The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-01-17
THEY LIVE ON WATER.
British and Continental Places Depend

BrltlSn and Continental Places Depend-
 ent on Springs for Business.
 Water does not seem at first sight, the sort of a thing out of which a good living can be made. Yet the prosperity of a great many towns, both in England and on the Continent. is entirely due to their abundant supply in this respect. But then the water is a mineral one, and finds eager pur- chasers at price that yields hand some profit to the fortunate owners of the springs from which it is obtained,
 Taking the Continental Spas first, it seems that Wiesbaden is the most pop ular. Every year upward of 10000 visitors pour into the town for the pur- pose of taking the "cure." This con- sists of getting up at 5:3O or so in the morning and repairing to the Koch brunnen, where one walks round and round in procession, solemnly slipping at a glass of lukewarm water, with a curious flavor in it of weak chicken broth. Vichy attracts 85,000 health seekers during the summer months, and Aix-la -Chapelle about 70000 Is- chi, the favorite watering place of the Emperor Francis Joseph, is only slightly less popular, while Carlsbad runs in very close with 60,000: Then comes Homburg, which has perhaps the finest baths to be found anywhere in Germany. Marienbad, which King Edward has lately taken to patroniz- ing (and where last season he was en- tered on the records as "No. 15,905, His Grace the Duke of Lancaster, of Lon don'D also attracts large number of people Half of them, however, prob ably go there only to look at the more distinguished visitors.
 Of course, this influx means the ex- penditure of a great deal of money on the towns in question, and many of them that were only humble villages a comparatively short time ago are now quite thriving resorts, A great source of revenue to the local municipalities is contributed. by the 'KurtaX" which is imposed on all new corners after five days residence. The money thus ob- tained is applied to the upkeep of the bathing establishments and public gar dens and the povision of bands and orchestral concerts, etc. In Honlourg the tax amounts to about 30 shillings and in various other places it is even highe..
 Although perhaps not quite so fash ionable, the English Spas are by no means behind their Continental rivals in popularity. At Harrogate, for ex- ample, the most celebrated of them all, there were upwards of 107.000 visitors to the pumprooms within the last twelve months. The great time of the year there is Whitsuntide, when thous- ands upon thousands of hard headed business men snatch brief holiday for the purpose of imbibing a few pints of the sulphur impregnated wat CTS for which the Yorshire town is not ed and acts as 8 tonic that keeps them In good health for months to come. Last Whitsuntide the receipts were 100 pounds sterling day. Harrogate also has its aristocratic pa irons. The present Empress of Russia, for example, often paid a visit to Har- rogate before her husband ascended his uneasy throne, and supply of the local mineral water is dispatched reg ularly to St. Petersburg every week.
 Bath, the oldest of all English spas has veritable fortune in its mineral springs. The magnificent bathing es- tablishment is owned by the corpora tion and 1t is run at such substan- tial profit that the rates instead of con tinually mounting up as elsewhere, are steadily going down. The daily yield of the termal waters exceeds 50O.OOO gallons. These are heated to a temper ature of 120 degrees Fahrenheit by the fires of an extinct volcano. In ad- dition to very large number of reg ular subscribers among the residents, the pump rooms attract at least 100, 900 visitors every year.
 The famous chalybeate springs at Tunbridge Wells are private property. Overtures were recently made to sell them to the corporation for fifty thous- and pounds sterling, but the offer was