Asbestos Packing Company," of which Mr. Hyde Rust, of Boston, is
treasurer, and Mr. T. Sheridan, local resident manager. This mine is
being steadily and efficiently worked, and being practically on the same
level with that of the Johnson Company, the produce is of a very similar
character. It is remarkably good, and some exceptionally fine asbestos
has been got out here. In a pamphlet published a short time ago by the
Canadian Government on the mineral resources of Canada, it is stated
that the yield from this mine (including of course that last mentioned),
is pronounced by European manufacturers to be the finest and strongest
fibre of the kind known; and it is further stated _that there is no
question at all as to the profitable nature of asbestos mining in this
belt of country_.
The output of the Boston Company's mine, according to the authority just
cited, is about 400 tons per annum. Mr. Ells, of the Geological Survey
Department, Ottawa, says that in 1886 the quantity extracted was about
700 tons, and the total produce of the mine to the end of that year
about 3,000 tons. There must, I imagine, be some misapprehension of the
figures here, and I feel sure that those given above are nearer the
mark.
The value of the output of this mine is certainly as high, it is
possible taking it all round, that it may be higher than that of the
last mentioned. Steps are now being taken to introduce machinery and
prosecute the work on a more extensive scale.
The next mine here is one of a more recent date, worked by the Brothers
Ward, and owned by them conjointly with the Hon. James Ross of Quebec.
It is turning out fairly good material, and judging by the indications,
coupled with what has been already done, there is no reason to suppose
that this mine will not presently be as remunerative as those already
mentioned.
The output of this, on the same authority, is 150 tons, which is, I
believe, the extreme limit of what has yet been done. This mine has been
opened now about four years, and in that time has produced, as near as I
could learn when last there, about 400 tons. It is said to be worth from
$70 to $80, but I did not hear of any of it fetching more than $70,
which is doubtless its present value.
The same gentlemen own some very promising-looking land on the other
side of the railway, which, in fact, bisects their property; but as this
is on a lower level it looks very much as if they will be troubled with
water when they begin to open.
The only other mine now opened at Thetford is that owned and worked by
Messrs. King Brothers. It is in the same vicinity and bears much the
same character as those already mentioned. The output is given at 175
tons per annum.
These four mines form the Thetford group, and are at present by far the
most important in the province. They are on a lower level and are
consequently worked at a greater depth than those next to be described.
The output for this reason moreover is of a more uniform character, and
does not require such close classification as some of the other mines
farther on. Practically, No. 1 and No. 3 are the only divisions here,
the produce being mostly available for No. 1. No. 3 is a very inferior
kind, merely the refuse in fact, which is sold and shipped in bulk at
$10 a ton, without being bagged up at all, and is mostly used for
cement, boiler covering, &c.
The Thetford river marks the western limit of the serpentine on these
properties, the rocks on the other side of the water being mostly
altered slates and sandstones. To the east of the railway, which cuts
directly across the area, the serpentine forms a knoll with an elevation
of about 90 or 100 feet above the line of rails; all the workings at
present being confined to this portion of the area. They consist of open
cuttings on the face of the hill, apparently very little having as yet
been done to ascertain the value of the ground between the railway and
the river. There are certainly good indications there, and when I was
last at Thetford I found Mr. Ward prospecting in this part with some
success. Here, however, is the place where the water trouble will first
arise, which will have to be provided for at the outset.
The essential peculiarity of the veins at Thetford is that they are
occasionally associated, as already mentioned, with grains and threads
of chromic iron and also of magnetite. The magnetite forms rather
conspicuous masses between the veins of asbestos in Messrs. King's mine,
where it sometimes entirely replaces the latter.[8]
As a general rule, however, the surface veins at Thetford are nearly as
pure as those lying deeper in the rock, the reason being that the
surface is mostly naked rock only scantily clothed with vegetable mould,
moss, or other foreign element, contact with which deteriorates, by
discolouring, the fibre, as is found to be the case in a very marked
degree in the mines next to be described.
