HomeMy Public PortalAboutStibnite Mineyc1iT L.cck-S�u k-
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TRUCK DRIVERS
HAVING} DIFFICULTY
ON STIBNITE 'ROAD
CASCADE, January 15 —
The untimely three day rainy
spell which hit this area late last
week played havoc with the Stib-
nite roads and caused considerable
inconvenience to the drivers.
Johnny Nock, driver of the Stib-
nite Stage, reports that he left
Cascade Tuesday morning for
Stibnite, and things went smooth-
ly until he left Yellow Pine. This
stretch Of road is usually danger-
ousbecause of rock slides, and as
,he got within a couple of miles
of Hopeless Point, a big slide slid
in just ahead of him -- about six
feet deep and thirty feet wide.
After backing up and taking a run
at it time after time, he finally had
it worked down enough to drive on
over it. Then right at Hopeless
Point,. another slide came in be-
hind him, close enough to give him
a thrill.
He left Landmark about 8 a.m.
on his way out the next morning
(Monday) and it was necessary
for the rotary to pull him over
Warm Lake summit. He was met
by the jeep driven by Lee Watson
in Scott Valley about 3 p.m., where
he left the stage with Watson and
drove the jeep and the mail to
Yellow Pine. The roads were so
slick between Yellow Pine and
Stibnite that he couldn't stay on
the road, so he stayed in Yellow
Pine that night and went on to
Stibnite the next morning when it
wasn't quite so slippery.
But it isn't just the stage driver
that gets the hard knocks. This in-
stance was recounted concerning
the truckers: On a trip to Stibnite
Bud Harp started up a hill, fol-
lowed by Carney, when a truck
stalled in front of Bud's truck
causing him to put on the brakes
so suddenly that the truck back of
him rammed into him smacking
one headlight off and guaging a
hole in the side of the door. The
truck in front received a broken
oil pump in the fracas and Bud
Harp pulled and Carney pushed
him on to Yellow Pine, where he
unloaded his load of coal onto
Milton Burlile's truck and went on
into Stibnite.
This trip is dangerous at any
time, but at this time of year, it
is particularly hazardous. So when
you hear the big diesel engines
roaring out of town in the chill of
a winter night, just remember
that Bud Harp, Milton Burlile,
Lloid Marnella, Barney Skoger-
son, Jake Smith, Sam Stillwell,
Jerry May, Sasner, • and Bobby
Hoobler aren't in a nice cozy bed
like you are, but are starting out
on a long, cold trip where most
anything can happen - and usually
does.
By Bradley Blum
The Star -News
With prices for precious metals
holding at low levels, the picture
for the mining industry in central
Idaho in 19>j5 was a mixture of
caution, optimism and legal en-
tanglements.
In May, the Superior Mining
Company announced that it
would not open the Stibnite gold
mine for the 1985 season because
of gold prices that were hovering
between $310 and $315 per
ounce.
Mine manager Bill Josey said
that officials of Superior's parent
company, Mobil Oil, made the
decision not to operate the mine,
which is located near the East
Fork of the South Fork of the
Salmon River southeast of
Yellow Pine.
Meanwhile, officials of Coeur
d' Alene Mines decided to bet
that mineral prices will increase
and went ahead with construction
plans for its Thunder Mountain
project at the Sunnyside claim
east of Stibnite.
The company's construction
subsidary, Coeur Exploration,
spent the short summer at the
8,000-foot high claim construct-
ing a cyanide leaching facility to
process gold and silver from
3,500 tons of ore a day.
By the end of the construction
season, work was completed on
the 288,000 square -foot, four -
stage asphalt leaching pad, com-
pany officials said.
The pads are where the piled
ore will be sprinkled with a
cyanide solution, which causes
the gold and silver to dissolve out
of the native rock.
Stibnite shuts down;
e sSunn idy gears up
Officials said that all that re-
mained to be done next summer
would be the construction of a
warehouse and a building to
house the facility's generating
plant, as well as mechanical and
electrical work.
The facility is expected to begin
processing ore sometime next
summer.
The Thunder Mountain facili-
ty's neighbor to the west, Golden.
