The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1892-07-29
WASHING BY MACHINERY.
WORK IN tn, BIGGEST LAUNDRY
IN THIS COUNTRY.
Quick Work With an Ocean Liners
Wash-Stesn Power Used Alto
gether-Pa sof Employees.


gether-Pa of Employees.
IN I'D youser see big laundry in
full blst9 1t is worth seeing.
Wheng the News reporter
6 visited this Hudson River fac
tory, the washiy from one of the great
1nman liners ha just come in. It was
the washing or a whole week--the
washing for 200 persons. There was
bedding, linen, napkins, towels and
some few article belonging to the ward
robe of some of he officers. The rest
of the wash bepnged to the ship. 10
rolled up to tn door in two wagons,
and it relied outNsy the floor OF ths
sorting room and esf ont Ikea dirty
snow storm in atigh wind.
The work Of ftorting this wash took
Just twenty mitutes, and four young
women, with Hight brown eyes and
bright red armi After it was sorted,
the big pieces g{ng with the big pieces,
and tho little pAces staying with them.
selves, it was taken to the washing
machines. Onci there were wash-tubs.
There are wash tubs now, but they are
simply amateurI appliances. The pro.
fessional wash shop employs washing
machines, otherwise called "washers. 1"
These contrivan Ees are from five to eight
feet long, and ale shaped like the boiler
of locomotive. They are made oi
metal and they revolve on their axes,
like the cylinders In lawn mowers.
They are connected with the shaft BY
puileys, and when the clothes are put in,
Il - = -
pipe, the crank is moved, and then
they begin to revolve with a mighty
swlshing and slashing in their insides.
After h few minutes OF this, which IL
called the soaking, the water is let of
and hot water is turned on. With hot
water soap is brought in and the crank
is turned again. This time it IS for
keeps, and when the washer stops the
clothes are clean. This is the sort OF
washing that requires no starching, so it
goes direct to the wringer. This is the
kind of wringer that the original iaun-
dryman knew naught of.
The wringer up to date is round box
set upon four round legs, made of gas
pipe and hollow. The interior of thi,
box revolves several hundred times I
minute. This turning interior holds the
wet clothes, and from it dry Clothes are
turned out. They are not entirely dry,
but they are dry enough to go to the
ironing room. The revolutions of the
tHtSWfI 6ir fa agift that tho water il
The ironing. room is filed With iron
rollers. set ir frames, so that one roller
rolls against another. like the rubber
rollers in an old-fashioned wringer.
One or both of these rollers is holloE,
and is heated by either gas or steam, and
the sheets and pillow-cases, napkins,
towels and table.cloths pass between
these rollers aud come out steaming hot,
smooth as glass, and white.
For some kinds of laundry work 9
dry room is required. Now this dry
room bears about as much relation to the
drying-room in the ordinary house as {
French bonnet does to bread bowl. I
is small affair, heated red hot by steam
pipes. For starched goods this is used
and docs its work in hurry.
The laundry that the reporter visited
does not make practice Of doing famil!
work, although it has facilities for do.
ing any kind of work. 1t devotes it
time chiefly to hotel, club aud steamboa
work. 1t can turn out 100, 900 pieces
day, and the average price for 100 i
from thirty-five to sixty cents. Thes
figures are for unstarched work, anc
they are very low. 1t requires i4O per
sons to do the work. The washing i
done wholly by men, who get $l2
week each. The rest Of the work
done by girls and women, who are su
rervsed by four forewomen, who &c
S17 week and their board.
The workwoman get from sixty cent
10 81 day, the folders in the ironing
room commanding the highest wages
New York News.