Amianthus mine, Kaapsche Hoop district, Transvaal

The Amianthus mine, also called the New Amianthus, worked chrysotile in the Kaapsche Hoop district of the Transvaal, some 30 miles west of Barberton by the account of Asbestos, the industry's trade journal.^7,9 The sources date its start differently: a 1959 history in Asbestos says the Amianthus and Munnik Myburgh mines "started exploitation of the deposits" in 1909, and that their output reached "330 tons in 1909" and "over 1,000 tons, (in 1922)," while W. E. Sinclair, writing in the same journal in 1944, said pioneers "opened up the deposits with the aid of ox wagon transport" in 1915.^5,6

The working mine

In 1925 Asbestos reported that the New Amianthus Mine was "being equipped with a seven mile aerial haulage from the mine to the railway."¹⁰ In December 1926 it put production at "something like 600 tons a month," said that "a new modern mill is being installed which is expected to be in operation shortly," and gave the yield of fiber per ton of rock as "said to be about 22%."⁷ Advertisements of 1930 and 1931 offered "Transvaal white asbestos, superfine quality," as the product of the Amianthus Mine.^2,3 In 1931 the journal counted it among "the various mines in the Turner-Newall group," and in 1937 it called it the "Amianthus mine owned by Turner & Newall Ltd."^4,11

Exhaustion and closing

The U.S. Bureau of Mines' Minerals Yearbook reported late in 1932 that "the New Amianthus chrysotile mine in the Transvaal had also suspended operations."¹² In 1937 Asbestos wrote that "the Amianthus mines are practically exhausted" and that "the Havelock mine shall take the place of the Amianthus mine."¹³ Writing in 1961, Sinclair said the mine "closed down early in 1938 having at that stage depleted its ore-reserves."⁸ In May 1941 Asbestos said that "depletion of reserves has led to their closing down," and the yearbooks spoke of "the once famous Amianthus mine" and, for 1942, of mines "now virtually worked out."^9,14,15

Later owners

In 1953 Sinclair reported that "the Audax Asbestos Holdings have taken over the old Amianthus Mines, which was originally worked by Turner & Newall."¹⁶ In 1977 Asbestos said that Dublin Consolidated Asbestos Mines "also owns the Amianthus Mine in the Nelspruit District, Eastern Transvaal, tributed to Kaapsehoop Asbestos (Pty) Ltd."¹⁷

The documents report this mine producing asbestos fiber for sale.⁷

Location

Output the documents report

Figures as printed, in the units each document uses (short tons before about 1990, metric tons after, in most U.S. chapters). Some are a year's output, some a daily rate or a capacity, some a company's total rather than this mine's alone; the statement for that year below says which.

Year	Figure	Source
1922	1,000 tons (over)	5
1926	600 tons a month	7

Year by year

Every statement about this mine in the documents, in each document's own words, by the year it is about.

1909

• Opened: “the Amianthus and Munnik Myburgh mines started exploitation of the deposits situated on the lower slopes of the Drakensberg range (1909)”, p. 6⁵

1915

• Opened: “Deposits opened up in 1915 by pioneers with ox wagon transport; since known as the Amianthus Mine; superior chrysotile until fairly recently”, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 8⁶

1922

• Output: “Early production from these mines soon boosted output to 330 tons in 1909. When fully developed, production was gradually stepped up to over 1,000 tons, (in 1922)”, p. 6⁵

1923

• Worked: “only one good mine, the Amianthus. Limited” (Amianthus, Limited), p. 18¹

1925

• Description: “a seven mile aerial haulage from the mine to the railway”, p. 46¹⁰

1926

• Output: “something like 600 tons a month”, p. 46⁷
• Mill: “a new modern mill is being installed”, p. 46⁷
• Reserves: “yield of fibre per ton of rock mined, which is said to be about 22%”, p. 46⁷

1930

• Worked: “Transvaal white asbestos, superfine quality, the product of the Amianthus Mine, Kaapsche Hoop”, said by The Asbestos & Electrical Fittings Co. Ltd., p. 21²
• Description: “"the big Amianthus Mine at Barberton"”, as reported by South African Mining & Engineering Journal, p. 57¹⁸

1931

• Worked: “Transvaal white asbestos, superfine quality, product of the Amianthus Mine, Kaapsche Hoop”, said by Raw Asbestos Distributors Ltd., p. 35³
• Ownership: “In the Turner-Newall group” (Turner & Newall, Ltd.), p. 58⁴