Reef Joint Venture's Dewey
Mine, will be the subject of a trial
that is scheduled to begin on Oct.
7, 1986, the Idaho Department of
Health and Welfare's Fall 1985
newsletter said.
Golden Reef has been accused
by H&W of repeatedly violating
the agency's order in January
1984 to comply with the state's
Water Quality Standards and
Wastewater Treatment Re-
quirements.
The operators of the Dewey
Mine are accused of allowing
sediment from tailings piles to be
washed into Monumental and
Marble Creeks.
The trial of Idaho vs. Golden
Reef Joint Venture was originally
set for Sept. 10 of this year at the
Valley County Courthouse in
Cascade, but had to be reset
because of scheduling conflicts.
Another mining issue that may
be headed for the courts is Big
Creek resident James Collord's
request to build a road to his
Golden Bear claims.
The proposal has the potential
for controversy, because most of
the activity would take place
within the Frank Church - River
of No Return Wilderness.
5-TA 2 /XEws
Stibnite gold mine sold
A Canadian company is ex-
pected to close a deal later this
month to buy the Stibnite gold
mine east of Yellow Pine and put
the mine and processing plant
back into operation this summer,
according to an official of
Superior Mining Co. of Boise,
the mine's current owner.
Pioneer Metals of Vancouver,
B.C., is expected to sign a final
agreement to purchase the mine
from Superior sometime this
month, mine manager Bi11 Josey
said on Monday.
"It hasn't finally happened.
It's down to signing of the final
closing agreement," Josey said.
Josey said that Pioneer plans
to operate the open -pit mine and
processing area this summer and
fall. He said that the mine usually
can be worked from June until
October.
Josey estimated that about 100
workers will be employed by
Pioneer and the companies that
subcontract the mining, hauling
and crushing work done at the
operation.
The Stibnite mine was closed in
1985 because of low gold prices
that ranged between $310 and
$315 per ounce, officials said.
Gold is currently selling at bet-
ween $340 and $350 per ounce,
Josey said.
Stibnite Mine reopens and the gold is pouring
The final product -
a 300-ounce dore
of gold and silver.
BY ROGER PHILLIPS
The Star -News
Stibnite Mine near Yellow Pine is back
in operation and pouring gold for the first
time since 1993 after months of red -tape
wrangling and bureaucratic hurdles.
"We're really excited about this,". mine
Manager,Eric Jones said at a pouring last
week at the remote mine site located about,
65 miles east of McCall.
Jones expects the mine to produce 31,000
ounces of gold this year, and 35,000 ounces
each year after. The price of gold is cur-
rently around $385 per ounce, and the
company pre -sells some of its gold at a fixed
price;3d keeps some to sell on the fluctua-
tion market, Jones said
He estimates the company needs a price
of $290 per ounce to break even on its
mining operation.
The mines (there are currently two in
operation) are expected to last anywhere
from three to 15 years, depending on future
explorations and whether the company can
secure necessary permits to remain in op-
eration.
The mine currently employs 120 em-
ployees, and pays $350,000 monthly in
wages, Jones said. It will operate from May
through October each year, possibly longer
if weather allows.
The mine is owned by Dakota Mining
Co. of Denver, which is bringing the
Stibnite's long mining history into the
present by using a cyanide leaching process
to extract minute traces of gold from tons of
ore.
The process literally requires turning
mountains into molehills. Miners remove
ore from open -face mines, which is taken by
50-ton dump trucks to a crusher and re-
duced to two-inch material.
During excavation, there is 2.5 tons of
waste rock for every ton of ore removed
from the mines. The waste rock is placed in
a reclamation area, and the two-inch ore is
placed on impermeable asphalt pads that
are coated with a rubber -like compound.
