Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1878-07-02
Facts of Interest about Soda Water.

The soda water season is fully opened,
and the ''sizz" of the fountain is heard
through the land-which circumstance
suggests writer to .indict the follow
ing
In 1907, Henry Thompson, of Tot.
tingham, England, took out the first
patent, and in 1910, Simmonds & Run
| dell, of Charleston, South Carolina, OBJ
| tanned letters patent ''for impregnating
water with fixed air.n Europe NAV
| have led in the discovery of the princi-
OF aerization, but it was for America to
| lead in the invention of improved ma
chinery and in making soda water a
pleasant, exhilarating and innocuous
beverage for general use. Until within
score OF years ago the processes
| of the original makers were still
used in the Old World. Such
thing as drinking soda water, except
| from bottle, was unknown. 1t re-
mained for the United States to aston
| ish and delight Europe with the Soda
water fountain, and to teach even such
makers as the Ellises of Ruthin some
| new wrinkles in soda water manufac-
| ture. The soda water interest in the
United, States has of late years grown
into enormous proportions. Some $12,-
100000 are now invested in the manu-
facture of aerated drinks, fountains and
other apparatus.
AS long ago as the London Interna-
tional Exhibition of 1862, the American
soda water fountain was the wonder of
Europe, and the effervescing, ice cold
| liquid, with delicious syrup and cream,
was veritable revelation to the British
palate. The British taste runs largely
to hot drinks, and the reader can imag-
| inc the sensations.Of q London civic
| magnate who was led to the fountain in
| the American section at the London
| Exhibition, and there introduced to his
first experience of Yankee soda water,
The day was terribly hot, for London,
the soda was deliciously cold, creamy
and foaming. The Alderman eyed the
draught conservatively, took one swal-
low and set his glass down.
"My dear" he said, addressing the
young lady who dispensed the beverage,
| Ave you such thing as drop of Tot
water ?n
What is soda water? tits simplv wa
! ter strongly impregnated with carbonic
| acid gas. The gas is obtained by pour
ing sulphuric acid upon carbonate of
| lime as it exists in marble dust and
| chips, in a powerful metal cylinder
termed generator" Copper genera
tors were formerly in vogue, but fire.
quent explosions, leakages and inevita-
BILE corrosion, even where the interior
has been lined with tin, has led to the
! substitution of steel. The contact of the
sulphuric acid with the carbonate of
lime produces q tremendous efferves-
cence. The vitriOl having stronger af-
finity for lime than the carbonic acid
gas had liberates the latter, and sulhhate
of lime is formed. The gas thus obtained
is then passed throug washer-you can
wash gas as perfectly as you can hand
kerchief-to remove any trace of sui
phuric acid, and then it is pumped into
the fountains, already charged with wa
ter. This constitutes, in brief, the whole
process of carbonating.
Soda water is great social power. 1t
is the one drink to which gentleman
may publicly invite lady; the foun-
| tain is the only bar at which the sexes
may meet with perfect propriety, the
lady slipping vanilla and cream, and the
gentleman moistening his clay with
club lemon, that is to say, lemon "with
a stick in it." Courtships are thus ma
terially helped and matches facilitated.