It is a peculiarity of the veins of asbestos that they are never
continuous. They vary very much in size, and, in precisely the same way
as other mineral veins, they are affected by faults or slides, which not
infrequently cut off completely a valuable working face. Where this
occurs the slicken-sided character is very marked.
Sheets, also, of imperfect or immature asbestos, having a long coarse
woody fibre, are frequently to be seen lying all along the sides of the
fault; but, although there is a good deal of this, the general quality
of the produce of all the Thetford mines is excellent. The fibre is fine
and of a smooth silky texture, very easily worked. The veins are mostly,
especially in the lower cuttings, more free from impurities than those
of Coleraine.
No steam power is at present used in this district, the whole of the
proprietors at present continuing to rely upon hand labour; the Boston
Company are, however, as just mentioned, now seriously turning their
attention that way, with a view of increasing their output.
The Thetford mine-owners are one and all kind and hospitable men, always
ready to give every information and to facilitate an inspection of their
works by anyone who will take the trouble to visit them; a trouble which
I always found very amply repaid by the courtesy with which I was
received, and the candour and obliging readiness with which all my
inquiries were immediately answered.
The workers in the mines here are mostly resident on the spot,
sufficient accommodation having been provided for them in the immediate
neighbourhood of the mines; the proprietors, who appear to act with a
liberal consideration towards their men, deeming it incumbent on
themselves to look after their welfare; and they find their account in
so doing, in not running short of hands at critical times.
The practice at Thetford is to close down entirely for the winter
months, it not having yet been found advantageous, in view of the
limited market, coupled with the difficulty of outdoor quarrywork, to
encounter the extra expense of working at this season. Some of the
owners, Messrs. King in especial, being largely interested in the lumber
trade, to which they devote themselves in the winter, are able to find
plenty of employment at that season for their men and others, who then
go off into the woods.
At Thetford, as elsewhere, great mistakes, arising mainly from
inexperience and want of the knowledge now possessed, were made when the
mines were first opened up, which will inevitably entail serious loss in
the future; as an instance, much valuable ground is now seen to be
covered up by the dumps, which will unquestionably have to be moved
presently when the land is wanted for working.
The same want of foresight, for which there was less excuse with the
Thetford experience to guide them, will inevitably cause trouble in the
near future at Black Lake, on the property of the Anglo-Canadian
Company, even to a more serious extent. The parties who first opened up
the ground here evidently knew what they were about, but their immediate
successors, being destitute of all practical mining knowledge, have, by
their neglect of professional assistance, committed such errors of
judgment as will presently occasion very serious expense to the company.
At their main pit many thousands of tons of waste rock have been dumped
on to some of the richest part of the ground, and this must be again
moved before that ground can be worked. From the peculiarity of the
work, there probably exists no class of mining which so absolutely
necessitates the services of a practical mining engineer, in marking out
the land in the first instance for mining and dumping, as that for
asbestos does.
The cost of extraction varies in different localities, depending mainly
on the mass of barren rock to be encountered and removed. At Thetford
the cost may be put at from $20 to $25 per ton, the latter probably
being nearer the average. On the Anglo-Canadian Company's property at
Black Lake it is a more serious matter. There the quantity of barren
overlying rock and earth is enormous, and detracts immensely from the
value of the mines. The minimum cost here is $28.
In addition to asbestos, it is worthy of note that the whole of the
Thetford district is rich in minerals. Among others some large and
valuable deposits of chromic iron are found in the immediate
neighbourhood, within but a short distance of the asbestos mines.
THE COLERAINE GROUP.
Four miles farther down the line of railway from Thetford we come to the
Coleraine group of asbestos mines, situate at Black Lake.