Once a la Ver of ore is spread on a pad,
pipes simila to irrigation sprinklers spray a
one part to 4 909 parts solution of cyanide
and water o: , ,° ore. The solution essen-
tially dissol .�s microscopic quantities of
gold in the .ere, and carries it to "pregnant
ponds" near the refinery. The gold -laden
solutidn is then pumped into the refinery,
where it goes through several processes to
separate the gold from the solution.
i ne enu iesu t is a .or-, an : to
pound (300 to 500 ounces) mound that
contains approximately 75 percent gold and
25 percent silver, which is a natural gold
alloy. The dor6 is about the size of a small
Wmolehill and easily !ts into cupped hands. It
requires roughly one 50-ton truck full of ore to
produce one ounce of gold, Jones said.
The remaining cyanide and water solution
is then pumped into a "barren pond," where it
is recycled and recharged with more cyanide
and returned to fresh ( to piles.
Once the ore piles are removed of their
gold, they are treated with a chlorine solution
to neutralize the cyanide. Jones said the chlo-
rine process will soon be replaced by a peroxide
treatment, which is more environmentally sen-
sitive. The company is also experimenting
with using natural bacteria to break down the
cyanide.
When the cyanide content in the spent ore
is reduced to .02 parts per million, which
equals 20 parts per billiooi, it is hauled to a
reclamation site where it wvi11 eventually be
landscaped and seeded.
The entire process requires about 30 days,
which includes placing the ore, extracting the
gold, neutralizing the ore and then removing
it.
At the same time, the company is mining,
it is working with state and federal agencies to
clean up pollution left behind from past min-
ing activities.
The area supported mines producing stib-
nite and antimony during the World War II
era, it has been operated off and on as a gold
mine since then.
In the past, the Stibnite area was almost
named as a Superfund site due to pollution
from previous mining activities. In order to
operate, Dakota has to clean up old mining
wastes while it is processing fresh ore from the
mines.
The new operation has met or exceeded all
government environmental safeguards, Jones
said, noting that the company has also won
three environmental awards.
"We're doing a really great job," he said.
"We've done some real innovative things up
here."
But to complicate matters even further, the
mine is located in chinook salmon habitat,
which is listed as an endangered species, bring-
ing an added measure of scrutiny to the
operation.
"We aren't even allowed one fish mortal-
ity," Jones said. "And we can't degrade habitat.
Habitat is considered the same as fish."
Meeting all these demands means the com-
pq y may not turn a profit on the mine for two
ycikrs, Jones said.
"It's the price you pay to operate in this
coAntry," he said. "It's crazy, but we have to
do it." 1!
AeWS
--r4t, )4. Z. 1- 2 cr
Liners for heap -
leach pads are
shown in
foreground.
Gold -bearing
ore is piled,
middle, and
spent ore is
shown at rear.
Photos by Roger Phillips
Molten gold pours from refinery at StibniteIine.
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Gold prices
keep the lock
on Stibnite
Plummeting prices
force Dakota mine
to stay closed likely
all of this year
BY ROGER PHILLIPS
The Star -News
The Stibnite mine near Yellow Pine
will not reopen this spring and prob-
ably will not operate at all this year
due to low gold prices, the president
of the company that operates the mine
said.
Plummeting gold prices caused
Dakota Mining Corp. of Denver,
Stibnite's owners, to shut down the
mine last year. Gold was selling for
$294 an ounce on Monday.
Dakota President Alan Bell said
this week that gold prices would have
to reach about $370 pefounce before
it would be economical to restart min-
ing operations at Stibnite.
Bell noted that the company will
continue its environmental reclama-
tion work at the Stibnite site and
continue working on the permitting
process at the nearby Thunder Moun-
tain mine site. "There's no intention
to give up," Bell said.
He said gold market experts be-
lieve gold prices bottomed out at $280
per ounce, and could climb to the
mid-$300 range by the end of the
year.
Meanwhile, Dakota, which owns
other mines in Alaska and North Da-
kota, is in the process of restructuring
itself financially and seeks partners.
Dakota recently completed a new
financial arrangement where it bor-
rowed $1.1 million, which is expected
to allow Dakota to finance parts of its
current activities including permit-
ting, environmental work, reclamation
and corporate expenses for about 90
days, a release from the company
said.
"Dakota is actively and aggres-
sively pursuing a potential merger
candidate, possible sales of certain
assets and possible equity transac-
tions," the press release said.
