Terrace Bay Public Library Digital Collections

Terrace Bay News, 21 Aug 1991, p. 3

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Page 3, News, Wednesday, August 21, 1991 Minnova Open House 1991 An impressive introduction to the Winston Lake mine site. Over 400 people participated in this year's tour. Visitors were invited to take part in an underground tour. This group is being released from the elevator % A demonstration of the Mine Rescue team was a new addition to the Open House Third annual tour a great success Minnova Inc., Winston Lake Division, held their 3rd Annual Open House on Saturday, August 10, 1991.: Well over 400 people visited the zinc and copper mine to see how a mod- em mine and mill operate. The industry has come a long way from the pick and shovel days that many people picture when they think of mining, and many Minnova employees took part in the day to show off their mine and industry they are proud to be a part of. As well, the Open House provides an opportunity for young people to see the many different careers that are available in this key industry and allows the general public to familiarize themselves with the mine that has become an integral part of the surrounding communities. Approximately 375 people took the opportunity to tour the underground operations. They travelled 510 meters down in the elevator (cage) to see some of the equipment used in a modern, mechanized mine. Most people were surprised to find broad roadways and large openings underground. "This is not what I was expecting!" was heard over and over again. Demonstrations were given with a large Jumbo Rock Drill, a remote controlled, 6 yd. front-end loader (Scooptram), and a stoper rock drilling on a scissorlift truck. Besides the large mechanical equipment used in the mine, miners work with conventional rock drills ard hand operated Jackleg di:ils. There was a surface demonstration of the Jackleg drill. While underground fires are very rare occurrences, the mine is prepared to deal with any such emergency thanks to a dedicated 21 man team of Mine Rescue personnel. Five team members demonstrated events. Members of the team used a simulated tunnel to dienlay thair ckille their skills using specialized breathing equipment and a "foam generator" to fill a simu- lated 50' underground drift (tunnel) with soap bubbles in less than 2 minutes. This machine will produce thou- sands of cubic feet of foam that can extinguish a fire in a mine without exposing team mem- bers to any heat. The team walked through the tunnel of foam that was like a giant bub- ble bath - a great way to cool off on a hot afternoon! Upon entering the mill, peo- ple had the opportunity to view a display and a video explain- ing the mill process. They were then taken to the control room and shown the existing process control system and overview of the plant. From there individuals were taken directly into the plant to view first-hand the grinding, flota- tion and dewatering circuits which reduce the ore from 1/2" diameter to 75 microns (1/1000 mm) required for flotation. Flotation separates the valuable minerals from the waste mate- rial. Winston Lake produces both copper and zinc flotation concentrates. These concen- trates are dewatered and fil- tered into a dry powder for shipment to the smelter. Waste material (tailings), separated from the minerals in the plant, are deposited into the tailings pond. Tours of the dam were available to show tailings deposition, present dam expansion and the preser- vation of the environment, all of which are in keeping with Minnova's Environmental Poli- cy. A tour of the mill at Minnova's site provided informa- Engineering departments attracted a number of visitors where they were able to: view 3 dimensional maps of the Winston Lake ore body, and verticle longitudinal sections indicating the mine location within that ore body; visit the computer room; receive gener- al information on the programs used to study and evaluate the ore body, and cost feasibility studies of further develop- ments. Ore samples were also displayed. The lunch provided was excellent and the cold pop sure came in handy in the 26 degree sunshine. One hundred and sixteen people participated in the Safe- ty Slogan Contest that was a hit with the kids and adults alike. Prizes awarded to all partici- pants included Minnova fris- bees and yo-yos and neon safe- ty glasses. A model Trimac truck and 10 CP Rail hats were drawn for at the mill. The door prize winners were Erica Gentile of Schreiber and Marianne Modl of Germany. Both received Minnova T- shirts for their prize. Some of the out-of-town guests hailed from Red Rock, Thunder Bay and Marathon and some came from as far away as Michigan, Florida and even Germany. A great day was had by all and only positive comments were heard. Minnova Inc., Winston Lake Division would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of the: individuals for coming out to take part in our Open House and for making it the success it was. tion on another facet of the mining operation.

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