The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1893-05-18
THE cIrV's INDUSTRIES.
The Oakland Steam Laund y Plant
of improved Machinery.


is the Oakland Steam Laundry,
which has put in AN entirely new
plant which in every particular
equals the most modernly equipped
establishments of a like nature in
metropolitan centers, it having been
put up by the Empire Laundry
Machinery Company of Boston, the
largest and leading house in this
line. We give in the following a
short description of the works, for
the benefit of those of our readers
who have not the leisure to accept
the invitation to come and view the
laundry personally,
The several parcels of soiled
linen on the arrival at the laundry
are brought to the sorting and
marking room. Each parcel is
separately opened and every piece
contained therein marked. After
that the goods are sorted according
to the nature of their requirements,
shirts, collars, cuffs, underwear.
lace curtains, etc, forming separate
classes.
Then follows the first and most
important step of the process of
laundering, viz, the cleaning of the
goods. 1t is interesting to note
that the linen is treated in this pro
cess much more carefully and with
all more thoroughly than in the
home washing. To properly under
stand how thing is done it is we'll
to know how it is not done. First,
in this connection, is the fact that
Youghlogheny water, as it comes
from the river, is not used in the
Oakland Steam Laundry. FILTERED
ecoter only is used, Two huge cyl
inders of Cummings filter occupy
the rear end of the premises and all
water entering has to pass through
these cylinders which it leaves as
clear as crystal.
Secondly-The linen is notrubbed
against a corrugated washboard, so
destructive to the fibres OF all
fabrics. The soiled linen is put
into an Empire Washing Machine,
about rs shirts at a time. This
machine consists in the main, of
two wooden cylinders of about SO
and 40 inches diameter, respectively,
and some six feet in length. The
larger one is a water-tight vessel
into which lead hot and cold water
pipes, all of which are galvanized
IRON to prevent rust and is also pro-
vided with suitable outlets, The
smaller cylinder, also of wood, is
perforated with thousands of small
holes and is so set in the larger one
as to revolve freely within it, Into
this smaller vessel the soiled linen
is placed.
Both cylinders being closed
filtered water is admitted into the
larger cylinder filing it about one
third and entering the inner cyhn-
der containing the linen, through
its perforations. The inner cyin-
der is now set in motion revolving
about three times in one direction
and then as often in the other, the
reversing being governed by a beau
tiful piece Of mechanism. Filtered
water enters the cylinder at one end
and leaves at the other not quite so
clear though as it enters the cyhn-
der being all the time kept one
third full This is kept up for
about twenty minutes thus thor
oughly soaking the seiled linen.
Soap is now put into the washing
cylinders and the temperature of
the water gradually increased, and
the fow-off temporarily stopped
In these soapsUds, which are run
off and renewed a number of times
according to requirements, the linen
remains. When the linen is found
clean the soapsuds arc drained off
and process of thorough rinsing
ensues by the admission of filtered
water, which flows off as fast as it
enters, and finally the blueing is
added. The entire process from
the first rinsing with filtered water
to the blueing lasts about three
hours.
During this time the linen was
rocked to and fro in the wooden
cylinder; the greater part of the
mechanical washing in this pro-
cess-in place of the ordinary rub.
bing against washboards-is the
clothes rubbing against each other
a much more gentle process than
that of the washing bs hand where
the rubbing is done against bare
metal surfaces, The next step
again is one treating the fabric of
the clothes with the.utmost consid-
Grafton as compared with the hand
process. The wringing, whether
done by hand or by the ringer is
one subjecting the fibre to the most
violent strains and destroying it
mercilesslv.