The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-09-22
WASHING BY MACHINERY
THE MODERN LAUNDRY HAS BECOME
A BIG INSTITUTION.
Its Operations Conducted in Systematic
Orler-An Immense Quantity of Work
Turned Out in a Day--How the WorF
is sDone--'eRular and Transient Trade

It's Operations Conducted in Systematic
Orler-An Immense Quantity of Work
Turned Out in a Day--How the WorF
is Done--'egular and Transient Trade
A few years ago nearly every city
was studded with little Chinese laun-
dries, where the proprietor exchanged
small piece of paper containing some
unknown hieroglyphics for each bun
die as it was brought in. They flour.
ished for a while, but the shrewd
Yankee went them one better by
sending for and delivering the pack
ages and then the inventions in ma
chinery for simplifying the work began
to multiply to such an extent that it
was almost unnecessary to do any
hand work. Gradually the "washee,
washee man" found business slipping
away from him and started an opium
Joint as an adjunct Then the latter
became the whole thing, and the laun.
dry only blind, but the celestials
found themselves closed up by the
police, and they are now almost a
thing of the past.
The amount of clean clothes turned
out by laundry is astonishing, and q
visit to one of them on a busy day
would cause one to think that every
family in the city was having It's wash
ing done. One well-known laundry
handles no less than 1000 shirts every
week and each one of them will aver
age two collars and pair of cuffs,
with other articles in proportion.
There are two classes of trade, regu-
lar and transient, and it is the former
that the laundry seeks to especially
please. All they have to do is to get
their laundry ready and the wagon
calls for it on q certain day every
week. Some make a list of what they
send, while others just bundle every
thing together, depending upon the
laundry to do the rest. The members
of that class never complain if they
think there is O collar missing. and
they seldom have cause to think so.
The transient class Of customers COM
prises all kinds of people, from the
tinnicky individuals who are never
suited and change places nearly every
week, to the clerk, who runs in with
his shirt and collars on his way to
work. The young lady behind the
counter would be discharged if she
smiled when customer handed her
two collars and pair of cuffs. Those
who bring their laundry to the Office
make out list of what the bundle
contains and mark down the day on
which it is wanted. Then they can
have it delivered, or call for it, as best
suits their convenience. Many fam
lilies have their entire washing done at
the laundry, low rate being made for
plain pieces, and they thus avoid the
necessity of employing a washerwo-
man and adding confusion to the kit
chen.
Experience has shown that o COM
bination of machine and hand does the
best work and is less injurious to the
clothes, so that it is used in almost all
the large laundries. When the clothes
are received they first 60 to the marker,
as each customer must have different
mark in order that the different arti-
cles may be gathered again for deliv-
cry. The marker also has to count the
different articles and compare them
with the list to see that the latter is
correct. The clothes are then bundled
into baskets and taken to the wash
room to be placed in the washers,
which are long wooden cylinders con-
nected with shaft that rotates back
wards and forwards to keep the
clothes in constant motion so that the
soap and hot water may reach every
part. In twenty minutes they are
ready to be taken out. They are then
placed in wringer, a huge basin with
an opening at the top and pipe lead
ing from the bottom. In it fits an
other basin with perforated sides which
revolves at high rate of speed and
forces the water through the holes.
From there they are taken to the dry
room, a large cupboard fitted with
racks which slide in and out. Coils
of pipe furnish the heat.
All the plain clothes are dried on a
mangle, big hollow cylinder, which
is heated and revolves continually. A
girl stands on one side spreading; the
clothes on it, and after a revolution OF
two they are taken off at the opposite
side. From the dry room the clothes
go to the starching machine, and are
then ready to be ironed. All cuffs,
collars and the bosoms of shirts are
ironed by machine, but the bodies OF
the shirts are done by hand to prevent
the wear and tear that cannot be
avoided by using machine. Ladies
fnery is entirely done by hand, ant
all goods that might be liable to in.
jury unless handled with great care,
For asserting, pigeon hole case Il
used, one for each bundle. The col
lars and cuffs are first assorted on s
table, and then placed in the pigeon
holes. Each lot is then compared with
the list that came with it, and if found
correct is tied mp and sent down to the
office either for delivery OF to be heli
until called for
One feature of laundries that is mo-
we'll known is the repair departments.
where all missing buttons are seweG
on and rents repaired without cost tc
patrons. Regular customers have
their shirts carefully looked after ant
new neck and wrist bands sewed or
when necessary at q nominal cost.