Penge mine, Transvaal

The Penge mine was the great amosite mine of South Africa, in the Eastern Transvaal alongside the Oliphants River, worked by Egnep, a subsidiary of the Cape Asbestos Company.¹⁰ The sources give different beginnings. A 1975 article in Asbestos, the industry's trade journal, says that "mining of Amosite began at Penge in the Eastern Transvaal around 1914."⁵ W. E. Sinclair, of the Cape Asbestos Company, wrote in the same journal in 1944 that "in 1916 ... these deposits were opened up," and that "after about 20 years of persistent work by the Egnep Mines at Penge," amosite reached "the leading position of producers in Africa."⁶

Owners

A 1948 history in Asbestos says that the men who obtained "the concession to work the deposits on the farm Penge" from the old Transvaal chief Secocoeni were Wayne and Ward, who "formed a small company named the Asbestos Mines of South Africa"; it gives no year.¹² A 1930 profile of W. S. Weingarten in the trade journal says that "he opened up the Amosite deposits in the Transvaal, later on selling his interests there, the 'Egnep' and 'Amosa' mines, to the Cape Asbestos Co.," also without dates.¹³ In January 1928 the trade journal reported that "the Cape Asbestos Company Limited will therefore now own or control the three largest producing amosite concerns in the Transvaal—the Penge mine, the Amosa mine and the Malips mine."³ Cape's own house magazine, reprinted in 1959, said Egnep and Amosa "operate the amosite asbestos mines in the Transvaal," "first acquired in 1925."¹⁴ In 1945 Cape described "the Amosite Mines of Egnep, Limited," at and near "Penge, the Company town," with four mines along the outcrop, "the Amosa, the Penge, the Kromellenboog and the Malips."¹⁰ In 1979 the trade journal reported that Egnep, which "mines Amosite under license at Penge," had become wholly owned by Transvaal Consolidated Land & Exploration Co. Ltd. (TCL).¹⁵

The early years

In March 1920 the trade journal, publishing a U.S. Bureau of Mines report, said "the Egnep and Amosa Syndicate mines are in good condition, and that large quantities of fibre are available."¹ In 1922 a government inspector, Major Trevor, reported that "stocks on hand at the Penge Mine are being disposed of at a satisfactory figure."² In 1929 "the Penge Mine is making big additions to its plant," and in 1930, with most amosite mines closing, the only one of importance still running was said to be Cape's "at Penge and Amosa, altho operations there have been considerably reduced owing to the stagnation in the Asbestos market."^4,7 Cape's chairman reported for 1937 that Egnep's "production of amosite has been further expanded to keep pace with the growth in consumption."⁸

The mine underground

A 1941 article in Asbestos called Penge "the largest producer of amosite," where "the main fibre zone worked lies about 200 feet above the top dolomite but below Bevets conglomerate," in "three groups of seams."⁹ Cape's 1945 report described "the use of strike-adits for entry, with successions of overhand stopings."¹⁰ In 1963 the trade journal wrote that "most of the ore from Penge is produced from semi-shrinkage stopes operated on the 'herring-bone' system," that "the deposit at Penge is 20 miles long and dips at an angle of 20° to the west," and that ore came up "the Keep Vertical Shaft which is 1,436 feet deep, making Penge the deepest asbestos mine in South Africa."¹⁶ The U.S. Bureau of Mines' Minerals Yearbook reported for 1961 that "sinking of a new vertical shaft at Penge progressed," and for 1962 that "a vertical shaft 1,356 feet deep was placed in operation at the Penge mine."^11,17 On May 28, 1963, the trade journal reported, "the first fully-automatic remotely-controlled air compressor in the world" went into operation at Penge, started from the company's Johannesburg head office "over 268 miles of telephone lines."^16,18 Cape reported in 1967 that "a circular shaft has been sunk to a depth of 900 feet," and for 1972 that mining "continued to move southward into the 'new area,'" with "plans" for "a new shaft some two miles to the south of the Keep shaft."^19,20

