The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1891-11-27
CAROLINA AND FLA. PHOSPHATES.
DR.. Wyatt Writes Upon tho ''Phos-
pilates of America

It is rare indeed that the publication
OF q scientific book is not heraldcd by the
statement that the work in question flls
| q "lODo felt want " and 80 d.::L. .. .. .iurs
/ IN the eyes Of the writer, the pub
li.her, and generally OF small section
OF the public. IL is, however, our good
fortune to have had placed in our hands
a treatise, .srhe Phespbates OF Amer
ica," by DIR. Fra9cis Wyatt which, On
! guestioBabIy, docs fif q long felt want.
| Until now the literature of this subject
has been so scattered that one may say
there was none; for the various scientific
and economic papcrs that have been writ
ten upon it are buried in the back files OF
scientific Journals and in the proceedings
| at societies Of different nations, and in
| different languages. Most has been writ
! ten by French chemists, who have natur-
| ally devoted almost their entire attention
to the various deposits in France, and
have studied mainly the chemical rcac-
| tons wIh view to the economic use Of
| ia 50 ph"Sphatcs.
I'm the Uni'cd States the only we'll
known work on the subject in book form
is "'rhc Nature and Origin of Deposits
Of Phosphaics Of Lime" by DR.. r. A. +.
PcnrUSc, with an introduction by Prof
N. =. Sh,Icr. which was published in
1888 rs Bulletin No. iG, of the L. s.
Geological Survey. In this valuable
monograph written by DIR. Pcnrose rs
his thesis for the degree uf Phi D., the
phosphate deposits Of the world ere dc
scribcd in II hundred pages. but at the
time it was written the Florida deposits
were unknown economically. Since then
much honest scientific work has been
done in Canada and in South Carolina
III the latter place more particularly by
Drs. Shepard, Pratt and Holmes; much
has also been written on the Flo ida de
poslS, most Of which, however. has tax
en- the form Of advertising and miSicad
ing pamphlets. Ii has been reserved for
Dr. Wyatt to collect and cpitomi2c what
has already been writtcd on the phoS
pilates of North America, aud to supple
mcnt it with the result Of his own large
aud varied experience. The book which
is now issued To- The public viii without
doubt he on the shelves of every chcni-
cal manure manufacturer and phosphate
miner, and in the pockets Of every pros.
pcctor.
Since the nature and extent Of the
Florida deposits were discovered, there
has been boom in phosphst,s and
more attention has been attracted e. tins
mineral than ever before All the prin-
c'pa cities of the United States, as well
aS London, in England, have been full
of promoters and land spectators, who
have told capitalists Of tho fabulous prof
It's to be obtained in mining phosphatcs;
and, while many of the companies form.
cd To operate in the new region have been
organic Il upon II Legitimate basis. many
pIS 4
en- hy investors who have had no means
Of guidance The general ignorance con
ccrnlng ph"spha' cS Is even now immense,
there having bcca no an! horitative book
-! reference on the subject, and unscru.
rn'nnS or over sangulnc promoters and
land owners have been enabled to make
illuSivc statements which have sadly mis-
lrd the trusting investor.
The investor can now, with the aid of
Dr. Wyatl's book in his hand check the
statements and figures Of the would be
promoter and we fear that many who
read it will have wished that DR.. Wyatt
had published it earlier. DIR. Wyatt!
mine phosphatcs in Florida within the
past two years, and then says:
"This list is, we repeat, only partial
ore. and the number of companies is in
crcasing daily. If, instead of the mean,
iuglcsS paper capital which most of them
represent. forty odd millions Of sIollals
were really ut stake. the fact would c;.-
cite serious anxiety We should he com
PEELED to show the amoun, Of phosphate
To be mined and disposed Of ut a profit
in order ,o pay ) per cent dividend on
the Investment would SurpaSS the total
4 4 ,I tho M wnrlI
Fortunately no such question is necessary,
we know that the capital i IN rely nomi-
nal. that many "f the companies ave mere
'mu~hr, omS' and that. IN brief, this phas"
"f the question will regulate itself From
all that has preceded it will have rrohl.
lily been gathered that. in our opinion,
Florida phosphate mining will prove cN.
trcmcly profitable To th"*" who purchase
nd work its fields with judgement, but
that it will certainly turn out in the
highest degree disastrous TO those who
| purchase on insufficient t-n~-44 .--.-r'eeo-
I cXaminatiOn and allow themselves to he
led away by their excited first impress
| sions.
DR. Wyatt also describes the ph"Sphatcs
| Of South Carolina. giving the "c"l""i""l
! features, the mode of mining, together
| with the number Of companies at work,
and their output lie discusses the legal
difficulties between the State and
the ConSaw Mining Company
and shows that in all probabilities the
avcrag" pic" fer land pho, rha,r, +. o h,
AT Charleston. with - T. cent. trlha>iC
phosphate Is s. 20 Ivr ton, and of the
river rock -. -. the selling price being
:, 90. lie g Imatr,. that in the area cN-