The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1879-07-01
Washing and Ironing by Wholesale.

There are no set tubs In steam laun-
dry, and, In fact, no tubs of any kind.
The bundles Of clothes are opened as
soon as they arrive, carefully examined,
to see If their contents agree with the
senders' list. marked with a number
and sent to the washing machine.
YES" says Dame Notable, "to the
washing machine to be pulled and
twisted and tied up in knots for an
hour, and to come out again without
having a single soiled place properly
rubbed, and then sent to be bleached In
something that rots them all to pieces" :"
But Dame Notable is wrong, as she
usually Is, being member OF the en-
ptrical school OF philosophers. The
clothes are neither pulled nor twisted,
but simply put in barrel, which Is
made to revolve five times, and then,
by an ingenious bit of mcchanis ism, turns
i've times In the contrary direction, re-
peateuly drenching the clothes that it
contains with suds that is almost, but
not quite boiling. There are no dashers,
wheels or rods against which the clothes
can be torn, no furious boiling to make
them turn yellow, and no incessant
whirling In one direction to pack them
Into hard masses almost impervious to
water. Out Of this hot bath the clothes
arc drawn and sent to the wringer, not
to be pulled between rollers and robbed
Of all their buttons, but to be put into
an open-work basket and whirlcd about
at the rate Of 400 re revolutions a minute.
the water flying out through the sides
Of the basket, and the clothes, in their
efforts to do the same, pressing them
selves almost dry. A rinsing and a
second wrInging fit them for the dry
ing-room, In which they stay eight
minutes. Any garment which, when
examined before ironing, are found to
be so soiled that the suds has not
cleansed them, are sent to be bleached
and afterward submitted to a thorough
bath In pure water; as a rule, rather
less than one piece In Il hundred is in
cluded among the "washovcrs" as tho
bleached pieces are called, and those
that are sent arc generally so clean that
they would bo considered passable if
done ut home, but the managers OF laun.
dries find that nothing short of his ideas
Of perfection will satisfy customer.
The ironing rooms contain nothing es-
pecially curious except the mangles.
The machine which will iron a shirt
has yet to be invented, and although
the task may be llghtened by carefully
shaped boards and convenient heaters,
and although the temperature of the
room may be lowered by placing the
stove in ventilated enclosure, ironing
Is the same hard work ina laundry as
1t Is elsewhere. That it is not worry un.
healthy, the appearance of the girls EN-
gagged in 1t gives ample evidence, most
ofthem being unusually strong:looking.
Dresses, ladies underclothlng and pill.
low shams are also ironed by hand, and
curtains are pinned OH large frame
while damp and dried in the sun; but
cuffs, towels, handkerchiefs, sheets anu
pillow cases are put through the man
giles, in which steam plays the part of
Mantalini, while pretty girl ia kcs the
place of his shrewish wife. Two roll
ers covered with felt and cotton sue
cessiyely press the articles to be smooth
cd upon large heated roller and drop
them upon a shelf beneath, whence
they are taken and again submitted to
the rollers, the whole process being
conducted 80 rapidly that fifty cuffs can
be ironed In two minutes and quarter !;
for towels and plain unstar ched articles
another mangle is used, which dries as
we'll as smooths them, and turns them
out all ready to be folded by the swift
fingers of girl.