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By W. A. Lang

COAL of sub-bituminous rank underlies much of the plains area of Alberta. This coal is geo-logically young, and occurs in Belly River and Edmonton strata of Up-per Cretaceous age. Generally, the seams are flat-lying, but in some areas they may dip as much as 5 degrees. The overburden, composed mainly of glacial clays and sand-stones, may vary in depth from a few feet to several thousand feet. Recovery of the coal has 'been by drift, slope, and shaft underground mines, and by open-pit stripping operations. Production has been obtained from a large number of mines, most of which have been relatively small and with preparation equipment limited to a loading tipple with screening facilities, and a picking belt where high-ash materials can be removed from the larger sizes. The coal has been sold for domestic and industrial space-heating, for production of process steam, and for power generation. In re-cent years competition from natural gas, propane, and oil has seriously interfered with the production and marketing of sub-bituminous coal, especially with the disposal of the smaller sizes at a realistic price.

Jan 1, 1958

By Louise H. Michaud

Albian Sands Energy is scheduled to begin production at its oilsands operations in the fall of 2002. Start-up includes the selection and implementation of over 75 IT systems or computer applications. These include engineering applications, systems required to control mining activities, maintenance, the processing plant and utilities, and also systems required to run the company, such as human resources, finances and inventory/warehousing. This paper outlines the processes used for the selection, implementation and integration of these systems in order to optimize the use of information and to meet the technical, business and IT requirements of the company. The first step in Albian?s approach to identifying system requirements is the development of a Business Activity Model, outlining all tasks involved in running the operations. The computer applications required to accomplish each task are then identified by having the IT team work closely with each technical and business unit. Historically, at some companies, the selection of systems has been lead by the IT team or by consultants, with little input from the technical or business units. Typically, this results in products that don?t meet the company?s expectations. To ensure a more positive outcome, Albian believes that it is imperative that the company?s technical and business people are closely involved in the selection process. Integration of the IT systems is also key, including linking all applications through a Data Warehouse and EDMS. Over 120 required integrations have been identified. This ensures the storage of all data in only one location, data security, and easy data and document retrieval for all requirements throughout the company.

May 1, 2002

By H. Ewaschuk

"INTRODUCTIONRio Algom's involvement with the Enviro-Clear thickener began in May 1975, when tests on a laboratory waif were carried out by our Research and Development group. Commencing in June, further tests were carried out using a 3 foot diameter pilot unit. By December, a 30 foot full-scale thickener had been installed. In the near future, 3 more Enviro-Clear thickeners will be commissioned. With in the space of a year, almost $2.5 million had been committed to liquid/ solid separation facilities using the Enviro-Clear thickener. This paper briefly traces the extent and development of this commitment.BRIEF HISTORY OF QUIRKEQuirke Mine started operating in September 1956 at a rated capacity of 3,000 TOD. Because of market conditions, Quirke was shut down in December 1960. The facilities were re-opened at an increased capacity of 4,000 TPD in July 1968, by which time the demand for uranium had returned. Also, a second shaft was sunk, and by 1970, all of the ore treated in the concentrator was coming from the new Quirke II mine. The Quirke I stopes were allowed to fill with natural seepage. As well, acidic barren solution from the concentrator was pumped underground.With increasing demand for uranium, the capacity of Quirke will be further expanded to 7,000 TPD by 1978. Studies of how this expansion could best he carried out led to the consideration of a fairly new piece of equipment, the Enviro-Clear thickener, for certain operations in the concentrator. These operations are as follows:"

