Vimy Ridge property (Penhale ore body), 5 miles southwest of Thetford Mines, Quebec

The Vimy Ridge mine was a chrysotile mine of the Asbestos Corporation in Quebec, and the sources place it differently: a 1939 item in Asbestos, the industry's trade journal, put "Asbestos Corporation's Vimy Ridge Mine at Coleraine," the U.S. Bureau of Mines' Minerals Yearbook for 1968 put the Vimy Ridge property "5 miles southwest of Thetford Mines," and a 1970 item in the journal put the Penhale orebody on it "three miles southwest of Thetford."^5,11,13,14 The 1939 item said that Telesphore Roy, who had retired as superintendent "after 51 years of continuous service," was "the discoverer of the outcrop where the present pit is located" and had been there "from the day the mine was first opened in 1919."⁵

Owners and early years

A 1939 article in Asbestos said that the Martin-Bennett company was "later reorganized under the name of the Bennett-Martin Asbestos & Chrome Mines Limited, to include the newly-developed Vimy Ridge Mine," without giving a date.¹⁵ In 1925 a visitor writing in the journal reported that "the Vimy Ridge Mine of the old Bennett-Martin Company" had been closed down, but that "lately, however, several cars of first class crude have been taken from the Vimy Ridge property."⁶ By 1930 it was one of the Asbestos Corporation's mines: a company advertisement that year gave "Vimy Ridge Mine ... 610 tons" of material hoisted in one day, and a 1931 advertisement listed Vimy Ridge among the places where the company had mines.^1,7 In August 1935 Asbestos reported that "the increased demand for raw asbestos has necessitated the opening of the Vimy Ridge Mine," and the company later said the Vimy mine had been operated "during the summer" of 1935.^2,8

The pit and the mill

The company's annual reports, as Asbestos summarized them, said year after year that the Vimy mill or mine ran at capacity: in 1937, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946 and 1951, and "at close to capacity" in 1952.^{4,9,10,16,17,18,19,20,21,22} In November 1940 the journal itself wrote that the Vimy Ridge Mine was "still operating at capacity."³ In 1943, the company said, "open pit mining operations were hampered because of the many very heavy snowfalls."¹⁸

The reports also told of changes in the pit and mill: "At the Vimy Mine box-loading in the pit was replaced by shovel loading in October 1937."⁹ In 1939 "an electric shovel was installed to replace the Deisel shovel," the primary jaw crusher was replaced "by one of larger capacity," and "a sprinkler system was also installed in the mill."¹⁰ In 1946 a new fibre storage shed, "a railway spur about 3000 feet in length" and a new electric sub-station were built, as "part of a larger program to be carried out in 1947 which will enlarge the area of the Vimy Ridge pit."²⁰ For 1953 Asbestos reported that "operating results at the Vimy Ridge Mine were well above last year," with mine roads extended and "a new 25,000 gallon water tank installed."²³

The company drilled for more ore: 20,879 feet of diamond drilling in 1938 at King, Beaver, British Canadian and Vimy together, "indicating additional ore in reserve at each property"; 934 feet at Vimy Ridge in 1941; 3,497 feet in 1943 "to further delimit the ore bodies"; and in 1945 "twenty exploratory diamond drill holes ... totalling 4,703 feet," with 4,356 cubic yards stripped.^17,18,19,24 A 1951 table from the U.S. government's Mineral Trade Notes, reprinted in Asbestos, gave Vimy Ridge a daily rock tonnage of 2,800.²⁵ The Minerals Yearbook for 1951 said the company was "planning extensive mill construction at the Vimy Ridge deposit, where large reserves of asbestos-bearing rock have been proved by diamond drilling."²⁶

