TE AROHA SPRINGS. Report by Dr. Hector.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 188, 22 January 1887, Page 5

TE AROHA SPRINGS. Report by Dr. Hector.

No 1. Bath is very muoh used, and is set •apart especially for females. No. 2 Bath is famous for relieving peraons suffering from rheumatism ; a large building with waiting and dressing rooms attached. No. 3 is a reservoir of hot water which supplies eight baths in the building 200 feet distant from it. The reservoir contains -altogether about 15,000 gallons of water. Three quarters of the water have a temperature of only 90 degrees, but the hot part from which the water is drawn always maintains from 108 to 112 degrees, and is supplied from the outer portion as the hot portion is lowered. Nos. 4, 5, and 6 are all largely used, and have good buildings erected over the springe No. 7 is not much used, although built over. No 8 is known as the drinking fountain ; the water is freely used by all those suffering from dyspepsia, etc. , and affords great relief to many. The fountain is built over the spring, so that the water may be drawn from a tap. Noe. 9 to 12 are not yet used. No 13 spring is run into No 5 Bath. Nos 14 and 15 are run into the reservoir, No 15 is largely used for drinking. No 17 is a cold spring; the water is used for bathing the eyes. No 18 is a cold soda wates spring not yet used. No 16 is a cold spring with little overflow. Sulphur is found in small quantities in the surrounding clay, and strong sulphuretted hydrogen gas is emitted. Acidic Water. No. 16.— Sulphate of soda, 182; sulphate of lime, 61 ; sulphate of magnseia, •36 ; sulphate of alumina and iron oxides, •20 ; silica, 7*04 ; hydrochloric acid, free, I'll ; sulphuric acid, '21. Total grains per gallon : 11 35. Analytical Notes. The carbonic acid present has not been estimated, as the whole of this gas natural to the water can only be computed in those cases where the utmost precautions have been taken to insure no loss of gaseous matter ; precautions which, I have good jeasons for supposing, have been omitted in this instance. Upon this supposition I have put all the carbonates aa moao-carbonates. lithia has been found wherever it has been tested for, but only as traces. Potash exists in all these waters, but only in very small quantity.. In Nos. 1, 2, and 8 it has been computed, and is separately stated in the table ; in the case of the remaining samples it is bracketed wi^h the soda chloride. NO3. 1 to 15 inclusive and No. 18 aye clear, have a marked saline and feebly caustic taste, and are colo»rlef?s, with the exception of Nos. 4, 13, and 14, which are pale yellow. No. 17 is turbid, owing to the presence therein of precipitated sulphur ; it contains 1.4 grains of sulphuretted hydrogen per gallon. Conclusion From These Analytical Results. From these results it appears that generally the waters are remarkably similar to each other, although collected over a somewhat considerable area. With the exception of Nos. 16 and 17, all manifest a decidedly alkaline character, being heavily charged with carbonate of soda. All these waters, that is 1 to 15 inclusive and 18, may be used indiscriminately for thft same purposes medicinally. They are similar to the waters of Vichy and Chandesaignes, in France ; Bilin, Bohemia ; Ems, Nassau, and are besides quite equal to them in strength. No. 17 is a feebly hepatic water, but as to its paline constituents not much differing from an ordinary spring water of a slate country. No. 16 is an acidic water, the only one of its kind in this collection. As an acidic water it is very weak as compared with most of the Rotorua and Taupo water of its class. It is also hepatic.