Oct 20 2012
Barkerville Gold Mines ("Barkerville" or the "Company") wishes to update its shareholders on the status of its response to the cease trade order (the "CTO") issued by the British Columbia Securities Commission (the "BCSC") as disclosed in the Company's press release dated August 15, 2012.
The Company is advised that the CTO will remain in place until the Company files a technical report acceptable to the BCSC and addresses all technical disclosure concerns.
Further to the News Release of June 6, 2012, (see News Release 12-011) the Company confirms that it has recently engaged Snowden Mining Industry Consultants Pty ("Snowden") to assist the Company in satisfying the conditions of the CTO, and continues to have a dialogue with the BCSC in an effort to satisfy their concerns.
As part of the technical review requested by Snowden, the Company advises that it has completed 14 surface diamond drill holes of which 9 were completed twin holes totaling 2,759.4 meters (9,053.1 feet) on Cow Mountain at the Cariboo Gold Project near Wells, central BC between September 22 and October 14, 2012. The total footage includes 5 drill holes abandoned due to hitting shafts and/or underground workings before target. The drilling was done respectively by four drill rigs of three drill contractors; namely, Standard Drilling & Engineering Ltd. of Vancouver, B.C. (two drill rigs); Armstrong Drilling Ltd. of Armstrong, B.C. (one drill rig); and Lone Peak Drilling of Kimberley, B.C. (one drill rig). All the drill holes are being logged, sampled including measuring bulk density of the drill core. Assay results of these drill holes will be released when available.
QR Mine and Mill
Gold mining operations have begun at the Company's QR Mine with the awarding of the mining contract to A.L. Sims & Son Ltd. The surface of the West Zone has been stripped to bedrock, and drilling and blasting are underway. The first bench blast was completed last week. It has been sampled and the assay results are pending and the surface zone will be drilled and blasted this coming week. Once this is mucked out, the focus will shift to mining the 962 Area stopes underground.
In addition to contract mining, A.L. Sims & Sons has commenced the raising of the tailings storage facility dams at the QR Mine site pursuant to Permit # M-198. The access road to the North Dam has been widened and access roads to clay borrow pits and sandy till pits have been completed. Dam raising has been ongoing for three weeks
Further pursuant to Permit # M-198. "If the construction of the tailings dam raise to elevation 1029.3 meters is completed to the satisfaction of the Chief Inspector by September 30, 2012, the Permittee will not be required to post the additional security installment in the amount of the One Million Five Hundred Thousand dollars ($1,500,000) that would otherwise be due on that date." The Chief Inspector of Mines has extended this date as work has commenced.
Additionally "if the work and plans required under permit condition B.3(a) of this permit have been completed to the satisfaction of the Chief Inspector by December 15, 2012, the Permittee will not be required to post the additional security installment in the amount of Four Million One Hundred and Forty Thousand dollars ($4,140,000.00) that would otherwise be due on that date."
B3(a). "By December 31, 2012, the Permittee shall carry out all recommendations of the Klohn Crippen report entitled "Tailings Dam Seepage Assessment" dated January 12, 2012 and provide a summary report to the Chief Inspector. The summary report shall include the results of the field program and updated analysis, modeling, conclusions and recommendations for achieving seepage reduction sufficient to maintain the approved design height of a water cover over PAG wastes. The report shall also include a detailed 3rd party cost estimate to complete the mitigation work and an implementation schedule."
In addition to the 4 drill holes completed in 2011, the Company completed 4 HQ diamond drill water test holes of approximately 100 meters each during the last part of August 2012 on the Tailings Dam. These drill holes are part 2012, 9 hole program designed to be grouted to minimize dam seepage pursuant to B3(a) above.
The installation of an approximate 700m 3 phase power line to the West Zone has been completed which eliminates the need for diesel powered generators. Delivery of transformers is expected this week. Power is required for dewatering the workings and underground mining.
Bonanza Ledge
Upon completion of the QR Dam raise expected in early November 2012, mining will begin at Bonanza Ledge (see News Release 11-34 December 6, 2011) now fully permitted.
The technical information in this News Release has been reviewed and approved by Company Chief Geologist Jim Yin PhD. P. Geo. a Qualified Person as defined in National Instrument 43-101.