Jan 1, 1977

By M. F. Lopez, A. J. Mattus, S. B. Magid, D. B. Mobbs

"The use of Caro's acid as a replacement for hydrogen peroxide for the oxidation of vanadium prior to solvent extraction resulted in a 56% reduction in oxidant usage when compared on an equivalent hydrogen peroxide basis. Comparative oxidation tests, using two actual uranium mill raffinates, resulted in premature precipitation of an amorphous ferric vanadate when hydrogen peroxide was used to oxidize one of the raffinates containing a high iron to vanadium ratio. The use of Caro's acid eliminated the precipitation problem, thereby permitting the adjustment of the raffinate pH to a higher, more favourable level prior to solvent extraction.Potentiometric characterization of the raffinates revealed that vanadium is responsible for the inefficiency of hydrogen peroxide compared with Caro's acid, with the oxidation efficiency of iron being the same for both oxidants. A limiting potential between 720 and 740 mV was observed when using hydrogen peroxide, while, when using Care's acid, potentials approaching 1200 mV were achievable.A four-stage, countercurrent extraction performed on the oxidized raffinates did not reveal any operational problems. The extraction efficiency and the extraction coefficient were found to be higher when Caro's acid was used as the oxidant, as opposed to hydrogen peroxide.IntroductionMost vanadium is recovered as a by-product of some other process: leaching of Carnotite uranium ores, oil fly ash, phosphate rock or chromite processing. The major source of vanadium has been from uranium mills incorporating acid leaching of Carnotite ore s at elevated temperatures and pressures. The by-product recovery of vanadium from uranium ores of the Uravan Mineral Belt, located in the Colorado Plateau , is a common occurrence when vanadium recovery is economically viable."

Jan 1, 1983

By R. J. McLeod

"CONTROL STRATEGYThe Lake Dufault Division of Falconbridge Copper Limited has been concentrating a complex copper zinc ore since late 1964. An ARL X-ray on stream analyzer was installed in 1966 for process control. A Digital Equip-ment Corporation PDP8 was added in 1968 for more complete control. To improve the system the computer was exchanged for a Moded PDP-81 in 1971.The new computer is time sharing with 8K core memory and 32K disc storage. A new interface was installed to accommodate 14 X-ray streams and additional analog signals for process control. The system gave us additional capacity and flexibility to make changes in operating programs and control strategy while on line. As the computer is used for process control a modified focal language was chosen as the operating language for ease of operation. This language is more suitable for process control than for statistical work.The main components of the control system are(a) Computer(b) Interface(c) Production Control X-ray Quantometer(d) Teletype terminals(e)Reagent feeders(f) Sample SystemThe operation of the system consists in the computer selecting the various streams to be analyzed by a PCXQ Quantometer. When the flowing sample is presented to the X-ray the intensities of the various elements are read by the computer from analog to digital converter, the assays are then computed. From the tonnage and assays the computer is programmed to determine the amount of reagent added to various parts of the circuit. The computer drives the feeders via the interface for the required amount of reagent. After following a certain sequence the computer prints out the performance and control data on an ASR35 Teletype. The data is printed out approximately every seven minutes. Any des¬ired changes in the program or strategy can be made during operation via an ASR33 Teletype connected to the computer."