1932

• Idle: “the New Amianthus chrysotile mine in the Transvaal had also suspended operations”, p. 7¹²

1937

• Reserves: “The Amianthus mines are practically exhausted”, p. 8¹³
• Reserves: “Amianthus mine near Barberton: deposits practically exhausted”, p. 15¹³
• Ownership: “Amianthus mine owned by Turner & Newall Ltd.” (Turner & Newall Ltd.), p. 36¹¹
• Reserves: “threatened exhaustion of reserves in the Amianthus mine, Transvaal”, p. 8¹⁹
• Reserves: “Because of depletion of the Amianthus mine chrysotile production in the Transvaal has declined greatly since 1937”, p. 10²⁰

1938

• Reserves: “This probably represents the effect of the reported early depletion of the Amianthus mine”, p. 9²¹
• Closed: “This Mine closed down early in 1938 having at that stage depleted its ore-reserves”, said by W. E. Sinclair, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 14⁸
• Ownership: “the New Amianthus Mine (Turner, Newall Limited)” (Turner, Newall Limited), said by W. E. Sinclair, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 6⁸

1939

• Reserves: “The decline in chrysotile production in the Transvaal to a mere fraction of its former volume reflects the imminent depletion of the Amianthus mine”, p. 9²²

1941

• Closed: “depletion of reserves has led to their closing down” (New Amianthus Ltd.), p. 14¹⁴
• Closed: “the great reduction in output of chrysotile in the Transvaal due to depletion of the once famous Amianthus mine”, p. 11¹⁵

1942

• Output: “Some years ago there was a large production of chrysotile from the Amianthus ... mines in the Kaapsche Hoop district of eastern Transvaal”, p. 9⁹
• Reserves: “The mines are now virtually worked out”, p. 9⁹

1953

• Ownership: “the Audax Asbestos Holdings have taken over the old Amianthus Mines, which was originally worked by Turner & Newall” (Audax Asbestos Holdings), said by W. E. Sinclair, M.I.M.M. (Consulting Mining Engineer), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 12¹⁶

1977

• Ownership: “Dublin also owns the Amianthus Mine in the Nelspruit District, Eastern Transvaal, tributed to Kaapsehoop Asbestos (Pty) Ltd.” (Dublin Consolidated Asbestos Mines (Pty) Ltd.), p. 36¹⁷

1928

• Description: “immediately under the escarpment where the New Amianthus Mine ... are located”, p. 7²³

Other names

Documents call this mine “Amianthus mine”, “New Amianthus Mine”, “Amianthus”, “New Amianthus chrysotile mine”.

References

1. Asbestos Magazine, 1923, March 1923 (March 1, 1923), p. 18.
2. Asbestos Magazine, 1930, January 1930 (January 1, 1930), p. 21.
3. Asbestos Magazine, 1931, January 1931 (January 1, 1931), p. 35.
4. Asbestos Magazine, 1931, February 1931 (February 1, 1931), p. 58.
5. Asbestos Magazine, 1959, August 1959 (August 1, 1959), p. 6.
6. Asbestos Magazine, 1944, August 1944 (August 1, 1944), p. 8.
7. Asbestos Magazine, 1926, December 1926 (December 1, 1926), p. 46.
8. Asbestos Magazine, 1961, October 1961 (October 1, 1961), pp. 6, 14.
9. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1942 (January 1, 1943), p. 9.
10. Asbestos Magazine, 1925, May 1925 (May 1, 1925), p. 46.
11. Asbestos Magazine, 1937, September 1937 (September 1, 1937), p. 36.
12. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1932–33 (January 1, 1934), p. 7.
13. Asbestos Magazine, 1937, July 1937 (July 1, 1937), pp. 8, 15.
14. Asbestos Magazine, 1941, May 1941 (May 1, 1941), p. 14.
15. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1941 (January 1, 1942), p. 11.
16. Asbestos Magazine, 1953, December 1953 (December 1, 1953), p. 12.
17. Asbestos Magazine, 1977, December 1977 (December 1, 1977), p. 36.
18. Asbestos Magazine, 1930, November 1930 (November 1, 1930), p. 57.
19. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1938 (January 1, 1939), p. 8.
20. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1945 (January 1, 1946), p. 10.
21. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1939 (January 1, 1940), p. 9.
22. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1940 (January 1, 1941), p. 9.
23. Asbestos Magazine, 1928, May 1928 (May 1, 1928), p. 7.