Page 7 )
Albert County is not only full of stories about albertite. The
oil shales have long held promise of exploitation. In 1927 the Maritime
Eduction Company Limited at Rosevale constructed a plant to extract oil from
the shale. The long and short of this story is that the New York promoter,
Colonel K.E. Clayton Kennedy, has added to the lore of the county as a swindler
and shyster. In 1997 the Albert Mines mining leases were held by Canadian
Occidental Petroleum who were evaluating the economies of oil shale recovery.
In an article describing the various mining operations in Albert County, Gesner is credited with discovering albertite in 1850. The writer devoted much of his article ‘A Departed Industry,' [Albert Mines] to the Gesner vs. Cairns court case. He further claimed that oil used to ooze out of the walls and galleries. The unidentified writer wrote that Albertite will not dissolve in some of the chemicals which are solvents of the Trinidad pitch, nor can it be used in caulking a boat. At the celebrated 1852 trial John Edgitt Sr. testified that he used it to caulk a boat. The article continued that mining operations continued until 1890, almost a decade after most other sources state operations ceased. The writer then added a further twist to the story by offering his theory as to the origins of albertite. He wrote that an oily substance found at Dover, Westmorland County, had oozed to the surface and turned into a pitch. Some unidentified persons [Some are of the opinion . . .] felt that this pitch turned into Maltha, and subsequently into albertite where the oil was exposed to the atmosphere. It appears as if armchair experts never lack opinions or theories!
The final character in the mythology of Albert Mines is the man most
prominent in the entire story, Abraham Gesner. Over the past century and a half
this man, and the stories around him, have grown in stature, and
embellishments, to the point where the story of albertite cannot be separated
from the individual. Gesner did play a significant role in the Albert Mines
story, but his impact must be weighed against the contributions of others who
until recently have been unknown elements in this significant story of geology,
politics and business. As stated above, Gesner played a significant role in the
early history of Albert Mines. That involvement has grown in stature to the
point where the Albert Mines story is only seen as being about the discovery
and early mining of albertite and of Gesner. However, the Albert Mines story
continued with the mining and export of albertite until the 1880-1890's, and
with the lore of the raw material and the quest for a rediscovery of it, well
into the later 20th century.
15 More
All pages © Heritage Resources and New Brunswick Community
College - Saint John.