Johnson's Co. mine, Thetford Mines, Quebec

Johnson's Company worked a chrysotile mine at Thetford Mines, Quebec, sharing one orebody with the Bell and King mines, an orebody that Asbestos, the industry's trade journal, said had become surrounded by the mines' surface plants and "part of the City of Thetford Mines."^2,9 The sources date its beginnings in different ways: the trade journal wrote in 1953 that the Thetford property, "starting in a small way with the birth of the industry, has continued to grow and produce steadily for over seventy years."¹ In 1954 the same journal said the three mines "have operated for about 75 years by sharing the same basic orebody."² The company's own advertisement in 1960 called it "Producers of RAW ASBESTOS Since 1875," with a mine at Thetford Mines and a second company, Johnson's Asbestos Company, at Black Lake.⁹

Closings and a new mill

Asbestos reported in April 1921 that Johnson's Asbestos Company "has closed the Black Lake pit entirely, and is operating the Thetford mine under capacity," and in December 1921 it listed Johnson among the properties "all closed down."^3,10 By June 1922 the journal had been told that "Johnson's Mine, Bells and Kings have reopened recently, day shifts only."⁴ A visitor writing for the trade journal in 1925 found the property "in good shape and running constantly."⁵ In December 1927 the company said it expected to resume operations after January 1 "on a more productive scale than formerly, their new mill to be put into operation at that time."⁶ The trade journal wrote in 1954 that a new mill at Thetford Mines, "embodying all of what was then considered best in milling practice, was opened in 1930."⁸

From the pit to block caving

According to Asbestos in 1954, all three mines "operated by openpit methods until the 1930's," until depth and lack of surface space forced the King mine underground, and "shortly afterwards the Johnson's Mine was forced to do likewise."² The U.S. Bureau of Mines' Minerals Yearbook reported that Johnson's was "changing from open-pit to shaft mining" and "planning to introduce the block-caving system."¹¹ C. V. Smith wrote in Asbestos in 1944 that Johnson's followed the Asbestos Corporation in block caving, and "drawing of their ore commenced in November 1940"; the trade journal said in 1954 that the method "has been used since late in 1940."^8,12 A 1959 list in the journal said the mine "started underground caving methods in 1940 and total output is recovered from underground work today."¹³

Mills and output

The Minerals Yearbook for 1950 said Johnson's was "building a new mill at Black Lake with a daily capacity of 4,000 tons of rock," not expected to run before the end of 1951; the yearbook reported it completed in 1953 and "came into production in 1954."^14,15,16 A 1951 table from the U.S. Mineral Trade Notes, reprinted in Asbestos, gave Johnson Asbestos Co. at Thetford Mines a daily rock tonnage of 2,000, and in 1958 the trade journal listed a "2,400 ton mill."^17,18 For 1958 Asbestos reported that the company "kept its mining rate at 2,500 tons of ore per day," from "underground stopes located above levels No. 4 and 5."¹³ The Minerals Yearbook ranked Johnson's third among Canadian producers by size of output in 1952, and for 1959, citing the Northern Miner, it reported "seasonal shutdowns" at Johnson's mines amid overproduction.^19,20

The town moves

Asbestos reported in 1954 that "a major relocation program" was clearing "all surface establishments" over the present and planned underground workings of the Bell, King and Johnson's mines.² Leigh W. Bladon of Relocation Ltd. said the cost was shared by the three companies "in proportion to the ore reserves which the project will make available to each mine."² In 1956 the trade journal described it as "a $5,000,000 project to relocate some 100 dwellings and business establishments, a church, utilities and railroad lines."²¹

The people

The trade journal reported that the employees of Johnson's Company and three other companies "went on strike on February 14th," 1949.²²

Joining Asbestos Corporation

In 1964, according to Asbestos, "Canada's two oldest asbestos-producing companies," Asbestos Corporation Limited and Johnson's Company Limited with its subsidiary Johnson's Asbestos Company, announced an agreement "to integrate personnel and production facilities at their respective mines."^23,24 Asbestos Corporation, as the trade journal reported it, called "the integration of operations at the adjoining properties of the King-Beaver and Johnson's Thetford mines" the most significant factor in its 1964 production.²⁵

