The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1899-08-04
TENNESSEE
PHOSPHATE.
Output of the Mt. Pleasant
Mines.
s7,9s1 TONS SHIPPED IN JUNE.
Present Output Running Near Rate
of 100000 a year-Gallatin the PrIn-
cipIe New Field.

The American Fertilizer for July
contains the following article con
cerning Tennessee Phosphate:
The Mount Pleasant phosphate
mines are buster than they have
ever been before at any period since
the discovery of the rock here.
There are probably four thousand
five hundred laborers at work here
now. and still the miners are clamor-
ing for more men. The present out
put of the field is running danger.
Ously near a rate of 100000 tons per
year, and very large hole is being
made in the rock supply. The
reason for such very large output
lies in the fact that before the Mount
Pleasant rock took very we'll on the
export market very large contracts
for delivery for several years for the
domestic market were made by al
most all of the miners here. Natural
ly when the European demand be
gan to increase, additional contracts
were made, until now every one is
straining every nerve to keep up
with the new business without lay
ing down any old business. AS the
export demand has caused the prices
to go up out of sight at Mount
Pleasant, the domestic manufac.
tur rs are forced to seek elsewhere
for rock to use, except those for
tunate enough to have made long
ME contracts some tine since. This
activity of the domestic manufac
turer to get rock that will do, has
stimulated an agitation of the whole
middle Tennessee basin, and the
probabilities are that prices of low
grade rock, 90 to 20 per cent, will
very materially decline from pres
ent values. However, as with price
fixed on unit basis, as compared to
cost of production Of the low grade,
Mount Pleasant rock will yield IA
handsome margin of profit. The
natural result will be very much
d. sired one, in that the domestic
market will seek the other fields and
Mount Pleasant supplying mostly
export demands, will last that much
longer, so that instead of selling two
thirds at ridiculously small profit
and one-third at large profit, the
condition will be reversed and the
life OF the field Increased.
The principal new field is that of
Gallatin, where the Sumner Phos-
phate Co. is arranging to buy about
1000 acres of land that has from IS
to IS per cent. rock on 1t.
IA new company organized
through the efforts of Messrs. Rogers,
Holloway & Co., of Philadelphia,
acting in conjunction with Mr.. H
ID. Ruhm, of Mt. Pleasant, has pur-
chased Cor has purchases under way
about $500 to 5000 acres of land
which will cost about $l75 900 cash
and will commence operations in a
very short time. Messrs. Rogers
Holloway & Co., who are probably
the best known commission mer
chants and exporters in the country
will have charge of sales of the out.
put of the new company, which will
be called the American Phosphate
Co.." and the management of the
works will be under the direction oil
Mr.. H. ID Ruhm, who will have with
him as engineer Mr.. G. F. Blackie,
who has been for the past ten years
with the n. G. & st. L. Ry.
"A first class plant specially de.
signed to furnish rock running
over 80 per cent. B. P. l.. and under
per cent. |. & A. will be construct
ed in short time, and this witt
complete facilities, is expected to bt
in full operation by January 1st
1900
"The new company has about two
million tons of high grade rock OF
: property purchased, besides which
it will control some lands by lease.
THE plant of the American Phos
phate Company will be situated OF
the Nicholas place on East Fork Of
Bigby creek, just above that of th'
Tennessee Phosphate Co., wher,
they will have plenty of water t.
turn out thoroughly washed, drieC
and crushed product.
The International Co. will havl
its pl ant in operation by August lst
The Tennessee Co. is working on
new plan on the Jackson place, T.
q which they have built standar,
guage road. The success of the re
e cent work of the Tennessee Co is du,
a to the ability and energy of Mr.
= Daniel Breck, their General Man
ager, who has more than doubled
the output of the plant.