Strathcona Minerals Services Limited
12th Floor, 20 Toronto Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5C 2B8
April 24, 1997
Mr. David Walsh
President and Chief Executive Officer
Bre-X Minerals Ltd.
119 - 114 Street NW
Calgary, AB T2N 1Z6
Dear Mr. Walsh:
Busang Technical Audit Status Report as of April 24, 1997
As of tomorrow, April 25, 175 samples of crushed material representing 350
metres of drill core will have been delivered from Perth, Australia to assay
laboratories in Indonesia and Canada. The assay results from this initial group of
samples are expected to be representative of the full 1470 metres of core
recovered from our six-hole drilling program.
Results from the assay laboratories in Canada and in Indonesia, along with the
results from the laboratory in Australia should be available in the latter part of next
week. The laboratories are aware of the sensitive nature of this data and although
a number of individuals will be aware of the program being followed, only one or
two persons in management at each laboratory will have access to the final
assays.
Because of the importance of these assay results, we feel it mandatory that all
three laboratories report their results simultaneously and we have instructed the
laboratories not to release their results to us until we notify them that work has
been completed at all locations. The assays will be done by both fire assay and
bottle cyanide leach techniques so that six assays will be available for every
two-metre interval.
Our compilation of the assay data and the interpretation thereof will follow shortly
after, and along with the other main observations of our technical audit, will be
covered in our interim report which we hope to issue to Bre-X and any other
parties you may designate, at the end of next week. Our complete final report will
follow in approximately six weeks, with the full details of our review of the
technical work done by both Bre-X and Freeport on the Busang property, and
will include all assay results from our drilling program.
At this time, we anticipate the principal conclusions to be expressed in our interim
report will remain unchanged in our final report.
Yours sincerely,
G. Farquharson |