The mills and dust control

At Penge, Cape wrote in 1945, stood "the town of Penge and the main milling works."¹⁰ W. E. Sinclair reported in 1953 that Egnep had "doubled the capacity of their milling plants," and that "special milling plants have been erected to retreat all the old tailings dumps."²¹ The fiber went "16 miles by road to Burgersfort," then by rail "to factories in Benoni, or to the Coastal Ports for export."²¹ The Minerals Yearbook for 1964 reported that "dry milling of asbestos rock gave rise to problems of dust extraction and disposal of mill tailings," and that Cape "completed a dust-free milling plant at the Penge mine," where "hammer and fiberizing mills are enclosed, leakproof, and completely air swept."²² Asbestos, summing up the yearbook, called it "the first completely dust-free asbestos mill in South Africa."²³ In 1967 the trade journal reported "the new $6.5-million mill complex at Penge," built "primarily for milling of shorter grades of Amosite," as "nearing completion," and new mining on a fibre horizon called the "higher bands," which "contain a greater proportion of the shorter fibres."²⁴

Output

The Minerals Yearbook reported for 1961 that "the mine produced 5,000 tons of amosite monthly, with recoveries of 11 percent fiber from the ore," and for 1962 called Penge "the world's only important producer of amosite asbestos," with "plans" to raise output "from 70,000 to 85,000 tons of fiber per year by 1963."^11,17 For 1963 the yearbook, citing Cape, said "90 percent of the world's output of amosite" came from Penge, and the trade journal reported that "approximately 80,000 tons are broken a month."^16,18 In 1975 the trade journal wrote that Egnep's "future production will be centered at the Penge Amosite Mine," where "a production rate of about 100,000 tons per year is anticipated."⁵ The capacity figures then differ: the trade journal gave "100,000 tons" a year in 1976 and 1977, and "90,000 tonnes" in its reports of 1978, 1979 and 1981; early in 1978, it said, "milling time at Penge was reduced from two to one shift per day."^{15,25,26,27,28,29}

The documents report this mine producing asbestos fiber for sale.¹¹

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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
1961	5,000 tons monthly	11
1962	70,000 tons of fiber per year	17
1963	80,000 tons broken a month (ore)	16
1975	100,000 tons per year	5

Year by year

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

1914

• Opened: “Mining of Amosite began at Penge in the Eastern Transvaal around 1914”, p. 39⁵

1916

• Opened: “Amosite deposits opened up in 1916; about 20 years of work by the Egnep Mines at Penge brought amosite to the leading position of producers in Africa” (Egnep Mines), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 8⁶

1920

• Worked: “the Egnep ... mines are in good condition” (Egnep), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 44¹

1922

• Worked: “stocks on hand at the Penge Mine are being disposed of”, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 34²

1928

• Ownership: “The Cape Asbestos Company Limited will therefore now own or control” (Cape Asbestos Company Limited), p. 45³

1929

• Mill: “The Penge Mine is making big additions to its plant” (Cape Asbestos Company), p. 52⁷

1930

• Worked: “The only amosite mine of importance now running, belonging to the Cape Asbestos Company at Penge and Amosa; operations considerably reduced” (Cape Asbestos Company), p. 57⁴
• Opened: “W. S. Weingarten opened up the amosite deposits in the Transvaal ("Egnep" mine)” (W. S. Weingarten), p. 22¹³
• Ownership: “Weingarten sold his interests in the "Egnep" mine to the Cape Asbestos Co.” (Cape Asbestos Co.), p. 22¹³

1937

• Output: “Subsidiary Egnep, Ltd.: production of amosite further expanded; dividends 12 1/2% against 3% for 1936” (Egnep, Ltd.), said by Cape Asbestos Company (chairman Mr. Walker), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 37⁸

1941

• Output: “The largest producer of amosite is the Penge mine”, p. 8⁹
• Fiber: “Amosite”, p. 8⁹
• Description: “Main fibre zone about 200 feet above the top dolomite, below the Bevets conglomerate; three groups of seams, the middle one the chief source”, p. 8⁹

1945

• Ownership: “Amosite Mines of Egnep, Limited (owned by Cape Asbestos Company, Limited)” (Egnep, Limited), p. 6¹⁰
• Description: “strike-adits for entry, with successions of overhand stopings” (Egnep, Limited), said by Cape Asbestos Company, Limited, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 8¹⁰
• Worked: “Along this outcrop the Company has four mines” (Egnep, Limited), said by Cape Asbestos Company, Limited, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 8¹⁰
• Description: “Egnep, Limited's amosite mines are at and near Penge ... alongside the Oliphants River” (Egnep, Limited), said by Cape Asbestos Company, Limited, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 6¹⁰
• Mill: “at that point is the town of Penge and the main milling works” (Egnep, Limited), said by Cape Asbestos Company, Limited, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 8¹⁰
• Fiber: “amosite” (Egnep, Limited), said by Cape Asbestos Company, Limited, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 6¹⁰

