San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-09-07
BROOKLYN LAUNDRIES.
CONVERSATION WITH "JoHN CHI
NAMAN" AS TO THE BUSINESS.
A woman's Opinion on Hand Work and
Steam work-Heat Of the Drying Room.
Visit to q Steam Laundry-Machine
Work.


Work.
CHANGING one day to be passing Chinese
laundry which had the name James L. Yu on
the door, the thought suggested itself to the
scribe to step in and see how the laundry
business is carried on.
Hello" said the reporter, show is bust
nessg"
"Oh, business no good. People all gone to
country; no make much now"
''Will you tell me how much you average
of week and how much you pay your assist
anti"
MAKE about SIS week in winter, some
times $50 or SOS. Pay him (his assistant $40
week. Then have to pay $50 month for
house, and coal and wood, light and rice,
vegetables andmeat cost"
''Will you let me see the back roomP
"Yes, let you see, but no stay long here
now; want you go home"
The reporter started back into the kitchen,
which was so hot that nobody but China
man could stand it any longer than five min
utes There was nothing in it but few
pans, a rack, table, two chairs and redhot
stove. Between the store and the kitchen, in
a sort of passageway, were two hunks, very
much on the plan of stateroom berthS, one
over the other.
Cinnamon, generally speaking, live on rice
and vegetables-very little meat. They eat
the rice with chop sticks, and when eating
they never sit on chair properly, but place
their feet on the chair and assume sort OF
doubled up position. In writing they use
long reed with camers hair stuck in one end
f. ~ H. g i,,crr oart iS
called "bid."
''Do you 60 to Sunday schoolF' asked the
reporter.
"Yes, 60 to Methodist Sunday school in
Atlantic street No burn Joss stick no
more, mo worship him no more. Now you
60 homer said he suddenly.
Walking up Fulton street the reporter
came to a laundry kept by a native Would
she give any informations
"Oh, certainly; with pleasure"
"Will you tell me how long you have been
in this business, and if it paysF
swell, I've been in it about three or four
years now. As to its paying, think it does.
manage to make good living out of it, be-
ide giving employment to eight women, not
counting two girls who stand behind the
counter to do up the clothes and wait on the
customers. And it is all hand work, too"
"Do you not find it very warm in the sum-
merT'
"Oh, yes, it is warm all the time, winter
and summer, in the drying ROOM" here she
showed small room in the back of the store
and opening the door, said: This is the dry
ing room. As you can see we have a stove
red hot all the time, and this room is lined
with sheet iron, so that there is no danger
from it and all the heat remains within"
"Do you think this business is injurious to
healthr
"Not a bit of it. 1t would be probable if
we had to be over that hot stove all day, but
you see have another stove going down in
the kitchen, and that is where the irons are
heated. Of course, it is hot, but not nearly
so hot as the drying room"
what do you think of the steam laun-
driesP ~
II don't think much of them, to tell the
truth. I suppose it lightens the labor good
deal to have rollers to iron with by steam,
but then you'll find that the collars and cuffs
and other things will eventually be worn out
before their time by that system"
"What do you think of the Chinese?"
1.-The Chinese, is it, Well never look at
y
dried up monkey. But as for them washing
and ironing any Christians garments, tell
you if l never had anything washed
wouldn't get Chinaman to do it Fudge,
can't bear them"
The next visit was to a steam laundry.
'Doyou employ many hands,
swell, between twenty and thirty, think.
And would not be surprised but what next
winter we will have to employ more, as this
kind of work is constantly increasing.
People don't care to have their white goods
done at home. Whether it is because they
are not done up nice enough for them, don't
know, but in nine cases out of ten you will
find that all the white goods find their way
TO the different laundries in the city"
''What do you mean by white goods;'
"Oh, collars, cuffs, Shirts, ladies' collars,
skirts, etc. OF course, we do more of bust
ness in men 5 collars, cuffs and shirts than
anything else"
'In your opinion. does it injure clothes
any, this steam works"
"Why, bless your heart, nc? How could
it. Some people have an idea that we merely
souse the things once or twice in the water,
starch and dry them and then put them
through the ironing rollers. But we don't
do anything of the sort The clothes in this
laundry are thoroughly and carefully washed,
and as carefully finished off before they
leave our hands,
"How many drying rooms have you"
"We have only one drying room. but it
contains no less than five medium sized
stoves, and it extends nearly the full length
of the cellar. Do you know think we have
the best drying room in the city? Why if you
put new shirt in there, in five minutes after
you put it in you can take it out bone dry"
"How does hand work compare with this
rteau1 vEork .,