Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-01-18
Saved for the People.

monize the act OF the President which
is just coming to light with their re-
ligion. The geological survey has just
made public an advance chapter of
contributions to Economic Geology. Ell
titled "Phosphates in Montana" by
II. :. Gale, which reveals the discov-
| cry of valuable phosphate beds of
which the public had not the slihgtest
| inkling, and which but for the fore
| sight and prompt action of the Presi-
| dent would have passed into the hands
| of the Northern Pacific Railroad Com
pany. They are now withdrawn and
are retained in the public domain for
the benefit of the people.
| Last sunlmer, under authority from
Congress and specific instructions of
the secretary of the interior, the Cen
eral Land Office and the United States
Geological Survey cOoperated in the
| classification of certain lands within
| the original grant TO the Northern Pa
cific Railway Company, in the western
part of Montana. to determine whether
| they are of mineral or non mineral
| character. This action was taken be-
cause the grant included only such
lands as do not contain minerals other
| than coal and IRON.
| one OF the geological survey geolo-
gists engaged upon the Work found
deposits of rock phosphate. which min
eral was not known to occur in Mon
tana. The deposits found are not far
on public lands these have now been
withdrawn from entry by the Presi-
dent placing them in the same cate
CORY as other known public phosphate
lands which are awaiting legislation
| by Congress to provide for their con-
troll and disposition.
AS 1t was not desirable to call public
attention to this find before the Gov
eminent had a chance to withdraw the
lands, no detailed prospecting was
done. but it is believed by the geologi-
cal survey that the area underlain by
the phosphate is large and it is hoped
that the bed may be five or six feet
thick, in which case it would be of
great value.
The report just issueds states that
the geologic formation, including this
phosphate ped are almost, if not quite,
identical with those occurring in the
great phosphate fields a couple of hun
dred miles to the south, where the
beds have a workable thickness of four
and half to six feet. 1t is also the
hope and the inference of the survey
officials that large areas outside Of
that actually examined may be under
lain with phosphate. The possible
tonnage may therefore be large: for
instance. a square mile underlain with
three-foot bed of phosphate would
contain about 100000 tons. The Mon
tana lands now having been with
drawn it will be possible to make de-
tailed geological investigation of the
deposits and close estimate of the
tonnage.
The United States has the largest
known phosphate deposits III the
world, and those found upon the public
lands in the West contain greater
tonnage than all the other American
deposits combined. The discovery of
this phosphate emphasizes the value
of the scientific land classification
work being done by the L. S. Geologi-
cal Survey. Had these lands been only
perfunctorily classified. mineral de-
posts of great potential value would
have passed out of the public domain
Since most phosphate, as used for
fertilizer, IS chemically treated with
sulphuric acid, the commercial import
ance of Montana phosphate deposits
appear to lie in the fact of their proX-
unity to the great Montana smeiters,
which are daily failing to utilize vast
quantities of sulphuric acid. Addition
al interest centers in the discovery and
withdrawal, since the President IN ms
message to Congress advocates leas-
ing law fer phosphate lands, when
will enable the government to control
or prevent the expectation of the phos-
pilates or fertilizer made from them.
These he dull days in Congress. Al
most as dull as Wall street. Llttle