Baryulgil, 40 miles northwest of Grafton, New South Wales

Baryulgil was a small chrysotile mine near Grafton, New South Wales, worked by the company Asbestos Mines.^1,2 The sources place it differently: Asbestos, the industry's trade journal, put it "52 miles north-west from Grafton" in 1955, while the U.S. Bureau of Mines' Minerals Yearbook for 1964 put it "40 miles northwest of Grafton."^5,7 In 1946 Asbestos named Asbestos Mines, "operating at Baryulgil," as one of the principal producers of chrysotile in Australia, and called it "a subsidiary of both James Hardie & Co., Ltd., and Wunderlich, Ltd., of Sydney."¹

The trade journal reported in 1955 that the mine's "maximum yearly output was 569 tons recorded in 1953," and that ore reserves were estimated in 1953 at "98,000 tons, containing approximately 2% recoverable fibre," enough for "about 3 years at current rate of production."⁵ Asbestos later gave its output as "185 short tons" for the second quarter of 1958.⁶ In 1967 R. A. Dodge, writing in the same journal, spoke of "the small production of chrysotile and tremolite from the Baryulgil Mine."¹⁰

By 1975 Asbestos Mines was a "wholly owned subsidiary of James Hardie Asbestos Ltd." running "a small mine and mill at Baryulgil," which Asbestos said was "operating at the economic limit of the orebody."⁸ In late 1976, the journal reported, Woodsreef acquired "all of the issued shares" of Asbestos Mines from James Hardie Asbestos, and it put production at "about 400 metric tons of fiber per year."¹¹ Woodsreef's subsidiary drilled on leases near Baryulgil in 1976 and 1977, then deferred exploration there.^12,13 Woodsreef reported that "the small asbestos mine at Baryulgil was closed in April 1979 due to continuing losses."⁹

The documents report this mine producing asbestos fiber for sale.⁵

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 by year

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

1946

• Worked: “principal producers of chrysotile ... Asbestos Mines, Pty., Ltd., operating at Baryulgil” (Asbestos Mines, Pty., Ltd.), p. 18¹
• Ownership: “Asbestos Mines, Pty. Ltd., is a subsidiary of both James Hardie & Co., Ltd., and Wunderlich, Ltd.” (James Hardie & Co., Ltd.; Wunderlich, Ltd.), p. 18¹

1952

• Output: “Production of chrysotile fibre at Baryulgil, N.S.W., was slightly higher than in 1951”, p. 24⁴

1953

• Output: “Maximum yearly output was 569 tons recorded in 1953, which brought total production from the deposit to 3,998 tons”, p. 10⁵
• Reserves: “Ore reserves were estimated (1953) at 98,000 tons, containing approximately 2% recoverable fibre”, p. 10⁵

1955

• Description: “Baryulgil, 52 miles north-west from Grafton, N.S.W.”, p. 10⁵
• Fiber: “chrysotile production from Baryulgil, N.S.W.”, p. 24²
• Worked: “the chrysotile production from Baryulgil, N.S.W.”, p. 24²

1957

• Worked: “Production of chrysotile at Baryulgil, New South Wales ... has remained fairly constant”, p. 38³

1958

• Output: “Production of chrysotile at Baryulgil, New South Wales ... 185 short tons”, p. 52⁶

1964

• Worked: “Asbestos Mines (Pty.), Ltd., has been working in the area” (Asbestos Mines (Pty.), Ltd.), as reported by Mining Journal (London), p. 10⁷
• Exploration: “Numerous outcrops of asbestos were reported at Barryulgel” (Asbestos Mines (Pty.), Ltd.), as reported by Mining Journal (London), p. 10⁷

1967

• Fiber: “the small production of chrysotile and tremolite from the Baryulgil Mine”, said by R. A. Dodge, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 13¹⁰

1975

• Output: “operating at the economic limit of the orebody which has been reported at, or less than, 700 tons per year of QAMA Grade 4Z” (Asbestos Mines Pty. Ltd.), p. 44⁸

1976

• Exploration: “an initial diamond drilling program just completed ... at its mining leases located about a mile south of the village of Baryulgil” (Yulgilbar Exploration Ltd.), p. 32¹²
• Output: “Current mine production is about 400 metric tons of fiber per year” (Asbestos Mines Pty. Ltd.), p. 42¹¹
• Ownership: “In late 1976 Woodsreef acquired all of the issued shares of Asbestos Mines Pty. Ltd. from James Hardie Asbestos Ltd.” (Woodsreef Mines Ltd.), p. 42¹¹
• Exploration: “Three drill rigs are operating as part of the current diamond drilling program ... on asbestos properties near Baryulgil” (Yulgilbar Exploration Ltd.), p. 42¹¹

1977

• Exploration: “The second stage diamond drilling program at Baryulgil was completed in March; Exploration at Baryulgil has been temporarily deferred” (Woodsreef Mines Ltd.), p. 38¹³

1979

• Closed: “The small asbestos mine at Baryulgil was closed in April 1979 due to continuing losses” (Asbestos Mines Pty. Ltd.), said by Woodsreef Mines Ltd., as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 44⁹

References

1. Asbestos Magazine, 1946, April 1946 (April 1, 1946), p. 18.
2. Asbestos Magazine, 1957, February 1957 (February 1, 1957), p. 24.
3. Asbestos Magazine, 1958, March 1958 (March 1, 1958), p. 38.
4. Asbestos Magazine, 1954, January 1954 (January 1, 1954), p. 24.
5. Asbestos Magazine, 1955, July 1955 (July 1, 1955), p. 10.
6. Asbestos Magazine, 1959, March 1959 (March 1, 1959), p. 52.
7. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1964 (January 1, 1965), p. 10.
8. Asbestos Magazine, 1975, December 1975 (December 1, 1975), p. 44.
9. Asbestos Magazine, 1980, September 1980 (September 1, 1980), p. 44.
10. Asbestos Magazine, 1967, September 1967 (September 1, 1967), p. 13.
11. Asbestos Magazine, 1976, December 1976 (December 1, 1976), p. 42.
12. Asbestos Magazine, 1976, August 1976 (August 1, 1976), p. 32.
13. Asbestos Magazine, 1977, December 1977 (December 1, 1977), p. 38.