New-York tribune., 1868-12-19

soil he saws in the pit, and the labor was not
fhs rocks dyer Of about one foot thick, intermixed
with stiff blue clay, tho pck-ax had 10 Do uSed
The strata were as follows:
Strata Of marsh mud
st. o. shs ssooi i ii, 1b.jied ia ss blue ey Of
y.rT esuisr sksps sIsd bOes and the prints Of shs
I'D I'd ;. Ees.r.g .is siS @ % s % ;a Iss5 sa. "'
ss Pi, ::G Gt s': si si' 1s 1ss IS:. s: quantity
and mos'sls clans: and other 'hs'i Ao
Mar. g' II brown or DARK color css..i; 10
sfoArSOnas of lime '..t.
IN, american Journal of Science and Art tSillimans
DOR May 1872 contains article by Prof. Holmes on
the Geology of Charleston. Here he states that tne
geological formations upon which Charleston Is bult
are identical IN age and similar in other respects 10
those upOn which the great cities OF London ana
Paris are located. This was ascertalned some ~
years ago but the phenomenon was then and since
Of interest to the eeclogst only account Of the
many and rare fossils which rewarded the search OF
the curious. Last year, however. It became known
lectures on Practical Geology that there are vast
deposits of phosphate rocks IN the vicinity
Sb,IsstoS N@tS and moreover that these rocks near
lOndOn-neary identical in composition, and in sur
roundings with those near Charleston-were being
turned into valuable fertilizer. This, fer the first
time opened Prof HOlmess eyes to the great impor;
tance and economic value OF the recently discoVereu
chemical composition of the Ashley phosphateS IL
Is fair however. TO state here that other sclentc
gentlemen claim to have appreciated the value of the
discovery fully, az soon as they saw the analysis,
having long known. as they say, that these rocks
contained phosphate Of lime.
At Aahey Ferry 10 miles north west OF Charleston" !"
where the works Of the SOuth Carolina Mining and
roeR Prof Holmes ssy IN the paper sboVe REFERRED
1.-THE stratum of red or iron ore clay with its thin seam
OF gray sand Is exposed section OF the river bank
rising Immediately upon the Eocene mari, while under
ths city bed OF Embedded in
OF rolled and waterwOrn rocks Of all sizes from few
inches 20 foot n dsInster fsesh fracture IN any OF
fho GREAT mari bed u ,o dcSDs
into Owlderke Masses their nature changed by some
chemical process whereby nearly al the lime has been
IN soious rock, emitting when broken, footed odOr
HOW THE DISCOVERY WAS MADE
DR. " A. Pratt a well-knOwn chemist OF this city.
and now prominent officer of one Of the Phosphate
Manufacturing Companies claims, and, believe.
generally enjoys the credit OF having first definitely
a.certained by analysis and announced to the world
the value of the nOdules which had been previously
looked upon as worthless rocks. In pamphlet on
the subject soon 10 be pnpsneG. 81 anu 'be nID %
very interesting account OF tile circumstances under
which the discovery was made Dhring the war, the
srin2ency of the blockade and the scarcity OF gun
10 owder compelled the Confederate Government 10
organize special Department, known as the Nitre
and Mining Bureau. and charged with the duty OF
furnishing the material wlerewlth 10 supply the
Southern magazines. DIR. Pratt held high position
IN this Bureau and it while in the discharge OF
his official Investigations that he was tr5t led TO sns
pect the presence of the valuable fertzing material
in this neighbOrhO0d. which is now engaging public
attention At the close of the war he at once di-
rectod his attention to the development of this hid
den mineral wealth. quote from his narrative;
"As early as the year 1866 attempted to establish On
Chsrestou company foT the maufacture OF aclds ana
renewed with better hopes Of success. aud while. from
May 70 August OF that year selecting suitable location
uoOgea Survey" searched IN both the Caronas for
bsge home material which might be turned to profit IN
the manufacture OF acids and fertilizers vas fortunate
saough discover that bed OutcrOppng within ten
males OF Charleston contained as large per celtage OF
hate Df In aa All
ported from the tropical sads and used Ia this country
Hna abroad for the manufacture Of fcrzers This bed
has long been known the history Of the geology OF
Carolina the 1Sh bed OF the Charleston basin
o. Of the nc % Pre Ha q = hs s coees
OF Charleston. having In his cabinet not less
sone Of them Of enormous size, weighing from
fFo to and bali pounds eachi The bed out-crops
the banks Of the Ashley, Cooper Stono Edsto Ash,
eoOO, sud Combahee Rivers, but is developed most
heavily aud richly the former aud has been found as
inland forty ifty miles Near the Ashley River
II payes the public high for mileSt seriously I'm
pedes and Obtructs the cultivation OF the lands afford
aud the phOsphaes" have been for past thrown
Into pes on the lawns or into eauseways over ravnes
many square miles Of surface continuously, at depth
sts Ia such quantities that IN some localities from 500 70
Ie00 tns underie each Iu fact II seems
that there are no rocks Ia this section which are not
WhileeDgaged. as sbOye mentioned. from May to Au-
astsai suitable for nv pSrposes on or about the
Iss OF August, while examining samples Of foreign guano.
n
engaged preparations for the manufacture Of fert
eas and expected tO import purchase his materials
from abroad shown by him rock which he said
was from Goose Creek c. ana cOntsued, according 20
10 TO IS cent Of phosphate OF lime
KBowiug from Touneys Geology " south Carolina, and
Nat per cant was not unusua IN the nars Of Ashley
Iyer was not surprised. and at hs snggestoB, that
AL vas Interested In such matters, had better
ansyse H." aid So Two days aierward the result was
known, as folowsrand immediately communicated TO
Dr Raysnel, who then In my laboratory with the
rhaso OF lime. 3L4Ol sand and iDsOnble matter 2ss2
no samo day, August las taken from my Laboratory
Record recalling 20 mind the Fish Bed OF the Ashiey
River, and the "nodules" congO0erates" buried
4 here. applied 70 my friend, Prof. +. 3. Holmes
fVho, among al my acquaintance, was best IN
for samples OF these susr rocks and finding in his
cabinet quantity taken twelve years before from his
Ashley River. pleased 10 discover,
Aug TO- No IPbosphate of lime, J591 per cent;
No 2-Phosphste Of lne S5.52 per cent.
sabse4e6ht analyse, made 10 the next few days, OF
sooks collected from the bed by myse showed averages
Ssrysng from 10 81 per cent which could be relied on
fro, large extent u countrythus having found these
pbosphetes TO be idfntca With tho 'naIl stoBes'
nOdaes' 'congomerates' Of the Fish Bsd OF the
ChsfisstonlBnsin MI the physca characters u which
had bean known and described teeity years ago; aud
fhe nodues, Of which Informed by Irof Holmes,
were TO contain Is to per cent o phosphate OF
line Awaiting myself Of Pref HOinpst extended Dor
snAtoa regarding the oures Of the bed which he had
many years ago mapped out, pushed forward my eK
D. few weeks extended the lms II The b far beyond
Ia previously known boundaries. Inus this valuable
tnetoffal was discovered and located ..IlH
h may be well, perhaps, here ~ add that the cor
Eectnes OF tho resnlts obtained by the analysis Of
~. ffa0 was subsequently confirmed by sipilar In