Clear progress Malc!
Ruby Timeline
Oct 1, 2010 – North Bay Executes Option Agreement to Acquire Ruby Mine.
July 1, 2011 – North Bay exercises option and completes the acquisition of Ruby Gold, Inc. and the Ruby Mine. Upon transfer of title to Ruby Gold, Inc., work begins.
July 26, 2011 – Preliminary cleanup and maintenance underway; Operational planning initiated; Expansion of tailings area and amendment to Reclamation Plan given first priority.
September 6, 2011 – Survey to expand Ruby tailings area completed; Bidding process for mining contractors to conduct Ruby Tunnel rehabilitation work begins.
October 3, 2011 – CME Services selected and engaged as mining contractor; Amendment to Reclamation Plan for tailings expansion filed with State of California and Sierra County;
October 24, 2011 – Underground work at the Ruby begins for the first time since 1998. Initial goal is to rehabilitate the Ruby Tunnel by restoring underground ventilation throughout the entire length of the Ruby tunnel system. This is the first stage in reopening the Ruby tunnel entirely, from the Ruby Portal to the secondary exit at the Lawry Shaft, which entailed the clearing from the underground workings of all extraneous debris (cave-ins) and re-timbering the tunnel to reinforce ground support as-needed. The work was initially expected to take a minimum of four to six weeks. This assumed the first cave-in to be cleared was the only one blocking the airflow. This was not the case, and the work advanced to the next of what proved to be dozens of caved in areas further upstream within the Ruby Tunnel.
December 13, 2011 - Work has been progressing at a steady pace since the tunnel rehab project began six weeks earlier. More timber in the tunnel is being replaced than originally anticipated. The rehab work to fully reinforce the structural integrity of the tunnel for the long-term and to provide the optimal conditions for safe operations once production begins was now seen to require a longer term commitment than originally planned. Work was ordered to continue through the winter, weather-permitting.
December 22, 2011 - Revised Reclamation Plan for Ruby Mine Receives Formal Approval from Sierra County and California Office of Mine Reclamation.
February 9, 2012 – Work has continued uninterrupted through mid-winter. Rehab work reaches the Wolf Vein workings approximately 3,000 feet within the Ruby tunnel. More than 30,000 board feet of mining timber has been replaced by this point, and nearly 3,000 feet of new ventilation duct has been installed. The rehab work has advanced almost halfway through the Ruby Tunnel towards our primary mining target, which is the "Big Bend" section of the Black Channel.
July 22, 2012 – Rehab work has advanced to within 600 feet of the 4900 vein and the approach to the Black Channel. Dozens of caved-in areas have been cleared. Over 60,000 feet of new timber and almost 5,000 feet of new ventilation duct have been installed.
July 23, 2012 – MSHA issues work stoppage order. Order relates to the requirement to have an MSHA-approved mine rescue team on standby within a reasonable distance from the mine, documentation of MSHA-approved safety training of some of the miners, and the lack of an MSHA-approved personnel transportation rail car designated specifically for that purpose. All work at the Ruby project has been temporarily halted to allow time for the Company to comply with these issues and bring the Ruby project into full compliance with current MSHA regulations.
August 30, 2012 - MSHA Approves Ruby Mine Alternative Mine Rescue Plan and Safety Plans. Work stoppage continues until MSHA inspector returns to site.
September 18, 2012 - MSHA confirms that the Ruby's new MSHA-approved safety training plan has been completed, certified, and formally verified. All previous stop work orders have been lifted, and operations at the Ruby Mine to complete rehabilitation work are set to resume. To continue to comply with MSHA regulations, underground work is limited to the construction and installation of a refuge chamber within the tunnel per MSHA requirements before underground rehab work can continue. Surface operations to comply with other MSHA regulations occupied most of the crew for the next 3 months.
January 3, 2013 – Heavy snows force suspension of operations for the winter.
April 29, 2013 – Operations resume following winter layover. Most work continued to be related to compliance with MSHA regulations pertaining to fire suppression of surface structures, elevating berms, electrical grounding reinforcement, fire sprinkler installation, etc.
July 1, 2013 – Underground MSHA-mandated refuge chamber completed. Full underground rehab operations resume for the first time since July 23, 2012.
July 26, 2013 – Major milestone reached. The last remaining air blockage in the tunnel was breached, thereby restoring natural airflow throughout the entire length of the Ruby tunnel system. The Ruby is open. Were it not for the aftermath of the MSHA shutdown in July 2012 and the winter layover, this milestone would have been achieved a full year earlier.
August 27, 2013 – Preparations begin to start test mining in the White Channel as rehab work continues further upstream towards the Black Channel.
September 10, 2013 – Last remaining obstacle in the Ruby Tunnel at the 4900 vein cleared; Lower portion of Black Channel now accessible. Additional rehab work to reinforce and retimber the Black Channel workings still needed before bulk sampling and test mining can begin in that location. Preparations to begin test mining at the White Channel continue.
October 1, 2013 – Federal Government shutdown impacts prompt issuance of Ruby blasting permit from ATF. Test mining on hold until blasting is allowed.
October 15, 2013 – Underground geological mapping survey underway in newly-accessible areas of the Ruby Adit.
November 7, 2013 – Blasting permit issued by ATF; Blasting and raise construction to enlarge and improve access to White Channel for mining purposes prior to start of bulk sampling commences.
November 25, 2013 – New gold targets discovered from geological mapping survey.
December 18, 2013 - Widening of the White Channel accessway completed, raise rehabilitated, and test mining operations begin, subject to year-end holiday scheduling for the crew and snow days. Planning and preparations to begin construction of the Big Bend raise into the Black Channel begins.
January 22, 2014 – 60 ton bulk sample from White Channel stockpiled and ready for processing once the stockpiled material reaches 100 tons. Gravity survey of newly-identified channels commences.
February 14, 2014 – 112 ton bulk sample from White Channel processed; initial results disappointing. Construction work on the Big Bend raise underway.
March 3, 2014 – New Mine Manager appointed; Mining of White Channel suspended to focus on Big Bend raise construction. New steel airline to be installed to improve underground infrastructure and compressed air capacity to increase worker productivity. Drilling program to test newly-identified mining targets to be mobilized.
March 27, 2014 – Installation of new steel airline completed. Drilling program begins
April 9, 2014 – New claims staked to acquire Carson Mine and the newly-identified Discovery Channel.
May 6, 2014 – Big Bend raise into Black Channel nearing completion. Drilling program to be reassigned to contractor to increase efficiency. Second bulk sample (60 tons) from White Channel previously stockpiled processed. Results more encouraging than previous bulk sample, but needs further follow up exploration before a resumption of mining in White Channel can be justified.
June 9, 2014 - Drilling resumes in Ruby Tunnel
July 8, 2014 - Drilling intersects gravels above Ruby Adit; South Terrace discovered
