Trade and Commerce. 51 



does about four times the business that the whole twenty 

 were doing at that time. 



Aerated Waters Manufacture. 



Among the products for which Belfast is famous, not 

 the least important is the aerated water manufactured by 

 several firms. A short account of Messrs. W. A. Ross & 

 Sons' works must stand for all. The first process is the 

 manufacture of a syrup of sugar and water, made of the best 

 cane sugar, mixed with certain flavouring essences, and filtered 

 together into large crocks. The water is obtained from 

 deep wells, tapping a bed of gravel remarkable for the 

 purity of the water which it supplies ; in fact, to this 

 stratum is largely due the success of this industry. 



The delivery-pipe of the well-pump is led into a large 

 slate tank, glazed over, and fitted with glass stop-valves, etc., 

 hy which it communicates with a row of tanks containing 

 the various flavouring liquids. On the floor below, the 

 liquid is i)assed through the carbonating machines, in which 

 carbonic acid gas, at 140 lbs. per square inch, is thoroughly 

 mixed with and absorbed by the water. On the second 

 floor are the bottling machines, which are most ingenious and 

 interesting. With the majority of Messrs. Ross's machines 

 the bottles are filled by a man on one side of the machine, 

 and passed to another, who wires them ; but there are also 

 American " Crown " corking machines, which only requ're 

 the service-s of one man, as they complete individually the 

 whole process of filling, carbonating, and corking. Both 

 corks and bottles are most carefully and thoroughly cleaned, 

 the former by machinery, and the latter by hand, for no 

 machine has yet been invented which can " see dirt " on a 

 greasy bottle ! 



On the ground floor are the engine-room, the carbonic 

 acid gas generator, the boiler-room, well-room, and the 

 export packing-room. Leading out of the yard are cellars 

 containing lime juice, cider, and hop bitters in bulk, and in 

 another room lime juice, lemon syru^), and other cordials 

 are made and bottled. 



Ross's business was established in 1879, and, owing to the 

 high standard of excellence, and the care taken to ensure 



