The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1912-12-30
DISCOVERIES OF PHOSPHATE DE-
PosITs.
United States Geological Survey De-
scribes Three Beds of important
Mineral Fertilizer.

From outcrops of phosphate rock in
the Garnet Range, 6 miles north OF
Garrison, Mont, may be seen, 80
miles away, immense volumes of
smoke pouring out of the smelter
stacks at Acknowledgment quantities
of sulphurous acid escaping into the
atmosphere. At times this acid-laden
smoke clouds the whole Deer Lodge
valley. The great economic import
ance O fthis situation lies in the fact
that phosphate rock is quickly rem
dered available as a plant food by
dissolution in sulphuric acid. The
combination of immense deposits of
phosphate rock and a practically nm
limited and readily accessible supply
of sulphuric acid ma yhaye consider
able bearing on the agricultural pro
gress of the West in years to come, If
not indeed at present.
This deposit of phosphate near Car
rison is one of three discovered in
Montana in 1911 by j. T. Pardee, of
the United States Geological Survey.
The others are at Philipsburg, on the
south slope of Flagstaff Hill, AMI half
mile east of Elliston, north of Little
Blackfoot River Rock phosphate was
discovered in the same year by K. w.
Stone, OF the Geological Survey, about
2 miles east of Cardwell, Mont, on
the Northern Pacific Railway, at The
summit of the cliffy slope rising to
the west from Jefferson river.
Sharp Lookout Kept for Phosphates.
These discoveries were merely Incl
dental to the prosecution of other geo.
logic work, so that the deposits were
not studied in any great detail Enough
was learned, however, to make GER
tain that they are commercially valu-
able and of the same type as the phos-
phate found by Hoyt S. Gale. also of
the Federal Survey, near Melrose,
Mont, in 1910 and that of the extern
sive Idaho-Wyoming field. The de-
posits discovered by Mr.. Pardee lie
from so to 70 miles north and that by
Mr.. Stone 40 miles northeast of Mel
rose; hence they may be said to ex.
tend the limits of the known phosphate
field for those distances.
At the point near Garrison the phos-
phate bed is feet thick and more
than feet of it is shown by analyses
to be high-grade material. At neither
Philipsburg nor Elliston was the thick
ness of the bed determined, but the
outcrops show that in each place it is
at least foot thick and the distribu-
tion Of float indicates that 1t Is prob
ably more, about the same as in the
Garnet Range At Cardwell it prob
ably exceeds feet in thickness.
Large Tonnage Probable.
Although detailed work on which To
base a tonnage estimate has not yet
been done, it is apparent from the ex-
aminations made that in the Garnet
Range at least, large amount of
phosphate Is present. For instance,
$4,000 tons would be the content of
an acre underlain by a fiat bed of
phosphate feet thick. Where the
phosphate bed is steeply tilted, us it
commonly is in this region, the amount
beneath an acre is much greater
The phosphate deposits at both
Philipsburg and Elliston are near the
tracks of the Northern Pacific Rail-
way; that at Cardwell lies near the
Chicago, Milwaukee & Puget Sound
: and Northern Pacific railways; and
that north of Garrison is readily &C
cessible by two wagon roads, one go
ing directly north from that place,
the other up the valley Of Warm
Spring Creek. The creek route Is one
that offers no unusual difficulties for
the construction of a railroad that
would, with a haul OF about miles,
place the phosphate on the main line
Of two trunk railroads,
These discoveries are described
briefly in Bulletin 53O-H 'Phosphatas
in Iadho and Montana by A. r.
Schultz. h. w Richards. and J. T.
Pardee, just issued by the United
States Geological Survey, a copy of
which may be obtained free on appli-
cation to the Director at Washington,
d. C.