Jan 1, 1973

By G. Winkel

Safety conditions in industry have greatly improved over time. However, around the world, in Canada, and in each province or territory, people are still the victims of serious industrial accidents. The increasing safety of people at work then continues to be an imperative in industry today.<p> So how do we achieve a workplace where no one gets hurt? Well, in simple terms, folks need to be protected from unplanned exposures to equipment or energy sources that can do harm. If you think about it, all of our efforts in loss management and safety should then be directed toward avoiding these uncontrolled events. And it works! Our safety performance over the years has enjoyed tremendous improvement due to this support for loss management and safety. We now explore best practices toward achieving that next step in safety improvement.<p> As shown following, a large combination of loss management activities act together to support safety performance. Many of these activities are interrelated and some people have described them as the ?inputs? into an approach or program for achieving safety. Using this description, it follows that the ?outputs? of the program are some of the advertised measures of safety we see around us today, such as injury frequency rates. <p> It is asserted that a leadership focus to regularly measure safety and loss management activites (so-called ?inputs?), as a basis for taking supportive actions to ensure their effectiveness, is the basis for safety results (so-called ?outputs?) that consistently achieve high standards of excellence.<p> The concept of managing input activities, as enabled by effective measurements, can significantly act to transform our focus and priorities in the workplace. Supporting input activities like strategies, plans, or procedures with our best efforts will get us to our intended goals. Tracking outputs alone will not.<p> Safety and production have traditionally been cast as competing objectives. When both objectives are mutually supported and considered, however, people will invent ways of doing work that support both safety and production, and any other business parameter. When done right, innovation through meaningful involvement of affected people in the workplace will support safety excellence in a manner that in turn improves business efficiency overall.<p> For a workplace to be safe, it then requires everyone?s help and participation to make it happen, a collaborative effort by management, leaders, and frontline folks with the power and responsibility to take appropriate action at every level in the organization. In this way, everyone becomes a leader in safety.<p> The achievement of commitment to loss management input activities by folks in the workplace is the basis for attaining safety excellence. A workplace founded on commitment supports a safety culture with a vision for safe work performance at outstanding or world-class levels of achievement.<p> One may ask if injury incidents will be eliminated with this commitment and focus on workplace safety? Well, despite our best efforts in this area, there is never a guarantee that things can?t go wrong. We are simply not perfect. There remains in our workplace complexities and unanticipated risks that can have disastrous consequences if not managed at every moment. And when it goes wrong, we need to know we?ve truly tried our best, and now we have more to learn so we can get even better. <p> That?s the challenge represented by the safety imperative, a challenge to take safety performance that next step, a fulfillment of our commitment to the moral obligation we have to each other?s safety. It?s an effort that will continually raise the bar of world-class safety performance achievement for future generations. It?s a legacy we can be proud to be part of.

Sep 1, 2004

By G. Winkel

"Safety conditions in industry have greatly improved over time. However, around the world, in Canada, and in each province or territory, people are still the victims of serious industrial accidents. The increasing safety of people at work then continues to be an imperative in industry today. In addition to protecting people, safety has been shown to make good business sense in any industry.The road to safety improvement is built on establishing a culture of safety that forms the basis for how work gets done in a company. Most importantly, an effective safety culture is built on the full engagement and participation of workers and leaders alike, who share in a vision for safe work performance where “no one gets hurt” and “everyone is a leader in safety.”Let’s learn together on how we can make a safety culture happen. The resulting bias for safety will ultimately save lives, and fulfills our moral objective to strive for safety excellence. IntroductionWe have the good fortune of living in democratic countries where freedom and the value of human life are key beliefs. These beliefs translate into the moral obligations and laws that we value and uphold in our society and life today.A minesite or workplace is simply a necessary part of our society where people earn a living. It is a place where our moral obligations and laws equally apply, a place where human life is of ultimate importance and value. In the early years of industry, this value has not always been evident. Take this description of a tragic accident reported in a coal mine on December 8, 1879:“Oliver Thompson, shaftman, aged 35— While taking wooden partitions out of a ventilation shaft, he fell off the work platform a distance of 100 yards, there did not appear to be anything unusual to account for this accident.”"

Jan 1, 2004

By R. E. Barbosa

Seepage forces generated during tunnel excavation affect the ground response and may cause severe instability problems, including total ground collapse and flooding into the tunnel. This paper presents a new closed-form analytical solution, for stresses and displacements around a cylindrical tunnel excavated in a porous water-bearing elasto-plastic material, which includes the effects of seepage forces. The analysis is carried out in terms of effective stresses and pore water pressures. The solution shows that seepage forces may have a major effect on the effective stresses around the tunnel, on the extent of the plastic zone, on the radial displacements, and on the tunnel support requirements. The conditions for development of a ?flowing ground? condition at the tunnel face have been identified. The paper presents a procedure for the hydromechanical ground-support interaction analysis, to determine the excavation induced inflow and the pressures acting on the lining, throughout the progressive driving of the tunnel, including the effective pressures exerted by the ground and the pressures generated by the water.