The documents report this mine producing asbestos fiber for sale.¹⁵

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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	Figure	Source
1958	2,500 tons of ore per day	13

Year by year

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

1876

• Worked: “starting in a small way with the birth of the industry, has continued to grow and produce steadily for over seventy years” (Johnson's Company Ltd.), p. 12¹

1879

• Worked: “have operated for about 75 years by sharing the same basic orebody”, p. 20²

1921

• Worked: “is operating the Thetford mine under capacity” (Johnson's Asbestos Company), p. 66³
• Idle: “Johnson ... closed down” (Johnson's Co.), p. 19¹⁰

1922

• Worked: “Johnson's Mine ... reopened recently, day shifts only”, p. 51⁴

1925

• Worked: “in good shape and running constantly” (Johnson Company), p. 26⁵

1928

• Mill: “their new mill to be put into operation at that time” (The Johnson's Company), said by The Johnson's Company, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 48⁶

1929

• Worked: “the Johnson Mine and Mill”, p. 17⁷

1930

• Description: “Shortly afterwards the Johnson's Mine was forced to do likewise”, p. 20²
• Mill: “a new one ... was opened in 1930” (Johnson's Company Ltd.), p. 6⁸

1939

• Description: “Johnson's Co. and Bell Asbestos Mines, Ltd., are changing from open-pit to shaft mining and are planning to introduce the block-caving system” (Johnson's Co.), p. 8¹¹

1940

• Description: “At Thetford the block-caving method of underground mining has been used since late in 1940” (Johnson's Company Ltd.), p. 6⁸
• Description: “Johnsons Mine. Thetford Mines. Started underground caving methods in 1940 and total output is recovered from underground work today” (Johnson's Company Limited), p. 10¹³
• Description: “Johnson's Company were next to follow [Block Caving] ... drawing of their ore commenced in November 1940” (Johnson's Company), said by C. V. Smith, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 6¹²

1943

• Worked: “Other producers are ... Johnson's Co.” (Johnson's Co.), p. 9²⁶

1949

• Idle: “the employees of all four companies went on strike on February 14th” (Johnson's Company), p. 42²²

1950

• Mill: “Johnson's Co. was building a new mill at Black Lake with a daily capacity of 4,000 tons of rock” (Johnson's Co.), p. 8¹⁴

1951

• Mill: “Johnson Asbestos Co. 2,000 [daily rock tonnage]” (Johnson Asbestos Co.), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 50¹⁷
• Mill: “The new mill of Johnson's Co. at Black Lake was being constructed in 1951” (Johnson's Co.), p. 7²⁷
• Worked: “Johnson's Co. (operating in the Quebec area)” (Johnson's Co.), p. 7²⁷

1952

• Worked: “Johnson's Co.” (Johnson's Co.), p. 8¹⁹

1953

• Worked: “Johnson's Co.” (Johnson's Co.), p. 9¹⁵
• Mill: “The Johnson's Co. new mill at Black Lake was completed” (Johnson's Co.), p. 9¹⁵
• Description: “a major relocation program ... clearing away of all surface establishments ... above present and planned underground workings”, p. 20²

1954

• Reserves: “cost ... shared ... in proportion to the ore reserves which the project will make available to each mine” (Johnson's Co. Ltd.), said by Leigh W. Bladon, manager, Relocation Ltd., as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 22²
• Mill: “The new Johnson's Co. mill came into production in 1954” (Johnson's Co.), p. 10¹⁶

1956

• Description: “joined in a $5,000,000 project to relocate some 100 dwellings ... to make possible complete exploitation of deposits lying beneath the town” (Johnson Asbestos Co.), p. 6²¹

