Tinaquillo deposit, 6 km west of Tinaquillo, Cojedes

The Tinaquillo deposit lay in the State of Cojedes, Venezuela, "6 kilometers west of Tinaquillo," on the side of a mountain known as "El Tigre," according to the U.S. Bureau of Mines' Minerals Yearbook and Asbestos, the industry's trade journal.^4,8 The yearbook for 1941 described the fiber as "of the chrysotile variety, similar to that in Quebec, Canada."⁴ The earliest report in these sources is C. V. Smith's, printed in Asbestos in July 1936, which placed the deposits "about eight miles from the town of Tinaquillo" and "145 miles from Caracas," with output trucked to Valencia and sent by rail to Puerto Cabello.¹⁰ Smith wrote that "while a number of concessions have been taken, exploration work has been attempted on but two of them," and that the work was "superficial."¹⁰

A company and a mill

In September 1941 Asbestos reported that Compania Anonima Minas de Amianto de Tinaquillo had been formed "for the development of the El Tigre deposit," and that the company "is controlled and operated by Hauts Fourneaux and Fondries de Pont-a-Mousson of France."¹ The company, the journal said, planned "to use the output in its various manufacturing plants," and the mine was "claimed to have a possible output of 6,000 tons of Asbestos fibre."¹ The yearbook for 1941 likewise said that "an output of about 6,000 tons of asbestos a year, chiefly of shingle-stock grade, is forecast," and that the company "has prospected a considerable area by core drilling, and a mill was under construction late in 1941."⁴

The mill was slow to come: the yearbook for 1942 said the mill "was under construction in 1942 but owing to difficulties in securing equipment was not completed."⁵ In January 1943 Asbestos reported a plant under construction "with an expected capacity of about 20 tons a day," and that the mines "are expected to begin production in February."⁶ The yearbook for 1943 said that "no further progress was reported," and the yearbook for 1944 that the mill, "under construction for some time, has not been completed."^11,12 In September 1944 the journal gave a different expected capacity, "960 tons of rock daily, or 500 tons of asbestos monthly," and said exploitation "was to begin upon the receipt of the necessary machinery which was reported to be en route."⁷

Production begins

The sources date the start differently: the yearbook for 1945 said that "the new asbestos quarry and mill of the Compania Minas de Cemento de Tinaquillo" began operation in 1945, and the yearbook for 1946 that a mill owned by that company "has gone into operation."^13,14 A 1959 article in Asbestos said that "regular production started in 1946 at the mine of 'El Tigre', and 65 metric tons of the fiber were turned out the first year."⁹ A November 1958 item in the same journal said the deposit "was discovered nearly 25 years ago and has been mined commercially for over 5 years."¹⁵ The yearbook for 1949 named "C. A. Minas de Amianto de Tinaquillo, which operates the El Tigre mine near Tinaquillo," as Venezuela's only producer, "attempting to expand."²

Modern milling

In November 1958 Asbestos reported that "a just-completed modernization program" at Amveco C. A.'s property at Tinaquillo "has increased production ten-fold," and called it "the only asbestos producing site in South America of commercial importance."¹⁵ The mine, it said, "yielded about 1,500 tons of asbestos fibre before the changes in the mill were started; now it is producing at the rate of 15,000 tons a year," and Amveco used "an Entoleter Impact Mill to extract asbestos from rocks smaller than 3/8 inches."¹⁵ The Minerals Yearbook said that "the entire production of asbestos in 1959 came from the Tinaquillo mines of Amianto de Venezuela Co."¹⁶

Venezuela's output

The 1959 article in Asbestos placed "Venezuela's most important deposits of asbestos" near Tinaquillo, where concessions covered "11,796 hectares (29,136 acres)," and said that "the short and medium fiber (¼ to ½ inch long) is predominant."⁹ Its table gives Venezuela's production, not this mine's alone: 65 metric tons in 1946, 674 in 1954, 1,594 in 1955, 5,280 in 1956, 7,610 in 1957 and 8,267 in 1958.⁹ A December 1955 report in the journal had called Tinaquillo "the asbestos mining center of Venezuela, exploitation being done by private enterprises holding concessions," and spoke of "the low production figure of only 674 tons in 1954."³ Of the 1958 total, the 1959 article said, "6,714 tons or 81.2% were exported."⁹

