The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-02-06
ORIGIN OF PHosPHATEs.
A., INQUIRY Into Florida's Prehistoric
COndition.

Ill Florida Progress. 1t is a valuable
a4lition to current phosphate literature:
The fact that phosphate existed in South
7,.-i4a has long been known, but until
LI-os,t ,iate no intelligent efforts have been
la To determine the extent and value of
- der0sits. The sue 'ess that has at
..--15ad these Investigations is truly wonder
vi and surprising, and points to results
.-at i'm the near future mast cause millions
- dollars to flow into the state. During the
,osr few weeks the writer mas been engaged
- ovannining some of the deposits in Polk
na,,Trv The results attending these
i;,orastigations have beea eminently pleasing
- Gratifying, especially to the parties who
aga fortunately secured and obtained pos
sossion of the property On which they are
lated. Several deposits examined, while
ebowiDg the presence of pm isphate. are so
o11glomerated with the worthless matter
a. t9 render them Of little value Others
Tra-e of such extent and superiority of
orsIitv as to make their money value
almost incalculable.
One deposit in particular deserves more
han passinr notice. This MAS been appro-
-,riatalv denominated the VALLEY of bones"
rom the large number of distinctive bones
SEEN protruding from the banks of the
stream which passes through it. and discov-
er-d in the excavations made. This deposit
- situated about ten miles west from Bar
TOW. the county seat of Polk county, and
abont ten miles from Lakeland, on the
smith Florida railroad, and on the proposed
line from Plant City to Fort Meade. 1t
covers an area of several hundred acres,
and is of unknown depth. Excavations
were made III many places and the bottom
not reached. The matter found is variable,
IN MANY forms-massive rock bones, smooth
ueb5les, etc.-entrely free from conglomer-
ate. and of unsurpassed richness. To the
lover Of the curiosities of nature this place
is well worth visit.
One striking and important feature of
Florida phosphate deposits is their great
depth. Excavations havessbeen made in
several places to depth of sixty feet with
out finding the end, while the world-famous
South Carolina deposits only average one
foot in thickness; aud here might be added
that the South Carolina and Peace river
valley phosphates are identical in their
character, and have their origin from the
same source, vertebrate animal life, and
we're formed at the same period of geolog-
ica history. In the Peace river
valley deposits are to be found per-.
fec5 vertebr9s, bones, teeth, etc., of
gigantic animals and fishes of some pre-
historic age, The florida phosphates dis
covered further north differ distinctively
from these, and have their origin from in-
vertebrates, as crustaceans, oysters, CLANS,
corals, etc, and the formation was at some
earlier geological period. When the pres
ent excitement shall have subsidized, and
matters become settled. and Florida phos-
phates become an article of C om nerce, it is
fairly presumable that those of the Peace
river reg ion will bear as high prices il the
market as those from other localities, posi-
bly, III yher, Tor the material will bs sold on
its merits and true value.
We viii briefly notice some of the geolog-
ical phenomena connected with these forma-
tons, and will make this topic the subject
of future papers when time will admit of
more extended consideration. The influence
Of time as an element in producing structural
formations by changing the operations,
physical force, under whatever form it may
he eXerted, has hardly had sufficient alton
ton In the examination of cOsmical
phenomena II with the eve of geologist
we take but curs9ry glance over the
earth, we must discover that countless ages
must have passed during the progress
of this planet to its present condition. This
Is fact written by the finger of nature, in
characters that cannot be mistaken. on the
tables of her mountai1s. There are few
branches of science which admit of specn--
lation to the extent to which we find it
carried in geology. The consequence of
this Is shown i'll the popular character of
the science. In regarding geological phe-
nOmena the absence of any fossil remains
has often been supposed to indicate a
period previous to any organic formations.
That the inorganic constituents of nature
are of prior origin to the organic combina-
tons is question that admits oe some
speculation. Without attempting to enter
into any discussion on the subject at this
time, we will briefly consider some of the
types of animal life which are known to
have evisted at different epochs during the
earth'S transitions. Among the earliest
races we have those remarkable forms, the
trilobiteS, inhabiting the ancient ocean;
this family was prominent in the early Gre
atoms, but disappeared in the carboniferous
age. At the period of the trilobites of the
silurian rocks all the animals contempo-
raneous with them had the organs necess lry
for the preservation of life in the waters
Next in order of time, the most singular
animals inhabiting those ancient seas,
whose remains have been preserved are the
cephalopods, Of the sub-kingdom of mol
lusks, possessing some traces of organs
which belong to vertebrate animals.
Passing by without notice the numerous
fishes which appear to have exhibited sim
liar order of progression to the animals, we
proceed to the more remarkable period
Nueu Uu9 uTy ldnu HrSG began 10 appear.
We gradually get distinctive evidence of the
separation of the land from the water: and
the green tree yielding seed" presents it
self TO our attention. Those plants which
are found in the carboniferous series are
most of them distinguished by all the char
acterlstsls Of those which grow upon the
Ind; we therefore, in the mutilated remains
Of vegetation left us in our coal formations,
read the history OF our early world. Ascend
ing IN the series we have formations of more
recent character, in which fishes of a higher
organization, creeping and flying saurianS,
crocodilcs, Lizards, tortoiSes, reptiles and
frogs are found The lias formation stands
next in series. In these we have animals in
fossil state. different il character from
those Of the inferior strata. When these
rocks were in the progress of formation
there existed the ich:hyoSaurus, or fish
lizard, which appears in many respects to
nave resembled the crocodile of the Nile. 1t
was predatory creature OF enormous
power, and must have been the tyrant Of
tie sea coast which 1t inhabited.
The plesiosaurus was if possible, a still
more remarkable creature. To the head Of
lizard was united an enormously long
neck, small anu fish-like body and the
Tall OF crocodile. The flora of this period
must nave been quite extensive, resembling
the vegetation OF the present day in tropi-
cal regions. Races Of reptiles at this period
s0li had heir place on the earth, and we
nave the megalosaurian remains, indicating
astrength and rapacity which would render
them objects OF terror could they be re-
stored to the world as they existed. An
enormous bat-like creature also existed at