The Osceola times., 1879-04-26
NUMBER 2.
SODA WATER.
RAcss Of Intsress ASeas the Psp1lar anl
sessoaa' IL B~versse.

lne sOua Whtor sea9 ~ Is ueAr'y Op0uoQ,
and the "sizz' o. the ountain will soon
be head throughout the land.
In 1907 Henry Thompson. of Totten.
ham, Envl-nd took out the fret patent,
and in 1910 Simmons and Rundell, OF
Charleston, South Carolina, obt dned
letters patent "fer impres mating water
with fixed air." Europe may have led
in the discovery Of the principles Of
aerizstion. but 1t was for America TO
lead in the invention of improved mach.
inery, and In making soda water .
pleasant, exhilarating and innocuous
beverage for general use. Until within
a score Of years ago the proct sses the
original makers were still In use In the
Old World. Such q thing - drinking
-oda water except from Q bottle, was
unknown. It remained for the United
States to astonish and delight Earope
with the soda water fountain, and to
esch even such makers o. Ellis. of
Ruthir, some new wrinkles In soda water
manufacture. The coda water interest
in the United States has of late yean
growp into enormous proportions. sOme
$l2 900 900 are now invested In the man
u'acture OF aersted drinks, fountains,
and other apparatus.
As long ago as the London Interna.
tional exhibition OF 1862 the American
-oda>water fountain was the wonder Of
Europe, ard the efiervescing, Ice. cold
liquid, with delicious syrup and cream,
was veritable revelation to the British
palate. Tne British taste runs largely
to hot drinks, and the reader can I'm.
agine the sensations OF London civic
msgnste 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 deliciorsly cold, creamy
and iosming. The alderman eyed the
draught conservatively, tooE one swsl.
low and set his glass down.
"My DEAR" he said, addressing the
young lady who dispensed the beverage,
Fave YOU such q thing a. . drop Of 'ot
wateri"
WHAT is sods>water Ity Is simply
water impregnated with carbonic acid
gas. The gas Is obtained BY pouring
sulphuric acid upon the carbonate Of
lime as it exists in marble dust and
chips, in a powerful metal cylinder
termed "generator." Copper eensr.
stors were formerly In vogue, but ire
quent explosions, leakages, and inevita>
lie corrosion, even where the interior ID
lined with tin, has led to the substitu.
tion of steel. The contact of the sui.
phuric acid with the carbonate of lime
produces q tremendous ehervescence.
The vitrio, having q stronger affinity
Tor lime than the carbonic acid gas has,
liberates the latter, and sulphate Of
lime is formed The gas thus obtained
is then passed through q washer-you
can wash gas as perfectly a. you can .
hsndkerchief-to remove any trace OF
sulphuric acid, and then 1t is pumped
under enormous pressure into the foun.
tains, already charged with water. This
constitutes, in brief, the whole process
Of carbonating.
limitations OF vichy, Kissingen, 6eltzsr
and other mineral waters are made BY
dissolving in the water In the fountains
the requisite amount OF the salts held In
solution by the genuine water. Ginger
ale. birch beer, root beer and drAught
champagne are mxde in the same way,
except that the aerated water is passed
through closed vessels holding the e.
sences and extracts in solution. which
impart to these drinks their cbaracter-
atc flavor. The machinery r. quirtd h
intricate and costly The generators used
in large establish ments cost about % 900
each, and the other appliances are very
expt nsive Very few druggists in cities
make their own soda water, a. they can
buy 1t very cheaply irom Wholesale
"chargers."
The fountains vary from one drsught
tube and Eve sirups to six tubes and
twenty-five sirups, ranging IN form from
q simple square marble box TO An elab-
orste gothic temple of the most exquisite
work m snship, and in Gust from AS to
"a 000. On no other beverage 10 there
such an extrsvsgaut outlay of money,
and q well managed concern SELDOM fails
to be very profitable. With good sirups,
an attractive fountain and attendant,
and strict cleanliness, the soda water
stand will pay the rent. 1t is upon the
sirurs that the trade turns generally.
Conscientious dealers make their own
siTups, some even making genuine fruit
sirups; but essences are generally pre-
ferred.
Psrsimonious dealers sometimes let
their tounta ms 90 to ruin by allowing
the tin lining OF the coils and sirup cans
to wear of, thus exposing the copper, and
dosing their customers with verdigris.
An Ypsilsnti druggist once pursued this
system OF mastery inactivity with such
success as to kill one man and to lay up
another for an entire summer. Who are
the soda water drinkers? Every soul
within reach OF the fountains almost. 1t
is the great American beverage after beeF
and whisky LAST year the cost OF ice
was 80 high that most of the small soda
men" were squeezed out, a. ice ut sixty
cents per 100 pounds Is too much foE
them.
Soda water is great social power. II
ia the one drink TO which . gentleman
may publicly invite lady; the fountain
Is the only bar at which the sexes may
meet with perfect prepriety, the lady sip
ping vanilla and cream, and the gentle
man moistenipg his clay with club lemon,
that is to say, lemon with stick In 1t =
Courtships are thus materially helped
and matches facilitated.
IL Strasbourg two hundred and hfty
people are engaged in the business o.
examining geese for the manufacture o.
i l. r. l. IL