Société Mokta El Hadid: Difference between revisions
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Algeria in the 19th century did not have coking coal, so did not process its iron ore. |
Algeria in the 19th century did not have coking coal, so did not process its iron ore. |
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Instead, the ore was shipped to the coast and sold to a shipper, who in turn sold it to European steel mills for about twice the price.{{sfn|Prochaska|2002|p=103}} |
Instead, the ore was shipped to the coast and sold to a shipper, who in turn sold it to European steel mills for about twice the price.{{sfn|Prochaska|2002|p=103}} |
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The geologist |
The geologist Henri Fournel discovered iron ore deposits near the port of [[Bône]].{{sfn|Prochaska|2002|p=103}} |
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The businessman [[Paulin Talabot]] had a "Mediterranean dream" involving "the exploitation of the mines of the |
The businessman [[Paulin Talabot]] had a "Mediterranean dream" involving "the exploitation of the mines of the Bône region, which would feed his coal mines in the Grand-Combe by means of rapid transport in his ships of the Compagnie generale transatlantique, relayed by his Algerian railroad cars and those of the PLM." |
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Before Fournel's survey was complete, in 1845 the Talabots or their associates had obtained three of the four concessions in the Bône region. |
Before Fournel's survey was complete, in 1845 the Talabots or their associates had obtained three of the four concessions in the Bône region. |
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Talabot thought of building an ironworks at Bône, but abandoned the idea in 1848 part due to the danger of attack by the Algerians and in part to a threatened boycott of Algerian iron ore by the Schneiders of Le Creusot.{{sfn|Prochaska|2002|p=81}} |
Talabot thought of building an ironworks at Bône, but abandoned the idea in 1848 part due to the danger of attack by the Algerians and in part to a threatened boycott of Algerian iron ore by the Schneiders of [[Le Creusot]].{{sfn|Prochaska|2002|p=81}} |
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A report by Fournel to the Académie des sciences on 14 May 1848 said, "to the north of Lake F'Zara there is a whole mountain, the Mokta-el-Hadid (the quarry of iron) which emerges from the gneisses and literally presents from foot to top, that is to say over a height of more than one hundred meters, a mass of pure oxidized iron, with no admixture of rock. To the east of this deposit, which few deposits known elsewhere could parallel, the oxidized iron pierces several other points."{{sfn|Fournel|1848}} |
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Talabot asked the geologist Émilien Dumas to assess the deposit. |
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He contacted the polytechnician and engineer of mines Alphonse Parran to form the new company and start exploitation.{{sfn|Timkkit|2008}} |
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Due to shortage of both labour and capital, little progress was made and in 1849 the government revoked the three Talabot concessions. |
Due to shortage of both labour and capital, little progress was made and in 1849 the government revoked the three Talabot concessions. |
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The ore was in a vein {{convert|2500|m}} long and {{convert|10|to|50|m}} wide. |
The ore was in a vein {{convert|2500|m}} long and {{convert|10|to|50|m}} wide. |
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The ore was [[magnetite]], 70% pure iron.{{sfn|Prochaska|2002|p=81}} |
The ore was [[magnetite]], 70% pure iron.{{sfn|Prochaska|2002|p=81}} |
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This ore, free of sulfur and phosphorus, was much more suitable for the [[Bessemer process|Bessemer]] and [[Martin process|Martin]] processes than the poorer ores high in phosphorus that are typical of France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany.{{sfn|Passaqui|2013|p=17}} |
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==Operations== |
==Operations== |
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A short railway line was built from the mine at Ain Mokra to the Bône docks.{{sfn|Prochaska|2002|p=109}} |
A short railway line was built from the mine at Ain Mokra to the Bône docks.{{sfn|Prochaska|2002|p=109}} |
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Extensive construction was undertaken at Bône in 1856–69 to build an {{convert|80|ha}} sheltered port facility to handle the ore from Mokta el Hadid.{{sfn|Prochaska|2002|p=111}} |
Extensive construction was undertaken at Bône in 1856–69 to build an {{convert|80|ha}} sheltered port facility to handle the ore from Mokta el Hadid.{{sfn|Prochaska|2002|p=111}} |
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Full-scale production began in 1865.{{sfn|Passaqui|2013|p=3}} |
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⚫ | |||
The arrival in large volumes of Algerian ores from Mokta-el-Hadid upset the supply chain. |
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The success at the [[Firminy]] plant in developing steel rails using only ore from the Algerian mines was a major argument for installation of furnaces based on the Martin process at Le Creusot. |
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In 1865 [[Eugène Schneider]] had reached an agreement with Paulin Talabot to obtain a large supply of Algerian ore, making it possible to start intensive steel production.{{sfn|Passaqui|2013|p=7}} |
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⚫ | |||
A photograph survives of the emperor and his entourage taking refreshment under a tent at the mine site. |
A photograph survives of the emperor and his entourage taking refreshment under a tent at the mine site. |
