Democratic Sentinel, Volume 19, Number 32, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 August 1895 — SODA WATER. [ARTICLE]

SODA WATER.

HOW THE POPULAR SUMMER BEVERAGE IS MADE. Marble Dust and Oil of Vitriol the Chief Factors in Producing Soda Water--Process of Bottling. Soda water, as it ia known both in the popular idea and to the trade, is plain hydrant water charged with more or less pure carbonic-acid gasIt derived its name from the old, fashioned method of manufacture! which was by putting a teaspoonfur of soda into a tumblerful of water and stirring the mixture Soda water thus made was a long-used remedy for minor stomach troubles, and its efficiency as such is acknowledged to this day. The “fizz” of a soda fountain is soda water proper, or ’“club soda,” as it is technically known. Back of the marble slabs of the typical fountain of to-day is to be found a copper retort, oval shaped, except as to the end on which it stands, and varying in height from two to five feet, according to the size of the fountain or the amount of trade carried on by its proprietor. These retorts contain from 200 to 1,200 glasses of “fizz,” larger fountains using retorts which contain more. They are fitted with stops and valves, and are connected with the fountain by ordinary pipe connections. The pressure of the charged water on the retort at the time it is placed in position is about one hundred pounds to the square inch. Factories which make “club soda” generally work in other lines of the business, such as putting up bottled soda and many varieties of charged water. All waters are charged in the same manner. The gas is formed from the chemical action of what is popularly known as oil of vitriol on marble dust and water. The marble dust in most factories in the West is bought by the wholesale of a Cincinnati house and is shipped in hogsheads. An amount of the marble dust sufficient for the charge desired is placed in a retort or “generator,” about five feet long, oval-shaped and fastened firmly on its side in a metal framework. The generator is formed of a layer of lead on the inside to’ resist the vitriol, a layer of steel to withstand the pressure, and outside of beaten copper to prevent rust.

Through the center of the retort runs a steel shaft on which are lead paddles so fastened that when the shaft is turned by a crank outside of the generator or retort the contents of the latter are thoroughly agitated, much as cream is agitated in a churn. Above the generator is a separate retort, termed the “cooler,” in which is placed the oil of vitriol. The amount of the latter to be run into the generator is governed by an automatic gauge, the pulling out of a single lever performing the whole operation. High pressure pipes connect the generator with one or two retorts formed like the generator except as to «the vitriol “cooler.” These retorts are filled with the water to be charged. After the marble dust and water are placed in the generator the vitriol is let in. The water ,in the generator is then agitated until the diluted vitriol reaches the marble to the best advantage. The chemical action is very simple and the gas given off is carried by the high pressure pipes to the retorts containing the water. The water in these retorts is thoroughly agitated so that the gas is mixed with it perfectly, and the “club soda” process is complete, the drawing of the charged water into the lountain retorts being merely a matter of piping with perfect connections. In the factories are put up those bottles of soda water which appear where fountains are not to be found and whose contents is known to the trade as “pop,” “cream beer” and the like. These productions are simply “club soda” mixed with a proper amount of flavoring syrup and bottled, the bottles, being small glass retorts capable of sustaining a pressure of at least six atmospheres, or ninety pounds to the square inch. These bottles contain nine ounces of fluid, one and one-half ounces being the flavoring syrup and the rest the “club soda.” The bottling process is the most interesting one about a soda factory. Into the neck of each bottle is fitted a patent stopper, so arranged that when the bottle is full the pressure from within holds it in place. To open the bottle it is simply necessary to press down on the stopper. The bottling is done by a single workman and an automatic feeder operated by two levers, one of which, managed by the workman’s foot, controls the supply of charged water, and the other, managed by the operator’s left hand, controls the injection of the syrup. The feeder is fastened to a framework on a table, before which the operator stands. Above him on shelves are kegs containing the syrups, and from the keg in use is a pipe connecting it with the feeder. The soda water is conducted to the feeder generally direct from the generator retort. The feeder, in controlling the syrup, acts on the principle of a force pump, the piston chamber holding exactly the one and one-half ounces of syrup required for each bottle. The operator pulls a lever and lets the full chamber empty itself into the bottle; releasing the lever pumps the chamber full of syrup for the next bottle. Then by pressure on the foot lever the heavily charged water is turned into the bottle, and when the latter is filled is deftly turned off, amid a large amount of sputtering on the part of the machine. As it is turned off and the foot lever is released a small hook at the point of connection of the bottle with the machine catches in the metal portion of the stopper and pulls it into place—the entire operation with an expert operator being the work of but three or four seconds. An experienced workman can fill 8,000 bottles in a day.