Lucky Friday Closed For Hoist Repair

From Staff And Wire Reports

Hecla Mining Co. will close its Lucky Friday Mine starting Monday to repair the bearings on the hoist system in the Silver Shaft.

The company will lay off 75 workers until the maintenance is complete. That should be four days at most, said Bill Booth, head of investor relations at Hecla.

The hoist bearing was damaged in the Aug. 30 accident that idled the mine for nearly three months last year. Safety equipment failed in that accident and allowed the ore cage or “skip” to slam up against the top of the shaft and damaged the hoist.

Hecla engineers are confident they can complete the work in as little as three days, Booth said.

Thank you for visiting Spokesman.com. To continue reading this story and enjoying our local journalism please subscribe or log in.

You have reached your article limit for this month.

Subscribe now and enjoy unlimited digital access to Spokesman.com

Unlimited Digital Access

Stay connected to Spokane for as little as 99¢!

Subscribe for access

Already a Spokesman-Review subscriber? Activate or Log in

You have reached your article limit for this month.

Subscribe now and enjoy unlimited digital access to Spokesman.com

Unlimited Digital Access

Stay connected to Spokane for as little as 99¢!

Subscribe for access

Already a Spokesman-Review subscriber? Activate or Log in

Oops, it appears there has been a technical problem. To access this content as intended, please try reloading the page or returning at a later time. Already a Spokesman-Review subscriber? Activate or Log in