The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-09-28
FLORIDA'S WEALTH BEDS
THE IMPRESSIONS OF a SCIENTIFIC
OBSERVER.

j
IEEsBURG. FLA, Sept. 23--I have just
closad an inspection of the phosphate fields
of Florida l began in Leon county,
passed through the rock phosphate mines
and then passed south, closing with the
placer or pebble phospaates. IL took three
months of hard work to make the in
spection.
For twenty-five years have been study
Ing the geology of Florida. Hitherto l
have been confined to Observations of the
surface or to strata disclosed by railroad
cuts. wells or boriugs from artesian wells.
The phosphate mines furnished a new and
very interesting field for observation and
study. | shall have much more to write
later, and, think, some new things to dis
close. The object of this letter is to say
some things that need to be said now, lest
80 magnificent fortune as is laid by in
store for you and tie generation to follow
be not lost to the present. holders.
MINES OF WEALTH.
Large as we're my views of the mineral
wealth of Florida, my recent observations
have greatly enlarged those views. | do
not now hesitate to say that the phosphate
mines of Florida have now in them more of
value in dollars than have yet been taken
from all the mines of California The in
| value Oh LQe WORTH Will Do creator
| than the gold of California. The phos-
pilates Of Florida furnish the safest re-
| munerative investment ever offered to the
| commercial world. These are bold state
ments, but the facts will justify them.
They are made after a careful weighing of
natural and commercial law. The
worlds population is increasing as never
before. The great economic questions of
the future will be food and raiment-more
important than coal for artificial heat.
| These things lie at the base of life, but
rest upon agriculture; agriculture rests
| upon manure, and the latter upon the phos-
pilates. 70 make the matter short, human
life and emphatically brain-life) is Deepen
dent upon the amount Of phosphorus that
providence stored up from the waste of the
past, or may save from the payment of the
future. The phosphates, then, are more
valuable than coal. gold or iron.
The value Of taese phosphates will in
crease as the ages advance; so that this un>
mined wealth will be worth more each sue
| ceeding generation. Unlike the coal fields,
it is in no danger of taking fire and burning
up. Like the diamond. rather, which,
| while hidden away, pays good interest by
| increasing value. The safety and increas-
| ing value of such an Investment must COM
| mend itself to men who have capital so
large that they cannot spend the interest.
| In this case nature compounds the interest
|
| collecting annually or semi-annually.
| A kind providence has stored this wealth
in Florida in accessible quantities as
| nowhere else in the world 1.-THE how" this
was done leave for another paper.
CHANCE FOR soUrHERNERs.
Another thing surprised me. Nearly all
| this vast wealth is in the hands Of southern
men, or men who have been so long with us
as to be now fully identified with the south.
l think there is kind providence in this
also In 1886 We had what was considered
disastrous frost. Twice since have we
suffered from what appeared to be untimely
frost, affecting seriously what we deemed
| our most important interests. Have not
these proven blessings in disguised AT any
rate, it had the effect of Kidding
Florida Of all the spectators who were
left with money enough to get out OF
the unfortunate state"-just in time to
keep these merciless maws from swallow
ing up wealth that would enrich an empire.
/ say l believe this to be kind providence
| kind not only to the south. but TO the
north likewise. 1t is a part of plan to
| read Just the finances Of the country. Since
| the war the south has been borrowing
money at ruinous interest-from 10 to 20
per cent Nowhere IN the south has this
rate been so heavy as in Florida. No other
| country could have survived such rates
The phosphate discovery is special booI
for the relief of the oppressed and the re-
| buke of the extortioner. l hope that our
people will have wisdom for the occasion.
THE CAUSE OF THE DROP.
"The price of rock has fallen" Hence
this paper and the following suggestions
There are two causes for this, the one nat
ural, the other artificial. The natural caus'
is this: The unusual output on the market
| 1t has been so great as to flush the market
Notwithstanding the failing supply from the
bones from the western plains and the phos
| pilates from the Pacific islands. The artificial
cause is the late we'll learned game of capita
| to strangle with gold cord all individual
this emergency you Will have to be wise anC
patient
| should perhaps, add another cause to
this fall in the price of phosphates. Manu-
facturers of com nercial mauures have be er
asking too large prices for their goods, and
have forced the planters to undue economy
in their use. When this fault is remedled
the demand will bs equal TO oil that your
industry can supply III putting your phos-
pilates upon the market. 1t will not be
long before Florida alone will consume
your phosphates at a creator rate than you
have up to now been able to mine them
he owners Of the phosphate in Florida
have the remedy for all this trouble ia their
own hands.
GET OUT OF DEBT.
Ny first suggestion is to keep out of
further debt. A mortgage is the knife that
. hard Shylock would put to the breast OF
any generous Antonio. And every hard
pressed Antonio does not find Porta to
plead his cause. If now in debt sell a minor
interest to pay Indebtedness and then rest
easily till this depression of the market is
passed; or else follow the suggestion below,
to manipulate your own phosohates aud put
them on the market at price beneficial
: both TO you and the planter.
. My second suggestion il that, instead OF
depending solely upon foreign markets and
manufacturers for your output, you pre-
pare your material for the use Of the
planter and sell directly to him. Much OF
this material is already III condition to be
used. And other can be manufactured at
llutle cost. Put them to the planter at as
low rate as possible till he learns their value,
Much Of the soft posphate is already largely
soluble. 1t can be rendered further solu-
bic by sprinkling aud then mixing with a
small per cent. of the flower of sulphur.
, The general manufacturer is careful TO
l economic space and time, hence he must
have the quick-acting sulphuric acid.
The farmer has plenty of space and he
can give his compost teaD a little
time. The sulphur diffused through the
phosphate will oXidlze aud so become sui
phuric acid. Moisture will dilute it and
so cause it to attack the lime, converting it
: into sulphate and liberating the phos-
phorus for the use of the plant. Muck would
serve a double purpose in furnishing addi-
I,.l.. a IL