Tom Szabo's numbers for recovered gold and siver from the oxides are correct. When infered resources are added, the recoverable gold goes up to 95,505 ounces and the recoverable silver goes up to 4,562,492 ounces. The value of these precious metals at current prices of $950 gold and $15 silver is $159.17 million. This value is only part of the story though, since ECU will also be feeding the gold pyrite concentrate into the mill. The current value of the stockpiled gold pyrite concentrate is apparently around $20 million and will grow as sulfide ore is processed thru the other mill. The tonnage of M&I oxide ore is 1,075,000 tonnes, and the indicated is another 379,000 tonnes. The mill we bought from Hecla is not a Barrick sized mill, and at a throughput of 400 tonnes per day, this is enough ore to last 10 years. The $159 million value of the recoverable precious metals is not huge; is not even close to the end of the story for ECU, and looks pretty good when compared to the purchase price of the mill of $8.5 million.

I do not have any information on the lein against the mill. ECU has stated it is involved in litigation in its MD&A, and that is likely all they can say until the issue is reolved. ECU did have a near death experience about 10 years ago when its price dropped to 1/2 cent per share until the time when the new leadership of Michel Roy saved the company, so if someone did not get paid, it is understandable, though not desireable. Sometimes obsticals are stepping stones.