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CHAPTER 7 • IRON ORE:
THE LIBERIA MINING COMPANY
1 - THE NATIONAL IRON ORE COMPANY
|j Background to Liberia's emergence as Africa's most important
*! iron ore producer
|
|j The inhabitants of the area which is nowadays known as the
:J Republic of Liberia not only knew about the occurrence of iron
: j ore but they were also familiar with its processing and use as
.;] was already reported in 1555 (1). Consequently, when a Dutch
j geologist of the Holland Syndicate, H. Terpstra, whilst searching
•j for diamonds hit the iron ore formations of Bomi Hills in 1934
'\ (see Chapter 6) he did not discover the ore in the real sense of
j the word as the people living in this region, the Gola, had
already had this knowledge for centuries. Terpstra rather
revealed to the outside world for the first time details of its
i existence. It should be noted that the Syndicate's exploration
! activities in this region were made possible as the Gola people
j no longer put up resistance against the A.L.Government.
• The iron ore of the Bomi Hills appeared to be extremely highgrade
ore with an Fe-content of over 65? and the deposits were
I estimated to be about 50 millions tons. With the proper
: | knowledge of the international markets, the availability of
I expertise in mining it and with a proper infrastructure these
hills represented an immeasurable source of wealth. The explorers
of the Holland Syndicate lacked the necessary know-how of the
I iron ore mining industry and the related trade and, moreover,
! being more interested in diamonds, subsequently contacted another
j Dutch firm, Wm.H. Muller & Company which continued the
.investigations.
The occurrence of iron ore formations in the West Africa subj
region which forms Upper Guinea was already known as important
j deposits had been discovered in 1928 in the British Protectorate
! of Sierra Leone (near Marampa), mining of which had started in
1933. The Dutch company of Muller sent a team of experts further
\ to investigate the treasure which was still hidden under a cover
; of thick tropical forest and located in an area only accessible
by foot along a trail which was cut as the explorers advanced.
The report which the company's chief geologist, W.F.C. Engelbert
van Bevervoorde, later presented to his employers justified the
j start of negotiations with the Government of President Edwin
| Barclay for a mining concession (2). However, the distance from
the Bomi Hills to the Atlantic coast, about 40 miles to Monrovia
and 46 miles to Robertsport (the capital of Grand Cape Mount
i County), and the lack of infrastructure in this area, as well as
j the absence of a proper harbour - all loading and unloading then
J still took place with the use of "surf-boats" - formed major