OCR Text |
Show Production of Phosphate Rock In the Year 1915 The phosphato rock sold In the United States In 1915 as onown by figures compiled by tho United States Geological Survey amounted to 1,835,-CC7 1,835,-CC7 long tons, valued nt $5,413,449. This Is a decrenso of 898.37G long tons In quantity and of $4,194,692 In valuo, according to W. C. Phnlen, of tho Survey, ns compared with tho production of 1914, which In turn, showed a marked decrease compared with that of 1913. Tho output camo us usual, principally from Florida, Tennessee, nnd South Cnrollna, but thero was a small output from Arkansas, Ar-kansas, Idaho, Utah, nnd Wyoming. Tho quantity of phosphato rock marketed In Florida lu lslP, Including Includ-ing hard rock and land pebble, was onjy 1,358,611 long tons, vnlued a t $3,702,239. Compared with 1914 this was a decreaso of 780,280 long tons In quantity nnd ot $3,592,505 in tho valuo. Tho hnrd rock Industry, especially, es-pecially, Is In a badly crippled condition condi-tion owing to tho war in Kurope. Tlw production of phosphato rock in Tennessee, together with a very small production In Arkansas, In 1915 wbb 389,759 long tons, vnlued at $1,-327,717. $1,-327,717. Compared with 1914, this was n decrease of 93,444 long tons In quantity and $495,023 In value. Tho production of phosphato rock In South Cnrollna.ln 1915, which was S3.460 long tons, vnlued nt $310,860, 'nlso greatly decreased, as compared with that of 1914. Tho production In Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming In 1915 was 3,837 long tonB, valued at $12,613. Conditions In tho phosphato rock Industry during 1915, especially In Florida, wore about the samo as they wcro at tho end of 1914. Soon nfter tho outbreak of tho European Eu-ropean war tho phosphate mining compnnles of Florida not only tho companies that produce tho higher grado rock for export but also thoso that supply the domestic trade cither cith-er curtailed, production very materially material-ly or suspended mining. Tho companies com-panies engaged In a combined export and domestic trado or In domestic trado alono wcro less seriously affected af-fected than thoso doing an oxcluslvo export buslnoss. Shipments of phosphato rock to Germany, which hitherto has boon n large consumer, havo of course almost al-most entirely ceased nnd those to the other European countrlos hnve been seriously Interrupted, The great demand for sulpuuric acid, ac-id, especially toward tho end of 1915 lms also curtailed tho production of phosphato rock. Tho prices of sulphuric sul-phuric acid havo been so high that tho manufacture of acid phosphato has been somowhnt reduced and tho reduction has caused a dccllno In tho market for phosphato rock. |