New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-09-10
PRINCE BIsMARcK's BATH,
THE WATERS OF KISSINGEN THAT WERE
FAMOUS NINETEEN CENTURIES AGO.


Persons of more or less distinction from all parta
of the world have made their way to the plaza.
And on many day much Of the most readable
and most read news has been printed beneath =
Kissingcn date-line For this one season, at anv
rate. the resort the Saale has decidedly ont.
ranked in interest all competitors And the scent
of it il, of course, the presence and the volu.
bility of Prince Bismarck.
II is now nineteen years since Prince Bismarck
first visited Kissingen lie did 80 then, Is now.
under his doctors orders. In that one rcspeoA
this iron autocrat is the most submissive Of men.
If his doctor says 20, he goes or come, he comes
unhcsitatingly. He obeys without murmurps
and without question. 1t is not that he Is =
coward, afraid of death or illness. Rather il n
because of his high sense Of discipline and DUTY
For the time being he places himself under his
doctors orders, and gives TO them the same az.
tcntiye compliance that he would expect his own
subordinates 10 give 10 him. So. too, when h
Is taking the cure" he does it Thoroughly, IN
every detail There is no ono at kiSsngcn whs
PAYS closer attention to his treatment
Tho railroad from Frankfort 10 K!ssingen had
lust been completed in 1874. when Prince Bis.
,parck went 10 tho latter rlace making access
easy and pleasant. But tho Prince had only
been there few days when there WIS start.
ling occurrence. which might well have driven
him forever from the place. This was Knllmans
attempt to murder him in memory of which, OF
of tho statcsmans escap" from death, mural
fable, has been erected ~ the town. The
exact date was July l3-an important ami
ycrsary. for on July b. inst four years before, a.
another watering-placc, King William OF Prussia
had received from France that peremptcry de-
wa
and made that monarch Emperor oven united
Germany.
The historic interest o. Kissingen dates further
back. however. than tho great 'hanreilHrs hr~
visit 4 monument in The town rec2lls the
fact that on July 10, 1866 bloody biffle
was fought there between the armies of Prussia
and Bavaria. the latter being worsted. Far
hacl, of that date, too. Kissingcn was the scens
Of another great conflict between two German
tribes. They were not fighting then for and
AGAINST union of tho various tribes or States,
brt for the right to use III" waters which have
oivcn thc rlaco it, wealth and fam" That, ac-
,ording 10 Tacitus, was in the year IS: whence
il appear, that for nineteen ce,turles tie salt
wafer OF Klssingcn has been known and valued
for its Notwithstanding qualities. References TO
the fact are found in rliny and again IN charters
and other documents a. old a. the early part
Of the ninth century The medical Literature
OF the sixteenth re"tnry contains many treafisS
on the subject. and it tprear- that the waters
we're than much sought a. a cure for the same
complaints a. at the present day-nahey' sodr
rheumatism and dyspepsia.
Cne Of kissincons most famous incidents
however. occurred in the Thirty Years war; whea
the town WAS "a, ed by bees The place SUI
frrcd much. half It's inhabitants being klllel or
scattered The remainder sought safety within
the walls. leaving all outside to tn" ravages OF
war Presently the place was attacked by al
overwhelming force. The assault began on
March 10. lG43 For seven days and nights the
conflict ragged furiolsly. On the eighth day tho
rownsmcn felt themselves exhausted. The wall
was battered into ruins and the conquering Inc
vaders came swarming through huge breach
Then the hero Of Kis>' ngen, the immortal Peter
He'll. sprang forward. Selling n huge beehive
he hurled il full into the faces of the assalllne
forces Quick as thought his comrades imitated
him Bc,-hiveS were plentiful for honey-making
had been q great industry in kissingen soon
scores and hun irels Of hives. each with an angry
swarm. were flung amid the soldiers. who quickly
turned and feel in utter ront Thus VA, klssn'
gen saved, and in token Of their great delIv-
erance the burghers had bust of Peter Hell
carved ont Of stone and set in the wall OF the
Town Hall.
The chief fame Of KissinGen As health resort
dates from the latter part Of the seventeenth
century when a great bishop was cnrcl OF gout
* drinking its waters. So pleased was this pref.
ate AT the benefits he received that he made
himself patron of the place, had the WAFER
analysed, and made many improvements anous
the springs Tor tn" convenience OF those VINO
might follow ms example and come hither AZ
that time only what is now known as the MiN-
brunnen spring in use. Put soon after ina
Rackoczy and Pandur We're discovered ana nv
the year of l,3, Kissingen became, a. DR. Softer
SAYS "a bath renowned throughout the world.
Still it was visited by only few people, perhaps
from one TO two hundred in year. Not nntn tne
present century did people go there IN hfse
numbers In 1865 the Empress of Austria seq
the fashion Of going 10 KIsscngen and more than
900 people followed her example In ls'''
Prince Psmarcks first year. there were nearly >
i 1900 visitors. This year there have been per-
haps twice as many. without reckoning the
Thousand. who have gone thithcr simply to seq
and 10 honor the great cN-Chancror
The cue" at Kissingen comprises both drlnSlna
and bathing ~ Il rule, patients drink 'is
water twice a day. Tho first drink is taken early
in the morning. before breakfast: the second az
; or in the afternoon. before supper Moss
rcopl" drink iii" water warm, as il i thought "
In more beneficial warm than cold. The hca ing
is done in clumsy and tedious WY Each spring
is surrounded With a row OF charcoal FIRES, IN
stoves. Over these pans Of water are Sep'
boiling. The patient gets glassful OF coiu
water from the spring, sets If in pan oil NOV
water and waits till it gets warm enough 10 drink
Often the heat breaks the glass; which does not
greatly matter 10 him. since fhe glasses arc
furnished by tho management But oft"ner sup
b" gets his fingers scalded. which does matter
great deal. Many patients drink mixture Oh
water and whey of goats milk. The management
supplies the whey. for small consi lera'lon N
cash. hut much greater one in time ana
patience The roundabout and intricate process
required for the purchase of the whey is some
thing extraordinary, even in land of bureau