The Portland daily press., 1892-06-18
COLLARS AND CUFFS.
How They Are Made at Troy-Some Man,
moth Laundries.
Especial Correspondence

moth LaundrieS.
Especial Correspondence
Troy, N. Y, June 9.-The fame of
Troy made collars and cuffs and Troy
laundries is widely extended and not
without reason. The manufacture of
collars, cuffs and shirts is an important
industry in Troy, and there are twenty
four large establishments for this pur-
pose, employing 10000 persons, and in
directly benefting many others in the
locality.
A visit to one of these immense es-
adjustments we'll repays one who is at
all interested in the labor question, or
in the advancement of women in a field
specially adapted to them. The cutting
room is the first place of interest, and
here are extended, on long tables, at the
same time, whole pieces of linen or mus
lin, in layers twenty-four or forty-eight
deep, according as they are to be cut by
hand OF machine. OF course the utmost
exactness has to be observed, so that
each piece may fit every other piece.
Patterns made of wood are used for the
fancy styles cut by hand, and heavy
iron dies worked by machinery for the
staple goods.
From the cutting room the punches
of two dozen each are sent to be
stamped with the size, style and firm
name. The finest qualities, which have
one or two thicknesses of cotton inter-
vening between the outsides of linen,
have to be pasted together in order to
keep them from slipping during their
manufacture. The edges are next
stitched together by machine, and then
follows the turning, which is the most
popular part of the business, and it en-
ploys women all over the city and its en-
virons. Most of the work previous to
this is done in the factories. A special
collar express is run every day far out
into the country to deliver and collect
work, and, besides, many small boys
turn an honest penny by carrying, in
their little carts, for their friends.
Stitching follows the turning, and
this is done partly in the factories and
partly in families. After the punches
have all been returned to the inspector
they are again given out to different
parties for banding. A thorough inspec-
ton follows each process, and one i'm
perfect piece of work will cause the
whole bunch to be returned to the one
who allowed the error to pass. After
the bands have been turned they are
ready for the final stitching. Cutting
and working the buttonholes follows,
sometimes by hand and sometimes by
machine. Then they are finally strung
together, through the middle button
hole, ready for the laundry. They have
at this stage passed through thirteen diff
ferent pairs of hands and been inspected
as many times, and the trouble and ex-
pense may be imagined.
It is estimated that about 81 500, 900 is
disbursed annually in Troy for this la
Dor alone, the prices varying but little
in the different factories. Collars and
cuffs and shirt waists for women and
children are manufactured in the same
way, embroidery often adding a little to
the expense.
The fame of the Troy laundries is al
most as widely extended as that of the
collars and cuffs. There are no. less
than forty of these establishments in
this city, large and small, the most ex-
tensive one being able to turn out about
5000 dozen collars and cuffs in day.
In this laundry immense washwheels,
ten or twelve feet in diameter, receive
the articles, cleansing them thoroughly
in the Troy water with soap, to the use
of which particular water many ascribe
the superior color of the work done
here. Some laundries have artesian
wells upon the premises. The bleach
ing and bluing is done in steaming hot
washwheels.
The wringing process is rather novel.
The collars and cuffs are packed, still
fastened in punches as they started, into
large iron cylinders, open at the top,
which revolve at the rate of 1000 revo-
buttons a minute, and the articles are
pressed against the sides, thus increas-
ing the opening in the cylinder until it
has the appearance of being lined with
porcelain instead of collars and cuffs.
When removed they are devoid of moist
ure and are sent to the starching room.
There each article is laid, separately, on
a table and the starch rubbed in by
hand and smoothed off with a cloth.
The drying is done by hot air, the pieces
hanging on racks, which can be easily
slipped in and out of the drying room on
rollers.
Previous to ironing the collars are
run through a machine which dampens
them evenly. The plain, straight work
is smoothed by machines, which receive
three or four pieces at once and iron
them first on one side and then on the
other. The more intricate patterns have
to be done by hand. Still another ma
chine shapes or bends them into circu-
lar form in order that they may fit
closely to the neck and wrist and set
firmly into the boxes in which they are
finally packed. For the last time they
are inspected previous to boxing and
shipping, and any defective ones are
thrown out. Thus it will be seen that
each collar and cuff passes through
twenty-one different pairs of hands, in
GLIDING one inspector, before it arrives
at completion. The prices paid vary
with II, = Jr;,,l 80 1rorI> 4bo o,,o a1~.1I