Winding down the pit

The company's report for 1954 said that "operating results at all producing mines except Vimy Ridge showed an improvement," and that "dwindling accessible ore reserves at the Vimy Ridge Mine discouraged further improvements at that property."¹² It said that "it is anticipated that operations at that mine will cease shortly after the commencement of full scale operations at the Normandie Mine"; the sources here do not report the closing itself.¹² The Minerals Yearbook for 1964 named chrysotile crudes from "Asbestos Corp., Ltd., Vimy Ridge, Quebec" among samples tested in a study reported in the American Mineralogist.¹¹

The Penhale orebody

In 1968, according to the Minerals Yearbook, drawing on Mining in Canada, the company "began sinking a 1,645-foot exploration shaft into the Penhale ore body on the company's Vimy Ridge property," a "$2.5 million project" to confirm drill-indicated reserves "in a program due for completion in late 1971."¹³ A drift "will also be driven laterally into the ore body at the 1,120-foot level," and, "if results warrant it," the shaft and drift would become "a new underground mine, estimated to cost an additional $5.25 million."¹³ "If the plans are realized," the yearbook said, "the mine will be the largest underground asbestos mine in the world, with a production capacity of 8,200 tons per day," worked by "rubber-tired, diesel-powered, load-haul-dump vehicles."¹³ Asbestos repeated the plan in December 1969: "If developed, the mine would have a productive capacity of 8200 tons of ore per day."²⁷

The yearbook and the company both reported that the shaft had reached a depth of 600 feet by the end of 1969, and the company said production "could commence in late 1971 or early 1972 at a rate of 8,000 tons of ore per day."^28,29 In December 1970 Asbestos still described a "1645-foot development shaft."³⁰ The company's report for 1970 said that "the sinking of the new shaft at the Penhale orebody was completed at a depth of 1,270 feet in September 1970," and that drifting began "at the 240 foot elevation."³¹ In 1971 Asbestos reported "more than 2000 feet of lateral development" done "to check the drill-indicated 17 million tons of ore," and the Minerals Yearbook said that "the world's largest underground asbestos mine could result."^32,33

Plans were still being made in 1978: in December of that year Asbestos reported that "studies are underway on the Penhale underground asbestos mine situated below the exhausted Normandie pit near Vimy Ridge," and the yearbook for 1978 said the company "is still making plans for the Penhale property underground below the closed Normandie property."^34,35

The documents report this mine producing asbestos fiber for sale.²¹

Preview. Parts of this page have not yet been checked against the documents by a person; they are marked unreviewed. The public site shows checked material only.

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
1930	610 tons of material hoisted in one day	7

Year by year

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

1919

• Opened: “The Vimy Ridge Mine was first opened in 1919; Telesphore Roy discovered the outcrop where the present pit is located” (Asbestos Corporation Limited), p. 17⁵

1925

• Output: “several cars of first class crude have been taken from the Vimy Ridge property” (Bennett-Martin Company), p. 26⁶

1930

• Output: “Vimy Ridge Mine: 610 tons of material hoisted in one day” (Asbestos Corporation Limited), said by Asbestos Corporation Limited, p. 19⁷

1931

• Worked: “Asbestos Corporation: mines at Vimy Ridge” (Asbestos Corporation Limited), said by Asbestos Corporation Limited, p. 17¹

1935

• Opened: “Increased demand for raw asbestos has necessitated the opening of the Vimy Ridge Mine”, p. 26⁸
• Worked: “Vimy mine operated during the summer of 1935” (Asbestos Corporation Limited), said by Asbestos Corporation Limited, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 37²

1937

• Mill: “Vimy mill operated at capacity throughout 1937” (Asbestos Corporation Limited), said by Asbestos Corporation Limited, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 40⁹
• Description: “Box-loading in the pit replaced by shovel loading in October 1937” (Asbestos Corporation Limited), said by Asbestos Corporation Limited, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 40⁹

1938

• Exploration: “At King, Beaver, British Canadian and Vimy a total of 20,879 feet of diamond drilling, indicating additional ore in reserve at each property” (Asbestos Corporation Limited), said by Asbestos Corporation Limited, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 39²⁴

