Megantic mine, Black Lake, Quebec

In April 1921 Asbestos, the industry's trade journal, reported that "Johnson's Asbestos Company has closed the Black Lake pit entirely, and is operating the Thetford mine under capacity."¹⁰ A visitor's account in October 1925 said that "the Johnson property at Black Lake was also closed down."¹¹ In 1951 a table of mill capacities from Mineral Trade Notes, reprinted in Asbestos, listed the Johnson Asbestos Co. in the Coleraine District at 1,200 tons of daily rock tonnage.⁵

The Megantic mine

In May 1953 the journal announced that "an important addition to the world's supply of high quality asbestos fibre will be made before the end of 1953, when the Megantic mine of the Johnson's Company starts operation."⁶ A diamond drilling campaign "that was probably one of the largest and most detailed in the history of the industry" had "proved the presence of an ore-body, sufficient to justify construction of a mill," though the ore would "give a lower percentage yield of asbestos than the company's present property at Thetford Mines."⁶ "Mining will be by the open pit method," the journal said, with "a mill that will handle, initially, 4,000 tons of rock per day."⁶ In July 1954 it reported that Johnson's Asbestos Company "was formed to take over the property at Black Lake, Quebec," that "the new mill started operation late in 1953," and that mining there was "by the open pit method, broken rock being loaded by power shovels into large diesel trucks for transport to the primary crusher."¹

In October 1958 the journal listed "Johnsons Asbestos Co. Ltd., Megantic County, Black Lake" with a "4,000 ton mill," and for 1958 it reported that the company "mined a daily average of 4,000 tons of ore from its open-pit in Coleraine township."^7,8 A 1960 article on Canadian asbestos milling described "Johnson's Megantic Mill" as "built into a hillside, thus allowing all movement of material through the mill to be done by gravity," with third stage crushing in "four Harding Air-Swept ball mills"; the article does not say where the mill stood.⁹ A Johnson's Company advertisement that year listed the "Johnson's Asbestos Company Mine At Black Lake" beside its mine at Thetford Mines.²

The merger

According to Asbestos, in March 1964 Asbestos Corporation Limited and Johnson's Company Limited, "together with its subsidiary company, Johnson's Asbestos Company," announced "an agreement to integrate personnel and production facilities at their respective mines."⁴ Asbestos Corporation's report for 1964, as the journal printed it, called the integration of operations "at the British-Canadian and Johnson's Megantic mines" part of "the single most significant factor affecting production during 1964."³

The documents report this mine producing asbestos fiber for sale.⁸

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.

1921

• Idle: “has closed the Black Lake pit entirely” (Johnson's Asbestos Company), p. 66¹⁰

1925

• Idle: “The Johnson property at Black Lake was also closed down” (Johnson Company), p. 26¹¹

1951

• Mill: “Johnson Asbestos Co. 1,200 [daily rock tonnage]” (Johnson Asbestos Co.), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 50⁵

1953

• Description: “Mining will be by the open pit method” (Johnson's Company Ltd.), p. 12⁶
• Opened: “before the end of 1953, when the Megantic mine of the Johnson's Company starts operation” (Johnson's Company Ltd.), p. 12⁶
• Exploration: “A diamond drilling campaign ... proved the presence of an ore-body ... surface area is approximately seven times that of the ... Thetford property” (Johnson's Company Ltd.), p. 12⁶
• Mill: “a mill that will handle, initially, 4,000 tons of rock per day” (Johnson's Company Ltd.), p. 12⁶
• Opened: “The new mill started operation late in 1953” (Johnson's Asbestos Company), p. 6¹
• Mill: “The new mill started operation late in 1953” (Johnson's Asbestos Company), p. 6¹

1954

• Ownership: “Johnson's Asbestos Company, was formed to take over the property at Black Lake, Quebec” (Johnson's Asbestos Company), p. 6¹
• Description: “Mining at Black Lake is by the open pit method” (Johnson's Asbestos Company), p. 6¹

1958

• Mill: “Johnsons Asbestos Co. Ltd., Megantic County, Black Lake, 4,000 ton mill” (Johnsons Asbestos Co. Ltd.), p. 8⁷
• Output: “mined a daily average of 4,000 tons of ore from its open-pit in Coleraine township” (Johnson's Asbestos Company Limited), p. 24⁸

1960

• Mill: “In another mill, (Johnson's Megantic Mine), third stage crushing is done in four Harding Air-Swept ball mills” (Johnson's), p. 12⁹
• Mill: “The exception is Johnson's Megantic Mill. This is built into a hillside, thus allowing all movement of material through the mill to be done by gravity” (Johnson's), p. 10⁹
• Worked: “JOHNSON'S ASBESTOS COMPANY Mine At Black Lake, Que.” (Johnson's Asbestos Company), said by Johnson's Company Ltd., p. 7²

1964

• Ownership: “integration of operations ... at the British-Canadian and Johnson's Megantic mines” (Asbestos Corporation Limited), said by Asbestos Corporation Limited, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 25³
• 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. 9⁴

Other names

Documents call this mine “Megantic mine”, “Black Lake pit”, “The Johnson property at Black Lake”, “Johnson Asbestos Co. (Coleraine District)”, “Johnson's Asbestos Company mine at Black Lake”, “Johnsons Asbestos Co. Ltd., Black Lake”, “Johnson's Megantic Mine”, “Johnson's Megantic mine”.

See also

• Asbestos Corporation Limited: the company's history, documents, people, products and plants
• All asbestos mines

References

1. Asbestos Magazine, 1954, July 1954 (July 1, 1954), p. 6.
2. Asbestos Magazine, 1960, May 1960 (May 1, 1960), p. 7.
3. Asbestos Magazine, 1965, April 1965 (April 1, 1965), p. 25.
4. Asbestos Magazine, 1964, April 1964 (April 1, 1964), p. 9.
5. Asbestos Magazine, 1951, April 1951 (April 1, 1951), p. 50.
6. Asbestos Magazine, 1953, May 1953 (May 1, 1953), p. 12.
7. Asbestos Magazine, 1958, October 1958 (October 1, 1958), p. 8.
8. Asbestos Magazine, 1959, July 1959 (July 1, 1959), p. 24.
9. Asbestos Magazine, 1960, March 1960 (March 1, 1960), pp. 10, 12.
10. Asbestos Magazine, 1921, April 1921 (April 1, 1921), p. 66.
11. Asbestos Magazine, 1925, October 1925 (October 1, 1925), p. 26.