1958

• Mill: “Johnsons Company Ltd., Thetford Mines, Megantic County, 2,400 ton mill” (Johnsons Company Ltd.), p. 8¹⁸
• Output: “kept its mining rate at 2,500 tons of ore per day. The ore came from underground stopes located above levels No. 4 and 5, of its mine in Thetford township” (Johnson's Company Limited), p. 24¹³

1959

• Idle: “seasonal shutdowns at mines of ... Johnson's Co., Ltd.” (Johnson's Co., Ltd.), as reported by Northern Miner (Toronto), p. 6²⁰

1960

• Worked: “JOHNSON'S COMPANY LTD. ASBESTOS MINES Mine At Thetford Mines, Que. ... Producers of RAW ASBESTOS Since 1875” (Johnson's Company Ltd.), said by Johnson's Company Ltd., p. 7⁹

1964

• Ownership: “announced an agreement to integrate their operations in the Thetford-Black Lake region” (Johnson's Co., Ltd.), as reported by Engineering and Mining Journal, p. 6²⁴
• Ownership: “integration of operations at the adjoining properties of the King-Beaver and Johnson's Thetford mines” (Asbestos Corporation Limited), said by Asbestos Corporation Limited, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 25²⁵
• Ownership: “Canada's two oldest asbestos-producing companies announced an agreement to integrate personnel and production facilities at their respective mines” (Asbestos Corporation Limited), p. 9²³

In medical studies

Medical studies in our research library that name this mine, by how they concern it. A search found every one that names the mine and an AI reader sorted them; the quotation, checked word for word against the text, shows where. Those that name the mine only in passing or in a reference list are left out.

Studies of the mine’s fiber (1)

• Harington JS 1965: Chemical studies of asbestos: “Analysis by Cape Asbestos Fibres Limited, 1964; fiber from Johnson's Mine, Thetford, Canada.”

Other names

Documents call this mine “Johnson's Co.”, “mines of Johnson's Co., Ltd.”, “Johnson Mine”, “Johnson's Mine”, “Johnson's Thetford mine”.

References

1. Asbestos Magazine, 1953, May 1953 (May 1, 1953), p. 12.
2. Asbestos Magazine, 1954, February 1954 (February 1, 1954), pp. 20, 22.
3. Asbestos Magazine, 1921, April 1921 (April 1, 1921), p. 66.
4. Asbestos Magazine, 1922, June 1922 (June 1, 1922), p. 51.
5. Asbestos Magazine, 1925, October 1925 (October 1, 1925), p. 26.
6. Asbestos Magazine, 1927, December 1927 (December 1, 1927), p. 48.
7. Asbestos Magazine, 1929, September 1929 (September 1, 1929), p. 17.
8. Asbestos Magazine, 1954, July 1954 (July 1, 1954), p. 6.
9. Asbestos Magazine, 1960, May 1960 (May 1, 1960), p. 7.
10. Asbestos Magazine, 1921, December 1921 (December 1, 1921), p. 19.
11. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1940 (January 1, 1941), p. 8.
12. Asbestos Magazine, 1944, November 1944 (November 1, 1944), p. 6.
13. Asbestos Magazine, 1959, July 1959 (July 1, 1959), pp. 10, 24.
14. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1950 (January 1, 1951), p. 8.
15. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1953 (January 1, 1954), p. 9.
16. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1954 (January 1, 1955), p. 10.
17. Asbestos Magazine, 1951, April 1951 (April 1, 1951), p. 50.
18. Asbestos Magazine, 1958, October 1958 (October 1, 1958), p. 8.
19. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1952 (January 1, 1953), p. 8.
20. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1959 (January 1, 1960), p. 6.
21. Asbestos Magazine, 1956, March 1956 (March 1, 1956), p. 6.
22. Asbestos Magazine, 1949, March 1949 (March 1, 1949), p. 42.
23. Asbestos Magazine, 1964, April 1964 (April 1, 1964), p. 9.
24. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1964 (January 1, 1965), p. 6.
25. Asbestos Magazine, 1965, April 1965 (April 1, 1965), p. 25.
26. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1943 (January 1, 1944), p. 9.
27. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1951 (January 1, 1952), p. 7.