The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-01-23
THERE'S MILLIONS IN 1T.
EXPERT oPINIONs ON THE ORIGIN
OF PHOSPHATE.

Thinks There Is Enough Phosphate
in Florida to Supply the World for
Years to Come-The Bird and AMI
NAL Phosphate Theory - Savannah
Capital the First to Develop the New
| Discoveries.
TIE extensive discoveries Of phosphate in
Florida recently have set nearly everybody
10 talking phosphate. from Charleston to
Charlotte Harbo-. About the origin Of the
phosphate rock opinions differ. Some ex-
perts claim that tbs peninsula Of Florida,
in the neighborhood Of the phosphate fields.
was at one time nothing but q group Of
islands, upon which, for generations, the
fish-eating birds roasted. and upon which
they built their nests and reared their
broods for centuries. and the phosphate
rock is the remains OF these birds.
Others claim that the deposits are the re-
msins Of land and marine animals, and such
prehistoric ones as the mastodon. While il
is true that animal remains we're buried
with the rock fragments under pliocene and
post-pliocsne silts, as shOwn by the dis
covery of post plocsne fossils of the South
Carolina mari, the animal deposits form but
a small proportion Of the phosphate nodules
and beds
AN EXPERTS OPINION.
Mr.W. Pringls Frost, the phosphate expert
and chemist Of this city, thinks the expana-
ton given by Otto A. Moses in Mineral
Resources Of the United States for 1883. -
as 20 tho method Of formation OF the Caro-
liza phosphate beds, will explain the method
OF the formation of the Florida beds, from
which the following extracts will give an
idea OF the generally accepted theory:
he T,Oana. na.a
its marls over continental areas, some Of which
nave been found 20 be over zoo feet in thickness
Similar marls are now IN process of formation
aIohg t1e coast An ooze, rich in phosphate
material, has been taken from the Gulf stream
by Count Pourtales. This great body of warm
water has flow for a considerable depth below
the surface. Capt. Tanner OF the United States
nsh commission steamer AlbRtross has detected
of the Bahamas deep submarine lakes OF cold
water, which have settled and remain without
apparent motion. In such basins mari of
late.
POSSIBLE ORIGIN.
The process of sedimentation is detailed
with great Particularly by Mr.. Moses and
the conclusions are thus interroqa-
lively drawn by this writer who saws:
Does not this point to . moving stream
slowly changing its position las does 10
Gulf stream in It's progresSions) as q proba-
BILE source Of the South Carolina phosphate
1SN1
writer cites as abundan proof of his theory
the deep artesian well-boring at Charleston
and at Sineath's Station, thirteen miles
from Charleston, where nodules were OBJ
tanned at varying depths down TO us feet
which nodules anyalyzed from % to 90 per
cent. of phosphate of lime.
Mr.. George J. Baldwin, president of the
Baldwin Fertilizer Company Of this city. is
probably one of the best posted men on
Florida phosphRtes in the soutn. Mr.. Bald
win says tlat when the discoveries Of Flor
ida phosphate began to lie bruited auolt. he
was not disposed to leave an investigation
to others, but he visited Florida and spent
considerable TINS in patient investigation
on his own account. He gave a very full
ana interesting review of his explorations,
his purchases, and the future plans OF his
company. Mr.. Baldwin said:
EIGHTY PER CENT PHOSPHATE ROCK.
1T has long been known that large bodies
or low grade phosphates could be found in
many places in Florida, and scattered
through the deposits small nodules showing
high percentage of phosphoric acid. but
they have never been found in sufficient
Quantities for mining except on the Peace
river in South Florida. During last sum
mer, however, there were found at Dunnel-
lon, on the Silver Springs, Ocala and Gulf
railroad, about twenty-five miles southwest
Of Ocala, deposits Of very high grade.
averaging about so per cent of bone phos-
phate OF lime. This new phosphate rock is
In appearance somewhat like the lighter
colored specimens of the South Carolina
land rock, being Of creamy white color.
aud somewhat harder than lime
stone. Ihe rock ranges from
Of about the appearances and hardness of
chalk. 1t is found in beds covering from
an acre or two up to 100 or 200 acres and
ranging in thickness from three or four feet
up to ten or fifteen feet about so 70 rs per
cent. of the bed being of this valuable rock,
while the matrix is composed of a soft
chalk-like mass of phosphate mixed with
clay and sand, and ranging in analysis from
or per cent. of bone phosphate of lime
up to as high as 20 per cent, but usually
containing about 80 to 40 per cent. of bone
phosphate.
SUPPLY FOR THE WORLD.
ut is" said Mr.. Baldwin, impossible to
state the Quantity of rock found, but it will
be sufficient to furnish the world with a
fair supply of phosphate for MANY wears
This country uses at present but little, if
any, of this class of rock, although Canada
produces in small quantities mineral
called apatite, which will average about the
same in its contents of bone phosphate. The
only other principal source of high-grade
rock is in Estramonda, Spain.
There IS no rock exactly like the Florida
rock known any where else in the world It
is unique, and must prove of considerable
value TO the south, which Is demanding
mora phosphate every year,
Nv hat effect will it have on the South
Carolina phosphate minesl" MIR. Baldwin
was asked
"The Florida rock will hardly come into
competition with that of South Carolina. as
1t is of such a different character, and viii
be principally exported TO England, instead
OF being used in this country, as the South
Carolina rock is an excellent one for the
class of fertilizers used here, while the En-
ghsh manufacturers need very high grade
rock to mix with the low grade cJprolites
they mine themselves and import from Bel
gum, thus securing about the same analy-
Sis for their product that the South
Carolina rock gives when used alone.
The Florida rock is very easily mined.
grlnds evan more readily than the South
Carolina rock, and makes very fine fertil-
izer of a light cream color, with about 90
to 70 per cent. Of available phosphoric acid"
ALREADY SHIPPING ABROAD.
Have you mined any of the new rock7n
YES. The Baldwin Fertilizer Company
now has on the way to its Port ROYAL
factory shipment of 100 tons for manu-
facture for spring, USE Besides this we
have received orders from England for a
cargo which will be shipped via Savannah.
W.grlnA ~,