Lewis Brook deposit, Lewis Brook area, Newfoundland

In August 1944 Asbestos, the industry's trade journal, passed on a report in the U.S. Foreign Commerce Weekly that "cross fibre asbestos has been located in the Lewis Brook area of Newfoundland," with diamond drilling planned that year.³ In November 1945 the journal, drawing on Mineral Trade Notes, reported that a geologist had come in June 1945 to examine "an asbestos property held by W. E. Seibert," and that a new company, Newfoundland Asbestos, would be formed "to exploit asbestos mining claims in the Lewis Brook area of the west coast."¹ The U.S. Bureau of Mines' Minerals Yearbook for 1946 said the deposit "is believed to be of commercial size."⁴ In February 1950 Asbestos printed word that Seibert had reported "some progress in development."⁵ In May 1953 it said a mill "with a minimum of 100 tons per day capacity is now being constructed at Lewis Brook by Newfoundland Asbestos Limited," which hoped to have it producing early that year.²

The documents report work here (mining, shafts or a mill) but no fiber sold or shipped; that is what our documents say, and the mine may still have sold some.²

Year by year

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

1944

• Exploration: “Cross fibre asbestos located in the Lewis Brook area; some diamond drilling planned this year”, as reported by Foreign Commerce Weekly (U.S. Department of Commerce), July 29, p. 41³

1945

• Ownership: “Newfoundland Asbestos, Ltd., would be formed ... to exploit asbestos mining claims in the Lewis Brook area” (Newfoundland Asbestos, Ltd.), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 24¹
• Exploration: “examination of an asbestos property held by W. E. Seibert” (W. E. Seibert), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 24¹

1946

• Exploration: “It has been examined by geologists and is believed to be of commercial size”, p. 5⁴

1950

• Exploration: “development work has been done but no production ever resulted. The deposit is located in the Lewis Brook area” (W. E. Seibert), p. 10⁵

1953

• Mill: “A mill with a minimum of 100 tons per day capacity is now being constructed at Lewis Brook” (Newfoundland Asbestos Limited), p. 14²

References

1. Asbestos Magazine, 1945, November 1945 (November 1, 1945), p. 24.
2. Asbestos Magazine, 1953, May 1953 (May 1, 1953), p. 14.
3. Asbestos Magazine, 1944, August 1944 (August 1, 1944), p. 41.
4. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1946 (January 1, 1947), p. 5.
5. Asbestos Magazine, 1950, February 1950 (February 1, 1950), p. 10.