1939

• Description: “Asbestos Corporation's Vimy Ridge Mine at Coleraine; Superintendent Telesphore Roy retired after 51 years” (Asbestos Corporation Limited), p. 17⁵
• Mill: “Electric shovel replaced the Diesel shovel in November; larger primary jaw crusher in December; sprinkler system installed in the mill” (Asbestos Corporation Limited), said by Asbestos Corporation Limited, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 39¹⁰
• Mill: “Mills at the King, Beaver, Vimy and British-Canadian Mines operated at capacity throughout 1939” (Asbestos Corporation Limited), said by Asbestos Corporation Limited, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 39¹⁰
• Ownership: “Martin-Bennett Asbestos Company later reorganized as Bennett-Martin Asbestos & Chrome Mines Limited to include the newly-developed Vimy Ridge Mine” (Bennett-Martin Asbestos & Chrome Mines Limited), p. 29¹⁵

1940

• Worked: “Vimy Ridge Mine, are still operating at capacity” (Asbestos Corporation Limited), p. 32³
• Mill: “Mills at the King, Beaver and Vimy Ridge Mines operated at capacity throughout 1940” (Asbestos Corporation Limited), said by Asbestos Corporation Limited, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 40¹⁶

1941

• Mill: “Mills at King, Beaver and Vimy Ridge Mines operated at capacity throughout 1941” (Asbestos Corporation Limited), said by Asbestos Corporation Limited, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 35¹⁷
• Exploration: “At Vimy Ridge 934 feet of diamond drilling ahead of the pit working faces” (Asbestos Corporation Limited), said by Asbestos Corporation Limited, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 35¹⁷

1943

• Exploration: “At Vimy Ridge 3,497 feet of diamond drilling to further delimit the ore bodies” (Asbestos Corporation Limited), said by Asbestos Corporation Limited, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 41¹⁸
• Mill: “Mills at the King, Beaver, British Canadian and Vimy Ridge Mines operated to capacity throughout 1943; open pit mining hampered by heavy snowfalls” (Asbestos Corporation Limited), said by Asbestos Corporation Limited, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 40¹⁸

1944

• Worked: “operated at capacity thruout the year” (Asbestos Corporation Limited), said by Asbestos Corporation Limited, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 38⁴

1945

• Exploration: “twenty exploratory diamond drill holes were bored, totalling 4,703 feet” (Asbestos Corporation Limited), said by Asbestos Corporation Limited, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 45¹⁹
• Worked: “operated at capacity thruout the year” (Asbestos Corporation Limited), said by Asbestos Corporation Limited, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 45¹⁹

1946

• Description: “A new fibre storage shed ... railway spur about 3000 feet ... enlarge the area of the Vimy Ridge pit” (Asbestos Corporation Limited), said by Asbestos Corporation Limited, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 40²⁰
• Worked: “operated at capacity thruout the year” (Asbestos Corporation Limited), said by Asbestos Corporation Limited, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 40²⁰

1951

• Mill: “Vimy Ridge (Asbestos Corp.) 2,800 [daily rock tonnage]” (Asbestos Corp.), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 50²⁵
• Reserves: “large reserves of asbestos-bearing rock have been proved by diamond drilling” (Asbestos Corp., Ltd.), p. 7²⁶
• Mill: “Asbestos Corp., Ltd., is planning extensive mill construction at the Vimy Ridge deposit” (Asbestos Corp., Ltd.), p. 7²⁶
• Worked: “Operations at the Company's four producing mines ... continued at capacity thruout 1951” (Asbestos Corporation Limited), said by Asbestos Corporation Limited, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 44²¹

1952

• Worked: “operated at close to capacity thruout the year” (Asbestos Corporation Limited), said by Asbestos Corporation Limited, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 48²²

1953

• Worked: “Operating results at the Vimy Ridge Mine were well above last year” (Asbestos Corporation Ltd.), p. 8²³

