161

grow and reached a peak in the 1960s and 1970s. They even found their way into

television with popular comic figures engaged in seltzer spray fights.

It has been said that as early as 1837, a man named Perpigna invented a soda syphon

incorporating a valve. And as far back as 1790, the concept of an "aerosol" was

introduced in France with self-pressurized carbonated beverages.

A number of European patents were granted for Soda Syphons

in the 19th Century including an important design using a gas

cylinder to charge the liquid. On August 22, 1892 Parisian

Victor Ernest Jules Durafort was granted French Patent

Number 223,985 for his "Seltzogene." This was followed by

patents in England (1893) and the United States (1895).

Durafort placed two dip tubes in the bottle. One would hold

the gas cylinder which was opened by turning a screw at the

top of the mechanism forcing a ball in the top of cylinder

downward and releasing gas into the tube. Once this was

mixed with the bottle contents, the valve on the second tube

could be opened to draw off

carbonated liquid.

A short time later, in 1899, Kenneth S. Murray of London was

granted British Patent No. 7,519 for his "Means for effecting

aeration of liquids in bottles." The patent was assigned to

Aerators Limited. In his design, a "Sparklets" capsule was place

upside down and when a lever on top was depressed, a pin

would open the capsule valve and release gas into the liquid.

Twenty years later Kenneth Murray was a consultant to

Sparklets Limited as well as chief engineer to British Oxygen

Company. In 1920 he was a key player in the BOC acquisition of

Sparklets. He eventually became Chairman of the Board.