The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1923-03-09

"In addition to these most impor-
tant minerals there is n miscellaneous
production that must not be overlook
ed. In this we find barytes, cements,
soapstone, Fuller's earth, marls and
graphites Manganese is found in
the same section as some Of the iron
ores, while mica is distributed through
out the Piedmont plateau. In the mat
ter of ochre Georgia produces half of
the output of the United States. Even
precious stones are found in variety.
There has been no systematic attempt
at mining along these lines, but acct
dental finds include diamonds, rubles,
amethysts, rose quartz, rutilated quartz,
smoky quartz, agate, jaspers, opals,
beryls, garnets and moonstones.
1.-THE marble deposits are so extern
sive that it has been estimated that
all the monumental land marks of the
world could be reproduced from them
without serious diminution. The same
Is true of granite, but with all this
the Georgia state capitol building was
not built of Georgia materials.
"In the famed Pittsburg district iron
ore has to be transported by water
and rail from the mines in the far off
Lake Superior region to coal. In Geor-
gia these two minerals are found lying
side by side, together with all the
fluxing and purifying ores necessary
in the making of steel. The opal is
of the highest heating value and for
cooking purposes cannot be excelled.
"Bauxite, the basic material of alum
mum, is found in Polk, Barlow, Chat
tooga, Walker and Wilkinson counties,
but practically the entire production
Is shipped to New York and Pennsyl-
vania and not a pound of it is being
manufactured in Georgia.
practically all of the asbestos in
the United States is found in Georgia,
only one other state having shown
a deposit This ore is found chiefly
in the Piedmont plateau. New uses
are being discovered for it every day,
but in spite of this demand it is being
shipped away to be made into finish
ed materials elsewhere.
"Some years ago | happened to be
In one Of the small cities in this min
eral belt. They were boasting of
shipping more iron ore than any other
section Of the state; but their sky was
unsmudged by smoke Of smelter and
retort and their slumbers were I'M
broken by rumble and roar of fur
naces and mills. In their pride OF
shipping the greatest amount of ore
they were overlooking the greater
wealth of conversion from ram to a
finished product. A few days later
In another city saw displayed fifteen
different minerals, ranging from three
kinds of iron ore, coal, lime, bauxite,
asbestos and on down to gold quartz,
but the rolling smoke and belching
fire of industry was not there.
81 say in all due seriousness that
had the mineral wealth Of Georgia
been properly developed there would
be today, somewhere within a circle
drawn around the cities of Rome,
Gainesville and Cedartown, city as
large as Pittsburg, teeming with in
dustrial activity and contributing to
the wealth and glory of the state.
"But this does not complete the
story. In the northern section Of the
coastal plain, which extends from the
coast to what is known as the fall
i;voo %hora So c,1Pfioiont o1o1y aod 10
olin to supply the combined potteries
of the world. While the vale of these
deposits does not seem to have been
properly appreciated by the Georgian,
we find their value recognized as
early as 1855 by Sir Joshua Wedge
wood, noted manufacturer Of ware
by that name. He wrote a letter in
regard to the possibilities of pottery
manufacture in Georgia, and stated
that we had materials that were equal
If not superior to the English clays.
| At that time he expressed the fear
that we would cut into his trade. Near
ly two centuries have passed and
nothing has been done to make his
dreams come true. We have, of
course, been shipping clays away for
/ manufacture, but nothing of any ac-
count has developed in the way of
clay working plans.
':Durfng the past few months the
Central of Georgia Railway has been
making great strides toward the prop
er development Of this wealth. They
deserve the congratulations of the en-
tire state for the meritorious work
they are doing. They have the means
and the vision and their efforts will
go long ways toward establishing a
valuable industry.
Lumber Shipped North
What is true of mineral is equally
the case with lumber Practically all
of our lumber, and especially the hard
woods, is shipped to Northern factories
while there are few furniture fac
tories and the like. The bulk Of our
purchases are made north of the
Mason-Dixon line
"Think of the constant drain upon
our financial system by this incessant
purchase away from home of goods
that should be manufactured within
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