Apollinaris spring : decision of the United States Treasury dated 28th January 1882 and report of Colonel Tichenor, special European agent of the United States Treasury dated 31st August 1881 / [Charles J. Folger, Geo C. Tichenor].

  • Charles J. Folger
Date:
1882
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Apollinaris spring : decision of the United States Treasury dated 28th January 1882 and report of Colonel Tichenor, special European agent of the United States Treasury dated 31st August 1881 / [Charles J. Folger, Geo C. Tichenor]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    was to weaken the c Augusta ’ and c Victoria ’ springs, and lower the temperature of their waters so much that it was found neces¬ sary to search for another spring, which led to the discovery of what is called the c Little Spring,’ which, not meeting the expec¬ tations, they continued their researches, which finally resulted in the discovery of ‘ The Sprudel,’ or ‘ Big Spring ’ (about 30 feet from the 4 Marien Sprudel ’), the incidents attending the opening of which are thus described This big spring, 286 feet deep, suddenly broke out on the 3rd of October, 1861, with so grand an eruption that has not had its like before, and produced such a quantity of water that the canal, which is 4 feet high by 3 feet large, could not hold it. The water soon filled the reservoir (of a diameter of 12 feet and 12 feet high) which surrounded the spring. Sand, and graywacke as big as one’s fist, mixed with lava, were thrown 60 feet high. This grand spectacle lasted for two hours and then stopped suddenly, to begin with renewed force after three hours, laying everything in the neighbourhood under water. Inclosed herewith, marked D, is a book (in German), on page 81, &c., of which fuller details of this spring are given. Also inclosed, marked E, is an old print, being an extract from a pub¬ lication by Dr. Carl Waller, on the baths and spas, which is deemed of some value on account of its antiquity, and as showing the intimate relations between the Neuenahr, Apollinaris, Lands- kron, and Heppingen springs. On the 17th and 18th instant we visited, in turn, the springs at Wiesbaden and Schwalbach, devoting special attention, how¬ ever, only to the examination of the latter, which are owned and controlled by the Prussian Government, and from which waters are exported, in bottles, to the United States. These (Schwalbach) springs, which have been known for cen¬ turies, are quite generously impregnated with carbonic acid, but the waters are most famous for their richness in non, being the most favourite iron springs on the continent of Europe. This most valued constituent, iron, is held in solution as long as the water does not come to the surface of the spring and there mix with the oxygen of the atmospheric air. The moment the latter con¬ tact occurs, however, the oxygen combining with the iron forms oxide of iron, which precipitates, and in water, if bottled, is, as such, at the bottom of the bottle, perfectly useless, as is also the water, which, by the combination of oxygen and iron, has been deprived of the iron in solution, the only substance which gives value to the water. (See page 33, inclosure F.) I am told that in order to meet this difficulty, and to secure to the public the
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