Bicroft Uranium Mine

1953 - Discovered by B.W Burns of Peterborough, Ontario, Canada All mining operations within the early years of 1950, we're commonly known for transforming the small settlement town of Bancroft, Ontario, Canada, when several uranium mines came into production. One of these fascinating operations became identified as the historical Bicroft Uranium Mine project, that was first discovered in 1952, by a prospector known as B.W Burns of Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. He would immediately sell this operation to two companies that became known as the Central Lake Uranium Mines Limited, and the Croft Uranium Mines Limited.

It was in 1953, when the historical Croft Uranium Mines, Limited was incorporated on September, 1953. The directors of the company at this were commonly known as R.A Bryce as president, Larmour Soliague as Vice President, H.W Salt house as Secretary Treasurer, J.D Bryce, A.H Crang, and E.D Scott as directors. All mining operations at the Croft Uranium Property were also started with a capitalization of 3,000,000 shares at $1 par value, in which 2,300,005 shares were issued.

The company within 1954. had also held a block of 51 claims which were situated on the east boundary of Cardiff Township, Haliburton County, and also in adjoining Faraday, and Herschel Townships, Hasting County, Ontario, Canada; Additionally the property is also located at a distance of 10 miles west of Bancroft, Ontario, Canada.

Development within 1954, had consisted of constructing an adit that was driven a mile south of Bancroft-Wilberforce Road. It was at this time when the adit was rather extensively developed by 1,211 feet of drifting, and 485 feet of crosscutting. Surface and underground explorations also continued when diamond drilling consisted of 70 surface holes, totalling 27,794 feet, and 93 underground holes totalling 3,053 feet from the aidt workings. All development work within 1954 was mainly also done by contractors who employed a total of 6 employees at this uranium project.

Soon enough the two companies had moved onto some of its own explorations that discovered a high-grade uranium deposit within this mining operation. As this discovery became uncovered, the two companies would decide to incorporate the Bicroft Uranium Mines Limited under its own amalgamation agreement in 1955. By 1955, the whole entire project was rather undergoing it's own prospecting stage when company officials from the Bicroft Uranium Mines Limited, had soon completed some surface cuts to expose the vein, an adit that was 53.4 m also became driven, and a 71.4 m prospect shaft was sunken. During the year of 1955, the company had soon discovered a large ore-body that contained high-grade uranium crystals within these prospect zone locations. In addition the company was well off with its prospecting business when it had sunken another shaft to about 562 m, and also proceeded with its own construction phase of its on-site milling facility. Soon enough the company's on-site milling facility would be officially in operation by 1957, when a huge amount of ore that totalled 414,024 tons which was hoisted Within this time period the company. and it team of miners would process and treat all of this ore that came from the Bicroft Uranium Mine. Another huge surface development would commence as the company now needed its very own Sorting plantation in order to collect all the fine uranium ore bearing material. This construction phase was also followed by a new development procedure, when the company construct its own Crushing Plant to grind the ore into smaller sizes, and had also erected a pump house to get rid of all the underground water.

More hoisting procedures continued to take place in 1958, when another huge amount of ore that totalled 472,709 tons was stockpiled. Even milling during this time was rather outrageous when it had processed and treated a whole whack of ore that totalled 464,680 tons of high-grade uranium content. A total of 429,917 tons was also broken down from the stopes, while another 417,917 tons was drawn from this uranium mining operation. Further so the company and its dedicated workforce had opened this operation even more when ore was being drawn down from 174 stopes in 1958. And the company had additionally completed construction phase of 96 stopes, while starting new production on 84 stope sections. More hoisting procedures would continue to take place in 1958, when another huge amount of ore that totalled 472,680 tons was stockpiled. Even milling during this time period was rather outrageous when it processed a whack of ore that totalled 464,680 tons of high grade uranium content.

Company officials from the Bicroft Uranium Mines Limited, had soon experience more issues in 1958. Much of this was cause due to a fire that had been purposely set by two employees. These to people were strongly identified as George Eickler, and his partner Ernest Mayo. Within this time period they we're rather working on the sixth level within the No.366 stope when they decided to built a fire to keep warm. As this occurred the smell of smoke had soon reach other workings that immediately sent T.H. Croft and T.M Middleton to their shift boss. At the time the main shift boss was strongly identified as A Chisholh who was employed by the Bicroft Uranium Mines Limited. He would immediately discharge the two men for causing unsafe negligence within the mine workings that could of been disastrous. These two men would end up using fuel to keep the fire going which was rather another safety concern for the company.