The company owes three creditors
a total of $15.6 million, the press
release said. The largest of three loans,
for $10 million, has been converted to
a demand note, which can be called at
any time.
The company was also dropped
from the American Stock Exchange
/C.. 'Wino " Rork PQQe)
i
Mine
(Continued from Page 1)
and will no longer be traded on that
exchange after this week.
Bell said there were several rea-
sons for Dakota being dropped, but it
was primarily because Dakota's price
fell below $1 per share. Its stocks are
still being traded on the Toronto and
Frankfurt exchanges.
Stibnite mine reopened in 1993
and has operated intermittently since
that time. During peak operations, the
mine employed between 100 and 125
people. The mine currently employs
five full-time employees.
Feds sue Stibnite owners for $7 million
Government wants
to be repaid for costs
of pollution cleanup
BY MICHAEL WELLS
The Star -News
Bradley Mining Company
was sued in U.S. District Court
in Boise last week by the Envi-
ronmental Protection Agency
and the Forest Service. The
two agencies are seeking $7
million for cleanup work as-
sociated with the company's
mining operation in Stibnite.
The EPA and forest ser-
vice are using the federal
Superfund law that allows the
government to seek reim-
bursement for the cleanup of
hazardous substances.
Since the early 1980s, the
forest service has been work-
ing to clean up the Stibnite
mining area located 14 miles
east of Yellow Pine. The area
was used from 1927 through the
mid-1950s by Bradley Mining
Company to mine tungsten,
antimony and gold.
Tungsten from the site
was used as a filament in
light bulbs. It was also used
to strengthen metal during
World War II. Antimony was
used as a fire retardant in
paint for Navy warships and
in flight suits of fighter pilots
during the war.
The land is owned by the
estate of J.J. Oberbillig. Most
of the mining was done by
Bradley Mining Company
on land owned by Oberbillig,
court documents said.
No other mining com-
panies have been named in
the suit, U.S. Department of
Justice spokesperson Andrew
Ames said.
"While Bradley operated
the Stibnite Mine, Bradley
generated and disposed of
hazardous substances into the
environment at the site," court
documents said. "Bradley gen-
erated and disposed of ground
waste rock containing hazard-
ous metals on the ground.
Hazardous substances then
leached from the waste rock
into the environment."
"Bradley also generated
mill tailings containing haz-
ardous metals, and disposed
of them in Meadow Creek,
behind the Keyway Dam, and
in other areas downstream,"
court documents said.
Theforest service is seeking
$6 million from the company
in cleanup costs that included
rerouting the channel of
Meadow Creek away from
waste mining deposits.
Water and wildlife tests
Photo courtesy of the Payette National Forest
Crews use an adapted track hoe to plant 10,000 willows to
stabilize the bank of the new Meadows Creek channel in 2005.
About one mile of creek channel was relocated away from
toxic materials left over from the Bradley Mining Company
operation in the Stibnite area.
showed higher than accept-
able levels of cyanide and
arsenic in the creek and in the
fish and aquatic insects, which
led the forest service to decide
to reroute the channel away
from the waste deposits.
The Meadow Creek project
that started in 1999 was com-
pleted in 2006.
The EPA also began clean-
up work at the site in 1985.
The EPA seeks $1 million for
its work to close mine -tailing
ponds, Meadow Creek channel
work and for regarding and re-
planting the area of aspent ore
pile, court documents said.
The lawsuit was filed in
U.S. District Court in Boise
last week and has not been
answered yet by Bradley Min-
ing Company.
Company attorney Jon
Wactor of Oakland, Calif., did
not respond to requests for an
interview.
The company still owns
mining claims in Idaho and
California, Ames said.
Star -News News Prep Sports/Schools Page Page 1 of 1
Mob M &+uu PRe
TREES AT STIBNITE - Cascade High School
student Jaeger Jensen prepares to plant trees at the
Stibnite mining area near Yellow Pine. Jensen and
other members of the Cascade Environmental
Science class planted 1,95o trees at the request of
Midas Cold Corp., which paid $1 for each tree to
the school's science department.
http://www.mccallstamews.com/pages/prep_schools_page.php 11 /5/2015