Qass Book COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT .T te>\^ \ The launderer. A PRACTICAL TREATISE THE MANAGEMENT AND THE OPERATION OF A STEAM LAUNDRY D. H. BENJAMIN. First Edition - - First Thousand. CINCINNATI : THE STARCHROOM PUBLISHING CO., GOODALL BUILDING. L.ibMtpy of Cocmrew T\w) CotHES Received DEC 12 1900 SECOND copy OfiOfiR OiVtSION DEC 171900 Copyright 1900, By The Starchroom Publishing Co., Cincinnati, Ohio. 1:9^' iVO An (^t iJ t;c\ PREFACE. IT HAS often been stated that there is no technical work published on the laundry industry, and as a need of such work has often been suggested to the writer, and being convinced that it would be appreciated by the general laundry public he has attempted to meet the requirements of the trade and herewith offers the following work, hoping that it wall be received and awarded such merits as a true criticism will give. There has been an attempt to set forth a practical, common-sense standard which can be generally fol- lowed, and a like technical information which will aid the novice and professional to overcome many of the perplexing difficulties which arise in the laundry business. The reader may not agree Avitli everything in this book, as the writer is fully aware of the diversity of opinions in the methods and operation of a laundry, and while the points herein set forth are in every way practical, no doubt there are many Avhich can be im- proved. The writer makes no claim to superior know- ledge, but only sets forth his experience and observa- tion in the practical workings of the laundry business in its various departments. It is quite impossible in a work of this kind to make it broad enough to cover every condition that may arise. The reader may find it necessary to depart here and there from the text of this work to meet the requirements of different condi- iii tions which exist in different localities, and he should study the work and adjust it to his conditions, and not try to adjust his conditions to the work. The greater diversity between men's opinions and the opinions here given will be in the plans of the laundry, the arrangement of the machinery and the application of the machines more than the methods of operation. As this work is the result of one man's experience, of course there are many existing conditions which have never come under his observation, and which may be found to be omitted. It is impossible, without extending the number lof pages beyond reasonable limits, to illustrate every laundry machine. For this reason only a few of the prevailing types have been shown in any one case. The selection of any one machine must not be under- stood to indicate that the author is partial to the par- ticular machine illustrated. The purchaser should fully consider the varying conditions which are to be met, and select the machine best suited to them. The prospective purchaser should not be guided in his selection of machinery by reported failures on the part of any one machine in a laundry. It is an undisputed fact that a failure upon the part of one laundryman to successfully operate a machine has been completely offset by the complete success of an- other laundryman with the identical make of ma- chine. D. H, Benjamin. Ionia, Michigan, October, 1900. CONTENTS. PART FIRST— NEW WORK. CHAPTER 1. Page Introductory. Classification of laundry work— General re- quirements of the difierent grades of new work .... 1 CHAPTER 2. EtjuiPMENT OF A New Shirt Plant. Machinery and fittings for a plant with a capacity of forty dozen shirts per day — The dash wheel — Washers — Plans for heating water — The water purifier — Extractors and speeds for same — Soap making 3 CHAPTER 3. Process of Washing. Importance of color — Management of dyes — White shirts — Operation of the dash wheel — Bleaching — Dipping — Making starch — Extracting — Handling colored work — "Wash overs" 18 CHAPTER 4. The Starchroom. Location — Cement floors — Starching ma- chines — Wiping — Starch cookers — Arrangement of the machinery — Hanging shirts — Hanging collars and cuflis — Quality required for new work 33 CHAPTER 5. The Drykoom. Theories applied to drying — How clothes are dried — Comparison of methods— Ventilation — Dry rooms described — Importance of removing goods at the proper time 64 CHAPTER 6. The Dampening Room. Location — Importance of cleanli- ness — Dampening machines — Arrangement of racks — Uniform dampness essential — The shirt press — The dampening truck — Dampening for hand ironers .... 