The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1870-06-24
The Phosphates of the Charleston
Basin.

The existence Of rich phosphate deposits in
the Charleston IS. C.) basin has been known
for many Yeas, and planters in that region
have long been in the habit of improving their
lands with these natural fertilizers But it
was MOI i'll about 1868 that very systematic
and earnest efforts were made to develop the
entire extent Of the buried wealth of phos-
phates These investigations led to the dis
cOYery that phosphate stratum underIies the
coast east and west of Charleston to unknown
limits, and has been found forty or fifty miles
inland. 1t outcrops on the banks Of the Ash
ley, Cooper, Stono, Edisto, Coosaw and Comb
ahee rivers and their tributaries. Many of
the tracts examined comprise several SQUARE
miles, the deposits lying at depth from the
surface Of the ground of from six inches to
twelve feet, and yielding from five hundred
to one thousand tons to the acre. Much of
this is mari, or carbonate Of lime in soft. mas
sive or pulverulent form-the product of the
slow decomposition of coral and shells in sites
formerly covered by the sea. True guano is
also mixed up with this in places. But the
most remarkable characteristic of these phos-
phate beds is the deposit of the bones of large
fishes and land animals of the Eocene period.
These occur in the shape Of nodules, conglo-
merates or fragments Of irregular size, and
have given to the locality the name. "The
fish bed of the Charleston BASIN" Some idea
of the abundance of fossils III the deposits NAV
be had when VIC mention that Professor Hof-
mes, of the College of Charleston, has in his
cabinet not less than sixty thousand sharks
teeth taken from the nodules, some of the
teeth being of great size, weighing from two
to two and a half pounds each. Bones of the
mastodon are occasionally turned up among
the treasures brought to light. Analyses OF,
these nodules, procured from various points
in or about Goose Greek and Ashley River
prove that they contain from 34.40 to 50 per
cent, of the valuable phosphate of lime, the
larger part of the remaining ingredients be nR
sad. This compares favorably with the Ne
vassa, Swans Island, Bolivian, Patagonian
and Chilian guanos. The fertilizing proper
ties of the nodules are easily separable by treat
ment with acids It is matter of no surprise
that the gradual development Of such vast
sources of wealth in the Charleston basin
should have created an excitement in that
vicinity, reminding one somewhat of the
Pennsylvania, oil fever. Companies for work
ing the deposits have been formed, and hopes
are high that great wealth to individuals and
to the community will flow from them. In
that particular many will probably be dissp-
pointed; but that the Charlestonians appear to
have very good thing in their phosphate beds
does not admit of reasonable doubt.
AS some of the richer deposits lie in the bed
of the rivers and creeks great difficulty is ex-
perienced in digging them out. To do this
easily and economically is a problem upon
whose solution much of the success of the COM
panies depends. Now, it happens that Mr.. J.
K. Glenn, of this city, inventor Of the patent
portable or walking railway car "a full descrip-
ton of which appeared in our paper of Octo-
Der l6, 1869, took a trip to Savannah a short
time ago with his singular machine, upon
which marked Improvements have recently
been made. He tested it in that city with 4
success fully recorded in the Savannah news
papers. The spectators saw in it means of
-locomotion as a traction engine peculiarly
adapted to travelling upon praries or low, fat
land, where horses with ordinary vehicles
would easily be mired, and also recognized
its advantages i'll connection with plowing,
sowing, and other agricultural business.
Those OF the lookers-on who were interested
in the phosphate operations remarked that
the chief mechanical principle of the car
that by which the wheels and feet are moved
continuously about it-seemed to be exactly
the contrivance required to dredgp out the
coagulated fish bones from the Charleston bed
The inventor fully shares in this convention,
and believes that by a simple adaptation Of
the principle of his car he can excavate and
deliver the deposits on the banks of streams
at the rate OF one hundred car loads an hour
with one dredge. So sanguine of this result
were number Of gentlemen who witnessed
the trial of the car that company has been
organized to test the question, as also to de-
termine the capabilities of the invention in
the way OF locomotion and farming purposes.
We offer no opinion about the success of their
experiments; but it would be fact IneritinQ
congratulation if the Glenn walking car, origi.
nally contrived for totally different object,
should prove the means Of working upon a
large and remunerative scale the great phos.
phats deposits Of the river beds about Charles.
ton.-Nets York Journal Comeree.
The Mr.. J. K. Glenn referred to in the above
article wasformerly a citizen of Fremont, and
is proprietor Of the "Glenn Springs" property,
west Of this city