﻿KEPORT ON THE PHOSPHATE FIELDS OF SOUTH CAROLINA. 3 



the phosphate properties arc reached by the Atlantic Coast Line, the 

 Southern, and the Charleston & Western Carolina Railroads, or 

 spurs from these roads. 



CLASSES OF PHOSPHATE. 



The South Carolina phosphate deposits are usually classified under 

 two heads, namely, the "River Rock" and the "Land Rock." 



The River Rock was at first the most easily exploited, since it was 

 cleaner and after being dredged from the river bed required but little 



Fig. 1.— Approximate distribution of the South Carolina phosphates. 



subsequent treatment to make it a marketable product. It was some 

 time before a satisfactory method of mining and cleaning Land Rock 

 was devised. The two types of phosphate, however, are practically 

 identical, the -River Rock being merely the Land Rock washed down 

 and concentrated in the river beds. 



The mining of River phosphate has now ceased and the rock shipped 

 from South Carolina is all from the land and marsh deposits. This 

 report, therefore, deals chiefly with the land deposits. 