The pioneer of these mines was a Mr. Noel, now resident at Richmond,
near Sherbrooke, in the same province, who, in 1881, discovered and
opened up a mine of a promising character here, which in 1882 he sold to
Mr. Charles Lionais, who was until recently the resident manager of the
mines owned by the Scottish Asbestos Company, at Black Lake and
Broughton.
The mine first opened here was called by Mr. Lionais the "Eureka," and
some time afterwards he opened another on the same estate which he named
the "Emelie." The property on which these two mines are located
subsequently came into the possession of the late Mr. Sénécal, and was
by him transferred to the "Anglo-Canadian Asbestos Company, Limited," on
the formation of that company in London, in the autumn of 1885.
The estate owned by the Anglo-Canadian Company comprises 325 acres, and
has a frontage of 1,350 feet extending backwards over the hills as far
as Lake Cariboo. Until recently this was the only place in the district
where machinery was employed to get out the ore.
The peculiar characteristic of this property, as distinguished from the
mines forming the Thetford group, is that much exceedingly heavy work,
necessitating of course great expense and showing very poor results,
must of necessity be done before the good veins, if any such exist, as
it is believed they do, are reached. Much of this has already so far
been done at the Emelie, that at length this portion of the property
bids fair, in capable hands, of proving to be a moderately paying mine.
Great results were prophesied from it at first, but so far it has by no
means realised expectations.
The surface veins, not only at the "Emelie" but all over the property so
far as yet proved, are not only thin, but are much discoloured by the
infiltration of water which is so strongly impregnated with the oxide of
iron as almost to destroy its value. It was thought, and as it would
appear with some show of reason, that the output would greatly improve
in value as a lower depth was reached; but although there has
undoubtedly been a sensible improvement in quality, the general result
is disappointing. Started as a No. 3 mine, as such in all probability it
will continue. The output from this Company's mines for 1886 was 330
tons.
The No. 3 quality of asbestos, which has hitherto been the main produce
of this mine, fetches so low a price in the market that alone it would
not pay for working. This, as already explained, is mainly on account of
its bad colour and general coarse quality. This latter having somewhat
improved, a considerable proportion of the produce would cease to be
classed as No. 3 if it were not for the bad colour. It therefore
occurred to me that it might be possible to remove this defect without
injuring the fibre, and in consequence I had some experiments made with
this object in view, and ultimately succeeded beyond my expectations, in
replacing the discoloured fibre by one sufficiently bright to enable it
to take rank as No. 1. These experiments, it is true, were only
conducted on a limited scale, but, so far as I am aware, there is no
reason why it should not be done on a large scale, which would very
materially increase the value of the article.
There is ample room for opening up in a more judicious way on other
parts of this property on what seems likely to be good paying ground;
and a mode of doing this without incurring any further expense might
easily be devised, and, if this were done, other seams of better quality
might be hit upon.
Another point in the company's favour is that, if judiciously selected,
there is abundant room for dumping without encroaching on the
ore-bearing grounds--a most important matter when consideration is taken
of the enormous quantity of waste rock to be here encountered and
removed.
The buildings on the estate are well constructed, and are in an
efficient state of repair, but at present there is an insufficiency of
dwelling-houses on the property. These are a necessity in the district,
for securing and retaining a better class of labour. No great expense
would have to be incurred in supplying this deficiency. Lumber and
labour are both comparatively cheap, and the buildings in themselves,
moreover, would always return a fair interest on the outlay.
The property on which the "Martin" Mine is located closely adjoins the
last mentioned. This has recently been acquired by "The Scottish
Asbestos Company," of Glasgow, with the intention of working it in
conjunction with their mines at East Broughton. Judging by the elaborate
preparations for work which are being made, and the expenditure which is
being incurred in buildings and machinery, it is evidently the company's
intention to carry on work vigorously in both places.
Their property at Black Lake covers 102 acres, and is described as being
a mile long by 520 feet wide. The output is given as 300 tons, but I
should doubt very much if it has yet reached this figure.
