The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1916-08-12
THE J. e. n. WET WASH LAUNDRY
The Greatest Achievement of It's Kind
in the United States.

One of the most wonderful and ex-
traordinary examples of what can be
done, where there is a determination
to succeed, was astOundingly brought
to the notice of THE APPEAL, this
week, by a visit to the 81. & H. WET
WASH LAUNDRY" 3753-55.57 Cedar
avenue, Minneapolis.
And, in the hope that what was seen
and learned by the visit, may furnish
an incentive for others of our young
men, to dare and do, along some line
of endeavor, this article is published.
Something over five years ago, Mr..
Jasper Gibbs, Jr., then employed in
the Minneapolis postoftice, was asked
by a friend to look up a location for
a wet wash laundry. He did so, and
found one, but his friend had then
decided to do something else that
caused him to abandon the idea of
starting a laundry. But Mr.. Gibbs,
then less than 20 years of age, had
gotten the laundry bee in his own
bonnet and decided that if the pros
poets were as flattering as his friend
had pictured them, he saw no reason
why he could not go into the business
and succeed So he and his brother,
Mr.. Hiram Gibbs, fourteen months
younger than himself, made a start
with six customers. They knew little,
or nothing, about the business but de-
termined to learn, and they have lost
no time. They are both high school
graduates and had laid an educational
foundation which is absolutely neces-
sary nowadays as prerequisite in
almost all lines of business. Hence,
having this foundation, they built upon
it wisely and we'll. They worked early
and late, very often the entire night.
they are quite modest and unassum-
ing young men and though very popu-
lar in society circles, they did not
allow social entities to interfere with
their business. The result of the COM
bination of sterling qualities being
brought to bear upon their business
venture, was steady increase until
now, the boiler room Of their new
establishment is larger than their en-
tire original laundry, and they now
nave as many hundreds of customers
as they once had individuals, and
their new plant has a capacity of
fifteen hundred family washings per
week, which they hope to have at no
very distant day.
The laundry is now owned and
operated by the five Gibbs brothers,
viz: Jasper, Hiram, Morris, Mark and
Wendell; all working in the laundry,
but the actual business management
Is divided between Jasper and Hiram.
Besides the five brothers there are
five other EMPLOYEES. Is, s.,
The building, a picture of which is
shown in this issue, has an area of
73 by 125 square feet, with a 16-foot
ceiling, making it light and airy. It
is composed Of vitrified brick and con.
crete and is strictly sanitary in every
respect. There are II washers in
which 81 individual family washings
may be done at one time. There are
two large centrifugal wringers from
which the clothes come almost dry
enough to iron. They have 8 wagons
and motor trucks and a splendid
sanitary barn with a capacity for 8
horses.
The Gibbs Brothers are quite exem-
plary in their habits and manners:
modest, courteous and affable, a. typical
band Of brothers" all united in their
common welfare, and that of their
mother, Mrs. lone E. Gibbs, to whom
they enthusiastically and unanimously
ascribe the credit for their phenomi-
nal success.
The laundry and equipment as it
stands today-at a low estimate-rep-
resents an investment of $4,000. 90
as the result of their five years of
labor and business accumen.
The plan is really the largest, most
sanitary and up-to-date wet wash laun-
dry in Minnesota, if not in the United
States.
THE APPEAL is of the opinion that
this is the most remarkable achieve
ment made by any family in the Unit
ed States in period of five years
and challenges successful contradic-
ton. 3
AS we have herein said before, we
hope this. will inspire some Of our
young men to emulate the splendid
example Of the Gibbs Brothers.