People/engineer, magnate

Selwyn Blaylock

Selwyn Blaylock (1879–1945), engineer, magnate, from Canada. Linked to lead, zinc.

The lucky break

Recommended the 1909 purchase of the Sullivan mine at Kimberley, B.C., which became one of the biggest lead and zinc producers in the world.1

Legacy

Rose from smelter superintendent to general manager (1919) and president (1939) of Consolidated Mining and Smelting, later Cominco. DCB notes net profits never fell below 9 million dollars through the Second World War.1

Story cards

Timeline

  1. 2001Sullivan mine closes2
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Where next

Mines

OwnedSullivan MineHe backed the purchase of what became a leading lead-zinc mine.1

Events

OwnedSullivan mine closesHe recommended the 1909 purchase of Sullivan, the mine that closed in 2001.2

Sources

  1. BLAYLOCK, SELWYN GWILLYM Dictionary of Canadian Biography
  2. MINFILE summary: Sullivan (082FNE052) British Columbia Geological Survey

From the Prospector Trails mining history dataset: each fact links to the source it was checked against. Figures are as the source gives them, in the money of their day. Not investment advice.

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Cover photos from Wikimedia Commons: Froth flotation and tailings by Nina111955, CC BY-SA 4.0; Super Pit, Kalgoorlie by Kgbo, CC BY-SA 4.0.