The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-01-27
CHINESE LAUNDRYMEN.
Steam Work at Lower Prices Are
Driving Them Out.
From the Chicago Tribune.

From the Chicago Tribune.
Steam and the Cinnamon seem to be
eternally at variance" said a Chicago
laundryman, land steam is winning. Not
only is 1t gradually encroachng on the
Chinaman's home country, but here in
Chicago it is driving him out of his ia
vorite occupation. Steam laundries are
everywhere taking the white mans wash
ing out Of the hands of the celestlals, and
are rapidly forcing them out of the wash
ing business"
A reference to the business directory of
Chicago for a score Of years past verified
the statement. In 1880 there were but 276
laundries in Chicago, and of these but six
ty-six were run by Cinnamon. John
caught the popular fancy right then, how
ever, and as he was beginning to come
into Chicago in large numbers he began
to drive out of business the hand work
ers of Caucasian blood. In "a decade
while the number of laundries were a lit
tie more than doubling, the Chinese
washerman increased fourfold, so that Ia
1890 there were 633 laundries in the city,
of which 263 were conducted by Asiatics
In 1892 there were 27S of the latter, and in
the worlds fair year and the year i'm
medately following they increased rapid
ly to 1888.
That was the Unit however. Steam ma
chinery displayed at the worlds fair made
great impression on Chioagoans, and
there were many new enterprises started
as a direct result Of the influence of
some exhibit on the spectators. In no
branch was this more marked than in the
laundry machinery, and after the fair
steam laundries began to be started
Popular prejud ce was against them for
a time. The steam machines were said
to tear the garments, to do rough work
to wear things out faster and to rub
the buttons off. They were even said t.
be used with chemicals which injured
the fiber. and the public was slow to pat
ronize them. When the various laundries
began TO fight for trade, however. and
cut the price of washing a white shirt
down to cents. ard to deliver the next
day after collection, the people came
to their doors in hocks and more new
laundries were started AS a result. John
Chinaman's trade fell off. One by one
the Celestials took in the red signs that
had kept the devils away from their
front doors. and either moved over into
Chinatown or went back to the flowery
kingdom to spend their old age in af-
fiuence worshiping at the tombs of their
forefathers.
So rapidly have their numbers fallen off
that in the new directory while there are
shown 459 laundries conducted by white
people. most of which are steam, of a to-
tai of 7O7, but 49 are conducted by Chi
nese, number smaller in itself and in
proportion than that of ten years ago and
greatly less than that of half a decade
ago.
1t is figured by laundrymen that if the
Chinese recede as fast as they gained they
will in another ten years have practically
disappeared, and the white laundry will
again be doing all the washing. The shop
of the mysterious yellow man will be only
tradition. And a strange tradition it will
be for even now, when everybody goes
past a Chinese laundry some time dur
ing the day, there is much that is un-
known and little that is known about
them. When does John Chinaman sleep?
| That is question many ask and few
can answer. Go by his shop at any time
of day or night and YOU will see him
busy over tub or washing board, or seated
on the front steps gazing at the same
stars ne used to gaze at in his home, 10,
600 miles away.
What do the marks on Chinese laun-
dry ticket mean? 1t is doubtful If John
himself can answer that Tradition as
serts that the only requisite for the checks
is that they be red, and that the HERO
glyphics on each half be alike. Meaning
has a way of describing in his own Ian
guage the peculiarities of each of his Gus
toners in this way, and knows when a
man presents a check just what sort of a
man he is and whether there is already a
grudge against him outstanding.
And are all of the workers in the Chi
nese laundries Johns, or are some of them
Mrs Johns? And this will never be an
swered unless some law be devised to re-
quire that John wear label which will
enable the Caucasian to distinguish be-
tween the two when they are clad in the
same style of suits of loose blue stuff.
With all the questions however, John
is doomed. Already the bulk of the bust
ness is handled by the big steam machines
and soon they will have il all. And
then Chicago may have a run Of Chinese
cooks, or may take to patronizing Chinese
restaurants-or may lose her Chinese pop
ulation, altogether.