73 — VI — CHAPTER 7. Page The Ironing Eoom. Available kinds of gas — Gas ma- chines — Arrangement of piping — Gas burners — Blow- ers — Air pumps 88 CHAPTER 8. Ironing-Room Methods. Three methods in use — Hand ironing — Machine ironing — Ironing by hand and machine — Devices necessary in a modern plant — Ironing machines — Stretching devices — Speed of ironers 98 CHAPTER 9. The Back Ironer. The various types described 1C6 CHAPTER ]0. jS'eck and Wristband Ironers. General description — Diffi- culties in operation — Importance of low speeds — Roll ironers — Shoe ironers Ill CHAPTER 11. The Bosom-Fixing Table and the Yoke-Setting Machine. Putting the shirt in shape — Construction of the bosom-fixing table — Operation of the yoke-setter . . .117 CHAPTER 12. Sleeve and Body Ironers. How to iron a sleeve — Ironing bodies — Description of the various machines — How to prevent shirts sticking together — Folding shirts — Equipment for the folder 120 CHAPTER 13. Process of Ironing by Machines. Covering for the ironing table — How to put the shirt on the table — Ironing the inside yoke — Temperature of the irons 128 CHAPTER 14. Bosom Ironing. The foundation of a well ironed shirt — Limitations of the ironing machine — Order of op- erations — Pressure and dampness — Ironing inside yokes — Difficulties in yoke ironing — Appearance of a correctly ironed shirt — Ironing open fronts — Pique and plaited bosoms — Sponging — Methods required with the several types of machines — The use of the split felt 131 CHAPTER 15. Page Ironing Backs, Neckbands and Wristbands. Ironing backs a simple operation— How to manage the back ironer — Difficulties involved in neckband ironing — Essentials in ironing neckbands — Order of operations in neckband ironing — Importance of practice — How to iron a wristband — Size of the covered roll 138 CHAPTER 16. Bosom Fixing. Fixing the final operation in shaping the shirt — Making the shirt lie fiat — Fixing open fronts — How to handle the flat-iron — Temperature of the flat- iron 143 CHAPTER 17. Yoke Setting. Method of operation — How to place the shirt on the machine — Spraying and dampening — Im- portance of a hot iron 147 CHAPTER 18. Sleeve and Body Ironing. How to hold the shirt — Direc- tion of the ironing movement — Changing sleeves — Putting the shirt on the body ironer 151 CHAPTER 19. Folding Shirts. Equipment for the folder — The process employed — Where to make the creases — The shirt should be compact 154 CHAPTER 20. The Examining Room. Equipment for the examiner — His duties— Care in handling "wash overs" — Repairing — Eyelet raisers . 156 CHAPTER 21. Boxing. Arrangement of the boxing table — Sorting shirts — Packing shirts 159 CHAPTER 22. Ironing Shirts Partly by Machinery and Finishing by Hand. Parts to be ironed by machinery — Finish- ing — The finishing table— Advantages of this plan . . 162 CHAPTER 23. Page Hand Ironing, Individuality of the hand ironer — Intelli- gence required — How hand work is dampened — The equipment necessary — Process employed — Ironing open fronts — Shirts that must be ironed by hand . . . 164 CHAPTER 24. Laundering Negligee Work. Definition of negligee — Portions laundried — Ironing the neckbands — The ironingtable— Dampening— Method of ironing — Fold- ing soft shirts — The folding table — Pinning— Puff bosoms — Madras and percale — Starching the bands on a soft shirt 168 CHAPTER 25. Collar and Cuff Ironing. Principles of the machines em- ployed — Construction of collar and cuff ironers — De- scription of the various types— Capacities of the vari- ous machines— The collar tipper — Steam heated iron- ers — The seam dampener — The collar shaper — The edge ironer 174 PART SECOND— CUSTOM WORK. CHAPTER 1. Custom or Old Work Laundering. Comparison of old and new work laundering — Chief requisites in laundering old work — The standard of good laundry work - . . 195 CHAPTER 2. The Washrooji. Necessity of washing clean — The floor — The water supply — Storing hot water — A simple wa- ter heater — Arrangement of power transmission de- vices 198 CHAPTER 3. Washing Machines. General remarks upon the modern types — The work done on modern machines practi- cally uniform — Modifications of the prevailing type — Examples of standard makes — The disinfecting ma- chine 202 CHAPTER 4. Page Filters. The office of the laundry filter — Where filters are needed the most — The principle of filtering— Exam- ples — The coagulant — Washing the filter bed — Me- chanical action — The proper size for a laundry — Fre- quency of washing 217 CHAPTER 5. Odds and Ends. The tumbler — The dipwheel— Stationary tubs — Power roll wringers — Bluing tanks — Tanks for soaking soiled clothing — Scales and graduated glasses 224 CHAPTER 6. Methods in the Washroom — Washing White Shirts. Soaking — How a washer should be loaded — Tempera- ture of wash water— Soap spots — Necessity for bleach- ing—Management of bleach— Coloring — Scouring — Test for acetic acid — When to bleach 229 CHAPTER 7. Washing Woolens. Prevention of shrinking — How to wash them in a machine— Stretching before drying . 