Wichita eagle., 1888-08-25
BROOKLYN LAUNDRIES.
CONVERSATION WITH "JoHN CHI
NAMANn AS TO THE BUSINESS.


A Womau's Opinion on Hand Work and
Steam Work-Heat Of the Drying Koora.
visit to a Steam Iaundry-1Iachine
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, how IS bust
nessr
''Oh. business no good People al gone to
country; no make much now
'sWiIl YOU tell me how much you average
of q week and how much you pay your asst
anti"
Make about SIS week in winter, some
times $50 or sos Pay him (his assistano SO
week Then have to pay SO month for
house, and coal and wood, Light and rice,
vegetables andmeaS cost"
'4Vin you let me see the back roomP
''Yes, let you see, but no stay long here
now; want you SO home"
The reporter started back into the kitchen,
which was so hot that nobody but Chi1a-
man could stand it any longer than five min
utes. There was nothing ID 1t but few
pans, a rack, table, two chairs and reohot
stove Between tho store and the kitchen, In
sort of passageway, were two hunks, very
much on the plan Of statsroom berrhS, one
over the other.
Cinnamon, generally speaking. hive On rico
and yecetables-very little meat. They eat
the rice with chop sticks, and when eating
they never sit on a chair properly, but place
their feet on the chair and assume sort OF
doubled I'D position. In writing they use a
long reed with camel's hair stuck in one end
in the shape of a brush This instrument IS
called IBID"
DO YOU go to Sunday schoolF' asked the
reporter
.'Yes, go to Methods. Sunday school in
Atlantic street. No burn Joss stick no
more, no worship him no more. Now you
60 homer said he suddenly.
Walking up Fulton street the reporter
came to laundry kept by native. Would
she give any inforrnationf
"Oh, certainly; with pleasure"
evil you tell me how long you have been
in this business, and if II paysF
'Weu, 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-
side 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-
mers"
ooh, 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 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 bit Of it. It would be probable if
we had to be over that hot stove all day, but
you see l have another stove going down IN
the kitchen, and that is where the irons are
heated OF course, it is lot, but not nearly
SO hot as the drying room"
what do you think of the steam iaun-
driesg'
81 don't think much of them, to tell the
truth. 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 ChineseF
1.-THE Chinese, is it! Well never look at a
Chinaman but what he puts me in mind of
dried up monkey. But as for them washing
and ironing any Christians garments, l tell
you if l never had anything washed
wouldn't get Chinaman to do it. Fudge, l
can't bear them"
The next visit was to steam laundry.
do you employ many handsT'
'WelI, between twenty and thirty, think.
And l would not be surprised but what next
winter We will have 70 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 viii
find that all the white goods find their way
to the different Iaundries in the city"
"What do you mean by white goodsa'
s'Oh, collars, cuffs, shirts, ladies' collars,
skirts, etc. OF course, we do more Of bust
ness in mems collars, cuffs and shirts than
anything else"
I'm your opinion, does it injure clothes
any, this steam work!"
"Why, bless your heart, not 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 Is carefully finished off before they
leave our hands"
How many drying rooms have your
1--WE have only one drying ROOM but it
contains no less than five medium sized
stoves, and it extends nearly the fun length
Of the cellar Do you know l think we have
the best drying room in the city, Why il you
put a 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
steam work.
well, l don't pretend to know half a.
much as some people, but my opinion Is that
when q machine car tighten the labor, why
say use the machine by al means, no mat
ter what the motive power. As for hand
work, well it's ell well enough in It's way, but
let those VINO Like it do il Steam work Is
the thing; why, while q woman ct the old
hand work system is finishing one collar We
can finish two every time; OF course skirts
have to be done By hand"
do you know If tAe other steam laundries
take in skirtsF'
well as to that couldn't say. There is
not much in them, in fact there's more bother
than their worth, but then you know If a
lady says she wants thing done IL has get 70
be done, and that's aa end OF il"
Can you tell me about how much you
average DAY or week.
We'll would not Ike 70 tell that, but you
can see for yourself that il this laundry en-
,,lo1r -<oy1a all Summer round