Far more production soon had escalated in 1959, when the company hoisted 471,321 tons from both shaft operations, and its single adit zone.. More so the company, and its team of workers would commence more production stages when a huge amount of ore that totalled 424,373 tons was milled. By this time the mining zone was even further expanding the mine when 389,496 tons was broken from the stopes, and another 402,998 tons was drawn from the mining operation. It soon became evident that the company had also taken this production from 168 stopes sections, and would also complete development phases on 103 stopes, while constructing a total of 87 new stopes.

Within 1960, the Bicroft Uranium Mines limited, would further develop this operation when both shaft operations became sunken to a depth of 234 feet, and the No. 2 shaft was additionally sunken from 119 feet to the mines 1433 foot section. The No.2 shaft was also opened up by 11 ore producing levels when the company opened up a new production level on the mines 1,350 foot section. Nevertheless this mining zone was commonly operated by two different properties as the company had work the Croft Property, and the Central Lake Property within the township of Cardiff, and Faraday, in Halliburton County, and Hasting County.

Almost all development within 1960 was also expanding this mining operation when a whole whack of lateral development became achieved during this time period of working the Bicroft Mine. Much of this lateral development soon consisted of 13,433 feet of drifting, 8,879 feet of crosscutting and 17,602 feet of raising procedures became completed. As mining operations started to expand this mining zone, the mine it self was now looking like a thriving operation when it had a total development footage of 56,644 feet of drifting, 46,130 feet of crosscutting, and 50,567 feet of raising that was done. Further so the company would additionally explore this mining zone when a huge amount of diamond drilling had taken place. This whole entire drilling program had driven 535 holes from the underground workings that ended up totalling 80,662 feet of core sampling. During this time period the operation would also obtain several tons of Uranium ore bearing material that soon had company officials hoisting 454,682 tons of uranium ore from all extractions. All milling operations within 1960, had also processed and treated a whack of ore that would end up totalling 404,682 tons of uranium ore from all productions. Soon enough the Bicroft Uranium Mines Limited had also engineered 143 new stopes, while completing extractions phase on 110 stopes, and, was also working a total of 213 stopes. It became very evident that the company , and its team of miners had also broken down a total of 352,191 tons of ore from the stopes, and a total of 370,946 tons was drawn from both property locations. Mining within the Bicroft uranium Mine was also slowly becoming exhausted above the fourth level on the 450 foot section. Soon enough company officials would also hoist a small amount of ore from the mines fifth, and sixth levels when 25% of the ore was hoisted from this production within 1960. As the operation continued to expand the company and its workforce had also confined it self to the mines seventh, and ninth levels that produce 25% of all the ore that was hoisted. More so company officials from the Bicroft Uranium Mines Limited , would also further construct the tenth level that was stationed and cut on the mines 1,200 foot section.

Crushing within 1960 was rather exceeding a huge amount of ore when a total of 454,232 tons was crushed, and had its own daily capacity of 1,243 tons per a day. As this procedure commenced the company had processed a total of 96,902 tons (25%) at the on-site sorting plant, and another 52,533 tons (54%) was discarded as waste. This massive tonnage of waste would also accumulate a small percentage of ore that was hoisted as it was only known for consisting of 11.6%. Nevertheless, the sorting procedure was also known to have increased the milling production of all processed ore that was known for totalling 11.4% , as it proved to be satisfactory towards this operation. By this time the company had additionally increased its milling production when the mill was now treating a total of 1,100 tons of ore per a day of operating. Even the recovery of the ore was known to have produce 94.3% of production from its previous years of operating as it average anywhere from 91 to 93% from 1958, to 1959. As the mine became further transformed , the company would additionally hire a total of 556 men to its large scale producing mining operation.