237 CHAPTER 8. Washing Colored Shirts. Danger of fading — Necessity of using neutral soap — Colored bosoms with white bod- ies—Fancy shirts with soft bosoms — The common negligee shirt — Ladies' white skirts — Ladies' under- wear—Dark colored flannels and black stockings — Table linen, etc. — Miscellaneous goods — Lace curtains 238 CHAPTER 9. The Starchroom. Comparison of methods for old and for new work — Shirt starchers— Examples of shirt starch- ers — The various principles involved — The arrange- ment of the machinery in the starchroom 244 CHAPTER 10. Starchroom Methods. The proper starch for custom work — Operation of the shirt starcher — Use of the dip- wheel — Collar and cufF starching — Wiping — Finish- ing — Removing air bubbles— Distributing wrinkles — Starch for the dipwheel— Stripping devices — Cause of failure in collar starching 254 CHAPTER 11. Page The Dampening Room. When to dampen — Dampening sheets — Dampening presses — Sprayers — Handling miscellaneous articles 270 CHAPTER 12. The Ironing Room. General methods— Shirt ironing — The several types of bosom ironers with examples — Neck- band and yoke clamps — Domestic and gloss tinishes — Pressure on bosom ironers — Finishing machines — The arrangement of ironing machines — The bosom- fixing table 274 CHAPTER 13. Ironing-Room Methods. Comparison with new work meth- ods — Requirements for a custom laundered shirt — Ironing yokes — Placing bosoms on the bosom board- How to launder a shirt — Faults to avoid in ironing a shirt — Use of the neckband clamp — Pressure — Open fronts — Plaited bosoms — Pique shirts — Relative mer- its of neckband ironers — Necessity of a soft padded roll — Body ironing — Fixing a crushed neckband . . 285 CHAPTER 14. Negligee Shirts and Ladies' Waists. Ironing negligees entirely by machine — Silk fronts — Necessity of iron- ing waists by hand 297 CHAPTER 15. Collar and Cuff Ironing. Requirements of country and of city trade — Theories about gloss finish — Machines that will produce the highest gloss — Dampening for gloss finish — Machines suitable for several grades of finish — Conditions necessary for good results — How to cover the padded roll — Frequency with which cover should be changed — The saw-edge machine . 299 CHAPTER 16. Miscellaneous Ironing. White duck coats — The " Jumbo " flat-iron — Ladies' skirts and underwear — Fluters — The steam-heated body ironer 30& CHAPTER 17. Page Marking, Sorting and Handling Laundry Work. Plan for a laundry doing $500 worth of work per week — Marking the lists — Marking the garments — Location and size of the marks — Size of a lot — Separation of the goods in the wash room — Numbering the lots — Sorting shirts and underwear — Sorting collars and cuffs — Assembling the bundles — Checking — " Spe- cials " *..... 310 PART THIRD— MANGLE WORK. CHAPTER 1. Mangle Work — Comparison with Ordinary Work. Plants equipped expressly for mangle work — Where mangles are extensively used — Capabilities of the modern mangle — Their effect upon the price of flat work — Mangles for custom laundries — Wide diversity of mangle work 317 CHAPTER 2. Arrangement of the Washroom. Necessity of arranging for economy of time — The washing machine — Special extractors — Bluing tanks 320 CHAPTER 3. Methods of Washing Mangle Work. Sorting the work Rinsing — Bleaching — Coloring — Time required to wash fiat work — Starching seldom required — Finish for napkins and table linen 323 CHAPTER 4. The Mangle Room. Ventilation — The floor — Supply of steam — The ventilating fan — Steam traps — Necessity for a steam trap — Table of temperatures of steam at various pressures 326 CHAPTER 5. Steam Mangles. Classification — Examples — Capacities — Material for covering mangle drums — How to get the best finish — Speed — Feeding devices 830 — xu — CHAPTER 6. Page Methods of the Mangle Room. The tumbler — Straighten- ing out after extracting— Feeding — Requisites of good mangle work — Folding — Finishing 346 ADDENDA. Formula for making potash soap for woolens — Formula for making bleach solution 349 TABLES. Temperatures of steam at various pressures 329 Table of water analyses 350 Index 353 THE LAUNDERER. CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTORY. The laundry industry is divided, naturally, into two distinct classes of work, laundering and relaun- dering. When the garment is new, it is laundered. After it has become soiled, it must be relaundered, and, while the character of the work is similar to first laundering, the method employed is somewhat different. In the present work, the subject of laundering new work will be taken up first, and that of relaundering afterwards. The laundering of new shirts, collars and cuffs, must be done perfectly, and, in the present state of competition, manufacturers have brought the launder- ing of their goods to the highest degree of excellence. Anyone making a good garment, and poorly launder- ing it, has but little chance in the sale of his goods, when competing with the manufacturer who may make a poorer class of goods, but who launders them well, and who therefore finds a ready market for his output. The laundering of new goods has become an art, and the volume of business done is regulated by the character of the laundry work, much more than by the 1 — 2 — manner in which the goods are made. A poorly made garment, nicely washed, starched and ironed will make a far better appearance than a well-made garment poorly washed, starched or ironed, and it will be observed in all manufacturing that greater talent, skill and energy are put into this department than anywhere else. If you should inquire where the turning point in the busi- ness is, you would surely get as the answer, "The laundry." Therefore, anyone starting out to launder new work must be prepared to strive for perfection in everv detail. 