﻿164 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  Saratoga 
  waters 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  real 
  difficulty. 
  But 
  the 
  possibility 
  of 
  the 
  

   sulphates 
  having 
  been 
  precipitated 
  somewhere 
  along 
  the 
  long 
  route 
  

   of 
  water 
  ascent, 
  may 
  be 
  suggested 
  as 
  an 
  alternative 
  view. 
  Such 
  

   a 
  reaction 
  as 
  that 
  investigated 
  by 
  Hilgard 
  some 
  years 
  ago, 
  a 
  solu- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  sodium 
  sulphate 
  in 
  presence 
  of 
  free 
  carbonic 
  acid 
  dissolving 
  

   calcium 
  carbonate, 
  with 
  formation 
  of 
  sodium 
  carbonate 
  and 
  pre- 
  

   cipitation 
  of 
  calcium 
  sulphate 
  (gypsum), 
  suggests 
  what 
  may 
  con- 
  

   ceivably 
  have 
  happened. 
  1 
  That 
  connate 
  waters 
  of 
  marine 
  deri- 
  

   vation 
  must 
  have 
  originally 
  contained 
  sulphates 
  does 
  not 
  seem 
  to 
  

   us 
  open 
  to 
  question; 
  but 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  necessarily 
  follow 
  that, 
  on 
  

   admixture 
  with 
  other 
  waters, 
  the 
  sulphates 
  should 
  persist 
  in 
  solu- 
  

   tion. 
  We 
  do 
  not 
  urge 
  this 
  as 
  a 
  probability 
  but 
  merely 
  as 
  a 
  possi- 
  

   bility. 
  It 
  does 
  not 
  seem 
  to 
  us 
  proven 
  that 
  the 
  Saratoga 
  waters 
  may 
  

   not 
  receive 
  a 
  contribution 
  from 
  a 
  connate 
  source. 
  

  

  These 
  observations 
  are 
  in 
  no 
  sense 
  a 
  criticism 
  of 
  Kemp's 
  theory, 
  

   but 
  merely 
  intended 
  to 
  emphasize 
  the 
  difficulty 
  and 
  complexity 
  

   of 
  the 
  subject. 
  The 
  two 
  main 
  difficulties 
  in 
  the 
  way 
  of 
  unqualified 
  

   acceptance 
  of 
  the 
  juvenile 
  origin 
  of 
  the 
  Saratoga 
  waters 
  are 
  that 
  

   they 
  are 
  not 
  thermal 
  waters, 
  and 
  that 
  we 
  have 
  no 
  direct 
  evidence 
  

   of 
  igneous 
  action 
  of 
  any 
  recency 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity, 
  or 
  anywhere 
  else 
  

   in 
  the 
  eastern 
  United 
  States. 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  latter 
  fact 
  particularly 
  that 
  

   makes 
  us 
  cautious 
  and 
  causes 
  us 
  to 
  reserve 
  judgment 
  and 
  leads 
  to 
  

   the 
  suggestion 
  of 
  other 
  possibilities. 
  The 
  theory 
  is 
  not 
  condemned 
  

   by 
  us 
  ; 
  we 
  regard 
  it 
  as 
  very 
  likely 
  true. 
  But 
  we 
  do 
  not 
  as 
  yet 
  see 
  

   our 
  way 
  to 
  its 
  unreserved 
  acceptance. 
  

  

  A 
  paragraph 
  at 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  Dr 
  F. 
  W. 
  Clarke's 
  discussion 
  of 
  

   Mineral 
  Wells 
  and 
  Springs 
  so 
  well 
  expresses 
  our 
  state 
  of 
  mind 
  

   that 
  we 
  conclude 
  by 
  quoting 
  it. 
  2 
  

  

  And 
  yet, 
  notwithstanding 
  all 
  that 
  has 
  been 
  written 
  on 
  the 
  subject, 
  

   the 
  controversy 
  over 
  the 
  genesis 
  of 
  hot 
  springs 
  is 
  not 
  closed. 
  What 
  

   is 
  the 
  origin 
  of 
  the 
  carbon 
  dioxid 
  with 
  which 
  so 
  many 
  mineral 
  

   waters 
  are 
  heavily 
  charged? 
  In 
  some 
  instances, 
  doubtless, 
  it 
  is 
  

   derived 
  from 
  the 
  decomposition 
  of 
  limestones, 
  but 
  in 
  others 
  this 
  

   explanation 
  can 
  not 
  suffice. 
  Here 
  and 
  there 
  it 
  may 
  be, 
  to 
  use 
  

   Suess's 
  expression, 
  " 
  juvenile," 
  and 
  evidence 
  of 
  the 
  deep-seated 
  

   origin 
  of 
  a 
  spring. 
  Again, 
  whence 
  comes 
  the 
  sodium 
  chlorid 
  of 
  

   waters 
  that 
  flow 
  from 
  sources 
  where 
  it 
  could 
  not 
  have 
  been 
  previ- 
  

   ously 
  laid 
  down 
  ? 
  These 
  questions, 
  and 
  others 
  like 
  them, 
  still 
  await 
  

   satisfactory 
  answers. 
  

  

  iAm. 
  Jour. 
  Sci.. 
  4th 
  ser., 
  1896, 
  2:100. 
  

   8 
  U. 
  S. 
  Geol. 
  Surv., 
  Bui. 
  491. 
  p. 
  203. 
  

  

  