The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-08-08
sienna IN FLORIDA.
The Deposit on the Cedar Key
branch of the +. G. and T.. Road.

The Deposit on the Cedar Key
Branch of the +. G. and T.. Road.
Orlando, Fla, Aug lit is but few
years since Florida surprised the world by
developing immense phosphate deposits,
whose existence had not before that time
been suspected. The finding of valuable
phosphate beds stimulated prospecting
and from time to time other minerals have
been found, some of value, and some whose
value is yet to be determined. Iron has
been found in considerable quantity in this
(Orange) and other counties and iron-oX-
ide has been found in large quantities. The
latter is certainly valuable for a mineral
paint, and experiments have shown that
it is not without value as a fertilizer.
Ocre has also been found. 1t is claimed
that this has been found in large depos-
its so situated as TO be easily and cheap
ly taken out, and in quality equal to the
commercial article
NJ. c. Rerdell of this place while recent
ly engaged in collecting the phosphate ex-
hibit for the Plant system for the Atlanta
exposition, had his attention attracted to
a new thing in Florida, a deposit much
resembling sienna, if it is not real 81
emma. The extent of the deposit and its
freedom from foreign matter led him to
l
| which he submitted to DR.. r. H. Peak
of this place. The latter gentleman tested
the material in the retort and chemically
The result led the two to secure the
tract of land and they went to work at
once to that end This has been accom-
plshed.
DR.. Peak stated to the Morning News
representative yesterday that the deposit
lies at the little station of Ely on the
Cedar Keys branch of the Florida Central
and Peninsular railroad. Six hundred
acres are covered with this material and
borings with a nine foot auger over diff
ferent portions of the tract fail to deter
mine the depth. Some of the samples,
both in natural state and after having
been subjected to heat in the retort, were
| recently shown to Mr.. Willis w. Russell,
who is making Orlando his present head
quarters while looking after landed inter-
ests of his father. The senior Russell is
head of the firm of Russell, Morgan & Co.
printers and manufacturers of printing
inks a firm well-known to the printing
fraternity of America. Mr.. Russell sent
had them converted into Ink
Samples of wood cut printing and
a report has been returned. The print
ing shows up we'll with the samples of
wood cut work of the standard manufac-
turers of printing inks. The report says
fraction of 1 per cent-and small quaint
ties of other foreign material in the sam
pies With this eliminated the material
would be valuable as a pigment for inks.
The presence of sand is easily accounted
for, as the samples were obtained near
the surface of the ground. The foreign
matter seems to be small roots of plants
which grew on the surface Mr.. Rerdell
thinks that by going down two or three
feet the material would be taken out
in absolute purity
Whether this find proves to be all that
the present owners of the deposit hope for
it Is, of course, a problem which can only
be determined by careful and expensive
tests. But the fact that a deposit of such
a material so extensive in area has only
been discovered at this late day, after a
railroad line has been in operation through
it for years, is certinly interesting, AMI
naturally leads TO the inquiry as to what
new enterprises the peninsula of Flor
ida may yet hold in reserve to be brought
to light by investigation.