Haulage - Underground Haulage at the Potrerillos Mine

The Potrerillos mine of the Andes Copper Mining Co., a subsidiary of Anaconda Copper Mining Co., is 100 miles east of the coast town of Chanaral, in the Province of Atacama, Chile. In December 1926, the plant was placed in operation and has operated continuously ever since. Block caving is the only mining method used, as it is especially suited to the grade of ore, the position and shape of the ore bodies, and the character of the ground. At the present time there are three haulage levels, which handle oxide and sulphide ores, and production from them averages 31,000 short tons daily. The purpose of this paper is to describe the layout, equipment and systems used on the gathering or main haulage levels. Haulage Layout Because of the shapes of the ore bodies, their distances from the dumping pockets