1947

• Output: “in the amosite mines the rate of production (Egnep, Ltd.) increased satisfactorily and continued to rise” (Egnep, Ltd.), as reported by Cape Asbestos Co. annual report for 1947, p. 9³⁰

1948

• Ownership: “concession to work the deposits on the farm Penge ... Messrs. Wayne and Ward ... Asbestos Mines of South Africa” (Asbestos Mines of South Africa), p. 20¹²

1952

• Output: “it is here that the bulk of the output is produced by Egnep Ltd.” (Egnep Ltd.), said by W. E. Sinclair, M.I.M.M. (Consulting Mining Engineer), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 8²¹
• Mill: “have doubled the capacity of their milling plants. Old mills have been enlarged to cope with increased tonnage from the existing Amosa-Penge Mines” (Egnep Ltd.), said by W. E. Sinclair, M.I.M.M. (Consulting Mining Engineer), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 8²¹
• Mill: “Special milling plants have been erected to retreat all the old tailings dumps” (Egnep Ltd.), said by W. E. Sinclair, M.I.M.M. (Consulting Mining Engineer), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 8²¹
• Buyers: “transported 16 miles by road to Burgersfort ... for shipment to factories in Benoni, or to the Coastal Ports for export” (Egnep Ltd.), said by W. E. Sinclair, M.I.M.M. (Consulting Mining Engineer), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 8²¹

1959

• Reserves: “Except for the main orebodies at Penge, near Lydenburg, most of the deposits in the Pietersburg-Lydenburg "Belt" are comparatively marginal”, p. 8³¹
• Worked: “Egnep (Pty) Ltd. and Amosa (Pty) Ltd. operate the amosite asbestos mines in the Transvaal. first acquired in 1925” (The Cape Asbestos Company Limited), said by The Cape Asbestos Company Limited, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 4¹⁴

1961

• Exploration: “Sinking of a new vertical shaft at Penge progressed”, p. 12¹¹
• Output: “The mine produced 5,000 tons of amosite monthly”, p. 12¹¹
• Fiber: “amosite”, p. 12¹¹

1962

• Description: “the world's only important producer of amosite asbestos” (Cape Asbestos S.A. (Pty.), Ltd.), p. 11¹⁷
• Reserves: “Reserves at levels below 500 feet exceeded previous estimates” (Cape Asbestos S.A. (Pty.), Ltd.), p. 11¹⁷
• Exploration: “A vertical shaft 1,356 feet deep was placed in operation” (Cape Asbestos S.A. (Pty.), Ltd.), p. 11¹⁷
• Worked: “operated by subsidiaries of Cape Asbestos S.A. (Pty.), Ltd.” (Cape Asbestos S.A. (Pty.), Ltd.), p. 11¹⁷
• Output: “plans were made to increase production from 70,000 to 85,000 tons of fiber per year by 1963” (Cape Asbestos S.A. (Pty.), Ltd.), p. 11¹⁷

1963

• Fiber: “It is also the largest producer of amosite in the Republic”, p. 5¹⁶
• Description: “Most of the ore from Penge is produced from semi-shrinkage stopes operated on the "herring-bone" system”, p. 5¹⁶
• Description: “The deposit at Penge is 20 miles long and dips at an angle of 20° to the west”, p. 5¹⁶
• Description: “The ore is taken to the surface at the Keep Vertical Shaft which is 1,436 feet deep, making Penge the deepest asbestos mine in South Africa”, p. 5¹⁶
• Output: “Approximately 80,000 tons are broken a month and this is expected to increase to 100,000 tons by the end of the year”, p. 5¹⁶
• Description: “Amosite mining at Penge mine in Eastern Transvaal ... was reviewed”, as reported by Mine and Quarry Engineering, p. 12¹⁸
• Exploration: “steps were taken to increase underground drilling capacity at the Penge mine” (Cape Asbestos S.A. (Pty.), Ltd.), as reported by South African Mining & Engineering Journal (Johannesburg), p. 10¹⁸
• Description: “the ore is produced from semishrinkage stopes operated on "herring-bone" system”, as reported by Mine and Quarry Engineering, p. 12¹⁸
• Description: “installation of the first automatic remotely controlled air compressor” (Cape Asbestos S.A. (Pty.), Ltd.), as reported by South African Mining & Engineering Journal (Johannesburg), p. 10¹⁸
• Output: “where 90 percent of the world's output of amosite is obtained” (Cape Asbestos S.A. (Pty.), Ltd.), p. 10¹⁸
• Mill: “The first fully-automatic remotely-controlled air compressor in the world, installed at Penge Asbestos Mine ... went into operation on May 28th of this year”, p. 5¹⁶

