The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1899-09-15
MT. PLEASANT.
Great Activity Shown In the Phosphate
Fields.
Shipments Continue to Increase, and
Companies are Extending Their
Operations-Eighty Cara
Per Day.

A special to the American from
Mt. Pleasant last Monday says:
During the past week there was
unusual activity around the plants
of the various phosphate companies
and much rock is being mined and
shipped.
"On the Howard place, which Is
just outside of the corporation limi tsr
about 800 hands are engaged, q hum-
ber of them mining rock at the rate
of about COO tons per day, while the
balance are engaged in grading for
the spur tracks from the Louisville.
IL Nashville Railroad. The rock
mined is stored in large drying:
kilns, from which it will be shipped
as soon as the spur tracks are. COM
pleted. AS MI. Howard receives
81 20 per ton for the rock, be now
has an income of over 81 800 per day,
and when it is all mined out he will
have received over $500 600 for the
rock and still own the place. Mr..
Howard is young man not yet 81
years of age, and is at present stu
dent at the University of Virginia.
He is son of w. J. Howard, of st.
Louis, who is quite an extensive
stock dealer. His mother was a
Miss Frierson, daughter of the late
Rev. j. :. FriersC n, who dit ds4veral
years ago, and it vas from her es-
tate that young Howard inherited
the rich phosphate land. At one
time it was valued at 81 0O0
There is great activity in the prop
critics of the American Phosph ate
Company, there being nearly 1000
haLds engaged. Mining Is being
carried on rapidly, while large
crew of men are at work laying
spur tracks, building drying sneds,
etc, preparatory to the erection of
the new $4,000 plant A large co M
missary, which will be In the chaYg O
of Charles Donegan, formerly of
Nashville, has been erected, as have
several hundred "shacksn for the
accommodation Of the negro miners.
| The new plant of the Tennessee
Phosphate Company, on the ia OK
son place, is nearly completed, and
will be one of the largest ana best
equipped in the Mt. Pleasant field.
This company has many contracts
from foreign companies to fill, and
although it has recently doubled its
capacity, it is running both day and
night to fill the orders. Altogether
there are probably 1000 hands en-
gagged by this concern.
THE Central Phosphate Company
is now running both of its large
plants day and night. The narrow
guage tracks from the plants near
the depot to the mines on the Kit
trell place, two miles IN the couutry,
are completed and rock is being
hauled in over them.
THE Jackson Phosphate Com pa
ny have force of hands engaged in
mining rock, building sheds and
grading for the spur tracks which
are to be put in Immediately. A
large commissary has been complet-
ed and hundreds of houses for the
accommodation of miners are to be
erected. The company which re-
Gently purchased the w. 5. Jen-
nipgs place, also has large crew of
men at work developing TIE proper
ty. The rock abounds in large guam
titles and is said to be of very
high grade.
} 1t is the general belief here tn at
inside of the next three months the
entire Mt. Pleasant field will be un-
der the management of one cOmpa-
: ny, and few doubt that an effort is
? being made to that end. If such a
thing should occur, it will cause at
least $6,000, 900 or 49, 900 900 to change
hands. 1t is the general opinion
. here that the movement will be ac-
. cOmplished.
: "On last Thursday Col. J. b. Bond
sold to Messr5. Dedman & Gerhart,
l30 acres of finely timbered "hill
land" few miles south of Mt. Pleas
ant. The purchasers will at nee
employ 300 hands to cut wood, and
will furnish the phosphate com pa
f.. nies with fuel for their dry kilns.
) The average daily shipment
from the Mt. Pleasant field IL about
50 car loads per day. This mum ber
represents about 1900 tons.
The pay rolls of the differe ut
mines are rapidly climbing up and
it is believed that fully $4,000 is
paid out eact week To the laborers.
The greater part of this is spent with
the home merchants, who are dol ng
very large and profitable busine 50
Many of the managers still cOmpla in
a of a shortness OF hands, and not only
miners are needed, but first-class
mechanics of all kinds