Ximen Mining makes progress on 257 portal installation, gets closer to production of first gold Dore bar from its Kenville project

Ximen Mining Corp (CVE:XIM) (OTCQB:XXMMF) updated investors Wednesday on work at its Kenville gold project which is progressing towards producing its first Dore bar from the historical mine. The company is currently refurbishing the existing 257 portal at the Kenville gold mine and geotechnical drilling and bolting is underway to secure the overburden above the portal excavation. Ximen said work on the 257 portal is continuing non-stop under the direction of the company's consultant geotechnical engineer and site manager. “The slope above the portal has now been secured with geotechnical bolting to prevent any soil creep. Now the major excavation of gravel around the outside of the portal will start using an excavator and loader,” it told shareholders in a statement.   READ: Ximen Mining further expands footprint at famous Greenwood camp; raises C$2M in placing The Vancouver-based firm is aiming to bring the underground mine in the Nelson mining camp in southern British Columbia, back to life. The site reportedly produced 65,236 ounces of gold and 27,686 ounces of silver between 1889 and 1956. The exploration firm holds around 86,448 hectares of land in southern British Columbia, including its newly-acquired Venus and Juno precious metal projects that surround the Kenville operation. Ximen recently purchased a new Hitachi 190 excavator for the work. The company said that once the excavation is complete, screening will be installed and the bed for the steel culvert will be prepared. After the culvert is installed, the gravel backfill will be placed around the culvert. Finally, mine services including air and water lines will be installed and connected to the underground workings. After everything has been completed “the company can finally focus on producing the first Dore Bar,” said Ximen. Ximen has a portfolio of assets spanning over 146 acres in some of the most prolific gold camps in southern British Columbia. Contact the author Uttara Choudhury at uttara@proactiveinvestors.com Follow her on Twitter: @UttaraProactive