1964

• Dust and health: “completed a dust-free milling plant at the Penge mine” (Cape Asbestos South Africa (Pty.), Ltd.), p. 9²²
• Dust and health: “Dry milling of asbestos rock gave rise to problems of dust extraction and disposal of mill tailings”, as reported by South African Mining & Engineering Journal (Johannesburg), p. 11²²
• Mill: “completed a dust-free milling plant at the Penge mine” (Cape Asbestos South Africa (Pty.), Ltd.), p. 9²²
• Dust and health: “Hammer and fiberizing mills are enclosed, leakproof, and completely air swept”, as reported by South African Mining & Engineering Journal (Johannesburg), p. 11²²
• Description: “the largest producer of amosite asbestos” (Cape Asbestos South Africa (Pty.), Ltd.), p. 9²²
• Dust and health: “The first completely dust-free asbestos mill in South Africa began operating at the Penge mine”, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 25²³
• Mill: “The first completely dust-free asbestos mill in South Africa began operating at the Penge mine”, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 25²³

1966

• Mill: “the reconstruction and extension of the Penge mine treatment plant and the development of the mine ... reached its peak” (The Cape Asbestos Company Limited), said by The Cape Asbestos Company Limited, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 25³²

1967

• Description: “New mining operations began on a fibre horizon called the "higher bands"”, p. 24²⁴
• Mill: “The new $6.5-million mill complex ... designed primarily for milling of shorter grades of Amosite, is nearing completion”, p. 24²⁴
• Exploration: “A circular shaft has been sunk to a depth of 900 feet” (The Cape Asbestos Company Limited), said by The Cape Asbestos Company Limited, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 29¹⁹

1970

• Mill: “being made to the treatment plant at Penge and development work is continuing at the mine” (The Cape Asbestos Company Limited), said by The Cape Asbestos Company Limited, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 49³³

1972

• Worked: “operated by Egnep (Pty) Ltd., a Cape Asbestos subsidiary” (Egnep (Pty) Ltd.), p. 14³⁴
• Output: “Production of medium long Amosite S11 was started early this year at the Penge Asbestos Mine” (Egnep (Pty) Ltd.; Cape Asbestos), p. 14³⁴
• Exploration: “Mining at Penge continued to move southward into the "new area" and plans are being made for the sinking of a new shaft some two miles to the south of the Keep shaft” (Cape Asbestos South Africa (Pty) Ltd.), said by Cape Asbestos Co. Ltd., as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 38²⁰

1975

• Output: “future production will be centered at the Penge Amosite Mine; A production rate of about 100,000 tons per year is anticipated at Penge” (Egnep (Pty.) Ltd.), p. 40⁵

1976

• Mill: “with an annual production capacity of 100,000 tons, is undergoing expansion and improvements” (Cape Industries Ltd.), p. 38²⁵

1977

• Mill: “Annual capacity at Penge is an estimated 100,000 tons per year” (Cape Industries Ltd.), p. 35²⁶

1978

• Mill: “It has an annual production capacity of 90,000 tonnes and is the largest mine in the Cape Asbestos Group” (Cape Asbestos S.A.), p. 8²⁷
• Mill: “This operation has an annual production capacity of 90,000 tonnes. Early this year milling time at Penge was reduced from two to one shift per day” (Cape Asbestos South Africa), p. 46²⁸

1979

• Ownership: “Egnep mines Amosite under license at Penge; became wholly owned by TCL” (Transvaal Consolidated Land & Exploration Co. Ltd. (TCL)), p. 40¹⁵

1980

• Mill: “90,000 tonnes at Penge” (Egnep (Pty) Ltd.), p. 32²⁹

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 (8)