The documents report this mine producing asbestos fiber for sale.⁹

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
1941	6,000 tons of asbestos fibre	1
1941	6,000 tons	4
1946	65 metric tons	9
1947	240 metric tons	9
1948	194 metric tons	9
1949	185 metric tons	9
1950	190 metric tons	9
1951	260 metric tons	9
1952	394 metric tons	9
1953	175 metric tons	9
1954	674 tons	3
1954	674 metric tons	9
1955	1,594 metric tons	9
1956	5,280 metric tons	9
1957	7,610 metric tons	9
1958	15,000 tons a year (rate)	15
1958	8,267 metric tons	9

Year by year

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

1936

• Exploration: “A number of concessions taken; exploration attempted on only two, superficial”, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 16¹⁰
• Description: “Deposits about eight miles from Tinaquillo, 145 miles from Caracas; output trucked to Valencia and railed to Puerto Cabello”, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 16¹⁰

1941

• Output: “a possible output of 6,000 tons of Asbestos fibre, of the chrysotile variety”, p. 34¹
• Ownership: “controlled and operated by Hauts Fourneaux and Fondries de Pont-a-Mousson” (Hauts Fourneaux and Fondries de Pont-a-Mousson), p. 34¹
• Ownership: “formed ... for the development of the El Tigre deposit” (Compania Anonima Minas de Amianto de Tinaquillo), p. 34¹
• Buyers: “plans to use the output in its various manufacturing plants”, said by Compania Anonima Minas de Amianto de Tinaquillo, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 34¹
• Fiber: “The fiber is of the chrysotile variety, similar to that in Quebec, Canada” (Compania Anonima Minas de Amianto de Tinaquillo), p. 7⁴
• Exploration: “has prospected a considerable area by core drilling” (Compania Anonima Minas de Amianto de Tinaquillo), p. 7⁴
• Output: “An output of about 6,000 tons of asbestos a year, chiefly of shingle-stock grade, is forecast” (Compania Anonima Minas de Amianto de Tinaquillo), p. 7⁴
• Mill: “a mill was under construction late in 1941” (Compania Anonima Minas de Amianto de Tinaquillo), p. 7⁴
• Description: “An asbestos deposit that may attain importance is situated 6 kilometers west of Tinaquillo, State of Cojedes, Venezuela”, p. 7⁴
• Mill: “plant construction is expected to start early in November 1941”, p. 34¹
• Exploration: “In December 1941 development work of core drilling and trenching”, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 17⁸

1942

• Fiber: “Chrysotile, mostly in irregular cross-fibre veins”, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 17⁸
• Description: “Deposit 6 km west of Tinaquillo, on the side of a mountain known as "El Tigre"; 58 km from Valencia, 108 km from Puerto Cabello”, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 17⁸
• Mill: “Venezuela's new asbestos mill near Tinaquillo was under construction in 1942 but owing to difficulties in securing equipment was not completed”, p. 6⁵
• Mill: “New asbestos plant under construction, expected capacity about 20 tons a day; concession over 1,000 acres”, as reported by Foreign Commerce Weekly (U.S. Department of Commerce), December 5, 1942, p. 38⁶

1943

• Idle: “No further progress was reported in 1943 on construction of the new mill or development of the chrysotile asbestos property near Tinaquillo, Venezuela”, p. 11¹¹
• Opened: “The Asbestos Mines of Tinaquillo expected to begin production in February (1943)”, as reported by Foreign Commerce Weekly (U.S. Department of Commerce), December 5, 1942, p. 38⁶

1944

• Mill: “Plant capacity expected to be 960 tons of rock daily, or 500 tons of asbestos monthly; spinning and shingle fibre” (Cia. Mines de Amianto), as reported by Foreign Commerce Weekly (U.S. Department of Commerce), June 17th, p. 12⁷
• Opened: “Exploitation of the deposits of the Cia. Mines de Amianto, Tinaquillo, to begin upon receipt of machinery en route” (Cia. Mines de Amianto), as reported by Foreign Commerce Weekly (U.S. Department of Commerce), June 17th, p. 12⁷
• Mill: “The new asbestos mill near Tinaquillo, Venezuela, under construction for some time, has not been completed”, p. 10¹²

1945

• Opened: “The new asbestos quarry and mill ... began operation in 1945” (Compania Minas de Cemento de Tinaquillo), p. 5¹³

1946

• Mill: “An asbestos mill owned by Campañía Minas de Cemento de Tinaquilla has gone into operation” (Campañía Minas de Cemento de Tinaquilla), p. 9¹⁴
• Opened: “Regular production started in 1946 at the mine of "El Tigre", and 65 metric tons of the fiber were turned out the first year”, p. 35⁹
• Output: “1946 ...... 65 (In Metric Tons)”, p. 35⁹

