The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1891-06-26
GROWN AND CRESCENT
STILL ANOTHER PHOSPHATE
ECOMPANY ORGANIZED.

The Lands of the new Company
Large in Area and Rich in
Rock---Backed by Ample Capt.
taI---NIIaing Already Begun.
When Mr., Albertus Vogt, now fami-
iarly known as the "Duke of Damn
ellon," in his Life in Florida" which
captivated and is remembered by so
many of the Banners rea1ers, told of
his accidental discovery of phosphate,
now little more than two years ago,
and gave as his opinion its powerful
bearing upon the future prosperity Of
the State and the wealth of the world,
people were disposed to regard his we'll
told tale as that of modern and clever
Munchausen, and nothing more.
But the wonderful and exaggerated
stories of Baron ::Munchausen, told sim
ply to amuse the world, pale into insig-
nifcance and littleness beside the ac-
tual realities Of Mr.. Vogts wildly ro-
mantle phosphate prophecies.
n lltOlC DAOlO bllAh wv 4AtafC
elapsed, and in that short space of time
we have seen fifty millions of capital
invested in Florida phosphate lands,
more than a hundred bona fiGe compa-
MES organized and the attention of the
whole commercial world attracted to
the great discovery.
1t may well be said that
Large streams from little fountains flow -
NTall oaks from little acOrQS grow"
We have read of obscure authors be-
coming famous in a day, but have seen
with our own eyes, men retire to bed at
night in poverty and arise in the morn
ing in affluence. And these things are
still occurring.
Mr.. Vogt's lucky find has not only
been boon to himself, but has been a
bonarSa to the whole State. He has
seen hundreds of his friends and neigh
bors step out of poverty into riches
and has seen the lands in his neighbor-
hood increase in value from dollar to
many hundreds of dollars per acre.
And the mining of phosphate is but yet
in its infancy. We are told that the
Dunnellon Company, the first in the
field, which has now been steadily run
ming for two years, has not yet ex-
hausted two of its twenty thousand
acres. This being true, where is the
end to be? The discovery of oil in
PENNSYLVANIA and gold in California will
rank second and third in importance to
the discovery of phosphate in Florida.
And its discovery came at an opportune
moment. A great epidemic had hov-
cred over the metropolis of our State
a great freeze had damaged the orange
groves far down into the southern por-
ton of the peninsular vegetables had
been killed, and there was no winter
travel. 1t looked as if we had been en-
tirely forsaken. Good men lost hope
and brave men courage our people sat
in sack. cloths and ashes and the picture
of desolation settled over our once fair
land.
The BANNER, strong in its faith of
Florida's possibilities, stood firm, as 1t
had for twenty years, and lost neither
hope nor courage, and was every week
to its readers as rift in the clouds. 1t
told of the turn in the lane," and the
"good time coming" 1t was at this mo-
ment that the BANNER heralded the
announcement of MIR. Vogts discovery.
1t came, indeed, as a silver lining"
The clouds were Immediately lifted and
the prospects of Florida have grown |
brighter and brighter ever since, and |
to-day there is Lore faith, more activity |
n mt. the . ph2sRRSbfc RaGa of fands, tiian 81
any time since its discovery.
And we know that his friends, and
everybody VINO has heard his name |
spoken, will be glad to hear of the good
fortune that has befallen the discoverer of
this precious stuff which has been of so
m lch value to our State and the people
thereof
When Mr.. Vogt disposed of his inter
est in the Dunnellon Company, he In
vested the proceeds in orange groves
and Ocala property and phosphate
lands. These lands he selected with
great care, aud DIR. Moody, Gen. Bull
lock, Capt. Sam league and others who
have inspected them, pronounce them
rich in deposits of phosphate. He sold
an interest in these lands some time
ago to Mr.. James A. Harris, of Citra.
These gentlemen day or two ago sold
forty-ninth interest in said lands. which
compromise 1900 acres, to Judge Cecil
G. Butt and James L. Giles, cashier of
the Citizens National Bank of Orlando,
Mr.. Brooker, an English gentleman, aud
the Packards of London, and q Mr.. Gil
bert, New York banker, aud formed a
company to be known as TIE Crown
and Crescent" The officers elected are:
President, James A. Harris Vice.Presi-
dent, John w. Vogt; General Manager,
Albertus Vogt; Secretary and Treasurer,
Jas. L. Giles; financial agent and attor-
ney, Cecil G. Butt mining engineer
and uperintendent, w. l.. Mcdowell.
The principal office will be at Dunn
ellon and the capital stock, 81 100000.
The property is as good as any in
Florida and mining operations have al
ready begun.
Mr.. Vogt left Tuesday night for St.
Louis, to purchase complete mining
outfit, one of the items being twenty-siX
mules; scrapers, dump.carts and every
thing needed in a we'll equipped mining
plant.
Everybody, and especially the BAN
NER and its readers, will wish the
Duke" and the "Crown and Cres-
cent" all manner aud abundant sue
cess. His discovery having redeemed
State and brought hope and fortunes to
thousands, he should reap some of the
benefits himself, and the BANNER hopes
that he will pocket many millions and
live to enjoy every cent he pockets, and
when edies that shaft will be erected
to his memory by all the phosphate
companies in the State in honor of his
great discovery.