The Osceola times., 1886-06-19
MINERAL WATERS.
Their Consumption In the United States
Annually Increasing.

Their Consumption In the United States
Annually Increasing.
Ii appears from Mr.. Peale's mono
graph on the subject that the consump-
ion of mineral waters in the United
States is annually increasing. Though
the supply for this demand is drawn
largely from abroad, the utilization of
our native springs is receiving greater
attention each year. In the decade be-
ginning with 1873, the importation OF
mineral waters of all kinds increased
from 1874, 423 to 1,714,0S5 gallons. Since
1888, smaller quantity has been im-
ported, but the increase in the domestic
production has been sufficient to supply
the deficiency and maintain the proper
tionate growth of the total consumption.
As yet, the majority of American
mineral springs are unimproved. This
is due mainly to the comparative
newness of the country,
and to the consequence in
accessibility of many of them, particu-
larly in the Territories and extreme
Western States, and also to the fact that
few Of our native mineral waters have
been as carefully studied as those of
foreign springs People are realizing
the Importance of these investigations
before a spring can be possessed of any
value, for the indiscriminate use OF
mineralized waters has been shown TO
be not only unproductive of beneficial
results, but in many cases to be abso-
lutely injurious. There are, however,
sufficient inducements in the profit
arising from well-known and we'll
patronzed spring to make their i'm
provement and study matter of but
few years. Economically, they are in
teresting to their owners in number of
ways. As places of resort. they add to
wealth and population of the districts
in which they occur; and the sale of the
wate., either on the spot or when bot
tied and shipped to distance, is often
source of considerable profit.
Though all spring waters are more or
less mineralized, the term is limited to
those which contain sufficient amount
of mineral matter to have a medicinal
effect upon the system. Mr.. Peale adds
to this definition, ''or are characterized
by an unusual degree of heat" Evil
IDENTIFY, he is not believer in the tenets
of substantialism, for the savants who
support this school have announced the
retrogressional discovery that heat, or
caloric, is substance; and since it be-
longs neither TO the animal or vegetable
kingdom, it must, by negative reason
ing. be a mineral. The therapeutic
value of hot water in the treatment of
dyspepsia being well known, hot springs
would, according TO this doctrine, come
under the head of mineral waters,
without special mention. 1t is unneces-
sary to say that we have omitted them for
different reason. BY coincidence, not
unnatural, most hot springs are miner
allied, but we see no reason why simply
thermal springs should be incu led in this
classification. The hot springs of Ar
kans, Colorado, New Mexico, Califor-
mia and other less known localities are
for the most part highly charged with
chemical salts and gases. A consuta-
ton of the mineral spring localities
shows that there is scarcely a State or
Territory in all our domain which is not
literally supplied with mineral springs,
many of which possess marked medic-
nal properties. The majority of these
will be improved and utilized in time,
and it is probable that an even larger
number will be brought to public no.
ticc in the future. What is wanted at
present. however. is not so much n
knowledge of additional springs as of
the waters of those already discovered.
Many noted resorts in Europe, which
were at one time obscure villages, owe
their Importance to the discovery and
utilization of their mineral waters. 1t
is quite safe to predict that many a
lonely spring, which is now tasted only
by passing frontiersman or IA thirsty
Indian, will some day cause a similar
metamorphosis-Scie american.