The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1902-03-13
SOUTH CAROLINA EXPOSITION.
OUR WEALTH IN MINERALS
AND TIMBER.

a Talk With the State Gcologis
About the Treasures in tn
Earth.
Jas. A. Hoyt, Jr,, in The State.
The forestry Of South Carolina an
the States geological resources ar
matters to which public attention ha
only recently been directed. Thci
Importance is doubtless not yet full,
appreciated. In the South Carolin;
building at the Exposition there ar,
various exhibits of the timber wealth
of the State--nearly every county ha
something of the sort to show. But il
the centre of this building is the State
exhibit proper and the most interesting
parts of it, perhaps, are the timber ant
mineral displays. These were collected
and arranged by the very competent
State geologist, Mr.. Earle Sloan, who
is an enthusiast as well as an expert.
The timber exhibit embraces speci.
mems of the many native woods-the
long-leaf pine, Cuban or slush pine,
short-leaf, loblolly pine, spruce pine,
cypress, cedar, red birch, beach, black
gum, sugar maple, red maple, cotton
wood, white ash, white oak, swamp
white oak, chestnut oak, willow oak
water oak, red oak. scarlet oak, Span
ish oak, black oak, post oak, winged
elm, white elm, dog wood, sorrel wood,
sasafras, blackberry. persimmon, long
lcafcd poplar, tulip poplar, white blck-
ory, black hickory, pignut hickory,
walnut, palmetto and others.
1t is not generally known that these
native woods are being cut and finished
on scale that is really mammoth. 1t
is an industry that has made great ad-
vances in late years, and while the
prOmiscuOus destruction Of the forests
Is TO be deprecated the scientific de-
VclOpmcnt of these natural resources
into commercial assets is a benefit to
the State financially and an aid to all
other industries.
For the preparation Of pine and cy-
press lumber South Carolina affords
some of the largest saw mills in the
United States. a mill at Georgetown
has capacity of million feet a day,
one ms' at Charleston capacity of
threc-quarters Of a million feet, and
many mills along the lower pine belt.
have capacities but slightly less.
Considerable attention Is attaching
to the superior white oak Of this State
from which much is shipped to the
Northwestern States, to be converted
into furniture and then returned to the
Southern States. The logic of this
situation has stimulated the erection Of
several furniture factories in The intc-
riOr of South Carolina and others will
probably soon follow. Heretofore the
white oak Of this State has been either
hcWn into crossties or manufactured
into rough lumber, selling at prices rang
ing from rs to $l4 per thousand feet.
This white oak, carefully "quartcr
sawed" is worth, delivered at Balti-
more, $45 to $50 per thousand feet.
Commercially the most important
geological possession in this State is
the phosphate rock. Specimens of this
are Oil exhibition and to these unfa-
miliar with the peculiar formation, n
remainder Of the departed glories of
unknown ages, it is a valuable lesson
TO SEQ the rocks and have their history
explained.
When asked for something about the
geological exhibit MIR. Sloan first d.
recte1. attention TO the display of stand
ard-shaped blocks Of the structural and
monumental stones, chief amongst
which are the grantees of this State,
which arc second TO none in the United
States IN both quality and quantity.
Very extensive quarrics are now being
worked near Ruckton, Blairs, New.
berry, Pacolet and Columbia, yielding
nd "a
these quarries are equipped with tho
most complete and modern mechanism
for the production Of architectural
stones, and employ the most skilled
artisans for highly finished monu
mental work.
The State House of South Caroline
is ct 'structed of granite from these
quarries and demonstrates the very 81
periOr capacity Of this stone for thu
permanent maintenance Of a white
ness Of color resembling marble, ant
of durability promising practicall,
indefinite inaltcrabllity. The specimen
blocks exhibited include all shades ant
varieties, ranging through the Scotci
to the darkest hucs. A conspicuOu
product of this industry is to be foun'
III viz L'SiSLuil DlOINo ICSOSh a.
the most durable paving blocks foun
in this country and which are shippc
as far West az Cincinnati. The gran
ties and gncisses Of this State are i
considerable demand for macadamizin
roadWays and for the ballasting of til
roadhcds of railways. A large quar-
and plaut at Cedar Mountain are cA
clusively devoted to furnishing crushc
gnciss to the Southern railway, and tn
recent Appropriation of several mlllio
dollars made by the Seaboard Ar Lin
for ballasting their roadbcd will prol
ably lead to the opening of addition;
quarrics and the installation of ne,
plants IN this State to furnish u,
necessary material. The value of til
stone produced IN this State during I'll
year 1900 was $2S5,l72.
Amongst the specimens Of glaniLt
and gncisscs are observed many frol
deposits which arc not now bciu
quarricd, notably from EIgclicld, Lc:
ington, Laurcns, Lancaster, Yor
A.