine planning to forecast mining dilution.

Thou shalt understand that mill recovery shortfalls in themselves will not kill the mine.

Thou shalt not adulterate the grade by cutting indiscriminately erratic high-grade values.

Thou shalt state ore reserves in terms of minability and the economics of the day.

Thou shalt not maximize the mill sizing unless mill feed is assured.

Thou shalt not covet a mill until thou hast in-ore underground experience.

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s ore.

CALL FOR PAPERS

A symposium on underground sulphide dust explosions and mine fires is being held Oct. 27-31 in Bathurst, N.B. Papers should be sent to Brunswick Mining & Smelting, Box 3000, Bathurst by April 30.