Bluerock deposit, Yancey, North Carolina

In September 1943 Asbestos, the industry's trade journal, reported that "a new asbestos deposit of mass fibre Anthophyllite has been opened up on a commercial scale within the past year," known as the Blue Rock Mine and "operated by Industrial Minerals Corporation, Asheville, N. C., of which G. W. Kunstman, Jr., is President."¹ The journal said that observations from actual mining, "verified by U. S. Geological Survey of April, 1943," showed a "length of over 400 feet, with an obvious depth above water of nearly 200 feet."¹ In October 1948 it called the deposit "the Blue Rock Asbestos Mine at Asheville, N. C., owned by the Industrial Minerals Corporation," and "in operation."²

A new owner and a mill at Spruce Pine

In November 1952 the consulting engineer Walter A. RuKeyser wrote in Asbestos that "the newly organized Mining & Milling Corporation of America is starting production of anthophyllite asbestos fibres on a commercial scale in its recently completed pilot plant at Spruce Pine, North Carolina," and that "the largest property, in relation to known ore-reserves, acquired by the company is the Blue Rock Mine."³ He wrote that it was "anticipated" that the deposit would permit "sustained output of considerable tonnages of Group 7 Shorts annually."³ The U.S. Bureau of Mines' Minerals Yearbook for 1952 said the company had "equipped a mill at Spruce Pine, N. C., for processing anthophyllite obtained chiefly at the Bluerock deposit, which was worked some years ago by Industrial Minerals Corp.," and that the mill "was nearing completion in 1952"; it was designed to prepare "group 7 fibers to be used in conjunction with Canadian 7R chrysotile in asphalt- and vinyl-tile manufacture."⁴

For 1953 the yearbook reported that the company, "a subsidiary of Mastic Tile Corp. of America," operated its Spruce Pine mill "during part of 1953, recovering a considerable tonnage of amphibole fiber from rock obtained at the Blue Rock mine, Yancey County," and that "most of the output was shipped to the west coast."⁵ For 1954 the yearbook, without naming the mine, listed the Mining & Milling Corp. as a producer of amphibole asbestos at Spruce Pine, "in Spruce Pine County" as it printed it, and said the company "shipped the crude ore to California, where it was processed and the recovered fibers sold."⁶

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

Location

Year by year

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

1943

• Opened: “New deposit of mass fibre anthophyllite opened up on a commercial scale within the past year” (Industrial Minerals Corporation), p. 14¹
• Fiber: “Anthophyllite (mass fibre)” (Industrial Minerals Corporation), p. 14¹
• Worked: “Known as the Blue Rock Mine, operated by Industrial Minerals Corporation, Asheville (G. W. Kunstman, Jr., President)” (Industrial Minerals Corporation), p. 14¹
• Reserves: “Deposit on the South Toe River; length over 400 feet, depth above water nearly 200 feet (verified by U.S. Geological Survey, April 1943); no core drilling yet” (Industrial Minerals Corporation), p. 14¹

1948

• Worked: “the Blue Rock Asbestos Mine at Asheville, N. C., owned by the Industrial Minerals Corporation” (Industrial Minerals Corporation), p. 28²

1952

• Fiber: “anthophyllite” (Mining & Milling Corporation of America), said by Walter A. RuKeyser, Consulting Engineer, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 28³
• Ownership: “The largest property ... acquired by the company is the Blue Rock Mine” (Mining & Milling Corporation of America), said by Walter A. RuKeyser, Consulting Engineer, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 28³
• Mill: “has equipped a mill at Spruce Pine, N. C., for processing anthophyllite obtained chiefly at the Bluerock deposit” (Mining & Milling Corp. of America), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 2⁴
• Worked: “which was worked some years ago by Industrial Minerals Corp.” (Industrial Minerals Corp.), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 2⁴
• Mill: “The mill, which was nearing completion in 1952, is designed to prepare group 7 fibers” (Mining & Milling Corp. of America), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 2⁴
• Opened: “starting production of anthophyllite asbestos fibres on a commercial scale in its recently completed pilot plant at Spruce Pine” (Mining & Milling Corporation of America), said by Walter A. RuKeyser, Consulting Engineer, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 28³

1953

• Buyers: “Most of the output was shipped to the west coast” (Mining & Milling Corp. of America), p. 2⁵
• Ownership: “Mining & Milling Corp. of America, a subsidiary of Mastic Tile Corp. of America” (Mining & Milling Corp. of America), p. 2⁵
• Mill: “operated its mill at Spruce Pine, N. C., during part of 1953, recovering a considerable tonnage of amphibole fiber from rock obtained at the Blue Rock mine, Yancey County” (Mining & Milling Corp. of America), p. 2⁵

1954

• Mill: “shipped the crude ore to California, where it was processed and the recovered fibers sold” (Mining & Milling Corp.), p. 2⁶
• Worked: “the Mining & Milling Corp., Spruce Pine, N. C., in Spruce Pine County” (Mining & Milling Corp.), p. 2⁶

Other names

Documents call this mine “Bluerock deposit”, “Blue Rock mine”, “Blue Rock Mine”, “Blue Rock Asbestos Mine at Asheville, N. C.”.

See also

• Bluerock Mine in the Lexicon
• Mastic Tile Corp. of America: the company's documents, people, products and plants
• Asbestos exposure sites in North Carolina
• All asbestos mines

References

1. Asbestos Magazine, 1943, September 1943 (September 1, 1943), p. 14.
2. Asbestos Magazine, 1948, October 1948 (October 1, 1948), p. 28.
3. Asbestos Magazine, 1952, November 1952 (November 1, 1952), p. 28.
4. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1952 (January 1, 1953), p. 2.
5. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1953 (January 1, 1954), p. 2.
6. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1954 (January 1, 1955), p. 2.