May 1, 2009

By Pravin Kumar

Goldcorp Inc.?s Red Lake Mine (RLM) is situated in the Red Lake Mining District, a history rich North Western Ontario mining community. Red Lake Mine formerly known as the Dickenson Mine has experienced various degree and type of bursting since the 1960?s. During the 1960?s burst were common in shrinkage stope box hole pillars. After discovering the High Grade Zone (HGZ) between its 30th and 39th levels, the mine has changed its mining method to mechanized cut and fill with cemented paste fill. The rock mass at RLM is mainly massive basalt-ultramafic and behaves in a manner consistent with massive brittle rock. This paper presents the use of empirical and numerical design techniques. The use of the Span versus RMR graph to determine critical stope spans at RLM and the use of numerical design techniques to determine the stability of the sills and post pillars. Selecting of a sill pillar dimension is illustrated using four different failure criteria?s. The four failure criteria are m & s failure criteria, the Pillar Stability Graph, deviatoric stress ???-?3), and induced stress level criteria ?1 /UCS, which are calibrated to RLM?s ground conditions. A wide range of case histories has been studied ranging from stable to highly burst prone ground conditions in order to calibrate the failure criteria to observed conditions and quantified to local micro seismic system.

May 1, 2002

By J. K. Weglo, M. U. Savich

"The measurement and evaluation of the noise emanating from an ST4A scooptram in an underground stope under a simulated work cycle, and under three conditions of after-treatment systems is covered.These include scooptram without muffler or filler (bare engine), an in-line small filter, compared to a larger-filter, and the larger filter with an in-line muffler in series with fume diluter, which were tested under three engine operating conditions-IDLE, wide open throttle (W. 0. T.), and working condition. This is load, short haul and dump operation.The results showed an attenuation of the scooptram at work of 8 to 15 dBA, 16 cm from the exhaust pipe of the machine, to 4.8 dBA at the operator&apos;s ear. Recommendations are made to increase the attenuation at the operator &apos;s ear by additional improvement in design of the fume diluter.IntroductionIn current mining operations, the diesel engine provides a safe, efficient and highly mobile source of power. In the major underground mine s in Canada the most common types of diesel equipment are load-haul-dump (LHD) machines and ore trucks. In general, there is a tendency to use high horsepower, diesel LHD machines in mines to achieve maximum productivity. The increased use of diesel-powered equipment in underground mines has shown no cause pressure levels were measured at the exhaust and outlet pipe. Also, while measuring the octave band and A-weighted sound pressure levels, the operator&apos;s position was also measured."

Jan 1, 1986

By Kenji Koga

In order to derive the population distribution of gold nanoparticle morphologies as a function of size, highresolution electron microscopic (HREM) observations and structural analyses were done for over 4000 particles (3-18 nm) grown by an inert gas aggregation (IGA) source using helium. To obtain structural features threedimensionally and not to skip high-contrast images, twenty photos were taken for each particle by changing tilting angle of a specimen holder in combination with the through-focus procedure. For the reliable structural determinations, HREM images and their tilting sequences were directly compared with multislice-simulation results for icosahedral, decahedral and face-centered cubic morphologies, and finally the population distribution of each morphology was obtained as a function of size. In the present sample, icosahedral particles were dominantly populated over the whole observed size range and decahedral particles with non-spherical truncated bi-pyramid shape were secondly dominant. Even though a large number of sampling has been done, few crystalline particles were observed.

