San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1895-12-20
PHOSPHATE MINING.
The Large Industry That Has
Sprung Up in Florida.
A New City Has been Created by the
Growing Business in the Peninsula
State Marketing of the
Material.

The Florida phosphate deposits are
Of great Importance, yet their exist
ence vas discovered so recently, and
their extent is still so uncertain that
few persons not engaged in the sale
of fertilizing materials have much
knowledge of the large industry which
has sprung up in the peninsular state.
1t has practically created new city,
Ocata, which had population of but
a few hundred in 1870, but is now a
thriving business center with modern
improvements, banking facilities and
ample railway and transportation IA
cilities. Engineering, the leading en-
cheering journal, makes the following
statements concerning the region,
which are of considerable interest as
coming from an unbiased source:
There is no phosphate region in the
world known to-day that possesses so
many advantages for successful min
ing as the Florida deposits. The grade
of material is the highest average that
is being worked anywhere. The facil-
tiles for moving the products to points
for distribution are good. The aver
age distance from mines to ports for
shipment is about $50 miles. The dis
tributing stations for the hard rock
districts are Port Tampa, Fernandina,
Brunswick and Savannah, the largest
tonnage being moved from Fernan-
dina, where storage bins are located
and loading facilities are good. Port
Tampa, the terminus of the Plant sys-
TEN of railroadI, is constantly adding
facilities for prompt handling of car
goes of phosphate, and at present very
nearly equals Fernandina in the
amount of its shipments. Railroads
are numerous and cheaply constructed
when necessary to extend them into
new sections. The machinery needed
to mine and prepare the material is
simple and inexpensive compared with
that generally used in other mining
operations, and the cost of a plant
with sufficient land to work upon is
within the reach of small investors.
The working days at the mines are
about $50 during the year. The climate
is healthful, laborers readily obtained
OF fair compensation and skilled oper-
atives are at hand who are becoming
familiar with the business. The min
ing camps are generally well regulated, |
and proprietors and employees can re-
side at the mines with safety and with |
little inconvenience, as supplies of all |
kinds can be readily obtained at the |
towns located in the near vicinity of |
all the large mining fields. Telegraph
and mail facilities are within easy ac-
cess of nearly every mining camp in
the state. Florida phosphates are
mostly shipped to European ports,
and are manufactured into fertilizers
in England, Ireland, Germany France,
and quite recently shipments have
been made to the Sandwich islands.
Foreign agents of consumers and
dealers in phosphates have their offices
near the center of production, and
contracts for delivery and prices are
fixed at points of shipment,
The material being sold at price per
unit of its contents of phosphate of
lime. The Florida phosphates are all
used In the manufacture Of commercial
and superphosPksse. "-Bos-
ton Transcript.