Coalinga Asbestos Co., Fresno County, California

The Christie mine was the Coalinga Asbestos Company's chrysotile mine in Fresno County, California, northwest of Coalinga.^6,7,10 The U.S. Bureau of Mines' Minerals Yearbook for 1960 lists the company among four that "reported mining asbestos for experimental purposes" in California; until 1972 the yearbook names the company and county but not the Christie mine, and the earlier rows are matched to it by company.^1,8 Asbestos Corporation Limited's annual report, as Asbestos, the industry's trade journal, printed it in 1964, said that "an option on the short fibre asbestos deposit known as the Christie Ranch was abandoned."⁴

The mill

The Minerals Yearbook for 1961 reported that the company "neared completion of a mill on Pine Creek near Coalinga," expected "to produce 12,000 or more tons of asbestos annually."⁵ In 1962, the yearbook says, the mill "began operating at an initial capacity of 12,000 tons per year, and the first shipment of fiber was made in March to the Johns-Manville Corp. tile plant in Louisiana."² The same chapter gave prices for "two floor tile grades, a 'Red' and a 'Blue' brand," at "$75 and $100 per ton, respectively."² A 1966 summary in Asbestos of the yearbook's California chapter for 1964 said the company produced "grade 7 shorts" at mines and milling plants northwest of Coalinga.⁷

Production years

The yearbook lists the company among California producers reporting production and shipments from 1962 through 1965.^2,3,6,8 Its producer tables give the company's mine as "Coalinga" from 1968 to 1971 and as "Christie" in 1972, 1973 and 1974; the sources do not say whether these are the same workings.^{9,10,11,12,13} For 1971 and 1972 the yearbook called Fresno "the largest producing County," with the Coalinga Asbestos and Atlas Asbestos mines, and for 1973 "the next leading producing county."^10,12,13

Closing

The Minerals Yearbook for 1974 gives two accounts of the end: its text reports "the closing early in the year of the Christie mine of the Coalinga Asbestos Co., Inc.," while a footnote to its producers table marks the company "Closed at yearend."⁹ The same chapter said that "the cost of coming into compliance with environmental regulations" was "at least somewhat of a factor in the closing of two mines in California"; that sentence does not name the two mines.⁹ The 1975 yearbook said "the full effect of the closing of the Coalinga Asbestos Co.'s Christie mine" was felt that year.¹⁴

The documents report this mine producing asbestos fiber for sale.²

Location

Year by year

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

1960

• Worked: “reported mining asbestos for experimental purposes: Coalinga Asbestos Co., Inc.” (Coalinga Asbestos Co., Inc.), p. 2¹

1961

• Mill: “neared completion of a mill on Pine Creek near Coalinga; it was expected to produce 12,000 or more tons of asbestos annually” (Coalinga Asbestos Co., Inc.), p. 2⁵

1962

• Worked: “reported production and shipments: ... Coalinga Asbestos Co., Inc., ... Fresno County” (Coalinga Asbestos Co., Inc.), p. 2²
• Mill: “began operating at an initial capacity of 12,000 tons per year” (Coalinga Asbestos Co.), p. 2²
• Description: “Prices on two floor tile grades, a "Red" and a "Blue" brand, were quoted at $75 and $100 per ton” (Coalinga Asbestos Co.), p. 2²
• Buyers: “the first shipment of fiber was made in March to the Johns-Manville Corp. tile plant in Louisiana” (Coalinga Asbestos Co.), p. 2²

1963

• Worked: “Production and shipments were reported by ... Coalinga Asbestos Co., Inc., Fresno County” (Coalinga Asbestos Co., Inc.), p. 2³
• Ownership: “In California, an option on the short fibre asbestos deposit known as the Christie Ranch was abandoned” (Asbestos Corporation Limited), said by Asbestos Corporation Limited, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 28⁴

1964

• Worked: “production and shipments of chrysotile were reported by ... Coalinga Asbestos Co., Fresno County” (Coalinga Asbestos Co.), p. 2⁶
• Fiber: “chrysotile” (Coalinga Asbestos Co.), p. 2⁶
• Worked: “produced asbestos fiber (grade 7 shorts) at mines and milling plants northwest of Coalinga” (Coalinga Asbestos, Inc.), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 23⁷

