The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1911-02-22
FLORIDA PHOSPHATE
Brief but Comprehensive Review of
the Peninsula states Leading
Industry
Time S-CnionJ


the Department of Agriculture. VIM.
II. Waggerman. scientist in chemical
investigation. was sent 10 Florida for.
this purpose, and has just reported 10
Secretary Wilson. In his report he
says:
BY far the most extensively mined
deposits of Phosphate in this country
are those OF Florida. From 1888. when
the first 3O00 tons of phosphate was
shipped from the Peace River district.
TO 1909 the production of Florida phos-
phate rock steadily increased Then,
owing to various causes discussed in
this bulletin further on, mining opera
tions in the hard-rock phosphate re-
gions fell off considerably. The pro-
duction of land pebble phosphate how
ever has continued to grow uninter-
ruptedly, until now the annual output
is over l.250.000 tons
The two most important classes of
phosphate in Florida at present are
hard-rock and land-pebble phosphates.
The river pebble, which was first eX-
plotted in the Peace River district is
no longer mined, owing to its low con-
tent of phosphate of lime. The soft
phosphate, which occurs mixed with
both the hard-rock and pebble phos-
the rock for the market.
The hard-rock phosphate regions lie
Citrus and fernando counties. Many
of the mines are reached by both the
Atlantic Coast Line and Seaboard Air
Line railways, or by spurs from these
roads The rock is hauled to the sea-
ports on both the east and west coasts
for shipment.
The hard-rock phosphate belongs to
the middle Tertiary or Oligocene epoch
and the geological formation known
as the Hawthorne. 1t occurs in irreg-
ular pockets. which vary in size from
a few square yards 10 several acres in
extent The rock is imbedded in 4
matrix of sand. clay and soft phos-
phate. the whole resting on lime
stone of the lower Oligocene age. In
many of the dry mines. where the
phosphate matriX has been removed
the pockety nature of the phosphate
deposits is quite apparent. The pits
contain numerous cones and columns
] of unaltered limestone, which present
very striking appearance.
Florida rock phosphate is mined by
first removing the overburden of sand
and clay. and then digging out or
dredging the phosphate thus exposed.
The amount of Overburden varies con-
siderably. and the expense of mining
! largely depends on its character and
| thickness. The overburden is removed
! by scrapers, steam Shovels or hydrau-
/ lie pumps, the last method being the
one usually employed.
! 1t is rather difficult to strike an av-
erage of the cost of preparing hard
rock phosphate for the market. the eX-
pense of mining and washing the rock
| being dependent upon the number of
factors, two of which vary between
! rather wide limits. These two factors
are the amount and character OF the
| phosphate deposits. The over-burden
may vary in depth from few inches
| TO thirty feet or more, and in texture
| from a loose sand. costing but a few
| cents per cubic yard to remove, to q
heavy clay, which is both difficult and
expensive TO handle. A conservative
! estimate of the average cost of remov-
| ing over burden throughout the hard
rock district is from IL to Is cents per
cubic yard The phosphate deposits
on the other hand, may contain from
3 or per cent to 80 per cent of phos-
! phate rock, and may be composed
chiefly of heavy clay. difficult TO wash
washed away.
A former phosphate operator of wide
experience informed the author that he
had mined rock phosphate as low as
so cents a ton and as high as $40 a
ton. 1t is probably safe to say tha,
>he average cost of the finished pro-
duct f. o. b. at the mines is not less
than $3.50 a ton.
no
in Florida is almost entirely shipped
abroad. Most of it is sold on a guar
antee of - per cent phosphate of lime
a maximum of 3 per cent iron and
Lalumina. and less than per cent OF
moisture. y lower grade rock thar
the above is shipped 70 Italy anG
France but the English and German
markets demand the higher grade ma.
terial \ considerable quantity of tn,
screenings obtained after putting the
rock through the rotary driers is uti.
lized in this country for the manufac
ture of superphosphate
Owing to the low price of hard-rocl
phosphate during the latter part O.
1909 and the early part of 1910, minins
| operations were at rather low ebb
many mines being shut down Rocl
which sold high as SO to Sl0.25 (
O. D. at the ports IN 1903 declined 4
$50 and IS. There are several causes
assigned for the decided drou in tn,
price of hard-rock phosphates bu
probably the most important ones ar,
the large shipments of phosphate from
Ocean and Christmas Islands and III
production of a very high grad. pebbl,
phosphate in Polk and Hillsboro coun
ties.
The phosphate rock from the Pacif
Islands is richer than any yet discov
cred, averaging from so TO SIS per cen
tricalCium phosphate. Il can be mike,
very cheaply. but until the last yea
high freight rates have kept the pro
duct out Of the market y number o
land pebble companies in Southern
Florida are now shipping materia
containing from - 10 - per cent ri
calcium phosphate. The cost of minin,
pebble phosphate Is about one half a
great as that OF mining hard-rock
mixture Of two parts OF pebble Wiz
one part of the Ocean Island phosphat
Will give a product equal 10 richnes
of the hard-rock phosphateS and a
less cost.
Possible means Of utilizing thi
waste material are suggested. namely
to apply il 10 muck soils deficient j
phosphoric minerals or 10 extract N
phosphoric acid from it by means OF
icheap solvent.
. The average cost of preparing hard