The times., 1899-10-01
a HASHFUB EXPERIMENT.
An American Tests the Public
LaHndries Of London.
Boiling Water, steam Pipes. Hot Air
Chambers, and MangIing Rooms
Placed at the Disposal OF Poor
Women Who Can DO Their Week's
Washing at n Very SNAIL Cost

An enterprising American now doing
London. writes from that city:
1 had often heard OF the great municipal
wash houses of London. and what b,ess-
ings they have proved TO the overwhelm-
ing sium element of the griny east end OF
the biggest city in the world. With the
true spirit OF the American abroad. 1 re-
solved to ask no questions. but. on tbs
contrary, arrayed myself in an old dress.
did up bundle of clothes. and after the
manner of bona fide London ''Inissus.' 1
too disappeared into the wash house.
Passing a turnstile. which registered
myself at the box Office Here a slip OF
paper was given me stamped With the time
of my entrance / also bought with my
best cockney accent "a pen-orth OF soda
and a bit OF soap" for. added to the hor-
ror of London's filth is the hardness Of the
water. which renders it useless without
liberal supply OF softening. Then I en-
tered large room clouded with steam and
reeking with the concentrated odor OF in
Vulnerable wash days. An attendant took
my time slip, and discerning that my old
clothes were degree less dilapidsted than
is usual followed me to the cloak room
with warnings in all keys:
That's good jacket. don't leave il
here They'll steal ii. num-" pointing out
TO the washers. They'll tyke everything
you ave. the flowers out of your at, hevsn
your at pins You'll tyke 'em all vita
you, if you tyke my hadviee-"
/ was then assigned a section in a long
row of washers and found myself in pos
session OF large zinc tub separated frorn
my neighhor's by a half partition. IL was
divided crosswise into two. and there were
many faucets and discharge pipes. the
working of which l did not understand
accordingly turned TO my neighhor for in
formation Although time meant very
precious pennies to her. she willingly
stopped to help me, and did so from time
to time, as 1t was necessary. This Illus
trates the good nature characteristics Oh
the London common people. and l could
not help contrasting il with an experience
in the same position in Paris washhouse.
The response given when information was
asked was Go back to Germany and find
out" Thus I discovered that the front
tub is for washing. the back for rinsing.
and when these processes are over By an
ingenious device steam may be introduced
through a perforated pipe and the clothes
boiled l then repaired to the steam
wringers. Here the women stood with
arms akimbO waiting their turn and g0s-
siping meanwhile. their garruious voices
rising above the din of wringer and run
ming water: II sy, Dolly, I'm in love-"
or 'Dysie. think of a lydy's keeping a
byby out till yght o'clock at night
What queer figures they werel / coul7
not help thinking OF the old nursery
rhyme:
The beggaTs have come to town,
Some in rags and some in iags,
And some IN velvet gowns
On a shelf was hat covered with roses
and ostrich plumes getting limp in the
clouds of steam. and near me woman was
wearing a dirty velvet waist with one
sleeve dangling, ripped from wrist to
shoulder. Here again came a contrast be-
tween the English and French working
woman French workers in the same posi-
tion would be dressed in neat black skirts
with clean bodices of blue jean or print.
when they went away the washing would
chief, a black crochetted cape thrown
over the shoulders, the hair brushed
TO almost japanese gloss and no hat
at all. English women, on the con-
trary, like those / saw around NE. wear
clothes trimmed with silk and velveteen,
dirty and slouchy. the skirts almost iaya-
riably dragging on the ground, and the
poorer the woman the more pretentious the
hat with its elaborate architecture of fsath-
ers and flowers. In summer. instead OF
folding away the winter cloak. they wear
it through the hottest weather, principally
as d screen 10 hide the rags beneath \
French friend seeing for the first time
crowd of girls pouring out OF a London
factory took them to be beggars; but her
surprise reached the maximum when she
saw the eharwoman on her knee on the
front walk ''elay-pipeing" the steps in
black dress whitened with dust and white
apron blaekened with dirt, her sloyenly fig
ure surmeunted by bonnet trimmed with
velvet
In laundry work as we'll, l could not but
remark the inferiority of the English wo-
man, whose pathetic bundles of filthy rags
emerged from the wash in about the state
where a French woman would pulnge them
into the tub
In three minutes my clothes were wrung
and | pulled out the wooden horse which
had been pIaearded with my name, and
hanging the clothes along the ribs.
pushed it back into the hot-air chamber.
Here again disinterested party warned
me to keep sharp lookout lest they
steal all my wash. In twenty minutes they
were dry, and 1 carried the fresh. crisp
bundle missing however. the sweet odOr
of linen dried in a country garden, into
the mangling ROOM This was large light
room. as clean as a new pin, where several
women were rolling towels and sheets in
the great steam mangles, and adjoining /
found the ironing room. This was small.
with all the necessary appliances, such as
hot irons and blankets. Only one woman
was here, a professional laundress. who
$,Id hot ha Haur baf0 ba ho0
and ironed ten dozen clothes in eight
hours At the exit my ticket was again
stamped with the hour. The entire ex-
pense for the three hours had been there
was 10 cents. The average rate is 8 cents
the first two hours, and cents every hour
after.
The very poor live not in fats which are
a luxury for the rich. but in rooms OF old
houses abandoned by the middle class
which have no convenienees, and TO them
especially these washhouses are great
boon. In the year 1S971S9S they were used
bv over 400, 900 washers. They are entire
ly municipal, being under the control OF
the local vestries, who have invested over
50. coo 900 in them.
The idea originated with a woman, Cath
crime Wilkinson. the wife OF a laborer liv-
ing in a crowded part of Liverpool Dur
ing a cholera epidemic she allowed her
neighbors who had no means of heating
large quantities of water TO wash their
clothes on her premises. The ladies of the
District Provident. realizing the great ben
efts OF this privilege to the poor. hired
additional rooms, enabling Mrs Wilkin-
son to provide for eighty-five families
week. Seeing the eageTness OF the poor
to avail themselves of these meagre ac-
commodations the corporation of Liverpool
determined to erect at the public expense
washhouses in connection with the baths
for the people. Their venture. opened in
1872 was the first establishment in Eng
land. They are now TO be found in all the