Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1905-02-15
SENATOR EaaLE's DISCOVERY.
Facts that Do Not Bear Out Calculations as
to Phosphate Rock
[From the News aud Courier. !

the passage of the bill providing for
the establishment of fertilizer fac
tory 5y the State, Senator Earle says
among other things: "There is no
question about the State having suf-
ficient phosphate deposits to furnish
100000 tons year to her citizens
for many years to come"
This is very remarkable state
ment and utterly at variance with the
information which we have upon the
subject. We shall be greatly obliged
to Senator Earle if he will let the
people know upon what authority he
has based the statement which we
have quoted, and where the phos-
phatic deposits of which he speaks
are to be found. The Coosaw Com
pany, the largest river mining COM
pany that has ever been operated,
was dissolved because the rock in the
territory mined by it had been ex-
hausted, or the available rock re-
naming was of 80 inferior quality
that it was not worth mining. The
Palmetto Mining Company, the
brotherhood Company and theiBeau-
fort CompsIy ali abandoned itheir
mining opeI atoms for the same rea-
son. When Mr.. Tillman was elected
Governor an appropriation of $4,000
was made for the purpose of making
a survey of the phosphate deposits of
the State, but after an inspection of
the field by Mr.. Tillman himself the
survey was given up as impracticable.
The largest amount of rock ever
mined by one company in this State
was about 120, 900 tons by the Coosaw
Company in one year, and the largest
amount of royalty ever obtained by
the State from the companies en-.
gagged in mining phosphate rock
was about 100000, which repre-
sented, of course, about 100000
tons. This result was obtained
equipped when four thoroughly
and admirably managed companies
were in the field, companies which
had expended for the establishment
of their mining plants at least one
million dollars, and the largest guam
tity of rock these companies with
their expensive and necessary equip
ments could mine did not aggregate
in the best year that was ever known
in phosphate mining in this State
more than 100000 tons.
But as we have said, the public
would be greatly indebted to Senator
Earle for information which would
show how it would be possible for
the State to furnish 100000 tons of
phosphate rock year to it's citizens
for many years to come. None of
those who have engaged in phosphate
mining know where these deposits
are. Last year the total royalty de-
rived by the State from phosphate
mining aggregated about $4,000,
and if Senator Earle will tell the
miners where the deposits of which
he speaks are he will be doing the
State and it's people great service.
Even after the deposits of which
Senator Earle speaks have been dis
covered the State would be compelled
10 invest at least million dollars in
mining plants before it could hope to
produce anything like 100000 tons
of rock year.
1t may be true, as Senator Earle
says, that the price of fertilizers has
steadily advanced for the past five
years, and it may also be true that
the fertilizers consumed in this State
last year cost the people over two
million dollars but has not the in
creased nse Of fertilizers in the State
resulted in corresponding increase
in the volume and value of the cotton
and other crops produced in the
State, equal at least to the increase
in the value of the fertilizers used by
the farmers of the State? We do
not say that there has not been a
large increase in the price of fertil-
izers, but we are satisfied that what.