Oct 1, 2003

By D. D. Hogarth

"Edward Haycock, Engineer and Public Contractor Edward Haycock was born in Shrewsbury, England, June 14, 1813. His father was John Haycock, a timber merchant and soap manufacturer, residing at Swan Hill Court, Shrewsbury, and his mother Esther was the daughter of William Hilton of Hempstead, Hertfordshire. Edward&apos;s paternal grandfather, John Hiram Haycock, was the first of a line of architects that ""changed the face of Shrewsbury"" and ""provided some of the best examples of typical Victorian architecture in Shropshire""(1). Nothing is known of Edward&apos;s early life or education, although it appears that he made no attempt to follow this artistic trend. In 1833, Edward immigrated to Canada. The following year, he married Mary Butler, daughter of Johnson Butler, a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Lincoln Militia during the War of 1812. Mrs. Haycock, as co-heiress of Johnson Butler&apos;s estate, was assigned 600 choice acres of farmland in Brooke Township near present-day Sarnia. This alone would have guaranteed a tidy income, but the Haycocks soon disposed of this land, the last lots being sold in May 1840. Instead, Haycock turned his hand to engineering and, for a number of years, was employed by the Great Western Railway first in Woodstock and later in Hamilton. He then moved to Port Hope, tried farming, worked in the engineering office of the Port Hope, Lindsay and Beaverton Railway Company, and later constructed a portion of this railway(2). During his stay in Port Hope, Haycock met his future partners Ralph Jones, a contractor, and Thomas Curtis Clarke, chief engineer with the P.H.L. and B. Railway Company. The alliance was styled Jones, Haycock and Company and their most successful venture was the construction of the Government Buildings in Ottawa. This work was the crowning achievement of Haycock&apos;s career and, no doubt, his proudest moment was at 11:30 a.m., April 2, 1860, when his daughter Mary Emily, then a little girl of 4, with a special silver trowel ceremoniously laid the first stone. Of special interest in this project were the quarrying operations, which introduced Haycock to the art and difficulties of mining as well as to the potential returns of mines. Sandstone, for facing, was drawn from four quarries, 10 to 12 miles from the Departmental Buildings. Haycock seems to have been in charge of these operations, which in the early stages involved an average labour force of 86 men and 43 teams. However, by 1861, quarrying had declined in importance and the contractors were able to concentrate whole-heartedly on the construction site."

Jan 1, 1999

By H. W. Fleming

In 1955, the results of a regional, geological interpretation of the northern portion of New Brunswick were used as a basis for selecting, for intensive exploration, three areas in which structural and stratigraphic conditions were believed to be favourable. Airborne electromagnetic work, in one of these areas, provided the justification for acquiring the Murray group. Even though the initial results were discouraging, this geological interpretation, combined with the fortuitous discovery of cop• per-bearing float, was sufficient reason for carrying out further work using geochemical methods. This work finally resulted in the discovery of the Murray massive-sulphide deposit, after about eighteen months of coordinated exploration on the property. While this deposit is a typical New Brunswick-type base-metal occurrence, extensive leaching has produced a fossil gossan that rendered it an elusive target for exploration techniques of limited penetration Full credit for localizing the target area is given to the geochemical techniques, but geophysical surveys were needed to provide the necessary

Jan 1, 1961

By C. Carlson, W. Muir

"The oxygen demand of the complex lead-zinc-iron feed at the Cyuro Anvil concentrator was determined denendent on the cyanide ion con-contration of the pulp. By redistribution of the cyanide [ ] the grinding circuit in direct proportion to the amount of surface area created, a more activated flotation feed in obtained.Monitoring the oxygen demand of the flotation feed and grinding mill discharge has proved useful in diagnosing metallurgical problems day to day operation."

