Arkansas true Democrat., 1859-12-21
From the St. Louis Republican. Analysis of Water from the Hot Springs of 4 -l-ooe,.

MR. EDIToR: As 1 see you arc receiving information from the Hot Springs of Ark ansas, l have something to offer that may not be without interest, at least in scien- titc point of views.
 Having sojouned there for q time du ring the early part of the present year, an opportunity was given me to become somewhat acquainted with that remarkable locality, and to make some observations on the thermal springs
 Finding that very little was known with regard to their number, temperature or capacity, took some trouble to supply this deficiency, and as no information had been obtained as to the mineral constit uents of the water, though 50 long celebrated for the cure of large class of deep seated chronic diseases, such as rheumatism syphilis, neuralgia, etc., which in their full development, so completely bafil the wisdom and skill of even modern science, and curious to know, if possible on what their efficacy depended, was induced to take the preliminary steps for a complete analysis of the water.
 A survey first made of the group of springs, map constructed showing their respective localities, their temperatures determined by observations through twenty consecutive days, and their capacities or respective discharges per minute carefully ascertained the details of which will be given elsewhere
 The springs were found to be fiftv-four m number, varying in temperature, through almost every intermediate degree, from 51 to ll7sFah., and to discharge from half a gallon to six gallons per minute. Some few were variable, both in temprature and discharge, decreasing in temperature as they increase in volume, evidently owing, as observation showed, to surface water percolating through porus tranetine, and mixing with the thermal current. The hottest springs never change.
 The entire discharge of water from the group, as determined in fair weather, and some days after any rain had fallen to disturb their equilibrium, was found to be precisely three hundred gallcxs per minute, at an average temprature of 13l degs. Fah.
 As the first step towards analysis was to find by evaporation the proportion of Solld matter Tn the water, one of the largest and hottest springs having steady tenn perature of l41 dcgs., was sel ected for experiment.
 One gallon of the water was reduced. but the reside was too small for any accu- rate calculation.
 As evaporation under ordinary circum stances IS a tedious process, and requires to be conducted with much care at a steady temperature to prevent interchanges among the chemical substances in solution, and as a large quantity of water had to be treated, the spring itself as proper agent, was press ed into the service to do the work. The evaporatlng vessel was accordinly immersed Tn the hot water of the spring underexami- nation, and supplied from day to day, the water belng thus maintained at it's natural temperature for five days, at the end of which time ten gallons had been reduced. leaving dry chrysaline residuum of S5 grams. To verify this experiment, ten gallons more were put through the same process with the same result, thus showing the water to contain 8 gains of solid mineral matter to the gallon.
 The residue thus obtained, together with some water from the spring, was submitted to analysis by E. Hills Larkin. student of Doctor Little, Professor of Chemistry in Washington University, with the follow ing result
 -Anolys's ot Me Mineral Constituents of Wa-
 ter from Ae Hot Springs of Arhansas-
 Temp: l41 degs. Fah.. Jy E. HiHis Lar-
 Kin, St. Loais, June l, 1858.