The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1890-06-11
The Color OF Water.

What is the color et pvre wster?
Almost any person w'ho has 10 special
knowlelg2 % the subject will reply at
once 1t has no color Yet every
body knows. either Through hcarSav or
by evidence OF lis own eyes. that the
ocean looks blue. Why the ocean
loojs blue IS n question that few
~nO have crossed it lave ever sought
to solve. says Nat'trc. and there are
probable MAN. travellers who, though
they have seen most OF the famous
rivers and lakes IN the world, have
failed to notice the remarkable differ
cacc :n color which their waters pre-
sent. Even the ocean is rot uniform
in color; il some places its waters are
green, or even ycllowish. Some lakes
are distinctly blue; others present var
ious shades OF green. so that III some
cases they are hardly distinguishable
from their level grass-covercd banks;
n few arc almost black. The lake OF
Geneva is ;,zurc-hucd; the lake Of Con-
stance and tie lake Of Lucerne are
green: the color of the Mediterranean
has been called indigo. The lake Of
Brienz is greeilish yellow, and its
ncighbor, Lake Thun, is blue. New
York has both green and blue lakes.
The colors of rivers differ yet more
widely. The Rhone IS blue, and SO is
the Danube, while the Rhine is green.
Anybody who has traycrsed the won
dcrful Adirondack region and fShed IN
its waters must have noticed the re-
markabie difference in the color OF its
rivers and smaller streams which radi-
ate in every direction from the central
group of mountains. The waters OF
the Sacondaga are ycllowish. while
those OF the Canada creeks and of the
Mohawk are clear, with perhaps a
blush tint in deep poles. Fish creek
is black or deep brown; and its neigh
Dor, Salmon river, is colorless. Next
comes the Black river, whose color IS
indicated bv its name, but between it
and the Grassc, which is also black or
brown, is the Oswegatchic, with clear,
white waters. The St. Regis again, is
black, but the Raquettc is white. The
St. Lawrence is blue. These various
hues are not caused By mud or any
apaque sediment, such as that which
makes, the Mississippi coifec-colored,
but belong to the waters. like the
golden color OF tea, without greatly
impairing their transparency.
The cause Of the difference in the
color Of lakes and rivers has engaged
the attention OF many celebrated in
vcStigajor5 Of nature, such as Iyndau,
Bunscn, Ara%o. Saiatc-Claire Dcyllle,
and Others. Recently Prof. Spring OF
the University of L;egc has carefully
investigated the question Of the color
OF water. and has reached some inter-
estin~ conclusions. According to him,
absolute pure water. when seen III
masses OF sufficient thickness. is blue,
and all tie varieties OF color exhibited
n lakes and streams arise from the
presence in the "ater OF mineral salts
OF different degrees of solubltity and IN
varying quantities. Water containing
carbonate of lime in a state Of almost
complete solution remains blue, but II
the solution IS less complete the water
will have :, iingc ef green, which VIII
grow stronger is the point OF preclpl-
tat;on is appcoached. Prof. Spring
concludes that If lime IS added TO blue
wa,cl. in which so !n;ich carbonate Of
line is already dissolved that the point
OF satur:,iian IS approached the water
viii become green. IN proof OF this he
cites the fact that the wat"r near the
shores of lakes and seas. where 1t
comcs in contact with limestone. IS
generally OF :. SrccEcl' h.ie !hau else-
where.