A prospector took the tip of his thumb off while hurrying to stake one of a series of northwestern Ontario properties which became open for staking on June 1.
But rumors of shooting and fighting in the recorder’s office are “all malarkey,” said Spooner who brought in extra staff to make sure there were no arguments between prospectors.
Spooner and his colleagues had been bracing themselves for a busy day after a number of available claims were advertised in the May edition of the Ontario Gazette.
“We heard that you couldn’t get a helicopter anywhere between Pickle Lake and Timmins for any activity on June 1,” said resident geologist John Mason.
With one million tons of 1% combined copper-nickel in known reserves, the copper-nickel prospect known as the Jacobus property drew most of the attention.
Regarded as potentially the most valuable of available properties around Elmhurst Twp., it was abandoned by partners Jacobus Mining Corp. and Chesterville Mines back in the late 1970s.
“Last week, we heard that people were out on the property cutting helicopter pads and walking the prospect to get familiar with it,” said Spooner.
“At eight o’clock on the morning of June 1, there were at least three parties involved in an olympic-style foot race to stake the 18-claim property before climbing into a helicopter and making the short flight to Thunder Bay airport.
From the airport it is a quick drive to the recorder’s office which is situated in the basement of the government building on James Street.
According to Spooner, prospector Kerry Lance was the unofficial winner of the race to stake part of the Jacobus property. At about 8.30 a.m., he arrived with his documentation in hand. But Spooner said he doesn’t know which mining company, if any, Lance is connected with. “I don’t ask questions,” he said.
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