The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1895-10-23
BILL ARp'S LETTER.
ULtoId Treasures Are Ridden Away to
Be Unlocked by Degrees.
atlanta Constitution.

was created for some vi Sc and hcnch
cent purpose and all for the good of
God creatures. There is no waste.
no surplus, no meaningless things.
Nature storchousc is unlocked By
degrees. The doors have combination
locks and here and there all along the
years man is found who is smart
enough to study out the words and
make a key that will open the door !
remember walking over the hills of
Tallapousa-thc hills that were cover
ed with thousands of shapclcss pcb-
blcs of glittcring quartz. They were
a sign Of poor land and | wondered
what they were made for In Il few
years after there was a glass factory
built there and all these pebbles were
gathered up and made into French
plate. Shortly after the war old
Father Noble, the iron patriarch of
Rome, asked me to take a ride with
him to Kingston to look at some iron
property that was for sale. ! was no
expert in that line but came along as
company. He had half dozen strong
armed negroes with picks and shovclS,
and they dug little pits on the hill
side and got down to the ore beds and
threw up bouldcrs for him to inspect.
He crushed them with his hammer and
after careful examination shook his
head and said No good: more man
ganesc than iron. Ten years after
ward that same old man was hunting
for manganese property and bought
all he could find. Mr.. Bcssemcr had
unlocked door and found that man
gancsc was worth ten times as much
as iron and through it's chemical COM
binations steel rails that were $50 a
ton we're reduced to $50. One day
while We were tramping over the bar
rcn hills we found a curious clay that
had the shapes of little shells all
through it and sent some of it to Phil
adclphia, and it was pronounced alu-
mnum clay or bcauxitc, and now it is
being mined and shipped and manufac-
tured into the strongest and brightest
of metals. Another door has been un-
locked. \ few years ago man of
science. while pcrusing this region
observed a deposit of earth that we
called yellow dirt He said it was
yellow ochrc and soon after he formed
company and bought upall.thcy could
find and put up a mill and then another
mill and the manufactured ochre is
shipped from here all the year round
to northern markets, and pays good
profits. Then there is tale and tripoli
and graphite and mica and vitriied
clay that we have walked over and
stumbled over for years and is now
wanted for industrial arts. For years
and years we have valued the lowlands
and counted the hills as nothing If
man sold his farm the lowlands were
valued at 50 much an acre and the
hills were thrown in for good measure.
But now when man sells he reserves
the mineral interest if he can-or half
of it anyhow.
About year ago Mr.. Laramore. one
of our citizens, was prospecting near
Tunnel Hill for ores, mainly for man
ganesc, and found himself walking on
a remarkable piece of road. 1t was so
firm, so smooth and so old that he
stopped at farmcrs house and asked
if that road was natural or artificial.
He learned from him that it was gra-
dcd thirty years ago from deposit of
natural concrete near by and had never
been worked on since. The more he
looked ut it the more he thought about
it, for he is one of natures close OBJ
servers. He procured some of the de-
post and sent it to his chemist and it
was pronounced a natural concrete Of
hornstonc and was used in France for
roadbcd>. The chemist said it was of
the best quality and roadbed made
of it would last century, for water
solidi6cd it and then it became imper-
vious to rain and neither wagon tire
nor horse shoes could wear it away.
This was revelation to Mr.. Laramore.
As it was quite near the railroad he
got Mr.. Thomas to give him Il side
track and now he is mining and ship
ping in large quantities and has al
ready bcdded and graded several miles
of highway near Atlanta and the coun-
tv commissioners are extending the line
Of grading. | travelled over it and
found it luxury and far more plea-
SAINT than belgian blocks or cobble
stones. 1t does look as if our Creator
placed that deposit there to be used in
due time and the due time has come.
The road congress is to meet soon in
Atlanta and no doubt will investig gate
this concrete and commend it to the
people. for it abounds in this region
and the railroads will build spurs to
the deposits. Just think how much
the railroads add to the volume Of our
timber and minerals and products of
every kind. But next to railroads the
farmers are interested in having good
wagon roads leading from every mar
ket town. Rome has been wise in this
regard and now has eighty miles of
good macadam roads reaching out for
the country trade. Cartcrsville is do
ing the same thing and will use this
new discovery when it can be aschcap-
Is procured. Mr. Laramore is going
to bed our principal street with it as
an experiment, for it never wears out
nor has to be patched or repaired. All
the rains of the past summer fell upon
flat broad way that leads from Four
tccnth street down to the exposition
gates and never affected it and the
more travel the tirmcr it becomes. If
all that is claimed for it is true the
road problem is solved | hope the
congress will invite Mr. Laramorc to
visit them and tell what he knows:
He is no schcmcr but is a student of
nature. and withal scientific gentle
man. When Il Georgian goes to Ken,
tucky he admirc> their good pi kcroadS
and wonders whether the roads were
the cause or the effect Of their fine
horses. And so in Tennessee. But
the cotton states the very states that
need good roads. have never had them.
l. cotton the cause Of this neglect?
Speaking Of these new discoveries
reminds me Of an cntcrprising man
who stopped Inc at the Markham house
the other day am. begged my attention