St Andrew eyes Stock revival

St Andrew Goldfields (SAS-T) has begun dewatering underground workings at the past-producing Stock gold mine near Timmins, Ontario.

During the fall, St Andrew sank 4,026 metres of drilling in 8 surface holes to confirm extension of known ore shoots above and below the mine’s underground workings, which sink to a depth of around 350 metres.

Drilling on the down-plunge extension of the previously mined N2 ore body returned:

• 7.9 grams gold per tonne over 2 metres (beginning at a depth of about 430 metres below surface) in hole 3;
• 4.1 grams gold over 6.3 metres (from 430 m), including 8.1 grams over 2 metres in hole 4;
• 3.1 grams over 10.9 metres, including 6.75 grams over 1 metre and 9.1 grams over 1 metre in hole 5; and
• 2.5 grams over 2.2 metres (from 396.6 m) in hole no. 7.

Drill holes 2 and 6 tested below the zone, but failed to cut any significant mineralization.

Holes nos. 3,4,7, and 8 also tested the upward plunge extension of the previously mined N1-West and zone. Results are listed below:

• Hole 3 — 11.25 grams over 1 metre;
• Hole 4 — 4.5 grams over 5 metres, including 8.3 grams over 2 metres; and
• Hole 7 — 3.1 grams over 3 metres.

Hole 8 failed to cut any meaningful intersections above the N1 zone.

Hole 6 also cut a 4.9-metre section running 2.6 metres, including 2 metres of 4.9 grams, in the Central zone. Drill hole no. 1 was abandoned.

An ongoing second round of surface holes is testing the West Discovery zone, 150 metres west of the existing mine workings. Previous drilling there returned up to 14.4 grams over 3 metres and 10.6 grams over 1 metre around 330 metres below surface.

The current drilling will also target the Armstrong zone, 300 metres south of the existing Main N1-N2 zones, where a previous intersection yielded 25 grams over 5.2 metres at 300 metres below surface. A total of 1,200 metres of drilling is planned.

Between 1989 and 2000, the Stock mine poured more than 137,000 oz. of gold. In 2000, the mine spat out its last batch of 12,276 oz. at a cash operating cost of US$232 per oz. The bulk of ounces were derived from two main ore shoots, N1 and N2.

St Andrew is confident the existing ore bodies at Stock extend at least 200 metres below the existing mine workings, or some 550 metes below surface. Dewatering and rehabilitation of the underground workings is expected to take about four months. Thereafter, the company plans a program of underground drilling and development. The company hopes to delineate a resource of at least 250,000 tonnes.

In all the company plans to sink some $3 million into the revival effort, which is slated to wrap up by September.