Croft mine, Filabusi district, Zimbabwe

The Croft mine was a chrysotile mine in the Filabusi district of what the sources call Southern Rhodesia, and the sources name several companies behind it over the years.^4,9 In January 1929 Asbestos, the industry's trade journal, reported that "a plant is to be erected at the Croft Mine," that Tom Scott of the Nil Desperandum had been appointed its manager, and that "this mine is in the Turner group."¹ The journal's production tables credited the Croft, under the African Asbestos Mining company, with 139.25 tons (2000 lbs.) in September 1929.⁵ In 1930 the journal passed on news of staff changes at the mine, and a 1931 advertisement offered "Rhodesian white asbestos" from a list of mines that included the Croft.^2,10

Closed and reopened

The U.S. Bureau of Mines' Minerals Yearbook for 1947 said the Croft "was closed in the 1930–32 depression," and Asbestos, quoting the South African Mining & Engineering Journal in 1948, said it "was closed down about 1932."^7,11 The journal's production table for October 1934 nonetheless lists the Croft, again under the African Asbestos Mining company, with 15.40 tons (2000 lbs.).⁶

The sources name different companies for the reopening: the 1947 yearbook said the Mashaba-Rhodesian Asbestos Co. "is to reopen the Croft mine," with production "expected to begin early in 1949," and the 1948 yearbook said that during that year "preparations for the reopening of the Croft mine were being made by Mashaba Rhodesian Asbestos Co."^7,8 Asbestos in 1948 said the mine "is to be re-opened by the African Asbestos Mining Co.," and that "it is expected that production will begin early in 1949."¹¹

The later years

The yearbooks for 1949 and 1950 name "the Croft mine in the Filabusi district" among the mines operated by the Rhodesian & General Asbestos Corp., which the 1949 volume calls "a subsidiary of Turner & Newall, Ltd."^4,12 The mining engineer W. E. Sinclair, writing in Asbestos in 1953, listed "The Croft (African Asbestos)" among the principal producers of the Filabusi area.⁹ A table of producing mines printed in the journal in June 1956 gave the Croft, under African Asbestos, an average monthly production of 230 short tons.¹³ In 1960 Sinclair wrote that "the Croft Mine Filabusi (under the same control)" as the Rhodesian General Asbestos Corporation's other mines "produced 3,224 tons" in 1958.¹⁴

The documents report this mine producing asbestos fiber for sale.¹⁴

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.

1929

• Ownership: “This mine is in the Turner group” (Turner group), p. 51¹
• Mill: “a plant is to be erected at the Croft Mine” (Turner group), p. 51¹
• Output: “139.25 tons (2000 lbs.) in September 1929” (Afr. Asb. Mng. Co. Ltd.), p. 45⁵

1930

• Description: “Staff changes at the Croft Asbestos Mine in the Filabusi District”, as reported by South African Mining & Engineering Journal, p. 57¹⁰
• Closed: “the Croft mine, which was closed in the 1930–32 depression” (Mashaba-Rhodesian Asbestos Co.), p. 8⁷

1931

• Worked: “Rhodesian white asbestos, product of the "CROFT" mine”, said by Raw Asbestos Distributors Ltd., p. 35²

1932

• Closed: “The Croft asbestos mine which was closed down about 1932”, as reported by South African Mining & Engineering Journal, January 24, 1948, p. 22¹¹

1934

• Output: “Croft (Afr. Asb. Mng. Co. Ltd.): 15.40 tons (2000 lbs.), October 1934” (Afr. Asb. Mng. Co. Ltd.), p. 32⁶

1941

• Worked: “Its output of chrysotile is supplemented by that of the ... Croft mines”, p. 10³

1947

• Opened: “is to reopen the Croft mine” (Mashaba-Rhodesian Asbestos Co.), p. 8⁷

1948

• Opened: “preparations for the reopening of the Croft mine were being made by Mashaba Rhodesian Asbestos Co.” (Mashaba Rhodesian Asbestos Co.), p. 9⁸

1949

• Opened: “Production at the Croft mine is expected to begin early in 1949” (Mashaba-Rhodesian Asbestos Co.), p. 8⁷
• Opened: “is to be re-opened by the African Asbestos Mining Co. ... production will begin early in 1949” (African Asbestos Mining Co.), as reported by South African Mining & Engineering Journal, January 24, 1948, p. 22¹¹
• Worked: “the Croft mine in the Filabusi district” (Rhodesian & General Asbestos Corp.), p. 9⁴

1950

• Worked: “the Croft mine in the Filabusi district” (Rhodesian and General Asbestos Corp.), p. 9¹²

1951

• Worked: “operations in the ... Filabusi districts” (Turner & Newall, Ltd.), p. 9¹⁵

1952

• Worked: “and in the ... Filabusi districts” (Turner & Newall, Ltd.), p. 10¹⁶

1953

• Worked: “The Croft (African Asbestos)” (African Asbestos), said by W. E. Sinclair, M.I.M.M. (Consulting Mining Engineer), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 12⁹

1955

• Output: “African Asbestos | Croft | 230” (African Asbestos), p. 10¹³

1958

• Output: “The Croft Mine Filabusi (under the same control), produced 3,224 tons” (Rhodesian General Asbestos Corporation Limited (Turner Newall Limited)), said by W. E. Sinclair, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 10¹⁴

Other names

Documents call this mine “Croft”, “Croft mine”, “Croft Mine”.

References

1. Asbestos Magazine, 1929, January 1929 (January 1, 1929), p. 51.
2. Asbestos Magazine, 1931, January 1931 (January 1, 1931), p. 35.
3. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1941 (January 1, 1942), p. 10.
4. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1949 (January 1, 1950), p. 9.
5. Asbestos Magazine, 1930, January 1930 (January 1, 1930), p. 45.
6. Asbestos Magazine, 1935, January 1935 (January 1, 1935), p. 32.
7. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1947 (January 1, 1948), p. 8.
8. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1948 (January 1, 1949), p. 9.
9. Asbestos Magazine, 1953, September 1953 (September 1, 1953), p. 12.
10. Asbestos Magazine, 1930, November 1930 (November 1, 1930), p. 57.
11. Asbestos Magazine, 1948, May 1948 (May 1, 1948), p. 22.
12. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1950 (January 1, 1951), p. 9.
13. Asbestos Magazine, 1956, June 1956 (June 1, 1956), p. 10.
14. Asbestos Magazine, 1960, April 1960 (April 1, 1960), p. 10.
15. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1951 (January 1, 1952), p. 9.
16. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1952 (January 1, 1953), p. 10.