Evening star., 1901-05-11

KARLSBAD WATERS.
The Famous Medicinal Spring Has
Broken Out in New Spot.

Inc famOuS MeOlClnaI Spring nus
Broken Out in n New Spot.
From the London Standard.
| A new hot spring is said to have burst
forth at karlsbad, .copious enough to re-
jofce the hearts Of all interested in it's
medicinal waters. The site Of that attrac
tive health resort must be something like
the leaky lid Of a gigantic kettle, for hot
water rises to the surface at no fewer
than seventeen places. We have yet to
learn whether the waters just discovered
agree in composition with those already
known, for 1t does not always follow that
neighboring springs are Of Identical COM
position. Differences are not uncommon
where the water rises to the surface from
orifices some little distance apart At Karl
bad sulphate Of soda is the dominant min
eral but some of the springs contain a
good deal of carbonate of lime. This, as
the temperature falls forms masses COM
posed of small balls, like peas, but with
radial structure, due to crystallZation,
which are cut, polished and worked up into
ornamental souvenirs The mineral con-
tents of these medicinal springs are varied
enough, but sometimes the quantity, even
In the most health giving, is surprisingly
small. This Is the case, for instance, with
the famous springs Of Pfafers, near Ra-
gatz, in Switzerland They break out near
the Tamina, in deep and narrow rocky
gorge, at a temperature just under 100 de-
grees Fahrenheit, and though they contain
Only a very small quantity Of soda and mag
nesa are remarkably beneficial in many
stomachic, equity and nervous disorders
so beneficial that in the old days when pa
tients camped as best they could near the
orifces of the springs they not only sur
vived, but actually profted by the treat
ment.
In mountain countries mineral springs
are generally abundant. Switzerland alone
is said to contain quite $50 bathing estab-
lishments. with saline, alkaline, chalybeate
,V,3 1rh1r w otar, NN<
markable among these are those Of Stach-
eberg, which are SO impregnated with the
last named mineral that the water has a
birthstone color, and the bather for the rest
of the day Is suggestive of an ambulant
box of old-fashioned lucifers. Every trav-
eler over the Gemmi Pass has paused to
look at the baths Of Leuk, where the pa
tients spend hours gently stewing in the
tepid water, furnished with floating tables
for their papers and coffee cups The st.
Moritz springs, in the Engadine, which
have become so celebrated during the last
thirty years, contain iron, alkaline salts
and carbonic acid gas. But the Eastern
and Western Alps are not less famous In
the one the sulphur baths of LIE Presne,
the alkaline waters Of Bormio and Bad
Gastein, and the chalybeate of Santa Cath
arina have long been more or less well
known, and the Western Alps have MANY
similar health resorts. OF Aix-les-Bains,
near the lovely Lac de Bourget every one
knows; very hot and very rich in iron are
the less familiar springs of Monetier, in
the heart of Dauphine, Volcanic districts
also, might be expected, are rich in
mineral springs. In Auvergne they abound.
Vichy is household word with many in
valds; but Mont Dore and Royat also at
tract many visitors. One of those at the
latter place leaps and bubbles, like min
| iature and @perennially troubled Pool of
Bethesda, in the principal public garden,
and some such as that at Clermont Fer
rand, deposit great quantities of carbonate
| of lime. But the British Isles have also
their mineral springs-Leamington Chel-
tenham, Tunbridge Wells, Harrogate. some
times suggestive of rotten eggs; the warm
ink to the palate; Strathpeffer, and MANY
more. Even the neighborhood of London
once had it's spas. Those of our own coun-
| try have been for time rather thrown
into the background by continental rivals.
but now. in many cases, they are regain
| ing popularity.