Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1888-08-11
A SODA WATER FACTORY
HOW THE GREAT SUMMER THIRST
QUENCHER IS MADE.
Generating Carboiic Gas, the Vital
Element in Soda Water. From
Marble Dust--The Fruit" Syrups

Generating CufDOi1c GaS, the ttt'
Element in Soda Water. From
Marble Dnst--The Fruit" Syrups
There was quite long row of big.
bellied, carious looking objects IL
general appearance they resembled 1
battery of smooth, shining Armstrong
breech- loading guns. There was {
rumbling, humming noise in the air, ane
a great deal of hustle and activity. j
was not on board of a gigantic man-of
war, however, but in the engine room OF
the largest soda water factory in the
United States
''How is soda water made" repeated
Mr.. Vosteen, the compounder and gen
eral superintendent of the main works OF
the hicago Consolidated Bottling Com
pany, otherwise the sofa water trust Of
hicago. "Told in few words, its
something like this: Get up your gas in
a generator convey it into purifiers,
then mix it with water and flavor it with
whatever flavor you want. That's all.
But The explanation wouldn't be under
stood by the general public, Pm afraid.
SO I'll have to give some details. Car
bonic gas, the vital element in soda
water, is made in this mortar-like ma
chine, known as the generator.
'In the round receptacle is the marble
dust, and the vitriol drips on it and
generates the gas. The gas, however,
not being pure carbonic acid, it has tc
pass through various purifiers being
conveyed there in block-tin tubes In
the purifiers is water, which gradually
absorbs all the foreign components OF
the gas. When finally pure the gas is
pumped into vessels holding water.
To bring about thorough mixture of
the water and gas the water is constantly
agltated by steam power. I he syrup is
conducted to the bottling machine in
separate pipes, and then by means of a
pump is put into the bottle, and the latter,
if small, is closed with patent stopper
if of quart size it is tightly closed with
an ordinary cork, wirtd, tin foiled and
labeled. One OF the principal things
in making good, Wholesome soda water
is the water. Ordinary lake water won't
do. 1t must be thoroughly cleansed
first. That is accompl shed in tanks
We have in this establishment, for in
stance, a number of such tanks, from six
to ten feet high, and holding altogether
5000 gallons. There is perforated metal
bottom to it, through which the water
filters. Above are alternate layers OF
coarse gravel and sifted charco pal. Every
impar.ty in the water is absorbed in
this way, and the water is chemically
pure upon finishing its roundabout jonr-
ney through these filtering tanks. The
thing next in importance is the correct
compounding of the syrups. Everybody
knows their names, and new names are
invented every season and certain novel
syrups always achieve great run for a
season or two--lemon. raspberry. and
strawberry-are and remain the favor
ties. There are no fruit ,uices in these
syrups, but certain extracts, prepared
chemically, take the place of them. II
would he an impossib:lity. with the low
price of soda water. to furnish genuine
fruit juice. Mead is made of sugar,
honey, carbonated water and various
tiavors. b rch beer Is made both fer
mented and carbonaled. Champagne
nzz is compounded out of variety oil
flavors. Root beeIaud sarsiparilla and
spruce beer, aud ginger ale are all made
III inio way. hiuti NdttIS dlC IluuC
after an analysis OF various waters. tax.
ing the component parts OF chemicals
and carbonating the whole.
Now, what have said so far refers
only to bottled waters When we come
to fountain soda water the case is some
what dinereni. Fountains are kept in
drug stores, restauran :, confeciloneries,
etc, and hold rs rne from six TO ten
gallons each. In price they vary from
eljO to $1,000 each and over. Many big
drug stores make their own soda water
and their own syrups. Of course, and
own their own fountains as well. But
the bulk of the fountains are furnished
by n concern thlt makes the manufacture
of fountain soda and The renting out OF
fountains y the season its exclusive
business. Now, then, each fountain is
filled with water and the gas is conveyed
into it 10y means Of pipes. and then the
fountain is placed on rocker and its
contents rocked as if it wee CRADLE
only longer Then the Gas becomes
thoroughly mixed with the water AS
the contents of the fountain are used ur
another one takes its place There are
about twenty syrups used mostly fol
fountain soda And each syrup. despite
the contrary assertion of the funny para
graphers, is in receptacle of its own
and conveyed into the soda by a separate
pipe. of course, there is no pineapple
in pineapple soda, no mole than there
is of strawberry or raspberry or banana.
But the juice which takes its place tastes
just as nice aud is Just as harmless. In
chocolate and cocoa and coffee there is
the genuine thing however, and in lemon
syrup there i some lemon oil, and in
aniila some extract of vanilla. So that i
fair enough. - Chie ,go Herad.