The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1871-12-20
THE WANDo FERTILIZER.
A Visit to the South Carolina Phos
phate Mines.

phate Mines.
The writer has recently examined
these extraordinary pctritactions OF an
inal bones and deposits, and was great.
N impressed With their magnitude, and
tie exceeding value of the discovery.
These phosphate beds underlic. in a
greater Or less degree, AL area OF about
thirty square miles, in what is known
as the Charleston, basin, formed by the
Cooper and Ashley Rivers or estuaries.
\ guest Of Mr.. ariiomas' D. Dotterer,
the gentlemanly and Acknowledgements
intendent of The. Wando Company, we
rode out with -ilim one day OF the pres
ent week, over = smooth and beautiful
road, part, ,plauked3s and part composed
of pounded shells, to the works OF the
company, located on the banks Of the
Ashley River, nine mics, from Char
lesion. Before reaching our destination
we passed Sil full view of the Pacific
Factory, three miles from the city, then
OF the Etiwan, one mile further, then Of
the Atlantic, a half mile more distant
aud lastly those Of the Stono Associa'
ton, five miles from Charleston" All
these are in successful operation, and
some idea may be formed Of thc demand
and consumption Of the phosphate,
when it is stated that forty ships carry
ing one thousand tons each, have load
cp for Europe with the crude material
during the past year, while fully rs
many cargocs have been Slipped coast
wise 70 other points. This is exclusive
of the immense amount which Las been
ground aud trealedfor agricultural pur-
poses, st the several manufactures.
.Asrived at the Ashley River we found
the WaHdo works picturesGuely located
near the banks OF the stream, III close
contigUity to magnificent grove OF
moss covered live-caks. They are very
extensive, embracing huge buildings
. f5r the washing, drying, crushing,
grinding. mixing and sacking of the
fertilizer, ,besideSxa vast and unique cs-
tablishiilrnt uscsl;in the Manufacture Of
snlphuric acfi, one hundred ana fifty
rurboys OF which, each containing eleven
gallons, are distilled or prepared every
day. The capaciou5 tanks of lead,
countless tubes and retorts, and ingen-
ious scientific contrivanccs used in the
preparation of this article, are almost
bewillering to the uniIitiatcd. AS a
single item, showin the magnitude OF
the operations, we saw in. onc chamber
not less than five thousand bushels OF
crude sulphur, imported by the cargo
from the island of Sicily. We will not
pause at present, however to describe
In modes 0Dcyundi Of the works, but
e. direct to the mines.
The company are exhuming the phos-
rhate about one mile from the river, in a
Hat region of country interspersed with
growth of oak, gum, cedar, pine and
myrtle. They have, at heavy expense,
constructed u railroad with iron rails,
and equipped with a diminutive loco
motive and cars resembling coal boxes,
which transports tie petritied. bones IN !
fossils to the washing house, situated
upon the river bank. In brief, the
mode of procedure is as follows: First,
the ground is sounded with an iron rod
to detect the veins OF phosphate, then a
narrow ditch is cut about four feet III
depth, reaching to TIE upper surface Of
the deposit, and after the earth has been
carefully removed and thrown on one
side of the ditch, tue phosphates are
dug out with picks and placed OH the
other. ~
The veins differ in thickness from six
inches to three feet. The bones lie in
confused masses, showing the teeth, vef-
tebr;r, ribs, jaw bones, and other portions
alike of animal and marine monsters.
We saw thrown out from the same pit
huge sharks teeth and sections of tho
vcrtebr;e Of some immense land animal
either an elephant or mastadon, proba'
bly,, which we preserved and can exhibit
These specimens, in some instances but
partially petriied, are paratively
soft, showing the grain and fibre of the
bone. In others they are hard as flint
though perfectly delincated. Carts re.
ceive and transferrto the cars the crude
deposits of every possible. shape, anC
from one to ten pounds in weight, COW
cred with mud, which arc then trans
ported to the Westinghouse, an(
.clcansed in a long iron box with rcvol
wing screw set horizontally, into Which
stream Of salt water is injected by pow
erful forcing pumps, the whole propelled
by steam. Phosphate is then stacked il
vast kilns and subjected to powerful hea
to expel all moistures and prepare it 10
the mill. -
These deposits crop out from the rive
banks, and can be seenrat low tide scat
tered along the beach. They appear Il
be almost inexhaustible, and are dali,
growing in reputation abroad. The cor
politics are small black petrifactions
evidently tie excrements of animals
and contain ninety per cent. of pur'
phosphate. They are found mixed III
universally with the other deposits. =
Aftera minute inspection of the works
we returned to the city deeply impressed
with this Wise provision of q beneficen
Providence to save from utter destruc
ton an afflicted and ruined people.
The Wando Company have 'anothe
factory in full operation at No. Soutl
Atlantic wharf, where the phosphate, at
ter being washed at the mines, is tre atet
in every stage. We had the pleasure G
noting the entire process, and will de
scribe it briefly:
First, the dried material is lifted b.
steam elevators from the kiln to the sec
ond story of lofty building, where it
broken into small! fragments by the &C
tion of q powerful crusher. The produc
Is again elevated and poured into til
hopper of mill ina second upper apart
ment, and literally reduced to bone dus
or powder as fine as flour. Still anothe
elevator receives the ground phosphate
, and lifts it above as before, when it
discharged into the mixing tank,
square metallic box about eight feet il
: diameter and three feet deep, in which.
machine. resembling clay mixer 70
brick, is made to revolve with great "a
u dity. Iuto this reservoir the sulOl,,ri