Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-05-17
SHIRTS, COLLARS AND CUFFS.
The Regeneration of Soiled Linen Re-
duced to a Gigantic System.


This is the way all the clothes that come
into the laundry are cleansed, to begin with"
said the plump young woman with bare arms.
pointing to row of wooden cylinders about
the size of barrels, which we're giving forth
from their insides great Quantities of thick
white foam. ''You can see now that open
this one, that it is really two cylinders, in
side OF the other. The outer one is stationary
and rests solIdly on those legs beneath; but the
inner one is perforated with big holes and is
made to revolve rapidly by this steam belt
Just as they arrive here the soiled clothes are
put into the inner cylinder and stream of cold
water Is turned into the space between the two
cylinders; the inner cylinder is started revolving
ana the water. passing freely through its perfor-
atlons, Is thrown out by centrifugal force. per-
meatlng every fiber of the cloth and loosenng
All the DIRT After a few minutes of this hot
water is turned on instead ofthe cold and at the
same time bucketful of the purest soft soap
Is poured In; the machine is set going again
ana the real washing commences. You observe
Wnat iather 1t makes. One of these cylinders
VIII mold 5000 collars and cuffs or 200 shirts,
and 1t takes two hours to complete the cleans
ing"
wRIyGTya By STEAM.
And what are those two big metal pots?"
asked The STAR reporter
"Ihose, responded the comely maiden, care
| centrifugal wringers. They are double. YOU
see, each has an outer and an inner jacket.
Inc outer pot is stationary on its legs. and the
| inner pot. which has holes in it, is made to go
round at the rate of 1.5O0 revolutions a minute
oy steam belt. When the inner pot is filled
with clothes fresh from the washing cylinders.
IL Is set running and centrifugal force throws
out through the holes every particle of
moisture, SO that the things are taken out after
lew minutes almost as dry chips"
Then they have to be ironedY'
Yes; but they must be starched first. When
the shirts are taken out of the steam wringers,
| they are passed over to women in the adioin-
| ing room, whose business it is to supply the
stinening. suppose We see how they do il. 1t
LOOKS very simple. You observe, the operator
| lays the shirt bosom over a slab of wood COW
cred with cheesecloth and, taking a portion
| from little pile of thick starch at her right
| hand, rubs 1t in with her fingers as hard as she
can. 1t takes SIX months practice to learn
now 10 DO that properly. That girl over there in
| the corner is grinding starch into the collar
bands and cuff bands in little mill with a
| trough full OF starch and cogged wheels,
through winch they are passed. As for the
COLLARS AND CUFFS
themselves, they starched in double CYL
| inder like those used for the washing, only
starch being poured in instead of soap and
water. When the things have been starched
they are hung on hooks across big frames in
rows. The frames, you see, are pulled down
out OF the ceiling and when they are filled they
| are pushed up again in this way into the hot
air drying room Oh the floor above. The rest
| OF the upper story is devoted to the ironing
| department.. Shall we go up and see it?''
[ At the top of flight of steps was disclosed
| large room, as dry and spick and span down.
stairs was sloppy and unpleasant. Women sat
| at tables manipulating hand irons that were
gwen an automatic pressure by iron rods from
above, thus saving the labor of bearing down.
But the bosoms of the shIrts-after the latter
had been moistened by a spray-were being
| each one was passed four times, the girl who
ran the machine oeftly mostening the spots
that needed 1t with dampened sponge and
| separating the pleats with a celluloid paper
| KNIFE After the bosom had thus been rendered
smooth and beautiful the collar band was
| quickly lroned In another machine aud the
| body and cuff band we're finished bv hand.
whercupon the shirt was ready to be sent back
| to Its owner aud was put in basket TO be con-
veyed to the delivery department. The collars
and cuffs were put through between heated
| rollers, fed into one side and taken out the
other.
As FAST AS YOU CAN WINK
Those which were to be turned over or down
atthe points had to have little wheel carry
| ing water passed along where the crease was to
be SO as to make the linen easy to bend and
| save 1t from breaking. Finally the cuffs and
collars were put through another roller con-
| triyance to give them the proper curve for the
| neck and wrists and they, too, were finished.
Some of the work done altogether by
hand and most carefully at twice the usual
price for swell young men of means. elevatiBg
them above the sordid necessity OF economy in
laundry expenditure
TO PREVENT MISTAKES
"But how on earth do you keep all these
things from getting mixed!" the newspaper
man inquired.
SIT is quite simple" replied the young
woman, smiling. 10 each customer we give
laundry number and that number we make
sure is marked upon every piece he sends in be-
fore it is given out to wash In the delivery
| department. are hundreds of pigeonholes and
when bundle from Mr.. Smith comes in Mr.
Smiths laundry number is chalked beneath
pigeonhole, the number not being erased until
MIR. Smiths things, clean and complete accord
ing to the list transmitted with Mr. Smiths
bundle by our agent, have been placed in that
plgeonhoie. Then these things are made up in
a bundle addressed to MIR. Smith, whose name
| Is recorded IN our books opposite his number,
and are sent back to the agent who got the
| clothes from MIR. Smith. OF course, where our
own wagons do the collecting OF bundles, the
agent is left out of the question BY this sys-
TEN We are able to send out clothes clean,
twenty-four hours after they have been received
in a sOiled condition"