The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-11-16
WHO ORIGINATED
FIZZY SODA WATER?

people, and even Kings and Emperors
often partook of the delicious drought"
MIR. Dows and his soda water received
many medals, on the strength of which a
large business was established in London.
Thurlow Weed wrote to the New York
Commercial concerning the advent OF the
new American drink, saying that "the ap-
proaches to the Dows fountains resem-
bled long files of clerks after stamps at
the New York postoffice.'
Beginning of the Boom
When the Philadelphia centennial was
held soda water took on its first real
American boom, and has been booming
ever since, even during the present wan
ing year, when Omaha dispensers of the
beverage claim that they sold more soda
water than during any other year that
has ever passed over the heads of Oma-
hans. The concession at Philadelphia sold
for $4,000 and the promoters reaped a
rich harvest.
During the past half century the soda
water trade has made enormous strides.
According to the United States census the
soda habit has acquired a tremendous
grip. Over d75,0O0. GOO gallons of soda water
are consumed in this country alone In a
single year, approximately eight billion
glasses and about 10 glasses per capita
This does not include the popular sundae
or college ice Fifty years ago the an
nual expenditure for soda water in the
United States amounted to but few
thousand dollars, today the expenditure
is about $500 10000. There are more than
100000 soda fountains in the country
The Pharmaceutical Era's historian of
the soda water industry wakes eloquent
when he considers the vast scope of the
business. We quote:
Few realize the scope of the indus
tries allied to that of soda manufac-
Inc oil rlrtxa
working. silyerplating,s brass working
and plumbing; glass making and china
baking; fruit preserving and syrup max
ing; wood carving and loaded glass work.
edible nut gathering In every cline, and
the culling of rare extracts and flavors
from temperate and torrid zones-all these
and more are affiliated with the SODA
water industry. and have to take their
toll before the. fizz 70 the fountain Is
possible in the production of even one
glass of the great American beverage.
Great orchards are devoted exclu-
sively to the culture of fruits for syrups
and preserved delicacies; immense groves
in Jamaica, Porto Rico, Fla wall and the
islands of the sea are given over to the
production of pineapples, cocoanuts
bananas and other tropical fruits; huge
dairy farms with blue ribbon, blooded
Jerseys and Guernseys produce the milk
and the cream, used fresh or in con-
centrated form; thousands of tons of
sugar, shiploads of nuts from Brazil,
Italy, Spain and California, not to forget
the modest pecan from Texas; preserved
ginger from far Cathay; spices from
Manila and Mandalay; vanilla from
MeXico-the entire productive world Is
drawn upon, not to make Roman holi-
day, but to tempt the taste of the Ameri-
can matinee girl and the soda water
habtue."
Just how many gallons of soda water
and iced drinks, bought at fountains. is
consumed each year In Omaha, no one
can tell The trade, however, is large,
and the drinks varied and most delicious.
During the present season, II is fair to
state that Omaha did her full share to-
ward keeping up the enormous output in
this country of S75,o00,0O0 gallons a year,
and the chances are that these figures
were boosted during the warmest months