Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1896-09-03


us, and we have simply to dispense it.
1t comes to us in ten gallon steel and
lnetal-bound receptacles, highly
charged. We put the tanks under the
fountain and draw from them until they
are empty, and send them back to be re-
filled and recharged; and so the bust
ness goes on from day to day. We get
ours from Baltimore, and there are fac
tories in all of the larger cities. We LAY
Is cents a gallon for our soda, and it
costs us less than a cent n glass. We
sell it at five cents, and the syrup costs
us less than half a cent per glass. You
see we are making about 300 per cent,
and that is splendid profit. When I
was a young man and we made all Our
own soda water it cost us twice as much
as it does at the modern factories.
Did you ever see soda water made?
1t is very simple. and very interesting.
Soda water is merely pure spring water
charged with carbonic acid gas. 1t is
made in large quantities. Water is
abundant, and ordinary marble is full
of carbonic acid which is easily re-
leased. At the factory they put a couple
of barrels full of marble dust into
strong metal receiver, and pour over it
an equal amount of water. The re-
ceiver is then Theoretically sealed with
no vent except one small pipe leading
out Of the top. That pipe leads into
little reservoir of water through which
the gas must go to be purified, aud
then the gas goes through tube into
ten gallon receiver which is two-thirds
full Of pure spring water. That is the
tank for the customers.
"As soon as the marble dust and water
have been sealed, faucet is turned
which allows sulphuric acid to slowly
drip into the mixture. Violent chem
ical combustion results. The carbonic
acid in the marble is separated from the
lime in the form of carbonic acid gas,
and that ascends through the little pipe
into the reservoir, and so on into the
ten gallon tank. The latter is kept
shaking violently on swinging cradle,
in order 10 keep the water in motion so
that it will take up all the gas. When
this ten gallon tank is thoroughly
charged it is Theoretically sealed and
another tank put in it's place, until all
Of the acid gas is extracted from the
marble. and then the process is repeat
ed. 1t is a dangerous business, and
sometimes the tanks are exploded,
blowing the factory to flinders, and
manning or killing the workmen.
"The mineral waters are all maunfac-
tured," continued the druggist. you
can order any kind of mineral water
4 / -.
mineral waters are manufactured after
the chemical formulas of the waters
they represent, and they are practical
ly as good. while being much cheaper"
After talking freely about Vichy,
Geyser, Kissengen and other waters, the
old druggist said: Ibid you ever drink
root beer? A great many men take it
az a spring or summer medicine, but
it isn't anything of the kind. New
England firms sell root beer in pack.
ages of dried roots, leaves and so forth.
One package will make five gallons of
root beer, after being stewed With
sugar and finally diluted and boiled
The. packages contain wintergrcen
dandclion, spikenard, sarsaparilla,
checkerberry, hops and juniper. That
combination ought to make anybody
sick or well. 1t is supposed to be a
tonic, and maybe it is, but pure water
and little quinine will do me quite as
much good. and know what am TAX
ing"
After all, the drug business is a rather
queer combination of all sorts of bust.
ness. Originally drug stores were kept
by physicians. In the European coun
tries every druggist is obliged to stick
to his own business and not mix other
businesses with it. In our country,
however, we not only get our prescrip-
tons mixed at the drug stores, but
there we go for our patent medicines,
chewing gum, cigars, tobacco, candy,
combs, brushes, and pretty soon they
will be throwing in collars and cuffs
with soda water.
SMITH d. FRY.
'Possums are destroying watermelons
at White CITY Fla. and giving more