Queries Shebandowan `small potatoes” for Inco

McIsaac Exploration, the contractor at Shebandowan, has also re-opened another Inco mine about 20 miles north of Sudbury. The other mine, called the Whistle mine, produced copper-nickel up to 1907 and had been closed down until last year. Many of the employees are from the nearby town of Capreol, five miles from the Whistle mine in Norman Twp.

There are rumors flying around here that a shaft may be sunk and that other metals such as platinum have been found. The mine appears to be expanding and there are many rumors about platinum in Norman Twp., where Whistle is located. Several companies have been active in the region, apparently exploring their claims for platinum.

Trucks from Whistle are operating nearly 24 hours a day, going through Capreol to Inco’s smelter, and curiosity has us all wondering what’s going on. Inco appears to be keeping the Whistle mine as “hush-hush” as possible. Do you have any information on this situation? G. D. Capreol, Ont.

For mining giant Inco Ltd., its Shebandowan and Whistle mines are pretty small potatoes and that’s probably why you don’t hear much about them. In Inco’s annual report, however, the company does mention it expects to produce 20 million lb of nickel per year from its Shebandowan mine. (In 1988, Inco produced 434 million lb of nickel from all its mines.)

As reported previously (see The Northern Miner Magazine, Mar/89) mining from Whistle’s open pit started in 1988 and should progress at a rate of about 2,700 tonnes per day throughout 1989. The deposit has long been considered uncertain, but the company was able to contract out the mining work at a reasonable cost, making the deposit economic.

What’s interesting about the Whistle is that it is situated in a geological setting that tends to contain higher-than-average platinum- group metal values. Geologically, Sudbury’s “offset dyke areas” are rich in platinum, and the Whistle belongs to that category on the basin’s northern rim.

Inco’s annual report indicated that the company is emphasizing exploration targets with a higher- than-average platinum-group metal content. Based on positive indications from work carried out last year, the company said exploration at Sudbury will be further expanded this year.

Sudbury ores are considered to average about 900 ppb (parts per billion) platinum-palladium, although specific grades are rarely disclosed by either Inco or Falconbridge.

A few years ago there was a staking rush outside the Sudbury basin for platinum properties, but some of the urgency has gone out of the platinum search recently.

Regarding the trucking issue, sources in Sudbury say ongoing consolidation of operations into fewer central plants by Falconbridge and Inco, and a shift from rail to road transportation, has resulted in increased trucking activity. Trucks move ore to mills, and concentrate from mills to smelters.

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