Hecla To Sample Mexican Property

Hecla Mining Co. will do some preliminary mining at a central Mexican property this year.

The company is taking surface samples at the Saladillo property as part of its exploration work there. The silver and gold grades from the samples are high enough to send to the mill, said Hecla spokeswoman Vicki Veltkamp.

Hecla expects to produce about 325,000 ounces of silver and 9,000 ounces of gold from the property this year. It is assessing whether the Saladillo property could be turned into an underground mine, Veltkamp said.

Hecla bought the property last year from Monarch Resources Ltd. of Bermuda. The site is 68 miles northeast of Durango.