The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1902-03-12
SOUTH CAROLINA EXPOSITION.
OUR WEALTH I'm MINERALS
AND TIMBER.
A Talk With the State GeoIogist
About the Treasures i'm the
Earth.

About the Treasures i'm TIL,
Earth.
Jas. A. Hoyt, JE, in The State.
The forestry of South Carolina an.
the States geological resources ar,
matters to which public attention ha
only recently been directed. Thei
Importance is doubtless not yet full,
appreciated. In. the South Caroline
building at the Exposition there are
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
exhibitproper and the most interesting
parts of it, perhaps, are the timber and
mineral displays. These were collected
and arranged by the very competent
State geologist, Mr.. Earle Sloan, who
is an enthusiast as we'll 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
leafed poplar, tulip poplar, white hlck-
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
san industry that has made great ud-
Vances in late years, and while the
promiscuOus destruction of the forests
is to be deprecated the scientific de-
velopment of these natural resources
into commercial assets is 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 a million feet a day,
one mill at Charleston capacity of
three-quarters of 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 inte-
rior OF South Carolina and others will
probably soon follow. Heretofore the
white oak of this State has been either
hewn into crossties or manufactured
into rough lumber, selling at prices rang
ing from IS to $14 per thousand feet. 4
This white oak, carefully "quarter
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 on exhibition and to those unfa-
miliar with the peculiar formation,
remainder of the departed glories of
unknown ages, it is valuable lesson
to see the rocks and have their history
explained.
When asked for something about the
geological exhibit Mr.. Sloan first d.
rected 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 are second to none in the United
States in both quality and quantity.
Very extensive quarries are now being
worked near Rockton, Blairs, New
berry, Pacolet and Columbia, yielding
varied and superb products. Some of
these quarries are equipped with the
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 Carolina
Is constructed of granite from these
quarries and demonstrates the very 81
perior capacity of this stone for the
permanent maintenance of a white
ness OF color resembling marble, and
OF durability promising practically
indefinite inalterability. The specimen
blocks exhibited include all shades and
varieties, ranging through the Scotch
TO the darkest hues. A conspicuous
product of this industry is to be found
in the "Belgian blocks" recognized as
= the most durable paving blocks found
in this country and which are shipped
as FAR West as Cincinnati. The gran
ties and gneisses of this State are in
considerable demand for macadamizing
roadways and for the ballasting of the
roadbeds of railways. A large quarry
and plaut at Cedar Mountain are ex-
clusiyely devoted to furnishing crushed
gneiss to the Southern railway, and the
recent appropriation of several million
dollars made by the Seaboard AR Line
for ballasting their roadbed will prob
ably lead to the opening of additional
quarries and the installation of new
plants In this State to furnish the
necessary material. The value of the
stone produced In this State during the
year 1900 was 1886 ,172.
Amongst the specimens of GRANTEES
and gneisses are observed many from
deposits which are not now being
quarried, notably from Edgefield, Lex
ington, Laurens, Lancaster, York,
Chesterfield, Oconee, Anderson, Pick
ems, Chester and Greenville counties
Turning from the structural stones
one Is confronted with an exten i've
assortment of the monazites of Chero.
kee, York and Spartanburg counties
Cherokee County affords the most con
spicuous deposit Of this mineral of al