Morning journal and courier., 1892-10-29
The Science of Washing.


1t is within comparatively recent years
that the steam laundry has come before the |
people of the country as one of our most
permanent and necessary industries, and
in consequence there is great deal con-
neeted with laundry that is Yet, as it
were, in its infancy. and presents a wide
field for development.
Forty or fifty years ago the western slope
of this country was overrun with the
Chinese, who by sort of necessity in that
part of the country assumed the trade of
the washerwoman. This has led a great
many to suppose that it was the Chinese
who possessed the secret of laundrying and
brought it to this country. This idea, how
ever, is entirely erroneous. When they
came here they knew absolutely nothing
of laundry work or how it was done, as in
their own country they do not wear any
white or starched clothes.
But the science of washing has been all
the time, however, steadily progressing
along scientific lines. There probably is
not single housekeeper in New Haven
who could give scientific explanation of
| washing. When the clothes come home
lily done up, she says, "The woman did
not put elbow grease enough on to cleanse
the goods" Well, If rubbing or "elbow
grease" is what cleans goods, why use soap
| at all? The dirtiest article in the world
| would be cleaned in time by simply leaving
1t to stand in soap and water, if you
changed the water often enough. The
latest improved apparatus which is in use
at the Niagara laundry in this city i'm
merses an article in water forty times q
minute for three hours, which makes
1900 dimensions. This system does
away with the use of any deleterious
| composition, such as chloride of
lime. in the cleaning, which
no frst-class laundry will now make
the goods are put into a revolving extractor
| which "extracts" the water from the
goods without wringing. 1t consists of q
perforated copper basket revolving on q
spindle making $50 revolutions per min
ute, thus going distance of one and one
half miles per minute, or fifteen miles in
the ten minutes which the clothes are al
out the clothes are oftentimes dry enough
to iron Immediately. 1t requires fve-horse
power to run the machines alone. There
fore people must come to the laundry to
obtain the advantage of such improved
machinery. This entirely does away with
the possibility of buttons being broken in
wringing.
After leaving the extractor the cloths
are stsrched and then put in the drying
room. Here the pure outside air comes in
through sleeves and is heated over l, 800
feet of steam pipe, which drives the all
out which subseq uently escapes through
the roof, being carried out by a fan. This
also tends to whiten the goods.
The Niagara laundry to-day claims to
have the most complete and best equipped
laundry in the eastern states, and tho man.
agement have aimed to perfect everything
in the latest possible manner, and claim
there is not laundry in the city SO well
equipped and arranged for those employed
in it. There are 81 employees, most
ly girls, and all the machinery
and bands are hidden SO thai
all possibility of any accident from
the machinery is precluded. 1t is also ar
! interesting fact to note that this laundry
makes and uses it's own soap Every weel
t they make 800 pounds of white tallow soar
which is considered the purest kind.
After all the various processes have
been completed the goods are bundled snd
delivered.
| The Niagara Laundry company will in
vite the general public, by special invita-
tions sent by mail during the next two
months, to call and inspect their laundry
All the processes of laundrying will b.
carefully explained to all who call by ar
!; attendant perfectly qualified to do 80.