Phoenix mine, Monticello, California

The Phoenix mine was a chrysotile mine in Napa County, California, which the U.S. Bureau of Mines' Minerals Yearbook first placed "9 miles southwest of Monticello."^5,8 Reporting on 1933, the yearbook said that the United Asbestos Corporation "has erected a mill and constructed a trestle and track preparatory to operating in 1934 the Phoenix mine."⁵

Tabor Mining and Asbestos Bonding

The yearbook later named the Tabor Mining Co. as the producer: "a small quantity of short chrysotile" in 1955, "a small quantity of short-fiber chrysotile" in 1956, and "a small output of short-fiber chrysotile" in 1957 and 1958.^1,2,3,4 For 1959 it reported that the Asbestos Bonding Co. "produced short chrysotile asbestos from the Phoenix claim, Napa County."⁶ The same yearbook, citing the Engineering and Mining Journal, said that "the Clute Corp. of Littleton, Colo., acquired Asbestos Bonding Corp., Napa, Calif., and announced plans to install a 1,000-ton-per-day mill to produce 7-R and fine asbestos."⁶ In December 1960 Asbestos, the industry's trade journal, reported that the Clute Company had "completed negotiations to finance the first phase of construction of a 1,000 ton a day asbestos mill," part of "a one-million dollar expansion to be built at the open pit mine site" of its subsidiary Asbestos Bonding Corporation near Napa, though the item does not name the Phoenix mine.⁷

Later output

The yearbook reported production and shipments by Asbestos Bonding Co. "from the Phoenix mine" in 1960 and 1961, and by the company in Napa County, without naming the mine, in 1962, 1963 and 1964.^8,9,10,11,12 Asbestos, summing up the yearbook's California chapter for 1964, wrote that the company "produced several grades of asbestos filler material at its Phoenix mine and plant near Napa."¹³ The yearbook for 1965 again listed production and shipments by "Asbestos Bonding Co. from the Phoenix mine, Napa County."¹⁴

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

Location

Year by year

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

1933

• Mill: “the United Asbestos Corporation has erected a mill and constructed a trestle and track preparatory to operating in 1934 the Phoenix mine 9 miles southwest of Monticello” (United Asbestos Corporation), p. 4⁵

1955

• Fiber: “short chrysotile” (Tabor Mining Co.), p. 2¹
• Worked: “produced a small quantity of short chrysotile” (Tabor Mining Co.), p. 2¹

1956

• Worked: “A small quantity of short-fiber chrysotile was produced by the Tabor Mining Co.” (Tabor Mining Co.), p. 2²
• Fiber: “short-fiber chrysotile” (Tabor Mining Co.), p. 2²

1957

• Fiber: “short-fiber chrysotile” (Tabor Mining Co.), p. 2³
• Worked: “A small output of short-fiber chrysotile was reported by the Tabor Mining Co., Phoenix mine” (Tabor Mining Co.), p. 2³

1958

• Worked: “A small output of short-fiber chrysotile was reported by the Tabor Mining Co., from the Phoenix mine” (Tabor Mining Co.), p. 2⁴
• Fiber: “short-fiber chrysotile” (Tabor Mining Co.), p. 2⁴

1959

• Mill: “announced plans to install a 1,000-ton-per-day mill to produce 7-R and fine asbestos” (Clute Corp.), as reported by Engineering and Mining Journal, p. 2⁶
• Ownership: “The Clute Corp. of Littleton, Colo., acquired Asbestos Bonding Corp., Napa, Calif.” (Clute Corp.), as reported by Engineering and Mining Journal, p. 2⁶
• Fiber: “short chrysotile asbestos” (Asbestos Bonding Co.), p. 2⁶
• Worked: “the Asbestos Bonding Co. ... produced short chrysotile asbestos from the Phoenix claim, Napa County” (Asbestos Bonding Co.), p. 2⁶

1960

• Mill: “The Clute Company has completed negotiations to finance the first phase of construction of a 1,000 ton a day asbestos mill ... at the open pit mine site of Clute's wholly-owned subsidiary, Asbestos Bonding Corporation, located near Napa” (Asbestos Bonding Corporation (The Clute Company)), p. 10⁷
• Fiber: “chrysotile asbestos” (Asbestos Bonding Co.), p. 2⁸
• Worked: “reported production and shipments of chrysotile asbestos from the Phoenix mine” (Asbestos Bonding Co.), p. 2⁸

1961

• Worked: “production and shipments of fiber were reported by Asbestos Bonding Co., from the Phoenix Mine” (Asbestos Bonding Co.), p. 2⁹

1962

• Worked: “reported production and shipments: ... Asbestos Bonding Co., Napa County” (Asbestos Bonding Co.), p. 2¹⁰

1963

• Worked: “Production and shipments were reported by ... Asbestos Bonding Co., Napa County” (Asbestos Bonding Co.), p. 2¹¹

1964

• Fiber: “chrysotile” (Asbestos Bonding Co.), p. 2¹²
• Worked: “production and shipments of chrysotile were reported by ... Asbestos Bonding Co., Napa County” (Asbestos Bonding Co.), p. 2¹²
• Worked: “produced several grades of asbestos filler material at its Phoenix mine and plant near Napa” (Asbestos Bonding Company), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 23¹³

1965

• Worked: “Asbestos Bonding Co. from the Phoenix mine, Napa County” (Asbestos Bonding Co.), p. 2¹⁴

Other names

Documents call this mine “Phoenix mine”, “Phoenix claim”.

See also

• Asbestos exposure sites in California
• All asbestos mines

References

1. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1955 (January 1, 1956), p. 2.
2. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1956 (January 1, 1957), p. 2.
3. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1957 (January 1, 1958), p. 2.
4. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1958 (January 1, 1959), p. 2.
5. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1934 (January 1, 1935), p. 4.
6. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1959 (January 1, 1960), p. 2.
7. Asbestos Magazine, 1960, December 1960 (December 1, 1960), p. 10.
8. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1960 (January 1, 1961), p. 2.
9. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1961 (January 1, 1962), p. 2.
10. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1962 (January 1, 1963), p. 2.
11. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1963 (January 1, 1964), p. 2.
12. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1964 (January 1, 1965), p. 2.
13. Asbestos Magazine, 1966, June 1966 (June 1, 1966), p. 23.
14. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1965 (January 1, 1966), p. 2.