The ground here and in front of the Anglo-Canadian Company's land rises
very rapidly, from the level of the Quebec Central Railway, until it
attains a height of nearly 600 feet, being then about on a level with
the Thetford mines. The great serpentine belt crosses both properties,
and is bounded along its northern margin by quartzose granulite,
separated from the serpentine by a narrow belt of soapstone. It is
claimed for property of the Scottish Asbestos Company, that not less
than three-quarters of it consists of the rock formation that seems to
be the asbestos matrix.
This property is well laid out, and has a considerable number of
dwellings already erected on it for the workpeople. It is also traversed
by a good road leading down to the line of railway.
On a narrow strip of land, dividing the properties of the last two
mentioned companies, is a small mine called the Frechette-Douville Mine,
which (working the same seams of ore), was doing very well when I was
there. The output of this is not large, but the quality was very good,
and this in consequence is no doubt a very paying mine.
These are the only mines at present being worked at Black Lake, but from
indications on other properties lying on the same line, there can be
little doubt that other mines will presently be opened up in this
locality. Capital is all that is wanting at present, but, as the demand
for the mineral increases, the necessary capital for producing it in
larger quantities will no doubt be forthcoming.
The companies working at Black Lake when I was last there were working
at a great disadvantage as compared with those at Thetford, in the want
of a station on the line. The Post Office arrangements were also of a
very primitive character, nor was there any wire nearer than Thetford.
All this, however, has been remedied, and there is now at Black Lake not
only a station but also a post and telegraph office, in addition to many
new houses for the accommodation of the workpeople.
The cost of mining, for the reasons already given, is, and must of
necessity be, greater at Black Lake than at Thetford, and cannot be put
at less than $28 a ton. After removal of the surface earth and rock, the
proportion of refuse rock is about twenty-five tons to one of asbestos.
In regard to communication, Black Lake is 80 miles from Quebec, and
about 60 from Sherbrooke; the latter being a rising place, where all
stores, &c., needed for the mines are obtainable and from whence lines
radiate to all parts of the States.
There are several other places in the vicinity of Black Lake where,
although all that has yet been done may be called simple exploratory
work, the indications are such as to warrant the expectation that
valuable results may be looked for. This is especially the case in what
are known as the Reed and Haydon properties which extend over about 200
acres.
On Dr. Reed's land, or rather on that part of it known as the "Coleraine
Mines," which is about 100 acres in extent, the ground has already been
opened up in ten different places, each of which shows good No. 1
asbestos in quantities sufficient for profitable working.
The outcroppings here, moreover, are far superior to anything that can
be seen on the ground lower down where work is now being carried on. A
practical mining engineer who was recently sent to examine and report on
this property says that it is 100 per cent. better than that at Black
Lake; that 75 per cent. of the whole is veritable asbestos-bearing land,
and that he knows of no other asbestos mine so well situate for
practical work, or showing such advantages in timber, water, and,
dumping ground. The timber is sufficient for all practical purposes for
at least twenty-five years.
And Mr. Ells, in his Annual Report to the Minister of the Interior, for
1886, speaking of his visit to the asbestos district and of his
inspection of these properties, makes special mention of them as
follows: "In the vicinity of Black Lake several other areas occur, in
which the exploratory work done, though not very extensive, shows
indications that _fully warrant_ the statement that a valuable and
profitable output may be expected. These properties are known as the
Reed and Hayden properties, and are situated on lots 27 and 28, Range B
of Coleraine. In various open cuts in the side of the hills numerous
veins are disclosed, ranging upwards to a width of two and a half
inches, with surface indications apparently in no way inferior to those
of the adjoining properties now being worked at this place, _or even of
those of Thetford mines_, not only as to the _number_ and _size_ of the
veins, but also as to the _quality_ of the fibre. These indications
appear at many points on both the Hayden and Reed properties, which
embrace a total of 200 acres."
