New-York tribune., 1867-07-26


The ladies and gentlemen who go'down 10
,be Congress Spring in focks betoEe breakfast
very Inadequate idea of the number character,
a.bstory of the mineral springs to which Saratoga
owes all its prosperity and, popularity. They would
NJ mrurised. perhaps at the statement that $1,000
ao,ens of hotties of the water of this spring alone
e cold last wear and that the demand is constantly
fn,roasing. TIE Congress Spring is owned by a
.or,ranv which also owns tho Columbian and En-
Miro Srqinos 1t represents S0 OF 300 stockholders
and has capita OF 81 OO0 OO0' The work Of botting
a. carried on day and night the year round, eXcepS
onyino.s norton of the Summer season, when Tor
The supply is limited. For visitors the wafer Is
5ingea ont by boys from the tube Fslng out OF the
VTopud under the pavilion % the ePtrance OF Con
srces Sprinv Park. For bOttllng lt IS breught
secDSss he street through a pipe by pump
STorfed by small seam engine. ltcnters a. arunr'
holding atew gallons anu rom tlt I9peIIg STnC T
deseends~yhch fits into the neck OF the bottles Ihe
Hottles are filed one at time 'end Immediately
eorked. About 4.600may be filled IN "a hours Dy
steady work. Thirty thousand deems oil p9t.iSt OF
She Empire water were sold lass year, anu ap3u1 p
dOO ,<lozens OF the COU1n0lal no 73lht
spring sold about 5000 dozens OF botties iasV
veoE sand the Excelsior, High Rock WashInyt0h,
nd setter are also beginning to sell considerable
quantities A greet deal IS also put up IN paIl9S 70
be sod ON draught but II has soen Ionhu Vst9 I'M
cnIt 20 preserve the water IN tire condition III Wlch
IL h drawn from the spring In many ei tie dfug
stores where III ie said OnsdIar ght IL is necessary 10
eho II artlhGlaiiy with tle CtInOhlC t-lu btS'
which IL has loss ig transportation. Inc h!Sh prlce
ofninera wately away from Saratoga is own chleI-
ly 10 the cost Of she bottles and OF trans 0IlaJon.
The Congress and Empire SpIlhE NoInt@iiS tt39iS
beinr unaiie 10 procure all tho D0tues
which they needed, have eSI2Olb-eu ultn-
,foctories of their own at village near mere
6fc6 t6cv bs7e called Coneressville, egd will thus
Ia future be able TO supply the greater bllalu' II II
Ihe water could be confined IN large Qunuues SO rs
10 retain It's Gaseous. and mineral GRANTEES 9lte[l
Transportation IT could be sent away % i i
hoQsheads tho flow from some OF the sprlIgs nTilIs
estimated as between one and Two nanuIot s',Ur b
per minute. The flow OF the Cohgre's Na.et, : noM l
sVer is not more than twO quarts Ter minute ana
but very little of il is now wasted. , o.
The Congress Spring was discovered IN l'SE;. =
years after sir William Johnson visited the High
Rock Spring The discoverers were three gentlemen
who were hunting IN this valley one OF WhOtl-Join
Taylor Gilman Of New-Hampshire-was then a mem =
beT OF Congress, which fact suggested the name q
the spring The low ground about the spring Was
then swamp, and the mineral Water issued III q
small stream from an aperture IN the siue ~
the rock which formed the margin Of the brook.
1t was eaNght by holding glass TO the SIDE Oh Lhe
rock; and as this means coon became uSuhiclenI 20
satisfy he' demands Of visitors, an effort was made
10 eOn6ue it. The result was the complete loss OF
the water for some time Gideon Putnam, an enter
isi,, set+len al Saratop9 observed bubbles break
Ing up frOmthe middle on the brook few feet s0nth
of the rock. He turned the stream from IT'S course
and dug down about eight teet, when the mineral
water from several places III the mari iiefIe-
parcd "a SQUARE tube u planks, and placngOlt over
several Of the little fountains replaced tno tt
around it, and thus secured tile slnS ~ was list
bottled as an article OF merchandise III $50 ana IL
now sent TO all portions Of the world.
