The Linares Companies of John Taylor and Sons

The Linares Companies of John Taylor and Sons: The final 20 years (1898 to 1917) by Robert W. Vernon

A short public lecture given on the 22nd October 2009 at Linares, Jaén, Spain

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Slide 1 -- Introduction

This short talk is based on two new sources of information I have examined in the last 12 months, which provide detailed information about the decline of the British managed Linares Lead, Fortuna, and Alamillos Companies.

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Slide 2 -- Sources of Information

The first source is the Mining World and Engineering Recorder a weekly publication. It is essentially a similar publication to the Mining Journal, but whereas the Mining Journal stops publishing reports about the Taylor’s Companies in 1906, the Mining World continues with the reports until the companies finished. The second source is the Mining Year Book that was an annual publication aimed at investors and provides detail about company finances and dividends paid.

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Slide 3 -- John Taylor’s Mines near Linares in 1898

In 1898 John Taylors were operating three mining companies at Linares. The Linares Lead Mining Company – working Pozo Ancho and Quinientos. The Fortuna Company - working Canada Incosa and Los Salidos, but also had taken up some of the adjacent concessions including San Francisco and El Clarin. The Alamillos Company working the Alamillos area about half way between the Linares Lead and Fortuna Concessions.

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Slide 4 -- 1898

The year 1898 saw all three of the Taylor’s Companies working lead with moderate success. The Linares Lead Mining company paid its 100th dividend to shareholders – a remarkable achievement, which prompted the chairman to remark ‘‘A centenary of runs in a cricket match may be a common occurrence, but a centenary of dividends in a mining company is not a frequent experience.’ Pozo Ancho and Quinientos were working at depths of 200 fathoms (365 metres). Fortuna reported that reserves were running out at both the Canada Incosa and Los Salidos mines and were looking elsewhere for a new mine to open up. Alamillos was reported to be in ‘good shape’.

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Slide 5 -- A Time of Improvements (1889 to 1901)

1889 saw the retirement of Charles Tonkin after many years of service at Linares. Nono Kitto, who had overall control of mining operations of the three companies, replaced Tonkin. Compressed air rock drilling had previously been introduced to Fortuna in 1895 so it was the intention to extend this technique to all development work. The ore up to this time had been wound up shafts in kibbles. As the mines got deeper this process was getting slower. So Kitto put forward a proposal to replace the kibbles at all three mines with double skip roads. For example at Pozo Ancho mine, kibbles were wound both day and night, but with the introduction of skips, it would only be necessary to wind during the day, so it was agreed that a double skip road would be introduced in Peill’s Shaft.

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Slide 6 -- But a period of decline!

Despite the improvement, in hindsight it was the beginning of the end for the three Companies. A number of factors were starting to affect mining operations and sales. The Broken Hill mine in Australia was starting to come into full production and was dominating a sector of the world lead market. This was having an effect on world lead prices and so the price of lead started to fall. At Linares, all mining operations were getting deeper, but in addition the quality of the mineral veins was falling, as was output. In addition no new reserves of lead were being discovered. It was in some instances getting difficult to find a suitable supply of coal. The Spanish government were not helping the situation either as they increased taxation on foreign mining operations in Spain.

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Slide 7 -- 1901: Fortuna is reconstructed

The first Company to experience a major financial difficulty was Fortuna. Since 1898 it had been trying to develop a new mine near Almodovar, Cordoba. This area had been intensely mined by the Romans and the Santa Leocardia concession was no exception. By the end of 1900 the main shaft had been taken down to 70 fathoms (128m) and had just bottomed the old workings. They had also started to explore a piece of ground referred to as ‘Lode in the Olives’ between Canada Incosa and Los Salidos. The also need to install skip winding, but neither Canada Incosa nor Los Salidos had yielded new reserves. So it was decided on the 23rd May 1901 to raise more money by liquidating the present company. The new Fortuna Company was registered on the 5th June. It was decided the money would be spent on 1. Canada Incosa – San Pedro Shaft – sink another 20 fathoms (37m) and install a new skipway 2. Canada Incosa – O’Shea’s Engine Shaft – The shaft would be deepened and the pumping engine would require a new cylinder. 3. Los Salidos – Taylors and Palgraves Shafts to be sunk a further 20 fathoms (37m). 4. Reopen the San Anton and El Tesoro mines. 5. Continue developing the Santa Leocardia prospect. The demise of Fortuna led to the mining operations of all three companies being reassessed in 1902 by William Frecheville, an eminent Cornish engineer and Henry

