Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-05-06
STEAM lAUNDRIES,
The Interesting Process By Which Our
Linen is CIeansed.
Ingenious Machinery Has Made II An Easy and
Quick Method.

ready for another days wear The
the laundries. as 1t means soiled linen
10 the people. In the summer the
laundry business is far better than in
winter. so the summer season is the
one when the proprietors of laundries
have visions of years of luxurious ease
on the profits Of their earnings.
But really. laying all money matters
aside, the business is one that is Won
derful, ana it would surprise many a
in the course Of being cleansed and
ironed.
Augusta has two steam laundries
and hand laundry. all of which are
doing Il thriving business. and each os
which has its own regular patrons who
believe they can get better work done
in their place than anywhere else. All
are suited. so no one need complain or
tell which is the best. 1t was BY
chance that the reporter strolled into
the steam laundry on the west side of
the river. known as the Augusta Steam
have found the same process in the
Crescent laundry on the east side.
How 90 you ever manage to keen
each patrons clothing separate and
know how to recognize it after il has
gone through the wash" was a ques-
ton that first arose, as it seems impos-
sible upon seeing high pile Of soiled
clothes To ever collect them again so
that the rightful owners will get them.
That is very easy" said the Iaun-
dryman. Two Of us sit down BY this
bench where we undo the packages
that are brought in. One reads the
name of the owner and the other writes
it upon the bill that accompanies each
bundle after it is done. After writing
he name the marks upon the work is
placed on the bill. Each persons mark
is the same wherever it goes. and the
first mark given by a laundry goes
with il throughout its course. for
though we may have a duplicate we
add something that distinguishes it."
Here the man stopped to extricate
from the cuffs Of a shirt waist the link
buttons that the owner had carelessly
left in them. ON her bill he added the
word buttons" so that he at once
knew after the washing was over that
the buttons were with the cuffs and
would look them up. insuring their
safe return. He said many people for
get to take their shirt studs and cuff
buttons from the articles they send in.
The great bundles of cuffs. collars
ana clothes are sent to the basement.
washed. This machine is huge
cylindrical affair the outer casing of
which remains stationary while the in
ner one revolves. This inner one is
perforated with holes and is divided
into two sections. Each section will
EASILY hold hundred or more shirts at
the revolutions begin. A gauge out
side tells just how much water there is
in the machine and both hot or cold
water can be added at will. while 4
steam pipe can make all as hot as is
wished. The machine works auto
matically, 50 that a certain number OF
revolutions are made one way and then
itis reversed. one hour and half of
this continual turning over in the hot
clothes The colored and the white
articles are. of course washed in diff
ferent waters.
From here they go to the wringer.
Now this wringer is one of the most
ingenious pieces of mechanism about
the whole laundry. The process is by
centrifugal motion. The clothes all
wringing wet, are placed in copper
cylinder that will hold at least 20
sheets. This cylinder is perforated
with holes and set on a spindle on
large casing. When all is ready the
power is turned on and the copper
| cylinder begins to turn about until ii
| reaches the rate of 1900 revolutions
minutes. AS soon as the machine
starts the water begins to come from
| out Of the holes in these sides until as
the speed is reached it has fine spray
of mist floating from out Of the sides.
! After revolving a few minutes the
! clothes are taken out so nearly dry
! that they are ready TO iron. the
wringer will remove the water from
The heaviest blanket as easily as from
the linen. and it takes it out 50 evenly
that there is no further need OF
wrineinG.
From the wringer the linen that i 20
he SEARCHED goes to the starch pans
whore the employees starch ana re-
movn al wrinkles prior to hanging
.,.---- =: IT, loroa dryer racks IN one o.