The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-09-04
THE CLEANING OF LINEN
LAUNDRY BUSINESS is TREMENDOUS
Al THIS SEASON. gsv
Process Through which the soiIed
Garments Go-washed in a
Big Cylinder.

with three fresh collars during the twelve
or eighteen hours between sleepy times
these days. 1t is a small and easy matter
to roll ones soiled linen in a cloth or paper
and leave it in the front hall to be called
for, and, within two days, to receive 1t
again at the same place. but in a condition
of freshness and cleanliness that will make
It sufficiently creditable to appear at the
SWEETEST possible function. The laundry bus
mess is a tremendous one A woman may
make over her last seasons dress and
man may wear his coat until there is
shining light across the back, or his trous-
ers until there is no sign of a crease, but
the white linen which accompanies these
clothes has to be put in condition to wear
every week.
The amount of linen which appears at the
laundries for individuals varies. There is
the man who perspires bucketfuls. and he
could put on clean linen every hour. He
Is quite apt to put it on fresh every day.
His bag of linen for the laundry has fat
sides. The lean man. who simply burns, will.
on the other hand, not have so much in his
bundle. 1t is not always the man who does
not perspire, however, who has the least
linen to be washed. He may be the man
who changes every day, and the man who
perspires may change off and make two
suits do him for week.
In the family the two worst days Of the
week are the ones on which the family linen
goes through the process Of cleaning. Cold
luncheons and pickup dinners, with steamy
odors through the house. splashed maid
of all work and a warm housewife who
turns cook for the two days mark the two
sevenths of the private familys week. Not
so. however, in the newer and more gen.
orally adopted plan of putting the washing
out of the house. Peace and comfort take
the place Of the two dreadful days of form
Ell times. A visit to one of the laundries
shows that all washing is not done in a
tub. nor all ironing on board.
In one of the laundries of this city the
labor has reached a point which may be
called ideal, for a laundry. The work is done
on the cooperative plan and it is probable
that when the workers share in the re-
ceipts. as well as draw their wages, that
they have something to say about their en-
yironment. The work of too many Iaundries
gees on in q close, hot room, with little
ventilation, and the work of ironing in too
close proximity to the boilers and engines
In one laundry of this city the door to the
basement leads directly of the road and
under roomy shed the wagons are placed.
These wagons have their regular as well
as irregular trips over the city, and the
men in charge collect the laundry bundles
left in the front halls These bags are TAX
en- to the laundry and there every piece that
comes in is taken into a room where it is
marked in indelible ink, with the initials or
some sign, duplicate Of which is placed in
book with the name and address of the
owner These clothes are then taken into a
room and dumped in a great pile in a GER
tain place.
WASHED IN A CYLINDER.
The washer is not the fat colored woman.
who balances her basket of clothes on her
head. nor is it the Irish "Biddy." who
stands with arms akimbo, but instead is a
strong young man. One man does all the
washing Of the white clothes. After the
clothes are put on the pile, the white pieces
are separated from the colored, Just the
same as they are in the family wash. but
the next step in the process is different
All OF the white clothes are put into great
zinc-ilned cylinder faucet is turned and
gallons OF fresh cold water is turred in.
wheel Is started and the cylinder revolves
forward a few times and then back and
this IS kept up for fifteen minutes All Of
me art is ioosened and another faucet at
the lower SIDE is opened, and the dirty water
runs or, down gutter to the sewer. An
otner lot OF water is turned in, and then
lis VI lQulQ soap are poured
IN. Then tho "sudsing'' begins. This Is kent
up until the suds runs over the outside of
me me, cylinder like masses of snow and foam
oIIl the washing goes on for a long time
and when this water is finally let out the
Clothes are considerably cleaner than when
they were put in. A third lot of clean water
IS let in and the clothes are turned hack
ana forth in the cylinder until they are
finsed. The time for the washing is about
When the clothes are taken from this
cynlnder they are truly clean and white, but
SOAKING wet with water. They are not as
in the family wash, wrung out a piece at a
time, but are placed in 2, wringer, which
does not wiring, but which does take out
the water in wonderful and effective way
In tall upright tub there is a ball-shaped
piece, made of perforated zinc. This is at
lached TO wheel, which makes the per-
forated ball revolve about twelve hundred
times a minute. The clothes are hacked in
the sides of the ball and the ball is set to
turning. The centrifugal force 81 n0s every
bit OF water out through the perforations
until It runs in a stream from the pipe be-
low. When the flow ceases to a few drops
which it does in very few moments. fhe
revolutions of the ball are brought to a
stop and there are the clothes, almost dry;
They are lifted out and the wasbman's
work IS done for that lot of clothes, and he
IS ready for another. There is no scrubbing
over a corrugated zinc-covered board. no
wearing on OF buttons, or tearing out of
button holes.
SEARCHING THE ARTICLES.
The process from the time the linen leaves
~S "AAASSA 10 even AIlOTo interesting. If
such commonplace, hcmely, everyday
work may be called Interesting The ar
ticles are taken to the starchers One wo-
man places the shirt on a table, with folds
down the center of the bosom, and on this
she turns the wristbands and the collar
band The article is gathered up with the
parts to be starched all ON enc side. and
thus gathered it is placed in box which
holds warm liquid starch This takes hut
moment and when the article is removed
the starch Is wiring out by hand and the
me second We man spreads the shirt out
ana smooths the bosom and bands out faf
with her hands till not wrinkle is left i'm
the linen. Another pair OF hands takes tn.
SHIRT and throws it iE shape over a wire
shoulder piece. The shirts are laid in piles
one ABOVE the other, and then taken to the
Crying room, where. in long closets with
sliding rack, they are hung
me heat ScOE completes the driving or
the garments and they are carried up to
the ironing room. They are all in shane and
smooth, come up in tall piles and are laid
near the sprinkler This is no Chinese IT,
talr or squirting water from the mouth over
the linen. nor is II a watering-can AFFAIR
nor Is II done by hand. There is an enorm-
Gus wringer, the rolls of which are covered
with thick bands of cotton and muslin An
upright cylinder at one end is filled with
water, and from nozzle the rollers are
Kept sopping wet The shirt is run through
the rollers, and Ii is evenly sprinlxled all
over The shirts are carried in piles to one