The étéSociété des mines et fonderies de Pontgibaud (Pontgibaud Mine & Foundry Company) was a French silver and lead mining and smelting company based in Pontgibaud, Puy-de-Dôme. It mined lead-silver ore deposits that had been exploited since Roman times. Later it opened another factory in Couëron in the Loire estuary, and then closed down the Pontgibaud mines and foundry. The Pontgibaud factory in Couëron diversified into other non-ferrous metal products using imported ore. After being sold and resold it finally closed in 1988.
Location
Pontgibaud is in the Massif Central on the banks of the Sioule river. The belts of ore extend for about north-south parallel to the course of the Sioule on both sides of Pontgibaud. The silver galena veins are embedded in gneissic rock. The different veins of ore at Pranal, Barbecot, Roure, Les Rosiers, La Miouse and Villevieille are mainly oriented in a north-south direction. The ores are encased in migmatites from the base of the Combrailles. The deposits include diverse secondary minerals such as arsenopyrite, anglesite, baryte, bournonite, cerussite, chalcopyrite, freibergite, galena, mimetite, pyrite, pyromorphite, quartz, semseyite, sphalerite, stannite, tetrahedrite and wulfenite. Many European museum hold samples of these minerals, collected from the Pontgibaud mines by 19th century mineralogists.
Early exploitation
The deposits of silver-lead ore are thought to have been worked by the Romans. Lead extracted in Roman times may have been used to cover the roof of the Temple of Mercury at the summit of Puy de Dôme, a nearby mountain. Documents from the 8th century onward attest to the mines being worked. In 1554 the lord of Pontgibaud enlarged the mining zone to extend to Roure, les Rosiers, Barbecot and les Combres. At that time mining would have been done by primitive techniques, with hand-powered machinery to hoist up the ore, crush it and sort out the mineral-rich portions.
A member of the Moré family, a musketeer of Louis XV of France (1710–74), bought the estate of Pontgibaud in 1756, including an ancient keep and a more modern château built in the time of Louis XIII (1601–43). He was made the Comte de Pontgibaud, taking the name "Moré de Pontgibaud". Between 1828 and 1830 Count Moré de Pontgibaud obtained concessions to open mines near his chateau. The mines were successful and soon employed 200 miners underground and 600 workers above ground. The central jury of the French Industrial Exposition of 1834 awarded the count a gold medal for his enterprise.
In 1838 Pallu et Compagnie, a société en commandite headed by Alphonse Pallu, took over the mining concession and the foundry. At that time four silver-lead mines were in operation. Although Pallu extracted significant amounts of silver and lead, the business was undercapitalized and the mines began to flood. Pallu did not have the money needed to build a adit to drain the mines, a huge project. Pallu visited England in 1845 to study mining techniques and to look for investors. He asked the consulting firm John Taylor and Sons to undertake a study of the Pontgibaud mines. The consultant's report was favorable, but recommended a complete reorganization of the operation.
Company formation
The Société des mines et fonderies de Pontgibaud was a limited company authorized by decree in 1847. It took over the concession, buildings and all other physical assets of Pallu et Compagnie. The Puy-Saint-Gulmier anthracite concession was granted to the company by decree of 7 August 1850. The company, registered as a Paris-based société anonyme, was floated in London in 1852. The four French directors were Alphonse Pallu, the Count of Pontgibaud and the Paris bankers Ernest Andre and Paul Bontoux. The four English directors were Charles Morrison, Octavius Ommanney, William Thompson (MP) and John Taylor. The directing engineers were John Taylor and Sons. The company's bankers, brokers and solicitors were all London-based.