Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1892-01-02
In A STEAM LAUNDRY.
HOW DIRTY CLOTHES ARE CLEANED
ON A LARGE SCALE.

Hot water-lhronEh the wripker-In
the nryinE Room-starehed and I'm
starched CiothIng-IronIng.
There isn't much time lost In a laundry
In any departments Thrty-fve people. in
cluding drivers aud receivers and deliyerer.
of goods, will handle 1900 shirts, 200 dozens
of cuffs and collars aud 60.O0O pieces Of or
dinary clothing in a week, and while doing
this they will take in "A shirt. wash and iron
IL, and wrap It up for delivery in two hours
and quarter The first operation is in the
wash room. Here are seen rows OF washing
machines, circular, with an inner perforated
revolving aud reversing chamber for the
clothes. The clothes are thrown into this,
i25 shirts at time. or the equal OF that in
other pieces, and clear filtered water run In
on them and the chamber started Making
dozen revolutions in one direction, it auto
matically reverses aud makes the same num-
Der in the other, the clothes falling back on
the ribbed sides Bar SOAP il something that
Is almost unknown In a steam laundry The
soap used Is received in large barrels
OF clear white shavings, and Is called ''chpped
laundry" One Of these barrels makes eight
OF snds, being thrown into large vat and
there boiled with water until it has been
fully dissolved and reduced to about the con-
sistency Of buttermilk. This is always kent
IN stock cool, and poured into the washers
while the inner chamber is still revolving,
the motion being between the perforated
shell OF this chamber and the water tight
covering. The clothes are washed, rinsed
and blued In this tub by the aid OF valves,
the first suds being warm, the second boiling.
and the rinsing cold The clothes are rinsed
and then biued, the full operation requiring
but AN hour and twenty minutes
From the washer the clothes go to the
wringer, though this marhne gets its name
simply because u performs the same service
as the household wringer, Ii looks more like
boiling kettle, though investigation shows
II to be double, the inner one being perfor-
ated and revolving :DJ times IA minute. The
clothes are thrown IN this the power put on
and being thrown against the perforated
sides, are dried IN few minutes The kettle
takes in LOO large, heavy linen sheets at a
time, drying them in thirty minutes. From
this the clothes go up stairs 10 the drying
and starrhing room Cuffs, collars and shirts
and such articles rs must be starched are
thrown into revolving and reversing ma
chine similar To the washer, and are then
passed through an ordinary wringer, IL
necessary, on hung up 10 dry. The dry room
Is surrounded by steam pipes, the horse on
which the clothes are hung being pulled out
on rollers while the clothes are being hung,
and then pushed back Il matters not whether
tue sun " shining md the wind blowing, or
the rain coming down bucketful at a drop.
ln twenty or thirty minutes the clothes come
out dry. The unstnrchcd goods go TO the
mangier, AMI the starched ones 20 the upper
story 10 lie ironed.
There are not many cheats about a steam
laundry, but there y one in mangling which
has never been detected. The mangler is a
series Of blankcted rolls, with large cen
trnl steel cylinder, kept very hot The
clothes are passed through this twice, coming
out with every appearance OF having been
ironed Two out OF three ladies sending
family washing 10 the laundry accompany il
with a note directing the laundryman TO
starch their tablecoths or spreads Does
he do III Not often. Instead, he takes the
clothes as they come from the wringer,
straightens them out and runs them through
the mangler damp, giving them frequently an
extra turn through the machine They come
out stiff and glossy, hut without starch, and
the housewife never knows the difference.
The mansler is one Of the greatest pieces OF
machinery used in laundry On largo
clothes or sheets, two girls operate t. one on
either side, and ia the course Of an ordinary
day they will run through or iron 10000 TO
Zoo pieces, On towels and napkins four
girls can work at a machine very comfort
ably. The mnngler has "A pressure OF 300
pounds TO the inch, and IL the girls ever get
a finger in ahead Of the cloth il is gone sure
Starched articles of clothing go 10 another
department after leaving the drying room.
Cuffs and collars are ironed in a machine
somewhat similar To the mangler; first, how
ever passing through dampener, two rub
ber rolls running over steel roll, the bottom
of which Is in water The linen Is then
passed and repassed between the ironing
rolls, the pressure producing the CLOS. It
then passes through a shaping machine, a
very simple contriyance, similar TO that used
In other branches Of trade for the same pur-
pose Turned down collars, however, are
submitted 10 different process They are
run through a curious little machine, with
an upper roller, to which water Is conveyed
This runs along the scam. where the bend IL
TO be made, and passing on out the collar In
bent without cracking. There Is also trick
of this same kind in buttoning stifiy starched
pieces, employed altogether in a laundry,
and to limited extent outside The laun-
dry girls call II splitting ON the backs: y in
elegantly, II may be, but nevertheless ex-
pressively. The button hole is simply wet
slightly ON the back side, and this done the
button may be slipped through the stiffest
button hole with the greatest ease.
The ironing Of a shirt Is an interesting
feature OF laundry work. Il Is a curious
,,.r,at tha. an iron II naVa,- ,,sad ox,ar4 ~,
finishing. and then only a perforated iron
which while used in the same way as a sad
ironl lcannot be called by that name Before
its use, too. tho shirt is ironed so that it
would be acceptable TO nine out OF ten men.
The shirt first goes 20 the bosom ironer This
is q young lady attired more like school
mistress than a laundry girl. The shirt Is
first fastened TO board, or an iron hand
printing press bed shapcd like the old shirt
board, clamped down at the neck and bottom,
and run under a steel roller, heated by gas
from the center, the gas flame being famed
by air until il Is brought TO a blue heat
Passing under this roller and back again. the
bosom is pretty ard glossy enough for ball
event The shirt then goes % the rcand ironer,
and the young lady who operates this must
have considerable skill, more. indeed, than
any one would imagine Her work Is
simply 20 iron and shape the necs and wrist
bands between heated wheel rollers Ere
auently collar is sent back 10 tho laundry,
the owner saying IL is not his. as it does not
at him. The trouble really IS in the seem
ingly simple shaping and ironing Of the
neckband. The important part OF the work
Is then done, and the shirt goes 10 the body
ironer. The machine used here Is also gas
haatad rvlin,ler which performs its work