1954

• Reserves: “Dwindling accessible ore reserves at the Vimy Ridge Mine” (Asbestos Corporation Limited), said by Asbestos Corporation Limited, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 44¹²
• Worked: “Operating results at all producing mines except Vimy Ridge showed an improvement” (Asbestos Corporation Limited), said by Asbestos Corporation Limited, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 44¹²

1955

• Closed: “it is anticipated that operations at that mine will cease shortly after the commencement of full scale operations at the Normandie Mine” (Asbestos Corporation Limited), said by Asbestos Corporation Limited, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 44¹²

1964

• Fiber: “Chrysotile crudes from ... Asbestos Corp., Ltd., Vimy Ridge” (Asbestos Corp., Ltd.), as reported by American Mineralogist, p. 10¹¹

1968

• Exploration: “This $2.5 million project is to confirm drill-indicated reserves” (The Asbestos Corporation Ltd.), as reported by Mining in Canada (Winnipeg), p. 7¹³
• Description: “the mine will be the largest underground asbestos mine in the world, with a production capacity of 8,200 tons per day” (The Asbestos Corporation Ltd.), as reported by Mining in Canada (Winnipeg), p. 8¹³
• Description: “use rubber-tired, diesel-powered, load-haul-dump vehicles to take ore to an underground crusher” (The Asbestos Corporation Ltd.), as reported by Mining in Canada (Winnipeg), p. 9¹³
• Exploration: “a new underground mine, estimated to cost an additional $5.25 million” (The Asbestos Corporation Ltd.), as reported by Mining in Canada (Winnipeg), p. 8¹³
• Exploration: “A drift will also be driven laterally into the ore body at the 1,120-foot level” (The Asbestos Corporation Ltd.), as reported by Mining in Canada (Winnipeg), p. 8¹³
• Exploration: “began sinking a 1,645-foot exploration shaft into the Penhale ore body” (The Asbestos Corporation Ltd.), as reported by Mining in Canada (Winnipeg), p. 7¹³

1969

• Exploration: “began work on a project to sink a 1645 foot exploration shaft into the "Penhale" asbestos orebody” (Asbestos Corporation Limited), p. 22²⁷
• Description: “would have a productive capacity of 8200 tons of ore per day and would be the largest underground asbestos mine in the world” (Asbestos Corporation Limited), p. 22²⁷
• Exploration: “Shaft sinking, begun in 1968, reached a depth of 600 feet by the end of 1969” (Asbestos Corporation Ltd.), as reported by Asbestos Corporation Ltd. Annual Report, p. 7²⁸
• Exploration: “continued development of the Penhale orebody” (Asbestos Corporation Ltd.), as reported by Asbestos Corporation Ltd. Annual Report, p. 7²⁸
• Exploration: “The shaft sinking had reached a depth of 600 feet by the end of the year” (Asbestos Corporation Limited), said by Asbestos Corporation Limited, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 42²⁹

1970

• Exploration: “sinking a 1645-foot exploratory shaft into its Penhale orebody, three miles southwest of Thetford” (Asbestos Corporation Limited), said by Asbestos Corporation Limited, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 18¹⁴
• Exploration: “is sinking a $2.5 million, 1645-foot development shaft deep into its Penhale ore body” (Asbestos Corporation Ltd.), p. 18³⁰
• Exploration: “The sinking of the new shaft at the Penhale orebody was completed at a depth of 1,270 feet in September 1970” (Asbestos Corporation Ltd.), said by Asbestos Corporation Ltd., as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 48³¹

1971

• Exploration: “more than 2000 feet of lateral development has been done to check the drill-indicated 17 million tons of ore” (Asbestos Corporation Ltd.), p. 8³²
• Exploration: “more than 2,000 feet of laterals have been dug for ore body confirmation” (Asbestos Corp. Ltd.), p. 9³³
• Description: “The world's largest underground asbestos mine could result, having an 8,200-ton-per-day production rate” (Asbestos Corp. Ltd.), p. 9³³

