Just how rushed it really was:For the Star Shaft:
April 25: 18 freeze holes drilled
May 15, 2003: freeze holes complete
July 17, 2003: Shaft down 18 m.
Sept 4, 2003: shaft down 66 m.
Oct 9, 2003: kimberlite intersected
Mar 31, 2004: first batch of concentrate shipped to lab
June 22, 2004: first diamond results from shaft.
From freeze hole completion to results = 1 year + 2 months
For the Orion South Shaft:
July 25, 2007: Freeze wall started.
Feb 5, 2008: first diamond results
Time: 6 months, 11 days.