Sigma contrasts

Without being old-fashioned, Placer Dome’s Sigma mine in Val d’Or, Que., retains the flavor of years gone by. Individual miners work in pairs or small groups, following veins of gold with should-hefted jackleg drills, compressed air slushers and hand-dump ore cars. But Sigma mixes nostalgia with a high tech face. A visit underground demonstrates this is a complex mine. See Page B5