These waters are effectual in diseases of the liver, spleen, and skin, in neuralgia, and rheumatic and dyspeptic troubles. Farther south in the Appalachians are the celebrated Hot Springs of Virginia, including the Berkeley Springs and the White Sulphur Springs. The waters of the former are used chiefly for certain forms of dyspepsia, diseases of the liver and bowels, while those of the latter are of special value in the treatment of chronic diseases, gout, rheumatism, etc. The general character of the springs of Virginia and West Virginia is saline; sulphureted waters are the most numerous, but alkaline and chalybeate and acid springs also occur. The saline springs are found in excess of all others in the South Central States, and thermal springs are few. In this region the States of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Arkansas are the chief producers of mineral waters. The Hot Springs of Arkansas are among the most important thermal springs found in the entire country, and of value for diseases of the blood. The Texas springs are peculiar from the fact that many of them show free sulphuric acid. Owing to the abundance of limestone formations in the North Central States, calcic springs are quite numerous, and in Wisconsin those of Waukesha are widely known. In the Cordilleran region the most noted occurrence of hot springs is that of the Yellowstone Park, but they are not used for medicinal purposes. In New Mexico the Las Vegas Hot Springs are often visited, and in Washington the Medical Lake is the source of one of the best known mineral waters of the Pacific Coast.
Foreign Waters. A number of foreign mineral waters are imported into the United States and find a considerable sale. Chief among these is the Apollinaris water which comes from Ahrweiler, Germany, and which is largely used as a table water, and in cases of nervous irritation attended with dyspepsia. The Friedrichshall bitterwater, from the Friedrichshall Springs, near Hildenburg, Germany, is largely used for habitual constipation, as is the Hunyadi-Janos water from Budapest, Hungary, which is a remedy also for congestive and gouty disorders. The Kissingen waters from Bavaria, the Vichy from France, and the Karlsbad Sprudel waters are extensively imported into the United States.
Production. The production of mineral waters in the United States in 1901 amounted to 55,771,188 gallons, valued at $7,586,962. The imports in the same year amounted to 2,567,323 gallons, valued at $744,392.
Chemical Analyses. The following table shows the important constituents of some of the American mineral waters:
Analyses of American Mineral Waters
| CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS | Congress Spring, Saratoga, N. Y. Saline, carbonated |
Excelsior Spring, Saratoga, N. Y. Saline, carbonated |
Warm Sulphur Springs, Va. Calcic |
Hot Springs, Ark. Thermal, carbonated |
Hot Sulphur Spring, Sharon Springs, N. Y. Alkaline-saline, sulphureted |
Las Vegas Hot Springs, New Mexico Alkaline-saline |
Bethesda Spring, Waukesha, Wis. Alkaline-calcic | ||
| Grains Per gallon |
Grains per gallon |
Grains per gallon |
Grains per gallon |
Grains per gallon |
Parts per 1000 |
Grains per gallon | |||
| Sodium carbonate | ...... | ...... | ...... | ...... | ...... | 5.00 | |||
| Sodium bicarbonate | 10.77 | 8.75 | ...... | ...... | .49 | ...... | 1.26 | ||
| Sodium sulphate | ...... | ...... | ...... | ...... | ...... | 16.27 | .54 | ||
| Calcium carbonate | ...... | ...... | 5.22 |
|
...... | 11.41 | |||
| Magnesium carbonate | ...... | ...... | ...... | ||||||
| Calcium bicarbonate | 143.40 | 41.32 | ...... | 12.66 | 12.93 | ...... | 17.02 | ||
| Magnesium bicarbonate | 121.76 | 29.34 | ...... | ...... | .69 | ...... | 12.39 | ||
| Lithium bicarbonate | 4.76 | ...... | ...... | ...... | ...... | Trace | |||
| Iron bicarbonate | .34 | 3.00 | ...... | 2.17 | ...... | ...... | .04 | ||
| Magnesium sulphate | ...... | 2.15 | ...... | ...... | 18.96 | ||||
| Potassium sulphate | .89 | ...... | 1.38 | ...... | ...... | ...... | .46 | ||
| Sodium chloride | 400.44 | 166.81 | ...... | ...... | .33 | 27.34 | 1.16 | ||
| Potassium chloride | 8.05 | ||||||||
| Potassium bromide | ...... | 1.57 | |||||||
| Sodium bromide | 8.56 | ||||||||
| Sodium iodide | .14 | 4.67 | |||||||
| Silica | .84 | .53 | 1.72 | .38 | .45 | 2.51 | .74 | ||
| Calcium sulphate | ...... | ...... | 14.53 | 2.54 | 96.64 | ||||
Bibliography. Bailey, “Mineral Waters of Kansas,” in Kansas Geological Survey, vol. vii. (Topeka. 1902); Branner, “Mineral Waters of Arkansas,” in Arkansas Geological Survey Report (Little Rock, 1891); Crook, Mineral Waters of the United States and Their Therapeutic Uses (Philadelphia, 1899); De Launay, Recherche, captage et aménagement des sources thermominerales, origine des caux minerales, géologie, proprietés physiques et chimiques (Paris, 1899); Peale, “Natural Mineral Waters of the United States,” in United Stales Geological Survey, 19th Annual Report (Washington, 1898); Peale, “Lists and Analyses of the Mineral Springs of the United States,” in United States Geological Survey Bulletin No. 32 (Washington, 1886); Schweitzer, “A Report on the Mineral Waters of Missouri,” in Missouri Geological Survey, vol. iii. (Jefferson City, 1892). For statistics of production, see Mineral Resources, issued by the United States Geological Survey (Washington, annually). See Bottling and Bottling Machinery.
MINERS, Western Federation of. A centralized association of persons working in and around mines, mills, and smelters, for the purposes of abolishing the truck system, child labor, the use of private detectives in labor disputes, ‘government by injunction,’ the importation of laborers under contract, and of improving generally conditions of employment with respect to wages and the hours of labor. The officers of the association consist of a president, vice-president, secretary-treasurer, and an executive board composed of these officers and one organizer from each of the six districts into which the territory
