Elcor mines, Kuruman area, Cape Province

The Elcor mines were two producing blue asbestos mines in the Kuruman area of South Africa, held through Elcor Investments (Pty.) Limited.¹ In January 1966 Asbestos, the industry's trade journal, reported that Griqualand Exploration (Gefco) "is to buy a majority interest" in the Hans Merensky Trust Company's asbestos interests there, which included "two producing mines," and that "a modern mill is operating at the mines and monthly production of blue asbestos is over 700 tons."¹ Citing the Mining Journal, the journal said in 1967 that Gefco had acquired "the 60% interest in Elcor Investments" early in 1966.² It reported that year that Gefco "plans to modify the treatment plants at its two Elcor mines."^2,4 In 1979, after a closedown that laid off "about 10%, or 220 miners," the journal reported that "the remainder of the workforce has been transferred to Gefco's newer Elcor Mine."³

The documents report this mine producing asbestos fiber for sale.¹

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.

1965

• Output: “monthly production of blue asbestos is over 700 tons” (Elcor Investments (Pty.) Limited), p. 18¹

1966

• Ownership: “Griqualand Exploration is to buy a majority interest in the Hans Merensky Trust Company's asbestos interests in the Kuruman area” (Hans Merensky Trust Company; Elcor Investments (Pty.) Limited; Griqualand Exploration), p. 18¹
• Ownership: “the 60% interest in Elcor Investments which was acquired early in the year” (Griqualand Exploration & Finance Company Limited; Elcor Investments), as reported by Mining Journal, p. 24²

1967

• Mill: “planned modifications of the treatment plants at these properties” (Elcor Investments), as reported by Mining Journal, p. 24²
• Mill: “plans to modify the treatment plants at its two Elcor mines” (Griqualand Exploration & Finance Co. Ltd. (Gefco)), p. 7⁴

1979

• Worked: “The remainder of the workforce has been transferred to Gefco's newer Elcor Mine” (Griqualand Exploration and Finance Co. Ltd. (Gefco)), as reported by Mining Magazine; Rhodesian Chamber of Mines Journal, p. 45³

Other names

Documents call this mine “Elcor mines”, “Elcor Investments (Pty.) Limited”, “Elcor Mine”.

See also

• Elcor mine in the Lexicon
• All asbestos mines

References

1. Asbestos Magazine, 1966, January 1966 (January 1, 1966), p. 18.
2. Asbestos Magazine, 1967, August 1967 (August 1, 1967), p. 24.
3. Asbestos Magazine, 1979, October 1979 (October 1, 1979), p. 45.
4. Asbestos Magazine, 1967, December 1967 (December 1, 1967), p. 7.