The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-08-26
QUICK ruin ron LINEN.
The Life of the Modern shirt a short
One in Laundries.

hhe Lire OF the Modern Shirt a Short
One in LaundrIes.
From the New York Times.
The man who returned suit Of clothes.
complaining that there were moths in the
coat, and was asked II he expected hum
ming birds for s5.s7. received about as
much satisfaction as the average indi-
vidual does nowadays who complains to
his up-to-date laundryman that his linen
has been rolled to the consistency Of tls-
sue paper. The laundryman complacently
replies that the linen is at fault.
In former days, the man who could boast
of one dozen good linen shirts felt that he
was at least spared the expense OF laying
out any more money in that direction for
long time TO come. Nowadays, however,
with the patent bleachers and the light
ming machinery that irons 100 shirts an
hour and carefully folds them up so that
the individual pieces viii not fall apart
until the unfortunate wearer attempts
TO don the battered garments, dozen soon
lose their pristine glory and become part
OF the moldy past.
''As long as they let me have a whole
BOSOM" said a dweller In bachelor apart
ments the other day, II can get along. but
when they rip up the bosom / am help
less" So serious has become the question
that many men have their washing done
In the old-fashoned way and then send
their shirts to a steam laundry TO have
them starched and ironed.
There's no gain In that, though" ex-
planned an employe in a steam laundry.
machine and do not sort out the ones
that are already washed"
1t is evident. therefore, that II the
shirt is to remain as an Important article
of wearing apparel. instead of affording
rare sport for the laundry employees II
must be treated with a shade more of
respect and be returned to the owner In
one piece.
The blame for the rough handling OF
the shirt is shifted entirely on the shout
ders OF those laundry men who employ
machines to wash and iron the clothes,
for no little share OF the blame. Yet
there is a way OF handling the clothes
by machinery which IL even less dam
aging than the old-fashioned method.
In the ironing process three machines
are employed-one to iron the bosom of
the shirt. the other two Tor wristbands.
collar bands, and the body. These ma
chimes, in a general way. consists Of gas
heated cylinders, between which the lin
en- Is run backward and forward.
Whatever the merits Of the steam
laundry as compared with the. old-fash-
toned hand laundry, II is generally agreed
that the greatest damage TO shirts is
done by the bleaching. Chloride of lime
is used almost exclusively for this pur-
pose, and, n used in the proper propor-
lions, II will not do great harm. II II Is
not strained however, and is allowed to
remain In a piece Of linen for any length
OF time, the little particles eat through
the fabric aud ruin II. THIS, the steam
laundrymen declare, is where they excel,
hoo
in a turmoil in their machines, so that
the lime does not have chance to settle.
The best and most popular substance
for sour among laundrymen Is sui
phuric acid, plain oil of vitrioi. Siany
a good housewife would scarcely believe
this, but II is true. 1t il used in such
small quantities, howeyer-about one
tablespoonful in a barrel-that Ii cannot
do any harm. Two inexperienced Brook
lyn laundrymen poured a whole package
of chloride II lime in a washing ma
chine, with the result that every vestigs
Of linen was eaten up, and they had to
go out of business.
The only danger In using blueing is
that one may get too much. That used by
laundrymen. is so strong that one ounce
is first diluted in gallon Of water, and
then one ounce Of this prepared mix
ture is used with twenty-five gallons Of
water. A laundryman on Sixth avenue not
long aso did not know the Combination"
and he poured s. package of the pure
aniline into his washing machine. His
whole wash was dyed a brilliant blue. and
be has been working ever since to pay
his customers and clean his machine.
The so-called hand laundries, which are
so glaringly advertised throughout the
city, are for the most part impositions.
An authority on the matter said yester-
day that there were scarcely twenty-five
genuine hand laundrys in the city. All
the others have their work done at steam
laundries. In order to maintain the in-
position, they frequently employ persons
to iron against time, and where the public
may see that the linen is being done In
the "oid-fashioned' way; but in most
cases they do not take this trouble. Even
in the genuine hand laundries some IRON
ing machinery Is employed.
American laundrymen say that the Chi
nese simply ruin every fabric they take
hold or and they refuse to accept shirt
after a Chinaman has ironedsit.
There IS an understanding among all
manufacturers Of laundrying machines
that none are TO be sold to a chinaman.
The latter have tried and tried again to
procure them, but have never been sue
cessful.
The Chinese also uso a chemical n
putting the gloss on linen, and this Is
said ~ advocates Of the steam method 10
be absolutely ruinous ia rs effects.
Dottfn- ft~ff..u ~ Nrar.,fob ftonn