The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-05-08

Interesting Lecture by Prof Charles U.
Shepard, Jr.-!The Spanish Phosphates
the Most Formidable Competitor that
the Carolina Product has to Encounter.
The lecture of Professor Charles. u.
Shepard, Jr., on the phosphates of COM
merce, before the Y. NJ. G. Association
last evening, filled the lecture room of
the Medical College to its utmost capac-
ity, hundreds being unable to gain ad-
mission into the hall. The lecturer
spoke with great clearness and was lis
tened to with earnest attention. He
said:-
At a time when the production of the
various Carolina mines has reached two
hundred thousand tons per annum, caus-
ing the disbursement of over one million
dollars in this neighborhood, and thereby
bringing comfortable support to many
thousand individuals, besides returning
large income 70 the State; when many
men are considering the question whether
they, too, will embark in the mining in
dustry, and thus yet swell the yearly
product, it is obviously wise course to
consider what are the sources, other than
our own, to which the civilized world
looks for its phosphate supply, and how
formidable they are or may become as
competitors in its markets.
In estimating the value Of any pbos-
phate, we may inquire, as our basis of
comparison, with how large content of
soluble phospboric acid can amerchanta-
bic superphosphate be prepared from it?
For the sake of convenience we will con-
slider the various commercial phosphates
in the following order: ,,t la..
Guano, Altered Guano, Fossil Bones
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES materials whose
arorigin is clearly animal.
yPhosphorite, Apatite Phosphate Me-
terials whose near origin is mineral.
gaa al GUANo. ael'~
It is,welp for us to include guano in
the above list, not only because of its
very considerable phosphate content
(say twenty to tairty per cent. of phos-
pilates, but also because of the serious
competition which it must exert in the
agricultural world so long as It's supply
holds out. with regard to the quantity
Of, gusno still Egemaining at the dispo-
saliof the Peruvian Government land; al
most all real. ,gpanol is, or rather was,
Peruvian, ithels statements are most con-
Trajectory On the pthershand, we have
the assertion offthss ogeypmenti that
they possess some sprty6 to sQrtE-fYe To-
calisies, containing mpFe Cr lee extensive
deposits of merchantabie guano Il Dnithe
other hand, the British consul at Callao
reported, in 1878, thai Pam idlnoE pos
sess three million tons or e1portable
guano. This would last at che present
rate of shipment only a year or so longer.
The complete exhaustion of the Chincha
guano-the best of the Peruvian-and
lhe probable early consumption of the
Guanape-judging from the fact that
cargoes of inferior guanos are being ex-
ported from yet other Peruvian localities
lead the public which has invested in
Peruvian bonds, secured on the guano
returns of the government, and those
whodepend on this article. for agricultural
purposes, to infer that the enormous ex-
cavation of these beds has almost exhaus-
ted whatat first sight appeared TO be a
boundless supply Such at least is the
belief among the English holders of Pc
ruyian bonds, and the manufacturers
of commercial manure at home and
abroad. Even the most hopeful look for
ward to the complete exhaustion of the
Peruvian, and all similar beds, before
the end ofthis century. At the present
time, it is doubtful if the annual impor-
tatious of nitrogenous guano into Europe
and the United States exceeds onel hum
lred to one hundred and fifty thousand
tons--a mere bagtelle when We remem-
ber that it has almost reached six hun
dred thousand tons for one year. The
decline in quantity and quality Of unal.
tered Especially Peruvian guano,
steadily augments the demand for those
manufactured manures which are de-
sigued to supply its place.
s0l. le RoCK-GUANos.2a ~:
9iiUnder rock-guanos we understand
those rock formations consisting essenti-
ally Of phosphate of lime Tor in few in
stances Of phosphates of magnesia and
alumina aud the oxide of irons) which
are derived from original deposits of
guanos, aud owe their present form to
various physical and chemical causes.
Since the application of Liebig's method
tof rendering bones soluble by the addi-
ton of sulphuric acid to mineral phos-
pilates. therock- -guanos have been sought
after on accouhtof their generally high
percentage or phosphoric acid and the
excellence of tine super-phosphates manu-
Tn, of
this demand the West India Islands and
other localities where such deposits are
likely to be found have been carefully
anu repeatedly searched. New beds of
phosphate guanos have been discovered
from time TO. time, but owing 10 the
small quantities of available material
that they usually contained, they have
generally been soon exhausted, and thus
have ceased TO Influence the market. At
this day we seldom hear of any fresh and
important discovery in the West Indies;
and while It's not impossible that virgin
deposits may yet be found and worked
such nevertheless becomes yearly more
improbable, as prospecting parties have
hunted Through all the many islands
reefs and coasts of these unquestionably
ancient guano regions. Whole islands
have been, as it were, transported ir
ships across the seas. and the amount o
phosphate guanos annually thrown or
the European market was enormous 81
long as the deposits held out. With .tht
exception of the New Curacao there is q
present no large phosphate deposits il
the West Indies tolsose quality 17iN Pe,n'i
of its shipment across thel0ceun. 5raT2
100 coPRoLITEs.
The total annual yield of the various
English coprolitic deposits is abou
twenty. five thousand tons. According II
Prof. Albert Hunts mineral statistics
thirty-fve thousand tons of ali grade:
were raised in 1872; their value being
fifty thousand pounds, or about sever
dollars per ton. While the difficulty o
.xoo,ot;n, tbosa dennsits has heen in