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Taylor. In 1903 Ernest Woakes replaced Nono Kitto as Mines Superintendent for all three companies. At Fortuna much of the money from the restructuring had been spent on trying to prove new reserves at depth in Los Salidos mine. However this was not enough and further capital was raised in 1903 by issuing more shares in the company. The additional money was to be spent in trying to prove more reserves at Canada Incosa, and a new shaft would be sunk on the ‘Lode in the Olives’ called St. Johns Shaft, the name of one of the Directors. Work would cease at Los Salidos and Santa Leocardia. At the Linares Lead Company mines at Pozo Ancho and Quinientos, matters were proceeding satisfactorily. It was agreed to extend the use of rock drilling and Peills Shaft would be deepened to 260 fathoms (475m). A sum of about £5000 would be spent on new winding and compressed air equipment.

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Slide 8 -- 1904

In 1904 the Alamillos Company was restructured. Much of the mine had run out of viable reserves and so it was decided to concentrate efforts at sinking Judds Shaft in the Adventurera concession down to 180 fathoms (330m), for which more money was needed. A new company was quickly formed. At Linares Lead, the new winding engine and compressor houses were inaugurated on Peills Shaft, over budget at a cost of £5763. At Fortuna the San Pedro Shaft at Canada Incosa was sunk to 200 fathoms (365m) with a new double skip road, headgear and winding engines and boiler erected. However the ‘Lodes in the Olives’ was let to tributers to just work the ore.

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Slide 9 -- Los Quinientos: An example of the problems of comparing a mine report with the actual plan.

One of the main problems when researching the John Taylors companies relates to the naming of the Shafts. Taylor’s name the shafts after Company officials, whilst in Spain the shafts are usually named after the concession they are sunk in. Having a copy of the original mine plan can be essential in accurately interpreting Company reports. The mine plan prepared by Taylor’s surveys will show both the names of the shafts, as named after company officials, and the concession they occur in. This example from Quinientos shows the shafts with both names.

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Slide 10 -- 1905: Fortuna

In 1905, it is apparent that the Fortuna Company was once again running out of money. Rather than restructure for the second time they leased the San Francisco concession to the Alamillos Company for £2000 for 10 years with the option to purchase it and the adjacent El Clarin concession. Investigation work was still being carried out in the area between Canada Incosa and Los Salidos on the ‘Lode in the Olives’. At this time Las Salidos had ceased working, but Canada Incosa was still being investigated for further reserves. However, the vein was apparently becoming impoverished below the 200 fathom (365m) level.

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Slide 11 --1906: Linares Lead is restructured.

Although apparently not suffering from impoverishment of reserves like Fortuna and Alamillos, the Linares Lead Mining Company decided to restructure in 1906. The reason they gave for this was to bring the company in line with new Company legislation that had come into force in 1900! Peills Shaft was now sunk to 280 fathoms (512m) and the San Tomas was down 200 fathoms (365m). At Los Quinientos a crosscut had been put out in a southerly direction from Taylors Shaft, to look for further mineral veins. By 1907, the Linares Lead Mining Company was fully operational again. They were negotiating for a lease in a new concession, (San Leon, near Guarroman,) and were also purchasing a stake in the Alamillos Company. At Pozo Ancho, Peills Shaft was now down 300 fathoms (549m), and crosscuts were being driven in a north and south direction from the 220 fathom (402m) level in San Tomas Shaft. At Quinientos the workings were down to 270m but were disappointing.

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Slide 12 -- Alamillos: Restructured Again!

The addition capital injected into the Alamillos company in 1905 had financed new development at San Francisco, north of Canada Incosa. The San Francisco Shaft was enlarged to a depth of 134ft (41m) and a double skip road installed. A Cornish pumping engine was also erected there. They seem to have abandoned work at Judds Shaft at the Alamillos mine. Linares Lead purchased a stake in the Alamillos Company in 1907. Unfortunately the Alamillos Company still did not have sufficient financial capital to continue with the developments at the San Francisco Mine, and so once again the company was restructured. In 1908 they had taken the San Francisco shaft down to 90 fathoms (165m) and were driving exploratory headings east and west on the vein. To drive these headings by compressed air rock drills, a 3 inch (10 cm) airline was laid overland from Pozo Ancho – about 1.5 kilometres.

