Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1891-09-03

III the InbTIluR1 NUM- WI piI'opha'S
and fight mosquitoes and rattlesnakes
all day. OF course some of them have
been disappointed, but in many cases
rich discoveries have been made. As
none of the land belonged to the state
the discoverer was obliged either to
buy the land or form a partnership
with the owner.
For long time there were many
holding valuable phosphate who didn't
take much stock in it and sold their
lands for small advance on their
former value, and were exceedingly
glad to do so, notwithstanding they
were urged to hold on to them. How
ever, there are many natives who sold
their land at an advance that will en-
able them to spend the remainder of
their years without work. know of
one young man, an engineer on rail
road, who sold piece of land of 80
acres for $40 900 that cost him $500, and
there are many instances of this kind.
Land that was considered almost
worthless and other land that was
valued at 81 and So per acre cannot be
bought now for 500. The latter figure
is now about the top price for ordinary
phosphate land.
About six months after phosphate
was found the country was thrown in
| to a state of excitement over the dis
covery and speculation in these lands
began. Phosphate offices were opened
here and there and elsewhere for the
purchase and sale of such lands. The
excitement came at favorable time
the opening of winter-and northern
| ,Iok ooI YNffolictc Hnn1oH thn
state. Florida will probably never
see repetition of the winter of l089-9O.
This excitement has now abated into
healthy operations of phosphate and
phosphate lands. There is no more of
the wild boom. Although a majority
of the phosphate lands have been
found, undoubtedly valuable discover
les are yet to be made.
AS in many other American indus
tries, foreign capital is seeking and
obtaining investments in phosphate.
There is considerable English money
here and only last week big fertilizer
company of Holland made large pur-
chase.
A new company was organized last
week, and in fact scarcely week passes
without some important movement
along this line.
The standard Oil company are oper-
ating in phosphate under the name of
the Sterling Phosphate Company. The
capital already invested in this industry
is marvellous. The twenty odd COM
panies of Ocala alone represents some
thing like $4,800,000. and this can
hardly be considered more than one
fifth of the whole amount invested, al
though Ocala contains more companies
than any other place in Florida, being
situated in the midst of the phosphate
region.
NATURE AND ORIGIN OF PHOSPHATE.
There are hundreds of different kinds
of phosphate, but they are confined to
two general classes-rock and bone
phosphate. Rock phosphate is what
its name implies, generally as hard as
ordinary rock. Bone phosphate is the
petrified bones of animals and its orr
gin is easily explained.
There is not so much of it, however
Rock phosphate is certainly very
curious substance. It resembles lime.
stone, is about as heavy but is more
yellow, and of site slate character
Ifyou did not know what it was IL
would not necessarily attract your at.
tention, but with this knowledge it be-
comes the most interesting thing ir
Florida. This yellow and worthless
looking rock, dug out of the earth
dried and loaded on the cars is worth
S18 per ton, and the demand is greater
than the supply. Foreign fertilizer
companies have their agents here tt
buy it as fast as mined, when it il
shipped to Europe and prepared fo1
fertilizing purposes. Less than hal
is manufactured into fertilizer in thi
r country. The manufacture of it con
} sists of grinding it up fine and treating
} it to sulphuric acid. The acid liber
ates the phosphoric acid and gives i
t its strong ordor. AS "a fertilizer it is 1
| first-class article. P. B. Bradley, 0
, the Bradley Fertilizer Company, i
! largely interested In the Dunnellol
, Phosphate Company, and some of tn
! output is consumed by this company
: The rock is also shipped to Charles
/ ton, s. c., for manufacture. The bon
] phosphate receives a similar treatmen
! in its manufacture. There is wonder
). full wealth to be produced in the min
8 ing of this mineral. 1t is better than
: gold mine. There are few gold mine
that yield $18 per ton, and the cost O
mining is much greater. I visited tn
: mines of the Dunnellon Company a
q Dunnellon, small town that ha
| sprung up since the discovery of phos
> phate. This company was the frs
v organized, in October, 1880. There
= saw how phosphate was mined Al
= that is required to commence minin
e is to uncap the mineral, which some
d times comes to the surface, and with
1 small amount of machinery and som
J, buildings commence operations. Negr
Q labor is used. The mineral can usual
Q be dug up with picks and shovels, bu
e sometimes blast is put in. Thi
Il throws it out in great chuncks. 1t
v then put under shed to dry, the
8 shipped. This is all there is to phos
j. phate mine. I saw the original sprin
n above mentioned where the miners
il was discovered.
s The origin of the phosphate Is MOI
v difficult to describe because no one ia
o yet advanced a generally accepte
IS theory. They have not thought 8
a much about the theory here as findin
+ the article; in fact they hav'n't ha
It time. However, geologists have give
Is it some attention.
v The peninsula of Florida, as well Z
q great part of the Atlantic Goa
If was once portion of the ocean; this
| q = r. t. -knka n,