Jan 1, 1976

By Jan E. Nesset, Phillip J. Mackey, Joo Y. Kim, Giovanni Di Prisco, André R. Laplante

Understanding the appropriate gold recovery to associate with copper recovery when assessing laboratory testing on porphyry deposits is often complicated by several factors including variable and/or complex mineralogy, and the variability contributed by the low Au content of the various flotation products. As a result, gold recovery is often underestimated and the value contributed by the gold to project economics is less than it should be, a problem that could influence overall project viability. Typically, for these types of deposits, the gold recovery is found to be lower than the copper recovery. In this unique project, having the objective of seeking a better understanding of gold recovery relative to copper recovery, mill feed samples from a selection of six operating world-class Cu-Au low-grade deposits were collected along with the mill metallurgical results for the corresponding sample periods. The samples were subjected to laboratory flotation tests, as well as the Laplante gravity recoverable gold (GRG) test, mineralogical assessment and cyanidation leaching. The aim was to better understand the copper and gold recovery relationship, the links between laboratory and plant flotation performance, the influence of mineralogical differences, and the potential for enhancing gold recovery by gravity recovery techniques. A new correlation of copper and gold recoveries based on the results is presented in the paper. The results showed that the link between copper and gold recoveries established in the best laboratory tests were maintained in the plant results, and further, that the potential for improving Au recovery by gravity or flash flotation methods is directly proportional to the amount of gold greater than 75 microns.

Jan 1, 2005

By Sengpasith Houngaloune

Arsenic, which is a toxic and carcinogenic element, causes serious environmental problems throughout the world. It is also known as a major contaminant in the non-ferrous mining and extractive metallurgical industries, thus its disposal is one of the most important environmental issues for the mining and metallurgical industries. In order to ensure a safe disposal environment for the final wastes, stabilization of arsenic has been studied extensively with various approaches. Solidification/stabilization (S/S) represents one of the most effective methods to reduce the availability of arsenic in soil and waste by transforming toxic or potentially hazardous phases into less hazardous ones. Cement based S/S processes could reduce the solubility of arsenic in solid waste, using inorganic binders such as cement, lime, and pozzolanic materials. A new tailings management technique, called cemented paste backfill (CPB), has become widely employed for improving mining techniques and for tailing storage purpose and this technique could also enhance arsenic stabilization, by fixing the contaminants in the binder matrix. Disposal of arsenic in the form of scorodite (FeAsO4?2H2O) has been widely accepted as currently the most suitable method for stabilization and the safest known storage material. The Bio-scorodite process has been reported to be more economic and environmentally friendly method than the chemical crystallization processes. Retention of arsenic by schwertmannite (Fe8O8(OH)6SO4), a metastable ferric oxyhydroxy sulfate mineral, has gained more attention in the recent years. Schwertmannite has a large specific surface area and high capacity to adsorb arsenic in solution. Several researchers have reported that the transformation of schwertmannite to goethite could be retarded by the presence of adsorbed arsenic; therefore schwertmannite might be viable alternative for long-term storage of arsenic. In this paper, various approaches used in arsenic stabilization are reviewed with emphasis on the development in the recent years.

Aug 1, 2013

By H. Harzer

Statistics Canada record s indicate that in recent years 70 to 80% of the entire Canadian coal production originated from Western Canadian mines, in which about 55 to 65% of the coals are bituminous. Until recently, less than 20% of the latter were extracted by underground methods , the remainder being surface-mined. However, it is estimated that within the foreseeable future up to 80 or 90% will have to be gained by underground techniques. Although Western Canadian coal resources are considerable, they are unfortunately locked in severely distorted, steeply pitching and faulted seams of variable thickness. Consequently, their economic extraction poses serious engineering problems. One possible solution to the problems is to apply hydromechanical methods to underground mining. This is a well-proven method shown to be economically viable under Western Canadian conditions. This paper endeavours to widen the scope of published data on hydraulic coal mining and is based on practical engineering and cost data gathered through contacts with West German designers and operators of hydraulic mines.