1965

• Worked: “Coalinga Asbestos Co., Inc., Fresno County” (Coalinga Asbestos Co., Inc.), p. 2⁸

1968

• Worked: “Coalinga Asbestos Co. | do. | Coalinga | Do.” (Coalinga Asbestos Co.), p. 2¹¹

1969

• Worked: “Coalinga Asbestos Co. | do. | Coalinga | Do.” (Coalinga Asbestos Co.), p. 3¹⁵

1970

• Worked: “Coalinga Asbestos Co. | do. | Coalinga | Do.” (Coalinga Asbestos Co.), p. 2¹⁶

1971

• Worked: “Fresno, with Coalinga Asbestos Co. and Atlas Asbestos Corp. mines” (Coalinga Asbestos Co.), p. 2¹²
• Worked: “Coalinga Asbestos Co. | do. | Coalinga | Do.” (Coalinga Asbestos Co.), p. 2¹²
• Worked: “The largest producing County was Fresno with Coalinga Asbestos Company and Atlas Asbestos Corporation” (Coalinga Asbestos Company), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 40¹⁷

1972

• Worked: “Fresno, with the Coalinga Asbestos Co., Inc., and Atlas Asbestos Corp. mines” (Coalinga Asbestos Co., Inc.), p. 2¹⁰
• Worked: “Coalinga Asbestos Co., Inc. | do. [Fresno] | Christie | Do.” (Coalinga Asbestos Co., Inc.), p. 2¹⁰

1973

• Worked: “Fresno, with Coalinga Asbestos Co. Inc. and Atlas Asbestos Corp. mines” (Coalinga Asbestos Co. Inc.), p. 2¹³
• Worked: “Coalinga Asbestos Co., Inc. | do. | Christie | Do.” (Coalinga Asbestos Co., Inc.), p. 3¹³

1974

• Closed: “The closing early in the year of the Christie mine of the Coalinga Asbestos Co., Inc.” (Coalinga Asbestos Co., Inc.), p. 2⁹
• Worked: “Coalinga Asbestos Co., Inc 1 | do | Christie | Do.” (Coalinga Asbestos Co., Inc.), p. 2⁹
• Closed: “Coalinga Asbestos Co., Inc 1 ... 1 Closed at yearend.” (Coalinga Asbestos Co., Inc.), p. 2⁹
• Dust and health: “at least somewhat of a factor in the closing of two mines in California”, p. 2⁹
• Closed: “the closing of the Coalinga Asbestos Co.'s Christie mine” (Coalinga Asbestos Co.), p. 2¹⁴

Other names

Documents call this mine “Coalinga Asbestos Co., Inc.”, “mill on Pine Creek near Coalinga”, “Coalinga Asbestos Co. mill, northwest of Coalinga”, “Christie”, “Coalinga”.

See also

• Coalinga Asbestos Co., Inc.: the company's documents, people, products and plants
• Asbestos exposure sites in California
• All asbestos mines

References

1. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1960 (January 1, 1961), p. 2.
2. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1962 (January 1, 1963), p. 2.
3. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1963 (January 1, 1964), p. 2.
4. Asbestos Magazine, 1964, April 1964 (April 1, 1964), p. 28.
5. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1961 (January 1, 1962), p. 2.
6. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1964 (January 1, 1965), p. 2.
7. Asbestos Magazine, 1966, June 1966 (June 1, 1966), p. 23.
8. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1965 (January 1, 1966), p. 2.
9. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1974 (January 1, 1975), p. 2.
10. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1972 (January 1, 1973), p. 2.
11. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1968 (January 1, 1969), p. 2.
12. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1971 (January 1, 1972), p. 2.
13. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1973 (January 1, 1974), pp. 2–3.
14. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1975 (January 1, 1976), p. 2.
15. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1969 (January 1, 1970), p. 3.
16. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1970 (January 1, 1971), p. 2.
17. Asbestos Magazine, 1973, January 1973 (January 1, 1973), p. 40.