The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1909-01-26
NEW INDUSTRY
IN THE COUNTY
Fullers Earth in Vast Quantity
Found in Neighborhood
Of Boyce.
HIGH COMMERCIAL VALUE.
Product Is Used in the Fine ART and
by Manufacturing Enterprises Tor
Various Purposes-Plant
in Operation.

"Yes, sir, if I had known several
] years ago what | do now ! might be
| wearing diamonds and living in lux
urious ease. For the past forty years
| have been walking over bonanza
and didn't know it.
! Thus spoke Mr.. c. C. Wilson, ST.,
to two representatives of this paper
! in his elegant home in the little
town of Boyce Sunday morning. In
his remarks Mr.. Wilson had refer
ence to a rich deposit of Fuller's
earth found on his land one mile
north Of Boyce some time ago. The
term found is used in an ambig-
uous sense, for this particular MEM
Der of the mineral kingdom was
never lost 1t has been there ever
since Mr.. Wilson located on this
farm forty years ago, but it was only
right recently that he became aware
of its existence there Mr.. Wilson is
not a geologist and of course didn't
know that the lodges of greenish
and yellowish looking rocks in his
pasture on Grove creek possessed a
high commercial value. Mr.. Wilson
/ has some neighbors who are equally
fortunate, now that they know the
/ value of this product of mother
earth.
''It remained for stranger to
come into the community and pat US
wise, continued Mr.. Wilson, land
now that | know what Fuller's earth
is | have enough of it on my farm
to bleach the whole of Africa"
The discovery of Fuller's earth in
the Boyce community was made
some five or six months ago, but very
little interest was aroused among
the people until it developed later
that the entire earth in and around
the town was filled with this miner
al. The first deposit was found in a
field about one mile southwest of
Boyce. Some excavations were made
and some of the substance sent to
the Agricultural and Mechanical col
lege for a chemical analysis. En-
couraged by the analysis that came
back from the college, steps were
taken to organize a company for the
purpose of mining and milling the
mineral so that it could be placed on
the market Accordingly the Ameri-
can Fuller's Earth company of Fort
Worth was formed. This company is
composed of Fort Worth and Waxa-
hachie business men. Some weeks
ago a plant was established and is
now in daily operation. The repre-
sentatives of this paper visited the
plant Sunday and were shown the
different pieces of machinery used in
the milling process. Beginning with
the crusher, which pulveriZes the
rocks as they come from the mine,
the newspaper men followed the ma
tertal through the different process
es until 1t came out ground into fin
er particles than flour. With the ex-
ception of the crusher all the ma
chinery had formerly been used in
Touring mill. After passing through
the crusher the earth Is dried by
steam pipes after which it goes into
the mill and from that to the bolter
from which it comes ready to be
sacked for market. The substance is
almost the color of Portland cement
although it does not contain the grit
ty particles found In cement. Motive
power for the machinery is furnished
by an eighty-fve horse power en-
gine At present the plant Is small
one but it Is planned to increase the
manufacturing facilities some time
in the near future. Several small
shipments have been made and it is
understood that the first car load lot
will go out one day this week. The
commercial value of the manufac-
tured product Is about SIS per ton.
The demand is practically unlimited.
So far as known there is only one
other mine in Texas and that is in
the southwest part of the state. 1t Is
found in only one or two other states
in the union The greatest amount
used in this country comes from the
mines in England and Germany.
Fuller's earth is SO named from
it's use by fullers as an absorbent for
grease and oil in cloth, and is an
earthly hydrated silicate Of alumni
ium. 1t is used by woolen mills for
inbibing the oily substance in cloth.
Oil mills and packeries use it for
purifying oil and lard. 1t is estimated
that the best quality Of Fuller's
earth will absorb less than one-half
Of one per cent OF grease. There Is
nothing better for cleaning silver
ware. Face lotions for the fair sex
are made from 1t. 1t Is said to be an
infallible cure for eczema.
The newspaper men went to Boyce
for the purpose of making thor
ough Investigation of the different
deposits found near there and they
were accompanied on the round by
G. G. Wilson, Jr.. who rendered them
valuable assistance After inspect
ing the plant on south side of the