The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-12-10
VAST. RICHES FOUND.
Wonderful Phosphate Beds Discov-
cred In tennessee.
Deposits Underlying Four Counties
and Worth Hundreds of Millions.

The richest and most extensive discov-
cry OF rock phosphate in the history Of the
world has beon made In Tennessee.
The deposits underlie four counties In |
the vicinity OF Nashyillo-Dayidson, Will |
Hanson, Rutherford and Maury.
Tho rock lies In "a vein averaging from |
TO ~ feet In thickness, and 10 bat 10 feet |
below the surface.
Tho commercial value OF the discovery |
It Is impossible 20 estimate, but the output
will bo worth more than that Of the richest
gold mining territory in the world.
Mr. Clark OF the firm OF Pratt & Clark,
chemists, OF Atlanta, while in Nashville
some four weeks ago on business, chanced
to pass some men who were at work dig
ging O sewer The soft, crumbling yellow
rock which was thrown out attracted MS
attention, and he put piece OF 1t In his
pocket for analysis.
Upon his return TO Atlanta no gave IL
to one of his assistants The next day the
assistant informed him that the specimen
rock showed 50 per cent pure phosphate.
Mr. Clark told the assistant that he did
not believe the figures wero correct ana
advised him 70 try again. The assistant
Offered to stake his reputation on the cor
rectness of his figures, and Mr.. Clark In
formed him that they could not be true
| for tho reason that In tho whole history OF
the world no phosphate rock of anywhere
near such richness had ever been found.
| The assistant thereupon made another
analysis and verified his figures to the last
| fraction Mr.. Clark, still unable. TO accept
the ANALYSIS as correct, made an analysis
himself and with the Same result
| Upon being assured that 1t was won
| dorfully rich lnd, he informed George W.
Scott, u capitalist of Atlanta, and with o
crew OF pickNl laborers went to Nashville.
| All the property near the location OF tho
| sewer was bought up, and the laborers
were sent into the surrounding country to
! dig holes 10 a depth of / feet mt certain
distances apart. In this way the vein was
followed and farms bought wherever the
rock was found.
The mon worked day and night and
the farms were bought at the prices put
upon them by the owners without waste OF
words.
Mr.. Scott purchased property which
will make him Mt least 800, 600, 0oo richer
A rush was then made by capitalists for
the possession OF tho property from all
parts OF tho country, and the fertilizing
companies of Chicago managed to get
generous slice. AS the worth of phosphate
and the increasing demand Tor 10 are known
by those who now have possession Of tho
land, the present price Of phosphate will
be affected but little.
Philip ID. Armour Of Chicago has invest-
ed heavily and now has n chemist and rep
resentatiyes in the fold, who are looking
for more land.
James Mattison of Lasalle, Ind, learn
cd of the discoveries early and has, perhaps,
moro land than any one save Mr.. Scott OF
81 uha EprfiliyinO
company of Chicago has in the neigbbor-
hood of COO acres. Representatives of Euro
pean firms are IN the field and the adjoin-
ing counties TO those in which the vein has
been struck are being bought up
A month ago Mount Pleasant, in Maury
county, was typical country town in tho
barren lands of Tennessee. Today IL re-
sombles q mining camp more than any
thing else Hotels, saloons, land offices and
crushing mills have sprung up like mush-
rooms Everybody In the town seems to
have money, and every house Is filled with
boarders.
At present there are between 1000 and
5000 men at work, nnd shipments of phos-
phatc are being made to al parts of this
country and E-.opc.
Machinery and men arc being shipped
into tho state wherever deposit has been
found near rAllrOau, anu INC rftiiTohu
company has construction trains and thou
sands OF lahorers building spurs and switch
es of the main lines.
} Already hundreds of carloads of rock
J have been shipped 10 New York and Chi
cugo, and nire steamships cleared from
! Florida ports last week loaded with phos
phnte rock from Tennessee. Large consign'
monts havo been shipped to Atlanta, and
1t is stated upon reliable authority that
several sertiliaing plants will bo erected
: there.
James N. Stafford, state geologist OF
Tennessee says the rock is the richest eyel
discovered, and that the increased value tt
, the state cannot bo estimated
Phosphate is the one mineral element IL
, nature which holds together tho other ele
mcnts which constitute tho human body
IL constitutes the best fertilizer known
: As this country is yet yOuUg, and h8
, been, In comparison with the countries q
: Europe, farmod but little, the necessity @
phosphate fertilizers has not been felt, bu
? the demand for it Is increasing at an euor
, nous rate each year. Chicago Timcs-HeT
MI