Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-06-14

T. hLhL was qulte crown OF bhHsv
~IFSeustomers about the soda water
NJ counter awaiting their turns for
RI drink OF the refreshing beverage.
- Isn't il awfully gassyg" said .
youth OF delicate physique with a sky-blne
ribbon on his straw hat to . plump girl in
white muslin.
She, however, only responded with a slight
gasp after an unusually big swallow, gazing,
iarge-eyed, over the rim OF her tumbler AZ
three very swell-ookiug young women Who
had just finished their allowance. A rather
blg and norid young man who accompanied
them Was proaerins payment, bu, one Of tie
ladies interposed.
You must excuse me, Mr.. Scandal" .he
said; 81 must ask you to permit me 70 pay for
myself and my sisters Mamma would not lie
il otherwise"
Mr.. so-and-so was too well bred. O., oours.
to press the point. though evidently marveling
At the exhibition of such an exaggerated deiS-
cacy IN the matter OF soda water treat They
left the shop presently, as did also the delicate
youth with his girl, two elderly females, q fat
man and q dissipsted-looking young person
who had needed glass of yichy % brace him
temporary luh in the business gave a srAn
reporter an opportunity 90 ask the clerk be hind
replied:
SODA WATER ~ BULE
Most people seem to have a notion that
every spotheeary makes his own soda water in
q tank down cellar, whereas the fact is that be
never manufactures it himself under Any cir
cumstances. but buys it by the quantity all
ready for use. IL comes in ten-gailon recep-
tacles and the business OF producing 10 il an
enormous one in this country We get ours
from Baltimore, but there are factories in ali
the big cities. Each factory has thousands OF
such ten-galon receptacles as I speak OF, Of
steel and heavily bound with metal ribs 80 -
TO withstand the tremendous pressure 20 which
they are subiected. IL is their business 20 send
these tanks filed TO the apothecaries and others
who dispense the stuff. The latter put the
tanks beneath their fountains. one at a time
draw from them until they are empty and then
send them back 10 be refilled and returned
loaded as beforehand so on ad inhnitum"
But how is the stuff made at the factory?"
In the simplest way imaginable, though in
vast quantities. or course Il is merely water
charged with carbonic acid gas. Water IN
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 carbonic acid out Of the marble ID 10 only
necessary 20 reduce il TO powder and pour
sulphuric acid on il. Violent chemical COM
bustion results and the carbonic acid parts
from the lime IN the shape of csrbonic acid
gas. AT the factory they put the marble dust
Al utbhA receiver, couple OF harrelfula
at q time, with about as much water and close
il up so tight that there is no vent save one
small pipe leading out Of the top. Machinery
keeps the
WATER AND MARBLE Dust CONSTANTLY srrRREn.
while from a 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 wsy through tube
that is fastened to the mouth OF the lO-gaIlon
tank which is TO be charged. The I0-gaIlon
tank is two-thirds full OF water and is kent
shaken violently on a sort OF swinging cradle
while the gas Is passing into il, in order that
the water shall take up as much of the gas as
possible. When II is thoroughly charged the
tank Is Dramatically sealed and is ready TO be
delivered to the apothecary for serving 20 his
customers. The business il q dangerous
one, Tor once IN while a generating
receiver bursts and blows the factory
to flinders We pay Is cents a gallon
FOR our soda water, aud that much will make At
least sixteen glasses that il costs us less than
cent glass. Add another cent for strip and
at cents glass the profit is very satisfactory.
Four-hfths of the soda water fountains made
are manufactured in Boston 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
gorgeousness IN such ways is highly appreci-
ated Immensely valuable patents cover the
inside 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 il about mineral watersy"
They are nearly ali manufactured srti-
fciaily. You can take your choice of the min
ersl springs At any apothecarys shop. but what
you get Is almost invariably a chemical solu-
ton put up by formula corresponding TO the
analysis OF this or that real medicinal water
There is very little of the actual stuff on the
market, comparatively speaking, the imita-
tions are 80 very much cheaper Good-sized
factories all over the country are devoted to
producing them"
ROOT BEER
"What is that queer-looking drink that saw
the fat man who was in here Just now swallow
ing with such wry faces2"
''Oh, that was root beer. He was taking IA
for spring medicine, suppose. Lots OF peo-
pie have a notion that il is necessary 20 dose
themselves with alternatives and such things AZ
this season OF the year lest they get sick and
root beer is brewed from a mixture OF all the
country vegetable remedies traditionally ac-
cepted by old wives in rural parts We get il
In the shaw Of packages Of the dried ingre-
dents from New England, where il is put up
IN vast quantities and sent all over the United
States. One half-pound parcel Of this size will
make hve gallons OF beer. The contents are
boiled with that much water and four pounds
of sugar are added, with 9 pint Of yeast.
Finally the solution is strained, fermented for
twelve hours and bottled or put on tap in the
fountain. / have no hesitation in saying that
the resulting beverage is the most disagreeabls
stuff imaginable"
do you know what il is made of"
The wrapper on the package SAYS that it
contains wintergreen, spikenard, checkerberry,
dandelion, sarsaparilla, 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, earn
a livelihood by picking them. These Chero-
KEGS have all sorts OF curious superstitions re-
gardiDg the medicinal plants they gather. For
instance, they call the ginseng the Very Great
Man, because il has forked root. resembling
in q rude way the shape OF a human being.
They pray 70 it, and when they find one of the
plants they repeat formula taught them by
the priests, saying: "oh, Mountain, 1 have
come to take piece from your side" Then
the finder plucks the plant up and
PUTS GLASS BEAD INTO TIE HOLE
to pay the mountain for the plant. The sev-