• Bloise A 2016: Trace elements in hazardous mineral fibres: “UICC standard amosite from Penge mine, South African. d UICC standard anthophyllite asbestos, Finnish”
• Langer AM 1979: The contamination of Lake Superior with amphibole gangue minerals: “A comparison of comminuted specimens of UlCC asbestiform grunerite (Amo- site) standard from Penge, South Africa (A)”
• Martin J 2016: On the threshold conditions for electron beam damage of asbestos amosite fibers in the transmission electron microscope (TEM): “amosite ([(Mg,Fe2+)7Si8O22(OH)2]n) from the Un- ion for International Cancer Control (UICC), also known as grunerite asbestos, from Penge mine in Northern Province, South Africa.”
• Martin J 2017: Effect of accelerating voltage on beam damage of asbestos fibers in the transmission electron microscope (TEM): “also known as grunerite asbestos is from the Penge mine in Norther Province, South Africa”
• McConnell EE 1983: Chronic effects of dietary exposure to amosite and chrysotile asbestos in Syrian golden hamsters: “An amosite sample (S-33) from a mine in Penge, Transvaal, Republic of South Africa was purchased by the Bureau of Mines from the Atlas Asbestos Company”
• Pacella A 2023: Dissolution Reaction and Surface Modification of UICC Amosite in Mimicked Gamble's Solution: A Step towards Filling the Gap between Asbestos Toxicity and Its Crystal Chemical Features: “A sample of amosite (fibrous grunerite) standard sample from Penge mine (South Africa), supplied by the Union International for Cancer Control (UICC), was investi- gated in this work.”
• Petry R 2006: Asbestos mineral analysis by UV Raman and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy: “Amosite (Fe2+)2(Fe2+,Mg)5Si8O22(OH)2 Penge mine, Transvaal, South Africa Tremolite Ca2Mg5Si8O22(OH)2 Stemmas”
• Pollastri S 2014: The zeta potential of mineral fibres

Other names

Documents call this mine “Penge”, “Penge mine”, “Penge Mine”, “Egnep”, “Egnep Mines at Penge”, “Egnep, Limited amosite mines at and near Penge”, “Penge Asbestos Mine”.

See also

• Penge Mine in the Lexicon
• All asbestos mines

References

1. Asbestos Magazine, 1920, March 1920 (March 1, 1920), p. 44.
2. Asbestos Magazine, 1922, December 1922 (December 1, 1922), p. 34.
3. Asbestos Magazine, 1928, January 1928 (January 1, 1928), p. 45.
4. Asbestos Magazine, 1930, August 1930 (August 1, 1930), p. 57.
5. Asbestos Magazine, 1975, December 1975 (December 1, 1975), pp. 39–40.
6. Asbestos Magazine, 1944, August 1944 (August 1, 1944), p. 8.
7. Asbestos Magazine, 1929, July 1929 (July 1, 1929), p. 52.
8. Asbestos Magazine, 1938, June 1938 (June 1, 1938), p. 37.
9. Asbestos Magazine, 1941, August 1941 (August 1, 1941), p. 8.
10. Asbestos Magazine, 1945, August 1945 (August 1, 1945), pp. 6, 8.
11. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1961 (January 1, 1962), p. 12.
12. Asbestos Magazine, 1948, September 1948 (September 1, 1948), p. 20.
13. Asbestos Magazine, 1930, May 1930 (May 1, 1930), p. 22.
14. Asbestos Magazine, 1959, June 1959 (June 1, 1959), p. 4.
15. Asbestos Magazine, 1979, December 1979 (December 1, 1979), p. 40.
16. Asbestos Magazine, 1963, August 1963 (August 1, 1963), p. 5.
17. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1962 (January 1, 1963), p. 11.
18. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1963 (January 1, 1964), pp. 10, 12.
19. Asbestos Magazine, 1968, June 1968 (June 1, 1968), p. 29.
20. Asbestos Magazine, 1973, June 1973 (June 1, 1973), p. 38.
21. Asbestos Magazine, 1953, November 1953 (November 1, 1953), p. 8.
22. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1964 (January 1, 1965), pp. 9, 11.
23. Asbestos Magazine, 1966, October 1966 (October 1, 1966), p. 25.
24. Asbestos Magazine, 1967, August 1967 (August 1, 1967), p. 24.
25. Asbestos Magazine, 1976, December 1976 (December 1, 1976), p. 38.
26. Asbestos Magazine, 1977, December 1977 (December 1, 1977), p. 35.
27. Asbestos Magazine, 1978, November 1978 (November 1, 1978), p. 8.
28. Asbestos Magazine, 1978, December 1978 (December 1, 1978), p. 46.
29. Asbestos Magazine, 1981, January 1981 (January 1, 1981), p. 32.
30. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1947 (January 1, 1948), p. 9.
31. Asbestos Magazine, 1959, April 1959 (April 1, 1959), p. 8.
32. Asbestos Magazine, 1967, June 1967 (June 1, 1967), p. 25.
33. Asbestos Magazine, 1971, September 1971 (September 1, 1971), p. 49.
34. Asbestos Magazine, 1972, December 1972 (December 1, 1972), p. 14.