The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1908-06-07

the bureau drawer. Arriving at the laun-
dry. it is first promptly marked In in
delible characters. usually according 10
a numerical system Then It is care
fully listed and sorted. Starch work,
lingerie undertaking, hosiery. &c
hardly any two pieces OF laundry work
receive exactly the same treatment At
this parting of the ways we follow a
shirt, as presenting, probably, the most
| interesting. certainly the most compli-
Gated, course through the laundry
First TO the washroom. great tubs filled
with water. close 70 212 degrees Fahren-
heit. receive it first These tubs. rotary
affairs. lined with smooth wood and
smoother metal, no wires. no rubbing and
scraping over a harsh galvanized board
just rapid whirling over and over
through hot water. then creamy suds,
then more suds-on and on for seven sep
arate waters. go toward the cleansing OF
q shirt The last water-clear as a
spring-leaves the linen snowy in color,
and from the wash tub II is whisked to
the great metal-lined rotary wringer. The
wringing differs materially from the hand
of the old-fashioned way. the rapid TO
tary, by centrifugal force, drives out the
water by its whirl. and in few minutes
the already nearly dry shirt is ready for
the starchlng.
The starch IS applied by machinery also
the garment running over flbrous rollers
saturated with starch. which distributes
the stiffening evenly and smoothly. avoid
ing the clotted appearance all too appar-
ent in hand laundry.
Goes TO Drying Room.
From the starcher TO the dry room our
friend the shirt rides on a little ele
waited runway. Constantly but slowly u
wends II way into the superheated atmos-
phere Of the dry room. where swift NOV
ing fans assist in the removal of the lasr
vestige of moisture.
From the dry room TO the sprinklers
and then to the big shirt press Is the
next step. 1t is a frequent thing TO hear
how these big rollers tear the shirts 10
ribbons. II the outsider but knew. the
modern laundries do not run a shirt be-
tween rollers. but instead. it is laid.
bosom up. on a little convex table lust
the size and shape of a shirt bosom and
the big steam chest from above descends
with heavy pressure. smoothly and deft-
ly converting the rough-dried bosom to the
immaculate elegance Of an evening dress
front in less time than II takes to tell II.
Another machine presses the yoke. a
third finishes or the cuffs. and yet an
other irons the neck band. and the shirt
is ready for the finishing touch of the
hand launder, which quickly irons out
the tails and sleeves, and within a mo-
ment more the shirt is folded, strapped
with dainty ribbon of tinted paper, and
ready for its return Journey
A somewhat similar method applies to
collars and cuffs and shirt waists Skirts
and the finer lingerie receive considerably
more attention from the hand laun-
dresses.
The table linen, towels and bed linen
are washed in five waters, and the iron
ing is accomplished entirely by mechanical
process
The conclusions drawn from The Her
AIDS search of the laundry situation in
Washington are simply these: The steam
laundries Of Washington are as big. as
clean, as sanitary. and as competent as
those of any other city. They do their
work with a minimum Of damage and a
maximum Of speed. and when the criti-
cism arises It will need a somewhat
stronger basis of fact than the charges
which instigatM the late introduction OF
the 'MOOra hill