Iron Miners
It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 4:06 pm

All times are UTC - 5 hours [ DST ]




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 16 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next
Author Message
 Post subject: Lucky Friday mine reopens in northern Idaho
PostPosted: Fri Mar 22, 2013 9:21 am 
Offline

Joined: Tue Mar 12, 2013 9:21 am
Posts: 179
Location: United States
Group,

This is kind of interesting. Has everyone seen this? Sheesh! 9,000 feet !

http://missoulian.com/news/state-and-re ... f887a.html

February 19, 2013 1:00 pm • Associated Press

COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho – The Lucky Friday Mine in northern Idaho has reopened after three accidents that killed two miners and injured seven others prompted a yearlong closure.

Officials with Hecla Mining Co. announced Tuesday that rehabilitation work on the Silver Shaft at the mine is complete, the company has been given clearance from the Mine Safety and Health Administration, and mining is once again under way.

More than 100 miners were put out of work when the MSHA ordered the mine closed for safety improvements in January 2012. The order came after a string of accidents: In 2011, a cave-in killed a miner in April, another died that November attempting to dislodge rock, and a rock burst injured seven miners in December 2011.

“The 12 months of down time at Lucky Friday allowed work crews to improve many aspects of the mine’s operations,” Hecla President and CEO Phillips Baker said in a prepared statement.

Baker said the company has upgraded mining methods, hired additional safety experts and purchased $2.3 million in new equipment. All employees also have received additional safety training, according to the prepared statement.

Besides the Lucky Friday Mine in the Silver Valley area of northern Idaho, the company operates the Greens Creek Mine in Alaska and has exploration properties in four silver mining districts in the U.S. and Mexico.

The Lucky Friday Mine is expected to produce 2 million ounces of silver this year, company officials said.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Lucky Friday mine reopens in northern Idaho
PostPosted: Fri Mar 22, 2013 8:48 pm 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: Tue Sep 16, 2008 6:51 pm
Posts: 1418
Location: SW Indiana
Hey Banks! Have you ever heard of this Mine?

_________________
I don't have all the answers.
I don't even know all the questions!


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Lucky Friday mine reopens in northern Idaho
PostPosted: Fri Mar 22, 2013 9:23 pm 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2005 2:34 pm
Posts: 6872
Location: Within 60 Miles of the Northern Anthracite Field
i think he got a tour of it when he was out there........

_________________
Come over to the Dark Side....... We have Cookies!


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Lucky Friday mine reopens in northern Idaho
PostPosted: Fri Mar 22, 2013 10:10 pm 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: Tue Sep 16, 2008 6:51 pm
Posts: 1418
Location: SW Indiana
Yeah I know. I was being sarcastic.


Attachments:
Lucky Friday Portal.jpg
Lucky Friday Portal.jpg [ 85.19 KiB | Viewed 72431 times ]

_________________
I don't have all the answers.
I don't even know all the questions!
Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Lucky Friday mine reopens in northern Idaho
PostPosted: Fri Mar 22, 2013 10:41 pm 
how many tons of ore do you think have been pulled out of the mine since it opened?


Top
  
 
 Post subject: Re: Lucky Friday mine reopens in northern Idaho
PostPosted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 8:43 am 
Offline

Joined: Tue Mar 12, 2013 9:21 am
Posts: 179
Location: United States
Doug wrote:
Hey Banks! Have you ever heard of this Mine?


Yeah, Banks, what he said! What can you tell us about this mine?

Any rail haulage left at the Lucky Friday?

Regards,
Fred M. Cain


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Lucky Friday mine reopens in northern Idaho
PostPosted: Wed Mar 27, 2013 3:34 am 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: Thu Jun 04, 2009 6:13 am
Posts: 237
Location: New Zealand
Jerry Dolph wrote a book called "Fire In The Hole" WSU Press. 1994, about his TrampMiner days, he worked the Lucky Friday. Well worth a read if you can find a copy.

Chris
in New Zealand

_________________
Alive and Well....for now


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Lucky Friday mine reopens in northern Idaho
PostPosted: Sun May 05, 2013 1:55 am 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: Fri Jul 08, 2005 12:41 pm
Posts: 2919
Location: Hard coal region, PA
Yeah, the old Friday. I lived about 5 miles from it. The old saying goes if you started there on a monday, you were lucky to make it to friday. I worked with the brother of the last guy killed there at a mine about 15 miles west of the Friday. Actually have a couple engineer buddies i keep in touch with that were contracted to work on the new shaft project. One hell of a lot of silver came outa that hole. Hecla has some pretty sweet videos on their website about the place and their future plans there.