Since then springs have been Developed an aiohs
the valley commencing at the Washington Spring on
the south i'm the grounds Of the Clarendon hoteL
600 feet southwest Of Congress Splrg. 1hlS was
tubed By Gideon Putnam, but 1t was lot untl 1905
that the tube was extended down 70 the solid icck
shaft Ii feet square first sunk 30 feet deep 10
the pOcl Tire stream then found To come from
q lateral direction, and a tunnel was excaFateh 90
feet long At this point the earth gave way and the
water and gas flowed IN so suddenly thot the Work
men were scarcely able 70 escape, leaving tlelr
tools behind them. In - minutes as much rs H.
600 gallons Of water, and twice the quantity OF
carbOnc acid gas, filed TIE excavation. a rotary
pump worked by steam engine, was incapable OF
removing the water, ana second SHAFT was SUNK
near the end Of the tunnel AT the depth OF = iget
the water also burst into this so that II had 70 be
abandoned. Still another shaft was then sunk 70
feet in diameter. III sOutheaSterly direction nom
the others, and was held by strong coier-Cam
When the rock was reached Two formations were
found issuing from ssure, and one OF these Delng
tubed, THE water soon rose 10 the surface, .
The Columbian Spnng IS but lew IOds southwest
of the Congress III the Congress Park. 1t contains
much more iron than the Congress Spring, amt IS
drank during the day. Persons drlnllnS u before
breakfast are ant to have the headache while the
Congress should only be drunk upon an empty
stomach.
and in the rear of Congress Hall, IS the Hamilton
Spring IL is owned by Mrs. White, and is not bot
tied Twenty r0lsmOrth of the Hamilton IS the~P ut
nam Spring which IS approached through an alley,
way from Broadway 1t is fine water and
has a bathing establishment connected W9h-lL
Still to the north is the Pavilion Fountain, sttnted
IN WillOw>Walk. back of the site OF the old Column
hian Hotel which was burned. Following the course
of the valley the Flat Rock SpTingrwas situated
next but ii is now lost having mostly disappeared
when the Pavilion was tubed. The next spring 10
She north is the Setter, which was formerly called
the Barrel Spring for the reason that barrel was
fret used TO cOnfine the water, which flowed oves
the ground. IN 1863 the spTlngWas tuDed. Alter
digging through four feet Of muck, solid mass OF
calcareous tufa was tound 1Our IceJ III
thickness, formed in the same manner as
the High Rock by the deposits OF the water.
An ANALYSIS showed IL TO be composed principally
II of irra caTih a
of irOu, and silica. In the process OF excavation
birch tree was also found m6edded IN the cacaIe0us
DEPOSIT This spring differs from the Others in rising
through glass tube three feet IN hIght, over Ule rim
of which it flows. The bubbles can be seenrslng mp
through tho tube while at intervals OF abont mn,
ute theHe IS an excessive escape Ol gas causing Huch
larger bubblcs aud greater agitation Otlthe water.
This spring is named the SetZer on account Of the re-
semblauce OF the water to the SeltZer OF Germany.
Hiph Rock SpUng with It's water bubbling mp
through the aperture in the cOnlcdl rock fOul feet
high-the greatest curiosity here-ls less than a
Tie Star Spring. formerly called the President and
the Iodine Is a few rods north Of the High Rock.
Next TO the North is the Empire Spring The sara
toga A. Spring Is on the road leadlng 10 Tue Iea
Springs The Excelsior Rock Spring, situated nearly
two miles to the east Of the hotels is one OF ten
mineral springs, none Of which are used except TINS.
Inc tubing Is 81 feet deep TO the Trenton lime rock
through which it flows through several eTeyices.
The Eureka Spring Is also stu fuTther
from the town. and IS surrounded by beautiful
scenery. In SOnth Argyle, Washington County, to
the east there - a mineral fountain called Reed
Spring, the water OF which however is not, equal TO
that of Saratoga Springs About ten miles southeast
81 Congress Spring is Paradise Spring, formerly
called Quaker Spring which has been bottled in
ANAL quantities About two miles sonth-wests0f the
hotels IS spring near the railroad track at theest
efly slde OF the enbankment. Ii is only used by
the people in the vicinity.
1mIty-fye years ago Balston surpassed Saratoga
as Place Of fashionable resort. But the water OF its
principal spring lost in attempt to tube IT. and
1as never been brought U the surface again; Some
years ago mineral spring discovered by bubbles
r1sing IN the middle OF Blue Pond IL tubed and