Jan 1, 1978

By Timothy R. Eby

"The Wabush Mines project was formed in 1956 to develop a large iron ore property in Western Labrador. The town of Wabush along with the mining and concentrating facilities are located 640 air miles from Montreal, and 734 air miles from St. John's. The operation has been in production since late 1964.While mining and concentrating operations are located in Labrador, the pelletizing facilities are situated 275 miles south at Sept-Iles, Quebec. Dedicated in 1965, Wabush produces six million tons of high quality iron ore pellets annually. The company employs 1, 550 people at Wabush and the Pointe Noire plant at Sept-Iles.Wabush Mines is an unincorporated joint venture of three companies -The Steel Company of Canada, Dominion Foundries and Steel Ltd. and the remaining 58% by the Wabush Iron Co. Ltd. Wabush Iron Co. Ltd. is in turn owned by six companies: The Youngstown Sheet & Tube Company, Inland Steel Company, Interlake Inc., Wheeling Pittsburg Steel Company, Finsider International S.A. and Pickands Mather & Company which is also managing agent.The town of Wabush is set in a remote part of Northern Canada accessible only by rail and air transportation. But this in no way has hindered the growth and development of the area. Modern housing units, shopping facilities, airport and of course, recreational facilities are all patt of every day living amenities, an accepted aprt of southern communities, but quite unique for northern isolated mining localities."

Jan 1, 1978

By M. F. Goudge

MAGNESIA refractories and magnesium metal are both essential war commodities. The need for magnesium, which had just made its debut as a commercial metal a few years before the outbreak of the present war, is widely known because this new and valuable light metal has already received much publicity. Less widely known but equally important in the war effort are magnesia refractories. They are indispensable to the efficient functioning of the great metallurgical plants producing steel, nickel, copper, and other metals, where, because of their resistance to extreme high temperature and chemical attack, they are used in lining the furnaces, which are operated at a white heat. The demand for refractories in the metallurgical industries rose rapidly upon the outbreak of war, and now, in consequence of the continued great expansion under way in the manufacture of steel, nickel, copper, and other metals, the need for magnesia is greater than ever. Since 1915, part of the Canadian requirements of basic refractories has been supplied from the deposits of magnesitic dolomite in Argenteuil county, Quebec. The products from these deposits are excellent for many uses, but the magnesitic dolomite has too high a content of silica and lime to be used in making a type of magnesia brick required in nickel converters, and in the roofs of reverberatory furnaces used in the copper and steel industries. There is now a large and growing demand in Canada for bricks and shapes for these uses. This demand has always been supplied from the United States. Makers of these products in the United States, in turn, formerly imported most of the necessary high-grade, dead-burned magnesia from Austria and Manchuria. Not only are these sources closed, but refractory chrome ore from the Philippines is no longer available and chrome refractories may have to be in large part replaced by magnesia.

Jan 1, 1942

By G. R. Heffernan

"IntroductionTHE PURPOSE of this paper is to give a •brief history of iron and steel in British Columbia, a quick look at the present operations of Western Canada Steel, Limited, a review of iron ore resources and iron and steel markets, and a projection of what the future might hold for the industry in British Columbia.From the Past to the PresentWhile the paper is entitled Past, Present, and Future, in covering the past, which we shall call the time prior to 1947, there is very little to be said. Small shipments of iron ore were made from the Texada deposits by the Puget Sound Iron Company from 1886 to 1907. Total ore shipped did not exceed 70,000 tons. Part of this is believed to have been used in building a United States battleship in 1907 in the Bremerton Naval Yards in Seattle, Washington.In 1914 a small steel mill was started on Lulu island, rolling bars from •box piles and used shafting. This mill operated spasmodically for a few years but finally burned down in 1921. The rolling mill stands were sold to China and are no doubt in operation in China today.In 1916 the City of Port Moody assisted in the financing of a mill which operated on re-roll rails, box piles, and steel ingots made in an experimental electric furnace in Port Moody. This furnace also produced small quantities of pig iron scrap. The backers of the Port Moody mill showed a great deal of enterprise and must have been a very forward looking group, since this was one of the first recorded applications of the electric furnace to small ingot production. Despite their enterprise, the operation was unsuccessful and terminated in 1921."

Jan 1, 1953