1978

• Exploration: “Studies are underway on the Penhale underground asbestos mine situated below the exhausted Normandie pit near Vimy Ridge” (Asbestos Corporation Ltd.), p. 30³⁴
• Exploration: “plans for the Penhale property underground below the closed Normandie property” (Asbestos Corp.), p. 11³⁵

1980

• Exploration: “has been studying the feasibility of mining below the now-closed Normandie property at Black Lake” (Asbestos Corporation Ltd.), p. 18³⁶

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 workers (1)

• Pooley FD 1976: An examination of the fibrous mineral content of asbestos lung tissue from the Canadian chrysotile mining industry

Other names

Documents call this mine “Vimy Ridge property”, “Penhale ore body”, “Penhale Mine”, “Vimy Ridge Mine”, “Vimy Mine”, “Penhale orebody”, “Vimy Ridge deposit”, “Vimy Ridge”, “Penhale property”.

See also

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

References

1. Asbestos Magazine, 1931, December 1931 (December 1, 1931), p. 17.
2. Asbestos Magazine, 1937, April 1937 (April 1, 1937), p. 37.
3. Asbestos Magazine, 1940, November 1940 (November 1, 1940), p. 32.
4. Asbestos Magazine, 1945, March 1945 (March 1, 1945), p. 38.
5. Asbestos Magazine, 1939, July 1939 (July 1, 1939), p. 17.
6. Asbestos Magazine, 1925, October 1925 (October 1, 1925), p. 26.
7. Asbestos Magazine, 1930, June 1930 (June 1, 1930), p. 19.
8. Asbestos Magazine, 1935, August 1935 (August 1, 1935), p. 26.
9. Asbestos Magazine, 1938, March 1938 (March 1, 1938), p. 40.
10. Asbestos Magazine, 1940, February 1940 (February 1, 1940), p. 39.
11. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1964 (January 1, 1965), p. 10.
12. Asbestos Magazine, 1955, March 1955 (March 1, 1955), p. 44.
13. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1968 (January 1, 1969), pp. 7–9.
14. Asbestos Magazine, 1970, February 1970 (February 1, 1970), p. 18.
15. Asbestos Magazine, 1939, August 1939 (August 1, 1939), p. 29.
16. Asbestos Magazine, 1941, February 1941 (February 1, 1941), p. 40.
17. Asbestos Magazine, 1942, March 1942 (March 1, 1942), p. 35.
18. Asbestos Magazine, 1944, March 1944 (March 1, 1944), pp. 40–41.
19. Asbestos Magazine, 1946, March 1946 (March 1, 1946), p. 45.
20. Asbestos Magazine, 1947, March 1947 (March 1, 1947), p. 40.
21. Asbestos Magazine, 1952, March 1952 (March 1, 1952), p. 44.
22. Asbestos Magazine, 1953, March 1953 (March 1, 1953), p. 48.
23. Asbestos Magazine, 1954, April 1954 (April 1, 1954), p. 8.
24. Asbestos Magazine, 1939, March 1939 (March 1, 1939), p. 39.
25. Asbestos Magazine, 1951, April 1951 (April 1, 1951), p. 50.
26. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1951 (January 1, 1952), p. 7.
27. Asbestos Magazine, 1969, December 1969 (December 1, 1969), p. 22.
28. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1969 (January 1, 1970), p. 7.
29. Asbestos Magazine, 1970, July 1970 (July 1, 1970), p. 42.
30. Asbestos Magazine, 1970, December 1970 (December 1, 1970), p. 18.
31. Asbestos Magazine, 1971, August 1971 (August 1, 1971), p. 48.
32. Asbestos Magazine, 1971, December 1971 (December 1, 1971), p. 8.
33. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1971 (January 1, 1972), p. 9.
34. Asbestos Magazine, 1978, December 1978 (December 1, 1978), p. 30.
35. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1978–79 (January 1, 1980), p. 11.
36. Asbestos Magazine, 1981, January 1981 (January 1, 1981), p. 18.