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Slide 13 -- 1909 to 1910

The years 1909 and 1910 were a period of great change for all three companies. The Alamillos Company made one final attempt to look for additional reserves, when they investigated the Garrido Shaft some distance west of the San Francisco mine. This met with little success and on the 14th September 1909 it was agreed that the company should be liquidated and all it’s assets sold to the Linares Lead Company. The Linares Lead Company suspended some of the work at the Pozo Ancho mine and concentrated their efforts at the San Leon mine. The Quinientos mine was still operating where Taylors shaft was deepened to a depth of 295 fathoms (540m). In 1909 the company raised capital by issuing a further 35,000 shares at £1 per share, primarily to purchase the assets of the Alamillos company. At Cordoba, where the Company operated a smelter in conjunction with the Alamillos Company, it was decided that there was insufficient ore to continue smelting, so a decision was made to close the plant. At the end of 1909, all development work was suspended at Quinientos. By 1910 the situation was even worse and most work was suspended except for some exploratory work at Pozo Ancho and San Leon. At La Fortuna, no ore was being produced at Canada Incosa, and Ernest Woakes suggested opening up El Tosoro and San Anton. Limited work was done at the two mines with no significant results. Fortuna had always operated separate smelt works at Canada Incosa but with little ore to keep it running, it was closed down in 1909. The same year Canada Incosa was sold for £6000. In 1910, the remaining assets at San Francisco mine was sold for £1500. 15

Slide 14 -- Linares Lead Mining Company – 1911

In 1911 the Linares Lead Mining Company sold Quinientos for £2463, whilst the Pozo Ancho mine was sold to a new Spanish Company, Sociedad Minera Pozo Ancho, for £9000 to be paid in three instalments of £3000. At San Leon, all development work was suspended and only economical ore was raised. By the end of the year all operations had ceased and the company was looking at a new prospect near Azuaga in Extremadura.

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Slide 15 -- Azuaga

Azuaga is a lead mining area located between Cordoba and Zafra. There are numerous lead veins known to the south and west of the town, but the area is not as rich in lead resources as Linares.

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Slide 16 -- Azuaga area

Why the Linares and the Fortuna Companies explored this area is not known. It may have been the prospect of making an important lead discovery combined with a route to get the ore with ease to a lead smelter at Penarroya to the east. As this plan shows there are numerous concessions around the town.

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Slide 17 – Mining Remains

There are isolated mining remains in the countryside around Azuaga, but none show an intensity to suggest that the area every attracted large amounts of mining capital.

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Slide 18 – Fortuna: The final years.

In 1911, the Fortuna Company acquired three groups of concessions at Azuaga. Group 1 consisted of the Carmen and Eugenia mines had a run of old workings about 700m long. Group 2 consisted of la Salud, Amalia and Sorpressa Group 3 the Barranca mine. Despite trying for three years to work the mines successfully they only appear to have met with limited success at la Salud. Consequently a resolution was passed to liquidate the company at a meeting held in January 1914.

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Slide 19 -- Linares Lead: The Engracia Concession.

The Linares lead Mining Company took up a concession known as Engracia near the town, around the castle.

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Slide 20 -- Linares Lead: The developments.

This mine probably extended westwards of Engracia. The company sank a vertical shaft to a depth of 65m and then drove crosscuts north and south. They met with more success than Fortuna, but returns were never high. In 1913 for example they mined 250 tons and the main shaft had been sunk to 118m. An average output of 30 tons a more was inadequate to cover mining expenses. In 1914 they abandoned Engracia and acquired a group of mines known as Fin de Siglo, Transvaal and Santa Maria which contained several veins and located about three kilometres west of Azuaga .

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Slide 21 -- Linares: The final years.

Linares Lead sank two shafts, Louvain and Petrograd, but the results were disappointing and so in February 1917, it was resolved to liquidate the company.

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Slide 22 – Azuaga: The present.

The town of Azuaga now has a small mining park that may incorporate some remains relating to the Linares lead Company’s operations. There is also a small museum both on the surface and underground.

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