St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1879-02-07

VIII remember some of the following !.
"Rlpley Singleton, obit. Jan. 26th. 1899
1f. 45 years." Nichols Cruger, Daniel
fettlgrew, James Louis Pettigrew. A
very good looking marble monument
60 Robert t. Hayne, erected by Rebecca
bfewtOn Hayne, his wife. Also Charles
Henry Axson, Harriott Harry, Fred
erlck Rutledge, and many others. In
the Magnolia Cemetery is a marble
monument to the memory of Col. Will
nam Washington, who you will remem-
Der 1t was said could not write, but
co'td make his mark; at least that is
what Charleston lady told British
ohcer who had been wounded by Wash
'ngton's famous two handed sabre.
This afternoon we went out to see
the famous Phosphate Works of South
Carolina. We went out on the horse
cars, which are drawn by one horse or
mule, with a driver but no conductor.
There is box on the inside near the
front, with glass sides, into which you
drop the fare, five cents. IfyOu haven't
the exact change, pass your money to
the driver, and he gives you little
envelope with the same amount in
change; you open this and put the
exact fare into the boX-the driver not
being allowed to receive or deposit the
money. Thus even here in the land of
chicdtIy do capitalists conspire to crush
labor and prevent the poor working
man from turning an honest penny.
We rode on these cars about three
miles to the end of the road. which is
near the works of the Pacific Guano
Co.. which are very extensive, covering
several acres. The phosphate rocks
OF this region occur in the form of
nodulcs, which are of a yellowish gray
color, emit Il fetid Odor when broken.
and vary in size from an inch in diane
ter to masses weighing two hundred
pounds. The deposit along the pen
insula between the Ashley and Cooper
rivers near Charleston, lies below the
surface at a depth of from four to five
feet, cropping out Immediately at the
banks of the rivers. 1t is but Il short
time ago that the farmers along the
river banks piled up these outcropping
rocks in pyramidal heaps to get them
out of the way. their value being un-
known. The deposit here is often from
eighteen to twenty inches thick. 1t
sometimes reaches thickness of three
feet, and is sometimes found in "pocketsr
several feet in width and depth. A uni
form deposit of fifteen inches in depth
yields SIN hundred tons TO the acre.
There are some now yielding thou
sand tons to the acre. Ii is not con-
is found (though not in continuous
stratum) all the way from the Wando
and Cooper rivers, fifteen miles above
Charleston, running parallel with the
coast as far as to st. Helena Sound.
near Port Royal. 1t is often exposed
in the beds of streams at low tide: and
one of the numerous mining companies
Is devoted exclusively to collecting
these river bed riches. The nodules
constituting them are mainly composed
of phosphate of lime.
The rock used by the Pacific Com
pany is mined about ten miles from the
works and brought there in Lighters. !
1t is piled up under shed with eight
wood which is mixed all through il
and set on fire, for the purpose of dry
ing it. After it is dried it is again |
loaded on to the little ear that brings
it from the wharf and drawn to the ex-
trcme end of a long building where the
processs of manufacture begins by run
ming it through il machine something |
like ''cOrn- cracker in grist-mill, |
which breaks il up fine enough for the |
Burr milestone, of which there are five |
or six pair running all the time grind
ing it coarse or fine, as may be wanted |
for the various kinds of fertilizers man
ufactured. They also mix with it some |
fish guanO and sulphuric acid, for the
of which they have quite
buildings, and use large guam
titles of sulphur, etc. They also add
some nitre, | believe. 1t is ground.
shoveled, and elevated over several
times, and finally run into bags hold
ing two hundred lbs. in which shape
it is marketed. The work must be
very bad for the lungs as there is lots
of dust and sulphur vapor. 1t is used
here for cotton, corn, rye, etc, but not
for vegetables and strawberries, as
stable manure is considered better
The State of South Carolina claims
all of the rock found under tide water,
and receives a large income from the
sale of rights to dig and manufacture it.
Not far from here across the plank
road that leads to Orangeburg, is the
famous Magnolia Cemetery. 1t covers
one hundred acres or more, reaching
from the road to the Cooper river, and
has many magnificent Live Oak and
other shade trees. There are the graves
Of two or three hundred confederate
soldiers each marked with a small mar
BILE slab with the name Tor unknown)
ON it; and in the centre is the base of
what is evidently intended to be large
monument. Further on, near the banks
Of the river was very elaborate mon
lment with the following inscription