New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-11-29
FLORlDA'S PHOSPHATE BEDS
A PRODUCT OF THE OCEAN AND EXTINCT
ANIMALS

LANDS OF OTTER STATES AS WE'LL AS
FLoRIDA-RocK AND PEBBLE
PHospHATEs FOUND In
ABUNDANCE.
Barlow Fla, Nov. 13.-The phosphate fever which
began In this part of Florida not than two
ago has not exhausted itself by means, nor does 1t
seem likely TO do for WHILE On the contrary 1t
has become contagious, and though it cannot be said
to be raging 1t has certainly spread to other parts OF
the State. 1t is not uncommon thing TO see
prospecOrs with their sounding rods augers and drills,
probing into the ground and handing over to the
biologists the deposit they have taken out to determine
by mathematical calculation the percentage OF phos-
phate in it, Up the present time phosphates have
been found all along from the Suwanee River In the
northern part OF Florida, far south Charlotte
Harbor the greatest quantity and richest deposits
have been discovered in the Peace River Valley. es
pecally in De Soto and Polk Counties. The stream
from which Peace River Valley is named is In many
places little more than a creek, running through the
central part of the State, emptying into Charlotte
Harbo lust below Fort Ogden, where 1t expands into
a majestic river a mile or more in width, dotted over
with heavily wooded islands
Discoveries Of phosphate deposits are made almost
daily in other parts OF the state Recent discoveries
of this valuable mineral have been made near Dunnel
lon Albion Archor and In the counties OF Gadsden.
Marion Polk Citrus etc., which have brought millions
OF liars into the State prospectOrs from all over tho
world, and has given lucrative employment TO many
who were idle. Manufactures with the latest and
most improved labor-saving machinery are belhg
erected I'm all phosphate regions, and shipments are
no longer an experiment, but success. IT Is not
news that the quantity Of phosphate accessible to com
merce throughout the world is limited, that many old
sources of supply have been worked out, and that
others are being rapidly exhausted. In the meanwhile
not only Is the consumption OF phophates enormous
but II is increasing rapidly and very few II any, ne"
deposits worthy Of mention being discovered out
side of Florida. Even the phosphate beds OF south
Carolina, which have been so profitable In their yied
have not been so extensive to provide fertilizers
sufficient for many outside Of that state Phos-
phate of lime is the foundation Of all commercial
fertilizers and II the beds Of that indispensable ma
teral shall prove inexhaustble In Florida, several
biologists declare them to be- it will prove not only
one OF the greatest blessings to the farmers ana ft
growers in this State but it will be most profitable
industry. inasmuch it will help to make up the
deficiency in other parts Of the world
-Four or five years ago Captain j. Francis lie Baron.
OF the Engineer Corps Of the Army, who had been
engaged in making surveys for canal from the heau
waters Of the St. Johns River to Charlotte Harbor,
when surveying Peace River made discovery OF
phosphate deposits, and held the key to the pro
dIpious hidden wealth Of Florida but he did not re-
tain 1t long. He tried to get moneyed men In New
York Philadelphia and Boston interested, but they
we're sceptcal and would not invest dollar. In
May 1885, the first experimental shipment OF Florida
phosphate was made, by Colonel 7. s. Moorhead and
the sandbar in Peace River from which it was taken
was supposed to the only deposit of phosphate in
the State Twelve months later this was still the only
one mining phosphate in Florida. To-day there are
eighteen mining plants In Polk and De Soto Counties
Alone tie daily capacity Of which is about 23'o TONS
The amount OF phosphate exported in vessels nom
Charlotte Harbor from April 80, 1890 to September l.
1901 was 42.21O tons, Of which 246oo tons went 10
England France. Scotland, Germany and sweden for
rrenaroton The shipments from Port Tampa, for
tle seven months ending August 1, 1891, all of which
nrobably went 10 European ports were 1925 tons.
The shipments by the Sc n Florida Railroad Tor
Northern points, In the twelve months ending Sep
tember l. were IL, 636 TONS and by the other rail-
roads lO09OS tons. These figures were given by
Captain Rose, formerly large sugarplanter In tns
part Of the State, and now large miner, from the
report of DR. jay shrader, Editor Of "The Courier
Informant"
With Florida farmers and fruit growers the question
of fertilizers to restore their Of exhausted lands
has been an embarrassing to them but the rener
seems to have been brought almost to their very ooors
The better qualities Of the phosphate product are SHOWN
by analysis t. contain from 20 to so per cent OF bone
phosphate OF lime The BIOLOGISTS and chemists have
~~N
from the land lle that there was any virtue In the
nosphate before il is treated with sulphurc acid but,
az proof ct the pudding IS IN the eating they may
soon become convinced that lands treated with the
unacldulated ph0sphates are much benefited num-
her of the more intelligent futgrowefs have recently
broadcased their lands with the raw phos plate DUST
and claim that they already see the benefit But the
virtue of this untreated phosphate will be fully demon
trated before another year. and then the doubters Will
learn whether they were right wrong In their opin-
IONS The ground soft-rock phosphate, called raw
phosphate, is worth from S5 to SO per ton, the
super phosphate or that which Is treated with
suphuric acid is worth about Sl5 per ton;
and when potash and ammonia are added II Is
worth from s25 to $50 per ton. 1t is papable, there
+or that II IL is demonstrated that the phosphate
will enrich Florida soil with saving OF dollars as com
nared with prepared super phosphates the market
for the ground soft rock phosphates will grow i'm
mensely.
A correspondent Of The Tribune, writing from ocala
on this phosp hate industry last year, said There
are no mills In Florida. Their establishment has been
talked Of but the grinding machinery Is expensive and
material for the acid is said not to exist here II some
pushing Yankee knows better. however here IS first
rate chance for fortune This suggestion must have
reached the eye Of some pushing Yankee, TOT wthih
the next few months The necessary machinery and
tanks the former for grinding the rock and pebble
phosphate and the latter for making and mixing the
acids were purchased and set up near Jacksonville
and to-day there is large and profitable business done
I'm the manufacture of super -phosphaes. am IN
formed that there Is another large phosphate mill
az Savannah Hence another industry that foreign
nations have enjoyed the profits OF has been developed
in the United states The mines and mills give en-
uloyment 10 thousands Of who glad TO get IL
and who are thus enabled TO provide more comfortable
homes, with contented and happy and betterfed and
better-cothed wives and children than would be the
case American capital and scientific brains were not
50 employed.
Phosphate mining may be defined as pebble and rock
mining Land nodues irregular lumps) and river peb
bles may be considered variety, the only I'M
portant difference between them being that one con
tains slightly more phosphate Of lime than the other
Both alike are easily freed from impurities and OF
iAnAa H. a. ir.diu