The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-08-17
MILD DRINKS
FOR HOT DAYS.
Mysteries of Soda Water, Mineral
Waters and Root Beer.
How Soda Water Is Manufactured Mineral
Waters by Chemical Formula-Gather-
ing Ingredients for Root Beer.

AWAY own SUud NdtCi III ldAh uOnn
cellar" said Washington druggist to
reporter for the Star during one of the re-
cent warm days, "whereas the fact is that
he never manufactures it for himself under
any circumstances, but buys it by the guam
tity all ready for USE 1t comes in ten-gal-
lon receptables and the business of produc-
ing it is an enormous one in this country
We get ours from Baltimore, but there are
factories in all the big cities. Each factory
has thousands of such ten-gallon reeepta-
ces as speak of, of steel and heavily
bound with metal ribs, so as to Withstand
the tremendous pressure to which they are
subjected. 1t is their business to send
these tanks filled to the apothecaries and
others who dispense the stuff. The latter
put the tanks beneath their fountains, one
at time, draw from them until they are
empty, and then send them back to be re-
filed and returned, loaded as beforehand
so on ad infinitum."
'But how is the stuff made at the
factory?"
I'm the simplest way imaginable, though
in vast quantities. OF course, it is merely
water charged with carbonic acid gas.
Water is plenty from the hydrant, and
ordinary marble is full of carbonic acid,
which was combined with the lime ages
ago when the earths crust was forming
under the influence of fire. To get the car
bonc acid out of the marble it is only neces-
sary to reduce it to powder and pour
sulphuric acid on it. Violent chemical
combustion results, and the carbonic acid
parts from the lime in the Shape OF carb0nic
acid gas. AT the factory they put the
marble dust in big metal receiver,
couple of barrelfulS at time, with about
Nc mn and nlOsa III fipbf that
there is no vent save one small pipe leading
out of the top. Machinery keeps the water
and marble dust constantly stirred, while
from receptacle above sulphuric acid
drips slowly down upon the mixture,
THE CARBoNIC ACID
Gas, filling the receiver passes out as fast
as it is generated through the pipe, bubbles
through water in little reservoir, to purify
it, and makes its way through tube that
is fastened to the mouth of the ten-gallon
tank which is to be charged. The ten
gallon tank is two-thirds full of water and
is kept shaken violently on sort of swing
ing cradle while the gas is passing into it,
in order that the water shall take up as
much Of the gas as possible. When it is
thoroughly charged the tank is Theoretically
sealed and is ready to be delivered to the
apothecary for serving to his customers.
The business is a dangerous one, for once
in while generating receiver bursts and
blows the factory to flinders. We pay
10 cents a gallon for our soda-water,
and that much will make at least
sixteen glasses, so that it costs us less than
l cen. glass. Add another cent for syrup.
and at cents a glass the profit is very salts
factory. Four tifths Of the soda water
fountains made are manufactured in BoS-
ton by two great firms, which are the largest
users of fancy marbles in the world. The
most costly of them are worth $1,000 apiece,
and are sold in the West, where gorgeous
ness in some ways is highly appreciated.
Immensely valuable patents cover the in
side works of the modern fountain, with
their hundreds of feet of block-tin tubing,
cylinders and 'blacking-bOx cells, !" by which
the soda water is chilled almost to freezing
point before coming out at the spigot."
How is it about mineral waters?
"They are nearly all manufactured arti-
fcially. You can take your choice of the
mineral springs at any apothecary's shop,
but what you get is almost invariably
chemical solution put up by formula cor
responding to the analysis OF this or that
real medicinal water. There is veIy little
lively speaking. the limitations are SO very
much cheaper.
GooD-sIZED FACTORIES
All over the country are devoted to pro-
ducing them"
"WRat is that queer-looking drink that
saw the fat man who was in here just now
swallowing with such wry faces?"
"Oh, that was root beer. He was taking
it for spring medicine, l suppose. Lots of
people have notion that 1t Is necessary to
dose themselves with alternatives and such
things at this season of the year lest they
get sick, and root beer is brewed from a
mixture of all the country vegetable rene
dies additionally accepted by old house
wives in rural parts. We get it in the
shape of packages of the dried ingredients
from New England. where it is put up in
vast quantities and sent all over the United
States One half-pOund Parcel Of this size
will make five gallons of beer. The con-
tents are boiled with that much water and
four pounds OF sugar are added, with pint
of yeast Finally the solution is strained,
fermented for twelve hours, and bottled or
put on tap in the fountain. have no heSi-
tati0n in saying that the resulting beverage
is the most disagreeable stuff Imaginable
do you know what it is nade OPP
"The wrapper on the package says that it
contains wntergreen, sDikenard, checker
berry, dandeIion, sarsaDarilla, Juniper and
hops Most of these ingredientS-for the
reason that the plants have been almost
grubbed out in New England-come from
North Carolina, in the region OF the Black
Mountains where the natives, and more
particularly the Indians. earnsa livelihood
by picking them. These Cherokees have
all sorts OF curious superstitionS regarding
the medicinal plants they gather. For in
stance, they call the ginseng the Very
Great Man. because it has forked root,
resembling in rude way the shape of
human being. They pray to it, and when
they find one of the plants they repeat
formula taught them by the priests, say
ing: oh, mountain, have come to take
piece from your side Then
THE FINDER pLUCKs THE PLANT
Up and puts glass bead into the hole to
pay the mountain for the plant. The sew
enth plant found has special medicinal
value, and the first four plants discovered
must not be touched, though after others
have been gathered the seareher may 60
back and collect these four"
in what way are the plants thus gath
cred brought TO narket?"
"The pickers have no market of their
own. They sell what they gather to big
firms in neighboring towns, which collect
the crops so obtained by sort of contract
system. These firms employ skilled botan-
lists to sort the product and the various
herbs and bark. after being properly cleaned,
dried or otherwise prepared, are put up in
barrels or bales for market Each firm
sends out circulars to apothecaries and
other dealers all over the United States
giving information as to the variety
with goods it has on hand, with prices at
tached, and soliciting orders. The retail
men everywhere get what they want in
this way, put up in boxes. and sell it to
their customers at big profit, or make
medicine out of it for sale. The dandelion
roots come from Lebanon, n. Y, where the
plant is cultivated for medicinal purposes,
like any other vegetable, by the Shakers.
Hops are put in for their stimulating effect.
and little Jamaica ginger for the stomach's
sake. Such roots enter to considerable
extent into the composition of so-called
bitters, much used in temperance commu-
mites. These Differs have the advantage
of ostensible respectabiliiy, although In
reality they almost invariably contain a
large percentage Of aleohol-not infre-
qnently as much as is found in the un-
aduiterated whisky of commerce."