Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1888-09-07
GREAT MINERAL WATER TRADE

GREAT MINERAL WATER TRADE
that extends from California to Florida,
from Canada to Texas, and has even
crossed the seas to London. But best of
! all to me, here have found rest and relief.
Some Of the stories [ had heard about
this place, the discovery of the spring, the
remarkable cures made, and the large re-
putation of the water, so quickly acquired,
seemed extravaganza and hard to believe.
but l have verified them myself and find
that all even has not been told.
[ have interviewed little Willie Barker,
the ten-year-oId tar-heeI lad who discover
ed the spring, three years ago, while
wadIng down small stream angling for
minnoWs, and he and his father finding the
water very cold and nice. followed out
place in the soft rock with their hands,
turned away the branch from the opening
and drank the water while at work. The
boy had very sore hands from poison oak,
and the father hands we're affected with
some skin disease which caused them to
crack and bleed so that. as he says, "his
hoe and axe handle were always bIoOdy.7
IN TWoDAYs
both father and son were we'll. Other
remarkable cures of dyspepsia and even
consumption in Mr.. Bakers family and
among his neghbors followed, and within
one month from the time he made public
the location of the spring the crowd that
gathered on Sunday reached 400. Among
them were men, women and children ,aff1ict-
ed with all manner of complaints, and they
would lounge around the little pool under
the trees all day. drinking the water and
bathing their afflicted limbs in it. There
were many more marvellous cures and the
nlana foil jptn tho nondo of Mr
V. Thompson, of Glade Spring, Va, who
bought it for $1,000, improved it, gave it
his name and commenced shipping the
water. This grew in favor. rapid ly, and
attracted so much attention that
LARGE STOCK COMPANY OF VIRGINIA
GENTLEMEN
was formed with Mr.. Geo. W. Palmer of
Saltville, President; Lewis W. Burwell
of Richmond, General Manager; W. H.
Wiley and Chas. F. Palmer of Saltville,
Secretary and Treasurer, who purchased
the property and further improved it, and
have worked up the water traffic to large
proportions.
The bottling and shipping process is an
interesting one and going on at the springs
and in the packing house close by. is
watched by the visitors every day. When
you kuUW Gudu tW6utr-uv0 Wagons are all
the time on the road hauling off the water
and bringing in new bottles and that 1000
cans containing "a 900 half gallon bottles
of water are shipped away every month,
you will understand that the springs is a
| busy place. A force of hands is engaged
day and night, relief coming on at mid
| day and another at midnight. The water
is caught in small stream from pipe
which only discharges a gallon per minute
and as fast as filled the bottles are corked,
labeled, sealed and boxed day in and
night out the knock-knock- knock as the
boxes are put together and nailed up nev.
or ceases except on Sundays.
Another feature of the place is the local
trade in the water. From one mile to
fifty they are all the time coming with
their jugs, their little BOTTLES and their big
bottles, their black bottles and green, and
filling them at the springs for Is cents a
gallon, they take them home 10 invalid
friends, who think they must have the
water or die. This demand is the strong
est endorsement the water can have, as it
comes from near home where it has been
longest known and where It's efficacy has
been experienced.
1t cannot be long before the demand
will be so large as to require the bottlng
and packing process to be kept up all win
ter as we'll as through the summer, and
a large cellar will be dug here in which te
store the winter supply, which will be
shipped in the spring. T. c. NJ.