The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-11-07
THINGS TALKED ABOUT.

Peace river valley of South Florida, which
shows wonderful development of the phos-
phate industry. The book is published
by Warn & Warn of Barlow In his intro
duction Dr. Shrader quotes DR.. T. w. Moore,
that 1.-THE phosphate mines of Florida have
now in them more of value in dollars than
has yet been taken from all the gold
mines OF California" The worlds
consumption Of phosphate, DIR. Shra-
der says, is increasing annually
at the rate of 25 to 80 per cent. and no new
deposits worthy Of mention are being dis
covered anywhere outside of Florida
Concerning the development and the profits
of the industry DR.. Shrader quotes phos-
phate land in Polk and De Soto counties at
from S25 to $500 per acre, but the selling
price, he says. by no means
indicates the value of the land.
In spite Of the rush the opportunities for
investment are as good now as they were a
year ago. Calculating the profits of a
phosphate land investment, DIR. Shrader
says: Let us suppose you have bought 100
acres Of moderately good pebble land 1t
contains stratum only three feet deep.
yielding 25 per cent, or say 900
pounds of nodules to the cubic yard, equal
to about 1000 tons per acre. There are 300
600 tons, therefore. on your 100 acres. At
present 1t is worth +. O. b. cars at the mine
SO 80 per ton, and the expense Of getting it
out, washing, drying and loading it on the
cars does not exceed 81 so per ton; hence
the profit is IS per ton, $4,000 per acre
or 81 100000 for the entire tract. You
may have bought this land at $50
per acre, but suppose you paid 800 per
acre for it and erected q plant that cost
$4,000 more. When you have mined and
disposed OF the product OF only two acres
you have got back the entire cost Of the
whole outfit. Your plant is worth as
much as before, for it has been running only
eighty days. Now what do you estimate
your remaining IS acres with your plant to
be worth? The property has not cost you a
nickle, but it is worth just that amount Of
dollars and cents that can be got out of
1t" DIR. Shrader takes a roseate view of
the pho sphate industry AMI his little book is
we'll worth reading. 1t is full of
facts. II the history of phosphate de-
veiopment in Polk and De Soto counties
were written, he says, without the slightest
coloring but with such particularly of de-
tail as would be justified by the commercial
Importance of the subject it would appear
10 one who had not kept pace with the
march of events, almost as extrayagant
and improbable as the stories of Jules Verne
and Rider Haggard. The Savannah COM
panies in Florida are making big money in
the new industry.
If Savannah doesn't secure an adequate
appropriation for deep water il will not be
the fault of those who are engaged in food
ing the United States with letters aud pam
phlets depicting its commercial Importance
as a port. Messrs. j. c. Bernhardt and j.
Goldsmith have been kept busy in the city
exchange for the last three weeks sending
letters and pamphlets to every village and
city in the country. They have sent out
about 10000 80 far. Yesterday afternoon
the mail was SO great that street wagon
had to be brought iuto uss to carry the mail
to the postoffice
The street car has. up to now, monopo-
liked the fare register. An apparatus has
just been invented for hacks, which both
registers the fare and shows the distance
Travelled. 1t is fixed inside the hack in full
view Of the passenger. The recorder has
on its face disk which is divided into
twelve parts, each part representing mile,
or block. and as the hack travels the distance
covered will be indicated. Besides this
there is an arrangement by means of which
the work dons aud the money taken are re-
corded on a cardboard disk at the back Of
the machine The invention, if put into
use, would be great convenience TO pas
sengers and might prevent the driver from
making mile out of half mile.
The river and harbor improv ement COM
mittee is sending out by mail, and almost
brosdoast. "a Plea in Behalf of the South
and West for Deep Water OF Savannah'-a
neat pamphlet of about forty pages. show
ing the commercial relations between the
west and Savannah, and the commercial
history of the port. 1t contains, in brief,
extracts from the engineers reports upon
the improvement of the harbor, and deals in
terestingly and practically with all the com
mercial questions that enter into the deep
water movement. Itsappendices contain
summary of the cotton. naval stores timber
and lumber. rice, fruit and vegetable
and phosphate Industries, and
show concIsely the advantages of
Savannah as a manufacturing as we'll as a
commercial city. 1t can hardly fail to be
an influence in the effort that is being made
TO secure from congress the recognition that
the port demands.
There is a possibility that the Ocean
Steamship Company's feet may be turned
into war vessels, bnt it is so remote that the
company is not worrying itself over what
would become Of the immense traffic that
Is being handled between Savannah and
northern ports IL the possibility became
reality. The New York Recorder, in
speaking of the possibilities Of a
war with Chile and in looking
over the number of coasting vessels
which might be utilized as auxiliary cruis-
ers, dispatch boats, transports and storsships,
mentions the Ocean Steamship Co mpany1s
vessels as among the most available. The
Kansas City, the City Of Augusta, and other
vessels of the feet, fitted as warships,
their decks manned with guns,
would. no doubt, do good service
on the Chileans, but Savannah does not