The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1886-10-13
MID SOAP AND STARCH.
WASHING AND IRONING CLOTHES
BY MECHANICAL MEANS.

improvements In Laundry Work During
the Last Twenty Observation-Disclosures
ton in the Wash demonstrating in
Cylinders-CentrifugaI Power-Polish.
There is an expression current that the ma
tons using the most perfumery use the least
soap. Carrying out this inference to indi-
viduals would be, perhaps. going too far, but
there may be something in the soap question
when applied to laundry work that will be
of interest without being personal. The
growth of improvements in methods Of
laundrying during the last twenty years has
been marked Indeed, it is the opinion OF
some that the real laundry work proper dates
from about ten years ago. Surprising all are
familiar-at least by observation, if not by
expcrience-with the wash day appliances of
the kitchen, Let us take a look into one of
these modern laundries, and see what a
marked change there is in methods, if not in
results.
suffocation comes to the newcomer, due to the
great change in the atmosphere from the
dryer air without, though this soon passes
away. The clothes as they come in soiled are
taken from the packages, carefully marked
and then separated and put to whirling in
immense wood-ined cylinders, which are
kept revolving first in one direction, then in
another. These cylinders are supplied with
SOAP and the clothes are cleansed by the
movement back and forth. From one of
these cylinders the clothes are changed to a
similar full of foaming soap suds, and
then to tho wringer, or more properly, 'ex-
tractor" This consists of hollow vat or
tub of metal, the sides Of which are pune
turcd with holes, the whole being on a pivot
and placed inside of another tub or case.
CENTRIFUGAL POWER.
The wet clothes are dumped into this re-
ceptacle and it is set to whirling at the rate
of 200 revolutions minute. The centrifugal
power thus generated sends the water flying
out of the clothes and nicely fits them for the
drying process. This latter consists of long
bars on rollers, which are filed with clothes
and run into place supplied with many
steam coils that give rapid and thorough dry
ing. When the water has disappeared, out
come the garments and they begin their IRON
ing journey. The smaller articles, like hand
kerchiefs, put between cloth covered
sylinders-all the machinery practically be-
ing run by steam-and the collars and cuffs
are subjected to high polishing pressure. The
starching is done i'll a cylinder similar in con-
stTuction to the washers, though smaller
The shirt fronts-and what man doesn't like
a shining one whether it's seen or nots-are
not subjected to the old fashioned, hand-iron-
ing process, but are stretched upon n fiat iron
about two feet long by wide, slightly
beveled and covered with cloth, and then, by
aid of lever, the shirt is raised up on the
iron until 1T reaches and is run over by a
slowly revolving cylinder, heated by gas on
its inside. The result is a beautiful gloss.
Care has to he taken, however, to keep
everything moving just right, as the roller
is kept so hot it would easily burn the shirt
front if left upon it any length of time. The
collars come out of the cylinders polished
properly and then, i'm case it Is turn down.
a neat little machine runs a moistened roller
along where. the bend is to be, and thus, if
proper care is exercised, the collar is bent to
shape and is not cracked. Starch and paper
are two supplies much used and the former
comes in 10y the barrel lots, while the paper
comes by the car load, and goes out in small
quantities tied up around your weekly laun-
dry package The work is largely done by
girls, who are paid from s. to so per week,
and their work and the hot air they are
obliged to stay in much of the time entitle
them to all they get. Fans are used, how
ever, to keep the rooms as pure possible
Pioneer Press