INNOVATION FOUNTAIN. 
Soda Fountain of Latest Design, with all Mod- 
ern Improvements Installed by, Manchester’s 
Enterprising Druggists, A. Lee & Sons, 
‘‘In 1856 an unprecedented burst 
of enterprise in the annals of local 
store-keeping found place in the in- 
stalling of a soda fountain, which was 
the wonder of the people for miles 
around. It was of white marble, ten 
inches wide at the base and 18 inches 
high, with a top running to a peak, 
like an old mantel clock. It had one 
faucet and carried four bottles of 
syrup. It cost $60.00 to install.” 
This was said of the first soda foun- 
tain installed in Manchester almost 60 
years ago by Mr. Andrew Lee, found- 
er of the well known and enterprising 
concern of A. Lee & Sons. The ac- 
companying picture is of this very 
fountain. Could it bedisplayed today, 
it would be the cause of as much curi- 
osity as it was 60 years ago. 
In its day that fountain was a mar- 
vel, so to speak. It was the best 
thing of its kind on the market. But 
as the years have moved on, improve- 
ment after improvement has been 
made, till now what is known as the 
‘‘innovation fountain”’ is the finest 
thing on the market. 
Such a fountain has this week been 
installed in A. Lee & Sons’ store in 
Manchester, on the very spot where 
this curious looking marble block once 
stood. There are but few of them in 
existence. One has recently been in- 
stalled at R. H. White’s in Boston. 
The new fountain combines all that 
is best in the line of sanitary condi- 
tions, and everything about it is the 
most improved and modern apparatus 
ever made for dispensing soda. 
The syrups are contained in porce- 
lain containers and there are no block- 
tin syrup cans that cannot be thorough- 
ly cleansed. Ice cream is contained 
in porcelain tanks also, and every im- 
provement bordering on the sanitary 
condition of the fountain is evident. 
Mr. Lee not only installed the first 
soda fountain in Manchester, but he 
was ever on the alert for up-to-date 
improvements, and his successors have 
endeavored to follow in his steps in 
this direction. Feeling the necessity 
of further increasing their business in 
this line, Mr. Benjamin L. Allen, who 
handles the business, decided that 
nothing but the best the market af- 
forded would suit their wants now and 
decided upon this new style fountain. 
It is the first, with one exception, to 
be installed in the county. 
One distinctly noticeable feature 
about the new fountain is that there 
is no ‘‘fountain”’ atall. Everything 
is done facing the customer, and all 
the syrups, etc., are under, not upon, 
the counter. 
NORT Hs SHORE: BREEZE 
15 
FIRST SODA FOUNTAIN INSTALLED IN MANCHESTER, 1856 
There are three kinds of marble in 
the fountain ; the top is of white, run- 
ning around the entire counter; then 
there is a panel of Siema marble, and 
in the middle is Tennessee marble, 
running to the floor. A Mexican onyx 
draught stands abvut 20 inches high, 
five draught tubes extending from it 
so that two can work on it at the same 
time. There are 20 syrup tanks, and 
an arrangement attached to each so 
that a definite amount of syrup is 
measured off for each customer. 
There are two porcelain lined recepta- 
cles for chipped ice, and there isa 
porcelain lined sink. 
To add to the sanitary perfection of 
the fountain a hole is made in the 
floor where all the egg shells, straws, 
lemon peelings, etc., are thrown in- 
stead of remaining in buckets under 
the counter, thereby attracting flies. 
The whole fountain contains when 
filled 500 pounds of ice. The foun- 
tain is constructed in such a manner 
as to keep heat out. First there is 
the outside marble, then a cold air 
space of one inch, an inch of slate, 
then pressed cork, then the metal 
work. 
By the new arrangement three feet 
is added to the counter space, making 
18 feet of space in all. And to add to 
the perfection of the new arrange- 
ment two of the latest style tanks 
have been placed in the basement, 
whereby the firm can charge their 
own soda from town water with a 220- 
pound pressure. 
The fountain is now working and it 
will undoubtedly be the object of 
curiosity for many this afternoon and 
evening. 
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