H. K. Sherry to J-M Officers Enclosing a Translated Le Megantic Survey of Quebec Asbestos Mines (1938)

A covering memo of October 13, 1938, from H. K. Sherry, vice president, at Asbestos, Quebec, to W. R. Seigle (chairman), S. A. Williams, A. R. Fisher and C. H. Shoemaker, enclosing a six-page English translation of write-ups that the daily paper Le Megantic of Beauceville had published in French on September 8, 1938, "co-incident with the holding of the Catholic Syndicate Congress at Thetford Mines." They describe the mines of the Thetford district: Asbestos Corporation Limited and its King, Beaver, British Canadian and Vimy Ridge properties, Bell Asbestos Mines and the Johnson Company, with their officers, land, workforce, mill output and machinery.

What it shows

Sherry thought the write-ups gave "some very interesting information" about the mines around Thetford Mines, all competitors of J-M. They give about 525 employees at the King mine, 275 at the Beaver, 195 at the British Canadian quarry, 125 at Vimy Ridge, 300 at Bell and 500 at the Johnson Company's two operations, and note that Bell was "formerly Keasbey & Mattison." Asbestos Corporation is called "the largest raw asbestos producer of Canada," at 120,000 tons a year. Dust comes up only as a matter of mill equipment (dust hoods and suction collectors at the Johnson mill).

About this copy

The memo is stamped "Noted V.B." (probably Vandiver Brown, J-M's attorney). It comes from microfilm reel JWZ288, in a file headed by hand "JM Info on Mines & Properties 1938-41."