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In the 1870s 2/3 of all miners in Algeria were working the Mokta-el-Hadid mine.{{sfn|Prochaska|2002|p=81}} |
In the 1870s 2/3 of all miners in Algeria were working the Mokta-el-Hadid mine.{{sfn|Prochaska|2002|p=81}} |
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In 1875–76 the Bou Djima River, which was |
In 1875–76 the Bou Djima River, which was carrying silt into the port, was diverted to the [[Seybouse River]]. |
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The railway could now be extended to the port, considerably reducing transport costs.{{sfn|Prochaska|2002|p=111}} |
The railway could now be extended to the port, considerably reducing transport costs.{{sfn|Prochaska|2002|p=111}} |
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Philippe de Cerner, the company manager in |
Philippe de Cerner, the company manager in Bône, convinced the government to extend the railway west from Ain Mokra to connect with the main line to Philippeville. |
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He then persuaded the government to assume responsibility for running the line in the public interests. |
He then persuaded the government to assume responsibility for running the line in the public interests. |
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From 1908 to 1917 de Cerner directed the line himself.{{sfn|Prochaska|2002|p=109}} |
From 1908 to 1917 de Cerner directed the line himself.{{sfn|Prochaska|2002|p=109}} |
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After the deposits were exhausted the company found another rich source of iron ore in western Algeria near the sea at Beni Saf, where a port was built.{{sfn|Prochaska|2002|p=103}} |
After the deposits were exhausted the company found another rich source of iron ore in western Algeria near the sea at Beni Saf, where a port was built.{{sfn|Prochaska|2002|p=103}} |
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Mokta el Hadid was the largest mining company in Algeria until 1927, when it was overtaken by the Societe de l'Ouenza.{{sfn|Prochaska|2002|p=108}} |
Mokta el Hadid was the largest mining company in Algeria until 1927, when it was overtaken by the Societe de l'Ouenza.{{sfn|Prochaska|2002|p=108}} |
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Before the Mokta deposits started showing signs of running out Parran obtained the deposit of Rar El Baroud near Béni-Saf in 1879. |
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Parran was also involved in the [[Kryvyi Rih]] iron ore mine in Russia in 1881 and the [[Compagnie des phosphates de Gafsa|Gafsa phosphate deposits]] in Tunisia in 1886. |
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Parran created the Bône-Philippeville railway line and drained the [[Lake of Fetzara]] in an effort to eliminate the [[malaria]] that was infecting the miners and their families. |
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The Mokta el Hadid iron ore mining company was responsible for creation of SACEM in 1929 and the operation of [[Imini]] mines from the same year. |
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In 1965 the centenary of the company was celebrated in Abidjan in the presence of President [[Houphouët Boigny]].{{sfn|Timkkit|2008}} |
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==Notes== |
==Notes== |
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==Sources== |
==Sources== |
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{{refbegin}} |
{{refbegin}} |
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*{{citation |publisher=Académie des sciences|type=Séances des 1er et 8 mai|title=Richesses minérales de l’Algérie |
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|last=Fournel|first=Henri |journal=Le Journal des débats|date=14 May 1848|language=fr|via=Les entreprises coloniales françaises p=1/73 |
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|url=http://www.entreprises-coloniales.fr/afrique-du-nord/Mokta-el-Hadid-Algerie.pdf|accessdate=2017-08-12}} |
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*{{citation|language=fr |
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|last=Passaqui |first=Jean-Philippe|title=Quand l’innovation engendre l’incertitude : réception et diffusion du procédé Martin|journal=Marteau Pilon|year=2013 |
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|url=https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-00845508/document|accessdate=2017-08-12}} |
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*{{citation |
*{{citation |
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|last=Prochaska|first=David|title=Making Algeria French: Colonialism in Bône, 1870-1920|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aB2FdDy8xjEC&pg=PA103 |
|last=Prochaska|first=David|title=Making Algeria French: Colonialism in Bône, 1870-1920|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aB2FdDy8xjEC&pg=PA103 |
||
|accessdate=2017-08-12|year=2002|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-53128-3}} |
|accessdate=2017-08-12|year=2002|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-53128-3}} |
||
*{{citation |date=13 April 2008|title=MOKTA EL HADID 1865 - 1965 |
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|last=Timkkit|first=Boutazoult Imini|language=fr |
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|url=http://timkkit2008.canalblog.com/archives/2008/04/13/8806054.html|accessdate=2017-08-12}} |
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{{refend}} |
{{refend}} |
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{{authority control}} |
{{authority control}} |
Revision as of 22:36, 12 August 2017
Industry | Mining |
---|---|
Founded | 1845 |
Founder | Paulin Talabot |
Headquarters | Algeria |
Products | Iron ore |
The Société Mokta El Hadid was an iron ore mining company in Algeria.