All rubber tire.

_________________
This ain't longwall... this is long hole!


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Lucky Friday mine reopens in northern Idaho
PostPosted: Mon May 06, 2013 6:56 am 
Offline

Joined: Tue Mar 12, 2013 9:21 am
Posts: 179
Location: United States
UGMiner Banks wrote:

All rubber tire.


:cry:


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Lucky Friday mine reopens in northern Idaho
PostPosted: Mon May 06, 2013 12:54 pm 
Offline
Site Admin
User avatar

Joined: Mon Jun 20, 2005 11:28 pm
Posts: 1758
Location: Winnemucca, NV
The Lucky Friday Mine used rail haulage up until at least 1975 (but probably later). A description of the operations during that time indicated the mine utilized three to six 60 cubic feet Granby-type side dump cars pulled by 5.4 ton battery locomotives on 24 inch gauge track utilizing 40 pound rail. They also used 1.4 ton Mancha locomotives and 100 cubic feet bottom dump cars. I wonder when the switch to rubber tires occurred and when they discontinued rail? I wonder too what came of the older infrastructure.

UGMiner Banks wrote:
All rubber tire.


No foam.

_________________
"If you thought old, abandoned mines were only in the west, then you haven't been to IronMiners.com!"


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Lucky Friday mine reopens in northern Idaho
PostPosted: Tue May 07, 2013 7:33 am 
Offline

Joined: Tue Mar 12, 2013 9:21 am
Posts: 179
Location: United States
Mike,

Yes indeed, the loss foam is most unfortunate for those of us who are passionate fans of rail use in underground mines.

I guess what I am wondering about is just how much money Hecla actually saved over the years by going “trackless”. I wonder if anybody knows? It would seem to me as if that might be difficult to measure.

Then there is the possible connection between catastrophic “rock bursts” and the much larger drifts necessitated by rubber-tired mining. Is there a connection? I most certainly don’t know; I’m just wondering – that’s all. Surely rock bursts and cave-ins must occur from time to time in the much smaller drifts used in tracked mines. But do the huge drifts in rubber-tired mines increase the likely hood of a catastrophic rock burst?

Because, if a connection could be shown between the rock burst at the Lucky Friday which claimed several lives and the much larger drifts in rubber tired mining, then right there in one fell swoop, the mining company completely lost all their savings and then some that they otherwise would have made by going trackless.

Food for thought here, that’s all. It’s interesting and intriguing to think about.

However, if it can be proven beyond any shadow of a doubt that there is absolutely NO connection between large rubber tire drifts and rock bursts, the loss of foam is still a shame from a historical and nostalgic perspective. Oh well, maybe this will give the front of my shirt time to dry off !!!

No tracks, no foam, no drool I guess rubber-tired mining is cleaner after all! :lol:

Here is a picture of yours truly observing an electric "trammer" pulling a string of ore cars from a tracked mine:

Image


Regards,
Fred M. Cain


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Lucky Friday mine reopens in northern Idaho
PostPosted: Wed May 08, 2013 4:09 pm 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: Fri Jul 08, 2005 12:41 pm
Posts: 2919
Location: Hard coal region, PA
i usually only get results like that when im drunk enough to see double and watching porn but whatever floats your boat man....

_________________
This ain't longwall... this is long hole!


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Lucky Friday mine reopens in northern Idaho
PostPosted: Wed May 08, 2013 9:08 pm 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2005 2:34 pm
Posts: 6872
Location: Within 60 Miles of the Northern Anthracite Field
:lol: :lol: :lol:

_________________
Come over to the Dark Side....... We have Cookies!


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Lucky Friday mine reopens in northern Idaho
PostPosted: Wed May 08, 2013 9:21 pm 
Fred-NICE!! :lol: :lol: What episode is that from?

How many tons of silver have been pulled out of the mine since it opened?


Top
  
 
 Post subject: Re: Lucky Friday mine reopens in northern Idaho
PostPosted: Wed May 08, 2013 11:54 pm 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: Thu Jun 04, 2009 6:13 am
Posts: 237
Location: New Zealand
Some explanation is on here http://www.hecla-mining.com/operations/ ... friday.php
look for VIDEOS tab on right handside of the page "About Lucky Friday"

Lucky Friday 7,410,553 tons of ore: Recovered: 114,787,958 oz of Silver: 781,249 tons of Lead: 115,296 tons of Zinc.
*from Ray Chapman's book "History of Idaho's Silver Valley 1878-2000"

Chris
in New Zealand

_________________
Alive and Well....for now


Top
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 16 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next

All times are UTC - 5 hours [ DST ]


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 46 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
cron
Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group