The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1883-09-06
CAROLINA,s GOLDEN ROCKS.
4 Poetical Sketch of the Phosphate tn.
dustry.
From Mc I,ashington Star.

You would scarcely believe that ma.
nure is dug out of the ground in my
State" said South Carolina gentleman
to a knot Of Kentucky tobacco planters
the other night, in the Gait House
smoking room, in Louisville
well. it would be regarded as very
strange thing in our section. We know
that we have to use lots of it, but WHEN
it goes into the ground that is the last of
it, as fertilizer, at least" replied one Of
the planters.
"It is fact, nevertheless" rejuncd
the Palmetto man. "and if your excuse
my absence for few moments I'll 20 to
my room and get some tangible proof"
Saying this he departed and soon re.
turned with All irregular lump of gray.
ish drab. .Colored stone and laid it before
tho party. 1t was handed about from
one to the other, hefted, tasted and
smelled, but they couldn't see how such
stuff as that would manure land.
Neither could the planters of my
State" aaid t!:s gentleman. "They
kicked it about whenever it came in their
way, cursed its presence in their fields,
and worked hard to cart it out Of the
way, just like they would any other
rocks, while all the time it was the most
valuable thing they could own, only
they didn't know it. By.nnd. by, after
the war, one of those sbrewd, prying,
spectacle wearing geologists paid visit
to one of tho plantations on the Ashley
River Here his attention was drawn to
huge lump of this rock. which con.
tained one OF the very fossils for which
he was searching. He struck it several
blows with hammer to dislodge the
petrifaction from its envelope, and was
surprised and delighted to discover that
the despised and rejected rock was rich
phosphate of lime, more valuable, in
deed, as was proved by analysis, than the
precious guano deposits Of the South
Atlantic and Pacific islands, over which
governments have gone to war, and frc Z.
whose traffic gigantic fortunes have been
made. | take this specimen, strike it.,
scratch it or even rub it, and it speaks
for itself as to its character"
Here he suited lis action to his words,
and gave the stono to the nearest one Of
the party after rubbing it vigorously be.
tween his thumb and fore fnger.
"Phew" exclaimed individual Us
ne brought it under his nose, cit smells
like church steeple pigeon roost."
The others repeated the experiments
with similar results and the harmless.
looking stone was incontinently dropped
upon the table az something uncanny.
You may believe" continued the
South Carolina gentleman, "the Yankee
made careful and quiet investigation of
the extent and locality of the deposits,
and then lost no time in getting back to
Boston with scheme to disclose to East.
ern capitalists that really had millions
In it, The original company did not do
much besides purchasing mining leases
in all the ground thought to contain the
phosphate rock. But the secret was
out, and other companies obtained sub.
leases ard erected large works for pro.
pairing the crude material for market
A series Of costly experiments followed
with varying success, both rs to the
manner of mining and methods of hand
ling and reducing the rocks. Still the
production of the fertilizer grew steadily
year by year, keeping always behind the
commercial demand. The accepted
method of mining is by means of shallow
trenches, gradually widening into each
other as the deposits are removed. This
answered very we'll at first, as the stratum
OF rocks is not over two or three fee. in
thickness, and no thought was given to
possible beds lying under the waters of
the rivers and bnyous. 1t remained for
other enterprising capitalists to discover
the latter fact, and now they are reaping
rich harvest by dredging and scraping
the bottom, and even euiploy divers in
the work of gathering the subsequeous
deposits. The localities where the rock
is found extend along both sides Of the
Ashley for two or three miles above its
mouth, and underlay the bed of that
stream and its tributary creeks. Nearly
all the ground is of marshy character,
and the work of mining and transport.
ing the rock to the mills is carried on
with negro labor, and that is found to
be the most reliable. The negro can
best endure the exposure to tho heat of
the sun and the malaria of that region,
but even he becomes subject to attacks
OF rheumatism and low grade fevers,
which, in year O. two, con:pe! him to
retire from this form OF labor"
90 How came this rock to be deposited
in that particular locality?"
"Well, sir, for that our best authority
is the geologists. They say that this re.
gion once had higher tides than at pres.
ent, and the present lowlands OF the
Ashley River were in former ages COW
cred by the tides, and that this locality
must have been an immense bone yard
for all sorts of marine monsters. The
theory is we'll supported by the large
number of fossil remains found imbedded
in the rock, such as sharks teeth, skele-
tOiis, more or less perfect, of the lower
crrstacea, shells, &c. The action of the
sea.water must have cemented the phos-
phatic elements Of these dead fishes into
the form in which it now is mined. l
have at home some sharks teeth three
and four inches broad at the base, nearly
five inches long and quite an inch thick,
taken from these deposits. You may
judge from this what terrible water
wolves used to patrol our Carolina har-
bors before man came into fashion. We
have in Charleston harbor now some big
men. n.eaters,' but they are minnows com.
pared with what their ancestors must
have been."
Glow ia the rock treated to 6t !. for
use 7" asked one of the party.
"lt is taken TO one OF the seven piv
grinding mills along the banks Of the
river, and crushed by stamps into Jumps
as big as marbles, and then ground in
steel mancrels until it becomes as i'm
palpable aB the finest flour. Then. as
chemists consider that it adds to the
strength Of the fertilizing properties, the
dust 10 trested to a bath of sulphuric
acid, and is again ground until It be.
comes dry"
ut must take big lot of acid ?"
"Yes, should think IL did. But evsrv