In 1961, another huge transformation had taken place when the Bicroft Uranium Mines Limited had merge with the Macassa Mines Limited, to incorporate the Macassa Gold Mines Limited. Almost all mining operation would continue to take place on the historical Central Lake Property within this time period. As the new corporation commenced further expansion phase, it would soon sink the No. 2 shaft to another 409 feet when it was reaching a depth of 1,843 feet. More so the Macassa Gold Mine Limited had other plans when two new levels became stationed and cut on the mines 1,449, and 1,649 foot sections. By this time the company and its team of miners soon had further expanded this operation when new engineering phases became drawn. Much of this construction would take place when 8,958 feet of drifting, 6,678 feet of crosscutting, and 14,654 feet of raising was completed.. Soon enough the Macassa Gold Mines Limited was known to have constructed a total development footage of 65,602 feet of drifting, 52,804 feet of crosscutting, and 65,311 feet of raising that was done. Milling within In this time period was also treating a lot of ore when a total of 336,618 tons of ore was processed. Even more extractions from the stopes continued to take place when a huge amount of ore was hoist from the mine workings. Generally this massive tonnage had totalled its own weight of 388,096 tons of uranium grade material. that had its own recovery grade of 94.3% uranium at the time. Company officials from the Macassa Gold Mines Ltd. soon had been known to have extracted all the uranium grade material from the fourth mine level at 450 feet. Once this had happened the company would slowly start to recover when it was extracting the remainder of the ore on the seventh level, and development procedures became further expanded when it was push towards the seven, eighth, ninth, tenth, twelfth, and , thirteenth foot levels. More so this development would continue when the shaft was fully sunken to its ending point at 1,846 feet below the shaft collar. Nevertheless, the company and its workforce soon had also drawn 327,497 tons of ore from the mine, and would have also broken down a total of 300,075 tons. Further so the company would additionally have estimated this mine to contain a total of 31,863 tons of brown down ore reserves within its operation. This massive mining project started to expand this operation even more when a totalled 271 stope became work on. In addition the company and its team of hardworking miners would complete a total 165 stopes by the years ending, and had started up new ground that totalled 135 stope within the workings.

More milling and crushing procedures would continue to take place in 1961, when a total of 336,618 tons was crushed, and another 98,287 tons was sorted, and the company would also hoist 52,142 tons from the mine. As this had taken place the company also estimated that a total of 15.5% of ore was discarded as waste. The new sorting procedure soon started to also increase the milling capacity by 11%, as the mill was treating an average total of 923 tons of ore per a day. As the year slowly came to an end, the Macassa Gold Mines Limited had not proceeded within any more development or production within this time period of operating the mine.

Soon enough the company it self would decide to construct more engineering phase that totalled 10,909 feet of drifting, 9,583 feet of crosscutting, and another 17,752 feet of raising in 1962. More so the company would rather expanding its operation with this development procedure when it had now totalled 76,511 feet of drifting, 62,391 feet of crosscutng, and 83,063 feet of raising in all development footage. Even explorations became further conducted underground when the miners had driven 507 diamond drill holes that totalled 71,481 feet of core sample

As 1962 had started to roll in, the Macassa Gold Mines Limited had other ideas when it would further extract the rick uranium ore. Almost all hoisting procedure soon had started to expand this project when the company and its team had hoisted a total of 404,536 tons of ore with a minimum of 1,108 tons per a day. Nevertheless, the Macassa Gold Mines Limited would move onto more processing stages when a total of 355,914 tons was milled. In addition to this the company had also sorted out all the valuable uranium content, while discarding a total of 48,686 tons as waste. By the years ending milling within the Bicroft Uranium Mine was also averaging a daily production rate of 975 tons of ore that produce 94.3% of all production. Another huge amount of money was also made off the processed and treated uranium oxide when the company obtain $4,682,178 of uranium oxide.

Mainly all mining operations within the Central Lake Shaft were rather expanding the mining zone by 1962. During this time period the company was thriving with deeper development phase from the ninth to the thirteenth levels. Most of this development and production was coming from the eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth levels. Almost all the stoping within this shaft was also known to have been 32 feet high, and had its own average of 5.5 feet. As the Bicroft Uranium Mine slowly started to become exhausted it became reported that a total of 71,848 tons of discarded waste from the sorting plant was used as backfill. Nevertheless, the company would also indicated a report on the ore structure that was known to continue with no changes on the bottom level of this mining operation. It was proven to have been very satisfactory as the mine still was believed to have a large amount of ore within it. But the company did not have the right amount of funds to further engineer this project as it was working other gold mines in Kirkland Lake. Even production became rapidly expanded when the crushing plant had crushed a total of 404,536 tons of uranium ore. By this time the company also sorted a total of 87,321 tons of ore at the sorting plant, and would also discarded 48,686 tons as waste.