90 Morey on Mineral Waters, &fc, 



nishing mineral springs, by the disengagement of the car- 

 bonic acid from marble, by the stronger acids. For that 

 purpose and others, I had a small cool spring of water 

 brought in a wooden aqueduct about one hundred and fifty 

 yards, having a descent of fifty feet, all the way on an in- 

 clined plane, so that the water should, in no instance, fil! 

 the bore of the logs, and obstruct the passage of the gas or 

 gases, if turned into the aqueduct with the water, or forced 

 in at the bottom. I found no difficulty in fiUing the aque- 

 duct with water, so as to give a pressure or head equal to 

 thirty or forty feet perpendicular. Very fine streams of wa- 

 ter, issuing under any thing like this head, and coming in 

 contact at nearly a right angle, with a plane surface, were 

 converted into a spray, as fine, much of it, as rnist. When 

 this mist or spray was forced into an atmosphere of pretty 

 strongly compressed carbonic acid gas, it became suitably 

 impregnated with the gas, so as to form a very pleasant 

 drink. To facilitate the impregnation, and to prevent a 

 possibih'ty of any of the sulphuric acid being retained by 

 the water, and for other purposes, I filled the vessel, (a 

 common three gallon stone jug answers well,) about two- 

 thirds or three-fourths, with grains of the marble, about the 

 size of large peas: the spray falling on these, passing slow- 

 ly from one piece to another, gives more time and presents 

 an immense surface to the gas. In this way, water under a 

 pressure of twenty or thirty feet head, or much less, issuing 

 at the rate of about two half-pint tumblers per minute, flows 

 in, pure spring water at the top, and flows out nearly or per- 

 fectly saturated at the bottom : as much so nearly as any 

 known natural mineral spring. By adding one vessel to 

 the top of another, or increasing the length, and increasing 

 the pressure, any desired quantity of the gas may be added 

 to the water. Indeed, any part or the whole length of the 

 aqueduct may be filled with these fragments and with those 

 of iron. The gas and water evidently dissolve more or 

 less of the lime and iron. Carbonate of soda, or any other 

 substance which renders the water more healthy or useful, 

 may be added in any desired quantity. The quantity of 

 water that flows in, may be regulated or stopped so as to 

 meet very exactly the call or demand there shall be for the 

 mineral water. The overplus of the spring water is applied 

 to keep the vessels and mineral water cool. This mineral 