Between these properties and Cariboo Lake the serpentines extend in an
apparently continuous ridge, and show, at intervals, very good
indications of asbestos. This area, however, has not yet been
sufficiently explored for much to be said, from actual observation, of
its value as asbestos land, though it seems reasonable enough to suppose
that this portion of the serpentine belt will be presently found equally
valuable with that of the adjoining section.
In the vicinity of the Coleraine Station of the Quebec Central Railway
(the next station to Black Lake), serpentine also occurs; but the main
ridge, extending south-west, keeps to the north-west for about a mile
and a half, where it forms a conspicuous hill feature. An opening
recently made on this south-west extremity by Mr. Kennedy disclosed the
presence of a number of asbestos veins, one of which, occurring near the
surface had a width, it is said, of nearly four inches. Sufficient work
has not yet been done to determine the persistence and value of these
veins, though when I was last leaving the district I was given to
understand that energetic operations would commence immediately on the
opening of the working season.
A peculiarity here is the occurrence of a considerable quantity of mica
in direct contact with the asbestos, a circumstance which has not
hitherto been found to be the case anywhere else.
BROUGHTON.
The finest vein of asbestos ever yet worked in Canada was discovered at
Broughton, when the Fraser Mine was first opened and worked by Dr. Reed;
although doubtless the largest, most continuous, and consequently best
paying veins have been found at Thetford, some of which, it has been
stated, were over six inches in thickness. I confess I have not been
fortunate enough to see anything like this, but I have seen many veins
there, the produce of which was of surprising beauty, and specimens of
which I have before me as I write, which are broad enough and good
enough for any purpose to which the fibre can possibly be put.
It must, however, be borne in mind that the same rule obtains with many
other things as is noted in the vegetable world--namely, that the
largest specimens are not necessarily the best. The broader veins of
asbestos do not, as I have already remarked, yield as a rule fibre of so
fine a quality as those of a medium, or even of a small size. The length
of the fibre, moreover, cannot be determined with any absolute certainty
from the thickness of the vein. On the contrary, the broader veins are
not seldom found to be separated at right angles to the length of fibre
by minute bands of serpentine, chrome, or magnetite, sometimes even by a
separation without any perceptible layer of rock, the only indication of
this being an irregular, scarcely visible line, readily detected by the
expert.[9]
Under the hammer the big veins, in which the separation exists, are at
once divided into two, or it may be into three lengths of fibre; but if
the cotton be pure and clear, this is no very great detriment. Veins of
an inch or an inch and a half extracted from compact rock seldom have
these intersections. The veins, moreover, are extremely irregular in
character, a small vein at the surface frequently developing into one of
considerable size lower down, or breaking off altogether. This is the
special characteristic of the veins in the Coleraine district--notably
at Black Lake--at the mines of the Anglo-Canadian Company, and at
Danville. At Thetford, on the other hand, where the ground is of a more
uniform character, and at a lower level than at Black Lake, fine veins
are frequently met with just below the surface, which continue for a
considerable distance with very little change.
It will clearly be seen, therefore, that it is not possible properly to
appreciate the value of such a mine as this without inspection and
thorough examination by an expert. Fine specimens can at any time be
obtained, and have before now been exhibited at a distance as being the
produce of some particular mine for which a purchaser was wanted, when
anyone visiting the spot would at once see the utter impossibility of
such having been the case; and even if it were proved to be true that
the specimens exhibited came from the place indicated, it would be
important to know at what depth they were got, with the nature and
general disposition of the mine, as well as the proportion of
superincumbent rock requiring to be removed before the valuable veins
could be worked. Without a knowledge of this it is self-evident that no
practical estimate of expense to be incurred could possibly be made.
The discovery at Broughton made a great stir at the time; but the big
vein there was to all appearance soon worked out, the supply thought to
be exhausted, and work in consequence discontinued.
That, at any rate, was the view taken by the gentleman who then worked
the mine. About 130 tons, I was told, were got out, which fetched from
$100 to $120 a ton. It would now be worth a much better price.