Hasnon Company

The 1830s and 1840s were marked by a significant surge in the establishment of industrial enterprises, particularly in the mining sector. Within the Nord region, this proliferation of activity followed the discovery of substantial reserves of bituminous coal by the recently formed Douchy Mining Company. A share in the company, initially sold for a mere 2,230 francs in February 1833, escalated to an astonishing 300,000 francs by January 1834. This surge in demand for the region's coal resources led to a proliferation of concession applications, with as many as 70 applications submitted in 1837 alone. However, this economic boom was not without its challenges, as many of these newly formed companies could not withstand the competitive pressures and ultimately ceased operations.

In this euphoric climate, property owners from Douai formed a company around 1833, which conducted several surveys in Hasnon in 1834 and 1835 with the assistance of the Douchy Company. Some members of this group conducted a separate survey in Auby, near Douai. This survey was abandoned at a depth of 140 meters after an accident. Had the endeavor persisted, it was probable that the coal-bearing terrain and coal itself would have been reached.

The Hasnon Company, an exploitation company founded in 1837 with a capital of 1,200,000 francs, was established by two survey entrepreneurs, banker Louis Dupont and an associate. The company opened three pits in Hasnon and Wallers, which encountered the lower part of the coal formation but unsuccessfully exploited thin coal seams. While conducting surveys, the Hasnon Company successively opened the Tertres, Prés Barrés, and Bouils pits. These pits revealed drift galleries, but their mineral content was found to be insufficient for profitable exploitation, ultimately leading to their abandonment. Concurrently, the Hasnon Company was granted a concession, known as the Hasnon concession, at the onset of 1840.

While the Hasnon Company was engaged in the pursuit of coal deposits, other companies and organizations were undertaking exploratory endeavors in the vicinity. To the west, in 1838, the Lille Cannoneers Company initiated the development of the Marchiennes pit following the completion of several surveys since 1835. Concurrently, the Société de Saint-Hubert conducted a series of surveys in the northwest. In the east, the Cambrai Company initiated the Boitelle pit in Raismes in 1839, while the Escaut Company opened the le Bret and Évrard pits and the Bruille Company opened the Ewbank pit in the same area. The Hasnon Company did not engage in any research activities near Vicoigne, although it did submit a concession request. These four companies subsequently merged, forming the Vicoigne Company on October 1, 1841, which obtained a concession rich in lean coal in September 1841. To the south, the Anzin Mining Company opened pits in Denain and Escaudain. The Hasnon Company thus owned a quarter of the Vicoigne Company. In 1843, the Anzin Mining Company acquired the Hasnon Company, thereby obtaining a quarter share of the Vicoigne Company and gaining the right to appoint two of its eight administrators.

Following a series of unsuccessful outcomes, the company, disheartened, resolved to abandon the concession. However, after consulting Chief Engineer Blavier, it undertook two final surveys. The first, at Rouges-Carrières, yielded only traces of coal, while the second, at the Drève de Wallers, encountered a completely barren coal formation.

In early 1845, the Hasnon Company declared its concession idle and subsequently sold its shares to the Anzin Mining Company. Concurrently, surveys conducted by the Société de Société de Saint-Hubert revealed that the concession was situated in a region of particularly poor coal-bearing terrain.

For the subsequent three decades, no further exploratory endeavors were undertaken within the designated concession area. However, around 1875, the Anzin Mining Company initiated a plan to establish an excavation site, designated as the Avaleresse de Wallers, in proximity to the southernmost boundary of the Hasnon concession. The primary objective of this initiative was not the extraction of Hasnon's inherent mineral deposits but rather the intersection of the southern extension of the Vieux-Condé and Vicoigne veins, which were situated within the Anzin concession. The procurement of land was initiated, and excavation for the shaft commenced; however, work was promptly suspended and never resumed. The pit remained at the stage of an "avaleresse," defined as an initial exploratory shaft.

At the beginning of the 21st century, all traces of the three pits opened by the Hasnon Company had been eradicated. In contrast to other pits within different concessions, which are subject to annual or biennial monitoring by the Bureau of Geological and Mining Research for variables such as fill level, water level, and gas pressure, no such monitoring took place at the aforementioned three pits. Furthermore, the shaft heads at these pits have not been marked, which is standard practice.