The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-12-25
OUR PHOSPHATE INDUSTRY.
The States Rights In the Product of the
Rivers.


Gen. John Bratton and Col. Zim.
norman Davis, a majority of the
board of phosphate commissioners, have
made report to the Legislature on "the
best system that can be adopted, in the
present condition of the subject, for the
protection of the rights of the State and
the granting of rights to dig, mine and
remove phosphate deposits from the
navigable waters, streams and marshes of
the State" The reports says that the
rights of the State, except the right to q
royalty, have all been legislated away,
and that the best system, under the pres
ent condition of the subject, is one that
will enforce prompt payment of the
royalty and thorough working of the
deposits, in order to obtain all the phos.
phate upon which royalty can be real
lied.
In order to qualify themselves to Judge
what system would best fulfil these re-
quisites the commissioners investigated
the subject of river mining with great
care, by inquiring of managers of the
business and of scientists interested in
and acquainted with the subject, and
also by personal inspection of mining
operations, from the taking of the rock
from the water to landing it on the
wharves, form which it was shipped and
from which the royalty was paid.
As the result of this inspection the re-
port says: The term "plant" applies to
the implements and appliances used in
the mining and preparation of rock for
market. A fully equipped plant will
consist Of tongs, flats, lighters, washboats,
dredge, tugboat, wharf, crusher, screen,
drying sheds. The parties to whom the
State had granted mining privileges were
variously equipped for the conduct of the
business-some with not even a pair of
tongs, some with only fat and tongs, some
with q lighter and feet of flats, and thus
through all grades of development to
full and complete equipment. Those
who fail to provide any of the necessary
appliances have not organized mining
business over which they have supervis-
ionl and control, but only use the rights
granted to them by sub-granting them to
others, who are not under bonds to the
State for their conduct OF the business.
Others grant permits" but hold those
to whom they are granted under their
supervision and control; others again
use only theirow appliance and imple-
ments, hire hands, to man them, and of
course supervise and conduct. their oper-
ations.
The rock is taken from the water by
two modes-by hand-picking (under
which is included that taken with tongs)
and by machinery. Both modes are nee
essary to a thorough and systematic
work of the river mines. Hand-picking
can only obtain loose rocks and deposits
lying on the bottom, while powerful
dredges are required to break up the rock,
which is cemented sand and mari, in
firm sheets or masses, called strata rock.
This strata rock is found in nearly
all of the river phosphate beds, that of
the Ashley River being, perhaps, the on
ly exception. In the Ashley the loose no.
dulles lie on bed of pure mari and no
dredge has yet been adapted to work in
this tough putty-like substance.
It will be seen therefore, that the rev.
enue derived by the State from its right
of royalty will depend very much on the
thorough and complete working of the
phosphate, beds as the better the mining
the greater the number of tons produced
to which the royalty attaches. Of the
security of the royalty and its produc-
tiveness under the several systems now
in vogue for granting rights, the report
says that when permits are given and no
supervision exercised there is absolutely
no security either for thorough working
or for the payment of the royalty on such
phosphate as is actually mined. Where
the holders of permits are supervised by
bonded grantors of the permits the secu-
rity is better, as then fraud could only
be committed with the consent of the
bonded party. The lack of fixed place
of business the report notes as a princi-
pal cause of insecurity. and adds that
although the returns and payment of roy
atty may be faithfully made, the commits
sioner fail to find any security for thor.
ough work by parties without fixed
place of business. They are not organ
lied or equipped for thorough work, and
are incapable of meeting this demand of
the State, and in fact they initiate
against the States interest. They skin
off the fatness Of the whole territory to
which they have access, and leave that
which is difficult and expensive to mine.
1t is true that the Marine and River
Phosphate Company has dredge at
work in Stono River, which takes all the
rock it can get, and loosens great deal
in the bottom of the river which is picked
up by the promiscuous hand-pickers who
swarm in to the easy harvest, but many
men will not be found thus willing
to work for the benefit of others.
The conclusion of the committee
therefore is that security of payment and
thorough working can only be obtained
by fixing the place of business and re-
quiring all parties to supply themselves
with complete "plant." They advise
the abandonment Of the system of gener-
al rights and promiscuous mining. Un-
der the localized and complete outfit
system, the interests of the State and of
the miners is identical, and no greater
security need be required. Under such
a system one officer would be able to at
tend to the whole business on the part
of the State, and his duties would be
comparatively light. If the general
rights and promiscuous mining system
is to be continued, the report recon-
mends that $500 be appropriated for the
use of the phosphate agent to enable him
to guard the interests of the State, and
also that the evasion of loyalty be made
q misdemeanor, and that the law officers
of the State defend the rights of the State
in court as to phosphate matters as in
other matters.
The commissioners, in conclusion, sug-
gest that the inspection of phosphate be-
ing entirely q different thing from the
mining of phosphate, that the two things
be kept separate and that the Office of in
spector of phosphate be established on
different basis, or abolished.