Gravity Circuit Commissioned At The New Jersey Mill

COEUR D'ALENE, ID - New Jersey Mining Company has completed commissioning of the new gravity circuit at its New Jersey Mill near Kellogg, Idaho. The commissioning was performed in anticipation of initial ore deliveries from the Golden Chest Mine in November.

The gravity circuit is comprised of a vibrating screen and a Knelson Concentrator and will be used to process a portion of the recirculating load in the grinding circuit where gold particles tend to accumulate. The gravity circuit operated smoothly, producing a gold concentrate that was further upgraded on a Deister Table. The concentrate will be subject to additional testing via direct smelting or intensive cyanidation to optimize recovery and payable value.

In addition to commissioning the new gravity circuit, the Company also conducted a small milling campaign to tune up the crushing, grinding, flotation, and tailings circuits. The test processed a total of 130 tonnes of material grading approximately 2.5 grams of gold per tonne, which was sourced from the Company’s adjacent New Jersey Mine.

Several other initiatives have also been recently completed at the New Jersey Mill in anticipation of processing ore from the Golden Chest Mine, including: Completion of a 3-meter embankment raise at the paste tailings storage facility; Installation of a new paste thickener underflow pump; Installation of a 16-camera system for process monitoring; Engineering and design for a new concentrate thickener; Construction of a concentrate loading dock; and Preliminary engineering to advance mill automation.

The Company commenced safety training for newly-hired mill and crusher operators and expects that the mill will be operating at production levels with Golden Chest ore in December. Once at full production of approximately 360 tonnes of ore per day, the mine is expected to feed the New Jersey Mill at a steady state throughout 2015 and into 2016.

Juniper Resources reports that mine development at the Golden Chest is on track to start ore production later this month. Construction of the surface facilities is now complete and underground development has reached the upper portions of the orebody, including the first crosscuts into the hanging wall. The miners are now tying the new ramp into the No. 3 Level of the existing mine workings for use as a ventilation conduit and secondary escapeway.