Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1890-06-05
The Color of Water.

What is the color of pure waterP
Almost any person who has no special
knowledge OF the subject will reply at
once 1T has no COLOR Yet every
body knows either through hearsav or
by evidence OF bis own ewes, that the
ocean looks blue. Why the ocean
looks blue is question that few
who have crossed ii have ever sought
TO solve, says Nature. and there are
probable many travellers who, though
they have seen most of the famous
rivers and lakes in the world. have
failed to- notice the remarkable differ
euce in color which their waters pre-
sent Even the ocean is not uniform
in color; in some places It's waters are
green, or even ye1owsh, Some lakes
are distinctly blue; others present var
ious shades OF green, SO that in some
cuses they are hardly distiuguishable
from their level grass-Coyercd banks;
a few are almost black. The lake Of
Geneva is azure-hued; the lake of Con-
stance and the lake OF Lucerne are
green; the color of the Mediterranean
has been called indigo. The lake of
Brienz is greenish yellow, aud its
ueighbor, Lake Ihun, is blue New
York has both green and blue lakes,
The colors of rivers differ vet more
widely, The Rhone is blue, and SO is
the Danube. while the Rhine $ green.
Anybody who has traycrsed the Won
derlul Adirondack region and tished in
its waters must have noticed the re-
markabe difference in the color of its
.ts. 4 Us. 4. "a. a.
ate in every direction from the central
group of mountains The waters of
the Sacondaga are yellowish while
those of the Canada creeks and of the
Mohawk are clear, with perhaps
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 10y its name. but between It
aud the Grassc, which is also black or
brown, is the Oswegatchie with clear
white waters. The St. Regis again, is
black, but the Raquette is white. The
ST. Lawrence is blue These various
hues are not caused by mud or any
apaque sediment such rs chat which
makes the Mississippi coilee-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-
vestigators of nature, such as Tyudall
Bunsen. Arago, Saiute-Claire Deville
and others. Recently Prof Spring o.
tho University of Lege has carefully
investigated The question of the color
OF water. aud has reached some inter-
estiug conclusions According to him,
absolute pure water, when seen in
MASSES OF sufficient thickness is blue.
and all the varieties of color exhibited
In lakes and streams arise from the
presence in the water OF mineral salts
of different degrees Of soubIity and in
varying quantities, Water containing
carbonate of lime in state of almost
complete solution remains blue but If
the solution Is less complete the water
will have tiuge of green. which will
grow stronger as the point of precipi-
tation Is approached. Prof. Spring
concludes that il lime Is added TO blue
water In which SO much carbonate of
lime IS already dissolved that the point
OF sarumtian is approached the water
Will become green. In proof of this he
cites the fact that the water near the
shores oi lakes and seas, where it
comes Ia contact with limestone. is
generally of grccner hue than else
whore.