The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1885-05-15
SODA.WATER.

SODA-WATER.
Fortunes Made In the Business, and whs ere
the Most Extensive Trade Is Done.
With the approach of summer the
various saltwater factories in the city
are busily engaged preparing for the
coming hot season. when enough of the
cooling fluid will be quaffed to float the
Great Eastern and the American navy
thrown in. THE soda-water business
has grown to immense proportions"
remarked a wholesale manufacturer of
soda-water and apparatus uptown to
a reporter.
Fifteen wears ago it began to boom
and since then has more than doubled.
Each hamlet, village and town in the
far West, on the mountain slope, in the
valley and amid the burning sands of
the plan, all have their soda-water
fountains and squirt the foaming bev-
erage during the long summer months.
Millions of dollars are spent and for
tunes are made in the course of several
summers. A man at COney Island last
, summer cleared over $40. 600 alone on
sods water"
How much marble do you use in
your factory per annum!
LAST year we ground 1874 tons of
white marble into dust to generate car
bonc acd gas. 1t cost Sl.25 per barrel
of 42O pounds. This marble is quarried
at Pleasantv.lle. N. Y. All the year
round we have machine pounding it
to fine dust, getting large quantity
ready for the summer rush. 1t is
popular fallacy that soda-water is made
of sulphuric acid and marble dust. but
| the fact is they never come n contact
with the beverage. Soda-water is SIM
ply pure water charged or saturated
with carbonic acid gas.
"Why don't you use cheaper ma
terial than marble to generate carbon
ic acd gas?"
ut Is cheaper to use when con-
veniently near than bicarbonate of
soda. Bicarbonate of soda is utilized
when marble can not be had. In En-
gland whiting is used extensively, and
at one time it was universally used
both here and there. This whiting is
carbonate of lime-fossil, and the fos-
sill contains animalculp, which often
give the water fishy taste. Or that
account we dropped it. So much soda
water is consumed every year, and so
many scares have started about its be-
ing unhealthy from contact with cop
per and other metals. that the chief aim
now of manufacturers is to produce APP
paratus SO lined with pure sheet block
tin containing no admixture of lead or
other injurious metal, that absolutely
| no danger is apprehended. Last year
| the board of health passed an ord
nance forb doing the use of fountains
lined with brass, lead, copper or other
metal or metallic substance that will be
affected by liquids, so that dangerous,
unwholesome. or deleteriOus COM
pounds are formed therein. The result
OF this ordinance has been beneficial.
| although many fountains had to be re-
lined and overhaulcd."
DO you expect to do a large BUSH
ness this summer?"
1.-The prese 1t indications are that
more saltwater will be used the COM
! ing season than ever before. Grand
preparations at Coney Island and all
the watering-places are going forward
torece;ve thousands of pleasure-seekers.
and as last season was somewhat
broken by cold spells this one is expect
ed to be fine and unbroken."
"Do you sell many fountains in the
Southp''
"Yes. a great many. We have seven
or eight men travelling IN that section
| all the time. The women and children
drink saltwater, and the men. as a
rule, prefer something stronger. But
the fountain is frequently made to pour
forth good old rye instead of syrup of
sarsapar.llt. These, though, are used
| IN the prohibition counties. But here
in New York during the dead. hot, still
summer days the great drinking of
saltwater is done. The factory is
kept running all the tine. marble by
the ton is ground to dust, ten thousand
gallons of water are filtered aud purified
day, and many hundred gallons of
! extracts and fruit flavors are prepared
daily. This great rush lasts frequently
| four months W thout cessation, and often
five. AS Colonel Sellers said. there are
m lions in it. if once started with the
proper trim in the way of capital and
energy. IN. Y. Mail and Express.