The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1907-10-09
GETTING SCARCE.
Phosphate Rock is Said to Be
Hard to Get.

/ L
creaSe.-Some Interesting Figures
About the Industry.
The State says the fertilizer plant
of the Vinginia-Caroina Chemical
Company in Columbia, which has
been shut down all summer on ac-
count of a lack of phosphate rock,
will probably not De in operation be-
fore the first Of November. Some
needed repairs are now being made
on the plant and it will require at
least fifteen days to complete them
Several carloads of phosphate
rock have already been received and
more are arriving daily and when
the operation of the plant is resum-
ed it is expected that enough mater
ial will be on hand to keep the plant
busy. This rock is shipped to Col
umbia from the company's own beds
of rock near Charleston and is said to
be a higher grade than that found IN
the beds controlled by the State.
The machinery of the Viginia-Car-
olina company's plant has suffered
more by the idleness than if the plant
had been in operation. The acld
gathered on the iron plates, causes
them to rust more quickly when they
are allowed to stand. 1t soons begins
to eat into the metal, whereas If the
plant was in operation the constant
friction prevents the acid from get
ting in it's work of slow destruction.
Several years the State of South
Carolina derived handsome income
from the royalties received from the
operation Of its phosphate beds along
the coast, but business has decreased
in the past 16 years to such an ex-
tent that the revenue for the past
year is less than one-fourth what II
was in 1890. For the years named
the States revenue from this source
was as follaws. 1890, s237,149.O6;
1891, s1e9,292.6s; 1892, s16s,27O.-
25. During these years the royalty
Maid the State was s103 and s1.O5
per ton.
Between the years 1883 and 1900
inclusive. when the royalty had been
reduced to so cents per ton, the fig
ures were as follows: 1898, s231,-
se3.12; 1894, s57,S27.13; 1895, s4,-
566.7o; 1895, s62,631.o1; 1897,
s42,373; 1898, s24,264.31; 1898,
1851: 1906. ss,667.
The figures for the years 1901 to
1906, inclusive, when the royalty had
been reduced to 25 cents per ton, as
at present, the revenue was: 1901,
s23,1Os: 1902. s27.291.65; 1903,
s16,936.47; 1904, s9,732.o1; 1905,
1851; 906,sS,667.
So. it will be seen that one of the
State governments principal sources
of revenue Is years ago has gradual
ly dwindled until it can hardly be
considered worth while. Several
causes have brought about this con-
dition. chief of which it that large
fields Of rock have been discovered
in Florida, Tennessee and Algeria
Another cause was the effects of the
disastrous coast storm of 1893
which almost wiped several of the
small towns along the coast off the
map, overturned and wrecked the
boats and dredges employed in the
digging of this phosphate rock, en-
failing great losses on the mining
companies.
Practically the only phosphate
mines in the world operated on al
extensive basis were those along thu
South Carolina Coast. but now botl
Florida and Tennessee mine mor'
rock than this State. Of the 2,O8O,
957 long tons of phosphate marketed
in the United States in 1906 (valuet
at sS.579,437) Florida produced 1,
3O4.505 long tons, valued at SO ,5S5,
SIS; Tennessee produced 047,6I
long tons, valued at s2,147,991. an
South Carolinas production was 22S
0EO 1Ou9 LO1S, SdluCN eAe ~ w
Other States, including Arkansas
marketed 500 tons, valued at SIS
500.
The use of phosphate rock is limit
ed to the manufacture of fertilizer
and chemicals containing phosphori
! acid. a distinction is made in tn!
State between land" and river
rock; but the two are the same
r origin, the "river" rock being slmpl
$ land" rock washed out from tn
banks and deposited in depressions
! the beds of the streams.
y It is The 'river" rock frorl whlc
the State derives royalties, tt
Y land rock being mined by compal
t les who own the land in fee simpl
r. This river rock is fast becoming. e
n hausted and in a few years the Sta
X will probably derive no reven'
: whatever from it.