The weekly Panola star. [volume] (Panola, Miss.) 1857-1881, 1869-12-04
From the Rural Carolinisn.l
The Charleston Phosphates.

That dngulm dqst known as the Charleston Phosphate Bee, possesses an Interest to the ySagak
anywhere else on the globe I'll very superficial in hsp position, aii In thu geological sens
Of the words of very recent origin. The nearets approach to it. according to Professor Aga"II aN
in the pampas of South America whgeth there IRE deposits Of very recent geological formation waN
havebe KNOW to scientific men half a century and which contain IN immense m'uad fmE
remains Professor Agasz says; i
formed phosphate of lime similar to this South Carolina deposit A few bones are found in this paE
p pro,essd dssmpyysh oud how natu the phosphate of linn bed in South Carolina is equivalent
those of South America mdh that the phosphate itself is the result of the dcomposd bons which
car urmbec concerning thu origin Of that waste Deposit and there is such similarity between III
superficial deposits Of south Americas and North Amenc, that think this d probable"
deposits of the remains extinct animals in the ond-m immense archaeological museum
g Tb@ea nw hole acres theky studded with FOSSILS Among these bones have been Recognized I
the mammoth, uahodOu megaheium4 mylod@s megiOnyS phocodon several varieties Of the @I
horse dog sheep OK md hog differing little if at all, from those belonging to our present d@MI
animals Pieces of pottery also haveb been found with aoneh aehcts arrow heads and other MI
mets of human skill, all in this same bed, almost identical in their character with similar remain
found some ears ago near Abbnmsi in France There have also been found one or TWO human bmI
"Thh strange collection this miniature aPuehr Of the ages-~heS animals extinct P SIDE 4
side with others the ancestors perhaps of our daily companions where men, beasts reptiles N
fishes would seem to have found omuon grave"
mewhlv value and their probable influence upon the future Of our city and State hatw we hf
present more particularly to cn attention. It is more to bur purpose TO show s%n ina a. we have "
to the wealth of the State than to wax eloquent veri immense sharks teeth gigantic lwr6AM9
ponders maxiladss. III with the phosphate rocks or n0dues "'n@" h Win "e Done y
The existence Of the phosphate pcks now found susceptible # being anamued-not dhedbA
Who turned them oyerw With heir lows, and The cultivation of whose fields they obarucei, baA
to mn of SCIENCE for hundred years at least; Theya n found piled piled up up on lawns on the n e%T n
cal worth was not. until With hep past few y@s en suspected, 1t has@ long known hover
that the mans existing in the vicinity Of Charleston are very valuable as uGftll.s and that that v
which led indirectly to an appreciation Of the value Of the phosphate rocks
the Investigations set on foot BY parties interested in procuring an available basis fol 1.-THE manrhr9
of concentrated manur,@ ems to have led, step by step to discovery he yue Of the p@TM
tms on Practical Geology which it is stated that there are vast deposits of phosphate rocks
the vicinity of London, just as there's are in the vicinity of Charleston, and, moreover that these n1
nerI ondon-nerly identical in compositions d in surroundings with those near ChareSon-w
being turned noa available fertilizer. This opened the eye of scientific men here to the ec@S
from aft to seventy per- cent Of phosphate of IN and from six to seven per cent of organic maa
The limits of the great phosphate be- of the Charleston basin have lot been exactly defined bull
the banks Of the Ashley AdMroo and Combahe River, but is developed most heavily on hsh
named. The stratum varies in thickness from dx to sixteen inches and occupies a nearly horizons
position prOnudng at the margns of the rivers nd lying deeper as the land rises In sos Is
the nodMes are packed very closely and in ohes heya are more paTey distributed The rocks
nOduks yy in size from aato a hickory nut to a OtO or mOem diameter and are Of every
waerworn md are perforated with holes of various Sizes A fresh Fracture in my IRE Of hem =