Thomas County cat., 1886-08-12
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Machine That Can Do More Work
Than Six Women and Three Boys.
There is an all-day-and-night res
taurant on the Bowery. which for four.
teen years has never closed its doors.
Unless the sixty-five employees 60 on a
strike the three thousand persons who
eat there daily will continue to sit and
sup under the mechanical fans by day
and the electric lights at night for
years to come. But it would not sur
prise the cooks, the carvers nor the
walters in fine linen if Tommy, the
water-boy, should tell the boss to-
morrow that Ice Water Pourers' and
Tumbler- Washers Union. No. 1416,
had ordered a strike. Tommy has
lately formed union.
A man from Ohio. who said he was
an inventor, got the ear of the pro-
prietor over two years ago and said:
''How many dishes do you wash in a
day?'
lover fifteen thousand" replied the
boss.
"How many people do you pay for
washing them?'
1--WE have six dish washers on the
payroll"
Il can make machine that will
wash and dry three thousand six hun
dred pieces in an hour, without break
ing or chipping dish. will save you
one thousand dollars year in wages
alone, and will wash your dishes clean
and keep them free from linger-marks
and lint
The inventor described his machine.
1t was long trough, divided into
three compartments. On one end was
an l. and the other end, the front, was
a set of valves. He showed the boss
how a man could stand at the front
end and pull handle. That would fill
the compartment farthest away with
scalding hot water, which would after
ward be kept hot by steam. When
the compartment was full it ran over
into the middle trough, and that in
turn into the first space, directly in
front of the operator. Soap was
added to the water at that
compartment In this space set of
brushes revolved in the water, and
they were set with springs, like
clothes wringer. to let large and small
dishes pass between them. A wide
canvas belt with Stats across it ran the
whole length of the machine under
water. If dishes were put between
the revolving brushes they would be
secured with soapsuds, dumped on the
belt, carried into the second bath and
rubbed off, and finally dumped into the
clear hot water in the third compart-
ment. Out of that the belt delivered
them into the l.. where they dried OF
their own heat.
The machine looked practicable, and
the man from Ohio was sent home to
build one for the Bowery restaurant.
The dish-washers heard that machine
was to be put up into the kitchen that
would do the laundry work, wash dish
es, scrub floors, stairs and tables, and
supply steam for heating the building
and for running trains on the elevated
railroads. They told the boss they
would build bonfire of the machine.
They accused him of importing foreign
pauper labor from Onio. and they
called special meeting of the kitchen
employees. But in due time the cast
iron dish-washer was set up. When
the workmen who set it up came
around next morning to test it, all the
bolts in the machine were found un-
screwed, and the wide canvas belt had
been cut through the middle. They
fixed it. and guard was stationed to
watch the machine next night. An
other trial was made, and the machine
washed dished at the rate of Gig lty-six
thousand pieces per day, without ap-
parently breaking a piece; hut when
the water was drained off the bottoms
OF the troughs were found covered with
broken dishes. The women said the |
machine broke them, but the Ohio man
claimed the pieces were dropped into |
the water by the women. He must |
have been right, because the next trial !
was a perfect success. Every body in |
the kitchen had been watched. 1t took |
several months for the machine to |
make friends with the dish-washers,
who were given other employment, but |
to this day it is looked upon as a nom
union empioye. 1t is the only machine |
of its kind in the city, and the only |
other one in the State is said to be in |
a big hotel at Lake Chautauqua-
~ y. Star.