Conveyor Hoisting at Steep Rock Iron Mines

THE ERRINGTON B-I mine is located on the Errington orebody of Steep Rock Iron Mines, Limited, at Steep Rock Lake, Ontario. In 1946, this orebody entered the shipping lists of the Lake Superior iron ranges as an open-pit operation. During the period 1946 through 1953, the mine produced a total of 9,000,000 tons of iron ?ore. In 1950, as the mine approached the economic limits for open-pit operations, ground was broken for an underground development to exploit the deposit at depth. The mine is designed for an ultimate production of 1,500,000 tons per year by the block-caving system of mining. The initial shaft is 1,200 feet deep and will produce or-e from the 700 and the 900 levels. The 1,100 level will be used as a drainage level and as a haulageway for waste rock, which is hoisted to surface by skip. Ore from the two production levels moves by a system of ?ore passes to a crushing plant located below the 900 horizon and is hoisted from this point to surface by conveyor belt. At the present time, all material handling on the levels is by tramming, but as tram distances increase conveyor haulage will probably be installed. The initial stage of the Errington B-1 development is expected to produce 6,000,000 tons of ore over a period of four years. The second stage will require deepening of the shaft and development of lowe1? production levels. The conveyor hoisting plant will be extended to serve these new levels. We visualize the mining of this orebcdy down to 2,500 feet by these methods.