The San Saba news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1873-1966, 1882-04-08

lace. lneSe ale from one-QnAftef OF
an inch to three or four inchesid thick.
uess, yet they all have the same pecu.
liarity OF structure Another kind is
white and fine grained amorphous vMi.
ETY., suitable for carving, and is called
alabaster. The common massive beds,
which are used in agriculture and for
making casts, etc, is generally called
gypsum, or plaster of paris. The va
rious colors which are found is owing
to the presence Of iron in various forms,
and other impurities ditinsed through
the mineral
The applications Of gypsum in the
arts, both in its raw state aud prepared
or ground into plaster, are very numer-
Jus. Anciently they used the tran
sparent selenite to make bee hives,
that they might see the bees Mt work.
DR.. Hitchcock says it was once used by
the wealthy for windows and that IT
mas the peculiar property of enabling Il
person within the house to see all that
passed arOund, while those outside can't
see what passed within. Hence, Nero,
employed 1t in his palace. Alabaster
is worked into ornamental Objects
vases, statuettes, etc. BY far the
most important applications OF gypsum
in the arts are those of plaster OF paris.
In this state the article is used for
nolds, casts statues, as cement for
plastering walls, and foI ornament ON
ceilings. The crude unburnt gypsum
when powdered is largely used in agri
culture as a fertilizer Enormous guam
titles of this substance are annually
consumed in the united States. The
principal amount thus used has been
heretofore brought from Nova Scotia,
and finds its way to all parts of the
continent. | had no means by which to
ascertain the quantity thus brought
into this country, but it is immense,
yet there is no reason why the supply
may not be largely increased without
over-supplying the demand, and there
is only one reason why there may not
be large quantities shipped from this
belt OF gypsum, and that will be Tor
the want of cheap transportation, and
now tina. railroads are being built into
this country that reason need not long
continue.
1t has been II question among scien-
fists how these immense beds of gyp
SUN were formed. / think it probable
that they were once beds of common
limestone or carbonate of lime, aud
that they were at some time subjected
TO the action OF free sulphuric acid
derived from volcanic sources, which
drove out the carbonic acid aud caused
disqualification of the mass of cal
careous into its present form. If this
be true, 1T will account at once for the
absence of fossils In this formation
Whether the disqualification took
place at later geological period, or
while the sea was above these beds
aud while they were still in process OF
formation. can not now be determined
but it is more than probable that the
charge from carbonate of lime to the
sulphate of lime Gypsum occurs dur.
ing the age to which they belong; and
# am correct in supposing these beds
to belong to the lower premian, then
think the change occurred during the
premian period it may be, however,
that the gypsum Of the great gypsum
formation was formed by the percola
ton of water through the strata above
charged with free sulphuuo ncid, or
with sulphate of iron, derived from the
decomposition Of pyrtes. When such
a comp ,sit on passes through the stra-
Hnd cOme- in contact with carbonate
4 lime, it causes decomposition OF
the carbonate OF lime, aud gypsum is
orm.d. II the water is charged with
.ul hate of iron, there is decomposi-
ton both OF the carbonate of lime and
the sulphate OF iron, and sulphate OF
nms or gypsum is formed; also the
carbonate or oxide of hon. The Cur.
Donate or oxide of iron would he de-
posite rs red powder at the place OF
lecom position, while the sulphate OF
lime might be carried by the water to a
lower stratum, where it would crystal
lie in some form of gypsum. 1t may
be that the red color of the clays OF
that country may be accounted for in
this way. Whatever may have been
the origin of the beds of massive gyp.
sum, there is no doubt that the seams
Of satin gypsum running through the
clay in that country can be attributed
to the cause above mentioned. The
seams OF selenite which are found in
this country, cut obliquely across the
str alta resembling dikes traversing strait
fed rocks. Yet they were evidently
not formed in the same way as dykes
by iniectiong through the strata from
below. but in tho same manner as the
satin gypsum, by the percolation o
water through strata charged with sui
phate of lime. The gypsum beds o
this country can never be source o
gypsum Tor export, as there are mex
hanstible supplies along the immediate
sea-coast, easily quarried, and that ma,
} be loaded ON ships without land tran
: sportation, yet there is u great an,
} over increasing demand for some kin,
of cheap fertilizer in all the inteno
States, which can be supplied from
! this region. The great fertility Of tn,
Rcd river valltys is owing 90 the larg
amount OF gypsum present in the sol
} which has been washed down from
these beds in the past ages, Tn
/ sandy soils Of Eastern Texas that ar
) now thought to be almost worn out
, can be made MS productive as at frs
4 by a liberal supply Of gypsum Their
need be no abandoned tields for wan
b Of fertility when these immense depo
{ sits can once be made available