First discovery
Algeria in the 19th century did not have coking coal, so did not process its iron ore. Instead, the ore was shipped to the coast and sold to a shipper, who in turn sold it to European steel mills for about twice the price.[1] The geologist Henri Fournel discovered iron ore deposits near the port of Bône.[1] The businessman Paulin Talabot had a "Mediterranean dream" involving "the exploitation of the mines of the Bône region, which would feed his coal mines in the Grand-Combe by means of rapid transport in his ships of the Compagnie generale transatlantique, relayed by his Algerian railroad cars and those of the PLM." Before Fournel's survey was complete, in 1845 the Talabots or their associates had obtained three of the four concessions in the Bône region. Talabot thought of building an ironworks at Bône, but abandoned the idea in 1848 part due to the danger of attack by the Algerians and in part to a threatened boycott of Algerian iron ore by the Schneiders of Le Creusot.[2]
A report by Fournel to the Académie des sciences on 14 May 1848 said, "to the north of Lake F'Zara there is a whole mountain, the Mokta-el-Hadid (the quarry of iron) which emerges from the gneisses and literally presents from foot to top, that is to say over a height of more than one hundred meters, a mass of pure oxidized iron, with no admixture of rock. To the east of this deposit, which few deposits known elsewhere could parallel, the oxidized iron pierces several other points."[3] Talabot asked the geologist Émilien Dumas to assess the deposit. He contacted the polytechnician and engineer of mines Alphonse Parran to form the new company and start exploitation.[4]
Due to shortage of both labour and capital, little progress was made and in 1849 the government revoked the three Talabot concessions. In 1852 they were restored after Napoleon III had taken power. In 1857 the Mokta el Hadid mine was found, and the Talabots gained the concession. The ore was in a vein 2,500 metres (8,200 ft) long and 10 to 50 metres (33 to 164 ft) wide. The ore was magnetite, 70% pure iron.[2] This ore, free of sulfur and phosphorus, was much more suitable for the Bessemer and Martin processes than the poorer ores high in phosphorus that are typical of France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany.[5]
Operations
A short railway line was built from the mine at Ain Mokra to the Bône docks.[6] Extensive construction was undertaken at Bône in 1856–69 to build an 80 hectares (200 acres) sheltered port facility to handle the ore from Mokta el Hadid.[7] Full-scale production began in 1865.[8] The arrival in large volumes of Algerian ores from Mokta-el-Hadid upset the supply chain. The success at the Firminy plant in developing steel rails using only ore from the Algerian mines was a major argument for installation of furnaces based on the Martin process at Le Creusot. In 1865 Eugène Schneider had reached an agreement with Paulin Talabot to obtain a large supply of Algerian ore, making it possible to start intensive steel production.[9]
In 1865 Napoleon III visited Algeria, including a trip to the mine and the city of Bône. A photograph survives of the emperor and his entourage taking refreshment under a tent at the mine site. In the 1870s 2/3 of all miners in Algeria were working the Mokta-el-Hadid mine.[2] In 1875–76 the Bou Djima River, which was carrying silt into the port, was diverted to the Seybouse River. The railway could now be extended to the port, considerably reducing transport costs.[7]
Philippe de Cerner, the company manager in Bône, convinced the government to extend the railway west from Ain Mokra to connect with the main line to Philippeville. He then persuaded the government to assume responsibility for running the line in the public interests. From 1908 to 1917 de Cerner directed the line himself.[6] After the deposits were exhausted the company found another rich source of iron ore in western Algeria near the sea at Beni Saf, where a port was built.[1] Mokta el Hadid was the largest mining company in Algeria until 1927, when it was overtaken by the Societe de l'Ouenza.[10]
Before the Mokta deposits started showing signs of running out Parran obtained the deposit of Rar El Baroud near Béni-Saf in 1879. Parran was also involved in the Kryvyi Rih iron ore mine in Russia in 1881 and the Gafsa phosphate deposits in Tunisia in 1886. Parran created the Bône-Philippeville railway line and drained the Lake of Fetzara in an effort to eliminate the malaria that was infecting the miners and their families. The Mokta el Hadid iron ore mining company was responsible for creation of SACEM in 1929 and the operation of Imini mines from the same year. In 1965 the centenary of the company was celebrated in Abidjan in the presence of President Houphouët Boigny.[4]
Notes
- ^ a b c Prochaska 2002, p. 103.
- ^ a b c Prochaska 2002, p. 81.
- ^ Fournel 1848.
- ^ a b Timkkit 2008.
- ^ Passaqui 2013, p. 17.
- ^ a b Prochaska 2002, p. 109.
- ^ a b Prochaska 2002, p. 111.
- ^ Passaqui 2013, p. 3.
- ^ Passaqui 2013, p. 7.
- ^ Prochaska 2002, p. 108.
Sources
- Fournel, Henri (14 May 1848), "Richesses minérales de l'Algérie" (PDF), Le Journal des débats (Séances des 1er et 8 mai) (in French), Académie des sciences, retrieved 2017-08-12 – via Les entreprises coloniales françaises p=1/73
- Passaqui, Jean-Philippe (2013), "Quand l'innovation engendre l'incertitude : réception et diffusion du procédé Martin", Marteau Pilon (in French), retrieved 2017-08-12
- Prochaska, David (2002), Making Algeria French: Colonialism in Bône, 1870-1920, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0-521-53128-3, retrieved 2017-08-12
- Timkkit, Boutazoult Imini (13 April 2008), MOKTA EL HADID 1865 - 1965 (in French), retrieved 2017-08-12