BISHOP, Calif., Sept. 25, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- North Bay Resources Inc. (the “Company” or “North Bay”) (OTC: NBRI) is pleased to announce the arrival of its first gold ore shipment from the Company’s Fran Gold Project and commencement of test milling operations. Starting today the Company will begin testing and optimization of milling for extraction of gold from ore. The first phase will involve testing of the jaw crusher to reduce the ore to minus ½” for feed into the ball mill for further reduction to minus 150 mesh and then moved as a slurry to the gravity separation table for extraction of free gold and other valuable metals. This will then be followed by optimization and testing of the flotation cells and reagent formulation with a final phase of further upgrading the flotation concentrate by use of a 2^nd gravity table and report to tailings. The free gold and, as applicable, precious metal concentrate will be melted in the on-site furnace for production of Dore bars or similar high-grade instruments for bank vault storage or shipment to the gold refinery in Reno, Nevada. The initial shipment consisted of 22 tons of surface material loaded into one metric tonne (2200 lbs.) super-sacks and placed on flat-bed tractor trailers. The target material was recently assayed and graded 1.2 to 2.3 ounces gold per ton (see Press Release dated August 26, 2024).   The Company has identified approximately 5000 tons of target material for immediate shipment and a substantially larger amount of near surface material in trenches and defined by prior diamond drilling.

Management Update

The Company has engaged the Sabean Group for media and management consulting. The Sabean Group is founded by content executive Tim Sabean, one of the most highly regarded experts in modern media, serving previously as the founder of the Howard Stern Channels on SiriusXM, spanning a 30 year career building content brands for some of the biggest brands in media. Gil Edwards, has served in leadership roles at CBS Radio and SiriusXM developing media brands and top-tier spoken word entertainment content. Mr. Edwards has over a decade of digital product leadership and strategy, working on start-up platforms in streaming audio, video and mobile development. Mr. Edwards has an MBA from Villanova University. Jim Keller (CPA) has over 35 years of experience providing financial, administrative, operational and strategic leadership to global software, consulting, distribution, manufacturing and public accounting firms ranging from early-stage to established billion-dollar corporations.   Al McGowan is a result-driven executive with a successful record of raising capital to create numerous high growth companies. In addition to being a Member of the Board of Directors of Cambridge Mobile Telematics, the worldwide leader in insurance telematics, Mr. McGowan was the CEO of TrafficCast International, a Founder at Traffic.com and the President of Shadow Broadcast Services. These companies were the industry leaders and innovators in their verticals and resulted in successful exits for investors and employees. Mr. McGowan played a significant role in the development of the oil storage and refining facilities that were part of the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu in Saudi Arabi and worked in the petrochemical, hydroelectric and nuclear fields before spending five years as a facilities engineering and real estate executive in the aerospace industry.   Mr. McGowan has a degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Delaware.

Bishop Gold Mill Technical Update

The Company has received a tailings pond inspection report from its environmental engineering firm, NewFields, indicating no issues or degradation of the tailings pond liner in the Waste Management Unit of the Bishop Gold Mill. The Company’s civil and process engineering firm SRK Consulting (Reno) is completing a De-watering Plan and updated Waste Management and Closure financial projection (2024 dollars), both will be used to determine if bond requirement will be adjusted by regulators. Currently, the Company has a $250,000 closure bond in place. The Company’s metallurgy lab, Woods Process Services, is completing an ore characterization study, flotation analyses, and report tailings characterization for filing with regulators as part of the mill start-up. Along with mechanical, plumbing, and electrical operational testing utilizing run-of-mine ore; water testing, operational, reporting, and safety protocols are now being checked and implemented as per the approved Plan of Operation and Waste Management Unit and Closure Plan.

Current transportation costs from the Fran Gold Project to the Bishop Gold Mill, are currently $150 per ton for long haul trucking, with off-road / site costs approximately the same. Both costs are expected to be substantially reduced. The acquisition of off-road transport equipment will eliminate high hourly charges by specialty off-road equipment operators due to the remote mine location and, although not an immediate priority, ultimately replacing long haul trucking with low-cost rail is expected to bring transport costs in line with equivalent regional mine to mill transport costs.

Mt. Vernon Gold Mine

The Company’s mine contractor has filed the required Federal Mining Authority (MSHA) operating plan and expects to commence operations in October. The initial detailed extraction plan for the drill, blast, load, and removal of a 500-ton high grade bulk sample is being updated and completed, based on prior 3D modelling, by the Company’s mine engineering consultant, RESPEC Company, and is expected shortly; site preparations are expected to commence thereafter.

Taber Gold Mine

Mining crews continue to develop and rehabilitate the Wild Boar Zone approximately 700 feet inside the mine. The primary work has consisted of steel and timber reinforcement of the tunnel and clearing of the historic Wild Boar shaft. Sampling of the three known mining faces will commence once rehabilitation is complete.

Corporate Update

The Sabean Group will receive an initial 100,000,000 incentive share purchase options with a 2-year term and a strike price of $0.0006, to be issued within 30 days, and $20,000 per month commencing in January 2025 for a term of one year. Additionally, up to 100,000,000 share purchase incentive options maybe issued in January 2025 in exchange for a reduction in cash compensation as agreed at that time.  

On behalf of the Board of Directors of

NORTH BAY RESOURCES INC.

Jared Lazerson
CEO

info@northbay-resources.com

northbay-resources.com

X: @NorthBayRes

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This news release may contain certain “Forward-Looking Statements” within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws.