The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-08-22
SODA WATER.
INTERESTING FACTS CONCERN
ING ITS MANUFACTURES.
Produced at a Cost Of Less than
Two Cents q Glass-Machines
for Dispensing the Effer-
vescing Fluid.

trOQuCeu aC COSC OF LESS CHan
Two Cents a Glass-Machines
for Dispensing the Effer-
vescing Fluid.
More than twenty thousand gallons of
soda water are drunk in this city, says
the New York Commercial AdOertiser,
during a warm day in summer. This is
the estimate of q manufacturer who
turns out 5000 gallons q day.
In the manufacture of soda water as
in that of ice cream America is ahead of
Europe. Across the water they do not
use the dispensing apparatus which is
80 common in every drng store and con-
fectionery store here; they serve it only
in bottle and siphons. The business has
developed enormously within the last
half century. There are now about
twenty-five thousand of these 'foun-
tains," as they are termed, gushing the
popular effervescing drink into glasses
and down the thirsty throats of people
in this country. This estima' q is also
arrived at by the manufacturer upon the
basis that trife more than fifteen per
cent. of the whole number of fountains"
manufactured are now in use. The big
firm .referr,d to has made more than
100, ,OOO of these fountains altogether.
A hundred different kinds of machines
are now in fashion and kept on hand,
costing from $7S to $4,000 each. A good
many in unique designs are built to
order for customers. One sent to the
London Exhibition last year cost $10,-
900 to make; this was the biggest thing
yet attempted, and rather astonished the
eyes of the Englishmen.
The name ':soda" water, by the way,
as is generally known, is an entire mis-
nomer for the efrervescing drink. 1t was
possibly given to it by some obscure
manufacturer, who wanted name of his
own in the early history of the business
and stuck to it. The article as now used
is simply water impregnatcd with cdr
bonic ac:d gas-the same gas which op-
crates in the sraising" of bread or any
thing of that sort. The ingredients used
in generating carbonic acid gas for soda
water are few and simple and have long
been standard articles in the market of
the world. The two necessary materials
are carbonate of some kind and an acid,
by union of which, with the carbonate,
the gas is chemically evolved. Expert
mentally, a great variety OF acids and
carbonates have been employed. For
practical purposes sulphuric acid is now
admittedly superior to any other, but
as for the carbonate, pulverized marble,
whiting and bicarbonate of soda are still
competitors for favor. The gas is gen.
Grated according to the American sys'
tenn, in an apparatus for the purpose, the
gas after its evolution from the marble
being carried through three washers,
where any impurities are caught off by
additional chemical appliances. 1t is
then put into the steel fountains, ready
for transport, by process especially de-
vised to suit the exigency.
The regulation size fountain will hold
fifteen gallons. Ten gallons of Croton
water which has been filtered through
charcoal, sand and gravel, are first put
into it. Then the fountain is placed
upon q shaking machine and the gas
forced into it under pressure while the
shaking thoroughly impregnates the
water with the gas. The fountains are
made to stand pressure of 500 pounds
to the square inch. being of steel with
block tin seamless lining, but the pres
sure of the gas is but 15O pounds to the
inch. The marble used in the manu-.
facture is the white snowflake, found up
the Hudson and said to be the best FOR
the purpose, containing ninety-nine per
cent of the carbonate of lime and mag
nesia. When the water is filtered as
thoroughly as it is for this purpose, the
product in the fountain will keep for any
length of time, and an export trade is
now being built up in the article. One
generator of the size ordinarily used here
will make about 2i75 gallons of gas at a
charge, enough to supply 75O gallons Of
water.
The largest firm of the kind in this city
controls now about two hundred patents
in the various departments. 1t manu-.
factures not only 'soda" water and all
the appliances of fountains and fixtures
for dispensing it, but also the fruit
syrups, boxes and other details re-.
quired, even shoeing their own horses.
"Soda" water is kept on tap in the
factory for the refreshment of the hands,
the same as lager beer in breweries,
or ice water in ordinary establishments.
Between three and four hundred men
are employed during the busy season,
from January to July, chiefly making
dispensing apparatus and fixtures. After
the Fourth the demands of those going
into the business has been pretty well
supplied and the work of the factory is
cut down to the manufacture of supplies
tor the "plant." ''Soda" water is also
used about the factory premises as
fire extinguisher.
The most popular fiavoring for soda
is the same as for ice cream-vanllla-
about one person in every three calling
for it. Lemon ranks next and sarsa-
parilla next, after which the various
flavors are about on par as to popular
ity.
The ordinary purchaser of five-cent
glasses of soda water does not realize
that he is giving about 25O per cent.
profit to the dealer. But here is what a
circular of the aforementioned firm
says about it:
The profits which dealers in carbonated
beverages may reasonably hope to make can
be readily inferred from the following ac'
curate estimate of the cost Of manufacturing
each beverage:
One glass Of plain soda costs one,tenth Of
cent.
One glass of soda water with syrup costs
one and half cents.
One glass OF mineral water costs one cent.
One glass Of root beer costs one cent.
One glass of ginger ale costs one and a
cents