1947

• Exploration: “A Canadian company is reported to be interested in the Tinaquillo area”, p. 10¹⁷
• Output: “1947 ...... 240 (In Metric Tons)”, p. 35⁹

1948

• Output: “1948 ...... 194 (In Metric Tons)”, p. 35⁹

1949

• Worked: “The only producer, C. A. Minas de Amianto de Tinaquillo, which operates the El Tigre mine near Tinaquillo” (C. A. Minas de Amianto de Tinaquillo), p. 10²
• Output: “1949 ...... 185 (In Metric Tons)”, p. 35⁹

1950

• Output: “1950 ...... 190 (In Metric Tons)”, p. 35⁹

1951

• Output: “1951 ...... 260 (In Metric Tons)”, p. 35⁹

1952

• Output: “1952 ...... 394 (In Metric Tons)”, p. 35⁹

1953

• Output: “1953 ...... 175 (In Metric Tons)”, p. 35⁹

1954

• Output: “the low production figure of only 674 tons in 1954”, p. 62³
• Output: “1954 ...... 674 (In Metric Tons)”, p. 35⁹

1955

• Worked: “exploitation being done by private enterprises holding concessions”, p. 62³
• Output: “1955 ...... 1,594 (In Metric Tons)”, p. 35⁹

1956

• Output: “1956 ...... 5,280 (In Metric Tons)”, p. 35⁹

1957

• Output: “1957 ...... 7,610 (In Metric Tons)”, p. 35⁹

1958

• Mill: “Amveco uses an Entoleter Impact Mill to extract asbestos from rocks smaller than 3/8 inches” (Amveco C. A.), p. 54¹⁵
• Mill: “A just-completed modernization program at a South American asbestos mine has increased production ten-fold” (Amveco C. A.), p. 54¹⁵
• Output: “The mine yielded about 1,500 tons of asbestos fibre before the changes in the mill were started; now it is producing at the rate of 15,000 tons a year” (Amveco C. A.), p. 54¹⁵
• Description: “The deposit was discovered nearly 25 years ago and has been mined commercially for over 5 years” (Amveco C. A.), p. 54¹⁵
• Output: “1958 ...... 8,267 (In Metric Tons)”, p. 35⁹
• Buyers: “Of the total 1958 production of 8,267 tons, 6,714 tons or 81.2% were exported ... France (21.4%), Brazil (13.5%), Denmark (12.2%)”, p. 35⁹

1959

• Description: “concessions for exploitation over an area of 11,796 hectares (29,136 acres) have been granted”, p. 35⁹
• Fiber: “Although the crude large fiber is also exploited at Tinaquillo, the short and medium fiber (1/4 to 1/2 inch long) is predominant”, p. 35⁹
• Output: “The entire production of asbestos in 1959 came from the Tinaquillo mines” (Amianto de Venezuela Co.), p. 8¹⁶

Other names

Documents call this mine “Tinaquillo”, “Tinaquillo mines”, “El Tigre deposit”, “Asbestos Mines of Tinaquillo”, “Cia. Mines de Amianto”, “El Tigre”, “new asbestos quarry and mill of the Compania Minas de Cemento de Tinaquillo”, “Tinaquilla”, “El Tigre mine”.

References

1. Asbestos Magazine, 1941, September 1941 (September 1, 1941), p. 34.
2. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1949 (January 1, 1950), p. 10.
3. Asbestos Magazine, 1955, December 1955 (December 1, 1955), p. 62.
4. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1941 (January 1, 1942), p. 7.
5. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1942 (January 1, 1943), p. 6.
6. Asbestos Magazine, 1943, January 1943 (January 1, 1943), p. 38.
7. Asbestos Magazine, 1944, September 1944 (September 1, 1944), p. 12.
8. Asbestos Magazine, 1942, April 1942 (April 1, 1942), p. 17.
9. Asbestos Magazine, 1959, October 1959 (October 1, 1959), p. 35.
10. Asbestos Magazine, 1936, July 1936 (July 1, 1936), p. 16.
11. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1943 (January 1, 1944), p. 11.
12. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1944 (January 1, 1945), p. 10.
13. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1945 (January 1, 1946), p. 5.
14. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1946 (January 1, 1947), p. 9.
15. Asbestos Magazine, 1958, November 1958 (November 1, 1958), p. 54.
16. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1960 (January 1, 1961), p. 8.
17. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1947 (January 1, 1948), p. 10.