The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1899-08-04
FEDERAL HOT WATER
The Governments Reservation In
the State of Arkansas.
Receipts from Tax Levied on Bath
houses and Rentals Return Uncle
Sam n Profit Every
Year.

By an act of congress passed in April,
1882, when Arkansas was still terri
tory, the hot springs, with four sections
of land, were set aside for the future
disposal of the United States. BY the
act of March, 1877, the appointment of
commissioners was authorized to lay
out into lots and streets sertain tracts
of land in Garland county, part of the
Hot Springs reservation. The levying
of a special tax on water taken from the
hot springs was authorized, the money
arising from water rents to be used in
improvement of the reservation. BY the
act of June, 1850, those divisions of the
Hot Springs reservation known as
North Mountain, West Mountain and
Sugar Loaf Mountain were dedicated to
public use as parks on permanent res
lervation, aggregating 900 acres.
The hot water Issues from the base
and side of the Hot Springs mountain,
and the actual quantity is not known;
that which is under control and being
used to supply the lighthouses amounts
to about 100000 gallons daily, and the
emount collected and passed through
the impounding reservoir about $50, 900,
making total quantity of hot water
snder control about e5o,0o0 gallons
daily. The hot springs are not only un-
der government control, but are direct
ly managed by the United States gov
ernment, which has an investment in
them in excess of $500,000. Az shown
by the last published treasury report,
the total receipts from lighthouses and
hot water rent at the hot springs for the
fiscal year ended July /, 1898, was $18,-
III. The disbursements by the superin-
tendent for salaries, superintendent,
repairs, fuel, lights, and water (cold)
were s12,3ss. This represented profit
to the United States of $4,000.
A large number of the patrons of the
hot springs are INDECENT persons who,
unable to pay the ordinary hotel
,charges or to avail themselves of the
paid bathing opportunities, are sup
piled free. There is, moreover, free
ldispensary under direction of United
States army surgeon. The total num-
Der of patrons Is about 5000 a day,
though the facilities of the hot springs
allow, as at present arranged, for 5000
The resident population of Hot Springs
is about 5000 and the average number
of persons in town patronizing the 70
hot water springs is about 1000 addi-
tional.
The hotel bathhouse in Hot Springs
are not run by the government directly
but are subject to individual proprie.
tors, and the same course is adopted
with the baths not connected with
hotels, the policy of the government be.
ing to operate so far as practicable the
hot springs without loss and without
any large profit, By~act Of congress
passed IN October, 1858, $31 900 was ap.
propriated for providing system OF
reservoirs, piping and pumps necessary
to the collection and economical dis.
tributing of hot water from the hot
springs. Pursuant to this authority
contracts for the work were let, AL
lighthouses on the reservation are sup.
piled by gravity, and those off the reser'
vation, where not supplied by gravity
are required to pump the hot water
from the impounding reservoir at their
own expense.
1t is supposed popularity that many OF
the 'outside ventures" of Uncle Sam are
improbable, but the fact is that he
makes considerable profit on some Of
them, $170,0O0 year on the patent Of
fee, $3,5Oo,ooo from the operations Of
the mint, and a considerable sum from
the sale and leases of public lands.-N
Y. Sun.