3 — CHAPTER 2. EQUIPMENT OF A JSTEW-SHIKT PLANT. Washroom. Capacity, 40 dozen shirts per day. One four-pocket dash wheel; one thirty-inch ex- tractor ; one hot-water tank in rear of dash weel ; one hluing- and starch-tank in rear of and connected with dash wheel; stationary tubs; soap tanks; crocks for water heater, etc. DESCRIPTION. A dash wheel is a washing machine having an inside cylinder about eight feet in diameter and three feet wide, with four partitions through its periphery, form- ing a cross at the center and dividing the space into four three-cornered compartments or pockets. This cylinder is perforated and it revolves in a water-tight case. It has no reverse motion, but runs continuously in one direction. Each compartment has a door, and ten dozen shirts may be placed in every one. The outer case has also an opening, which is closed by a water-tight door. Shirts are tied around the body, with the arms secured so that they can not become entangled while revolving in the machine. An illustra- tion of a dash wheel is shown in Fig. 1. The action of the machine is as follows : the same number of shirts, say ten dozen, is placed in each one of the four pockets ; the machine is made to revolve and the goods are dippfed down into the washing solu- tion, whatever it may be, and are then carried up over — 4 — the center and dashed from one corner of the pocket to the other. Goods change positions in a dash wheel four times in each revolution, this making a dash wheel much more effectual than the common cylinder washer, because of the greater action in each revolution. Fig. 1. DASH VnrETilj, (Troy Laundry Machinery Co.) If new work is to be undertaken, the author would strongly advise the use of a dash wheel. It is more economical in material, and is more effectual in pound- ing the sizing and color from the fibre, l^ew goods come from the bleaeheries filled with sizing, and have a very — 5 — tenacious green shade all of which has to be removed before a fine color can be established, and nothing is so effectual in accomplishing this as a dash wheel. Light shirts may be washed satisfactorily in a small machine, but heavy muslins, like Wamsutta and New York Mills never should be washed in a cylinder ma- chine ; otherwise the seams will be yellow, and the bosoms more or less streaked in spite of anything that can be done. Examine the binding of a bosom, for instance, where several thicknesses are tightly stitched down ; it is impossible to thoroughly bleach and destroy this color in the goods in the cylinder machine, con- sequently, when the bluing is applied, it will not ''take" in these seams, and, when the shirt is ironed the seams will be yellow. Such shirts must be washed in a dash wheel,, where they will receive heavy "pounding," in order to thoroughly saturate all parts of the shirt with the washing solution. CONNECTIONS OF A DASH WHEEL. Dash wheels should be connected with hot and cold water, and steam, using large water pipes in order that the machine may be filled quickly. It should have large sewer connections, so that it may be emptied promptly. A water glass to indicate the depth of water in the ma- chine is also a valuable adjunct. Makers of dash wheels seldom put on water glasses, unless specially requested to do so. But a machine without a water glass can be operated only by having holes bored in the side of the machine, so that the water may run out when it has reached the level of the holes, thus indicating the amount of water in the machine. This is a very uncertain ojieration, and to insure uniformity of results it is necessarv to have a Avater glass. There should be erected on an elevated platform a stationary tank, and this tank should be connected with the machine. There should be an open steam pipe leading into the tank, for cooking the dipping starch, and heating the bluing and souring solutions. The tank should be made large enough to hold all the water, or solution of any kind, that the dash wheel may require at one time. There should be steps leading to this platform, and everything about this tank equip- ment should be made as convenient as possible, for the whole operation of the washing is done by the means of this elevated tank. In this tank all solutions are mixed and properly prepared before being run into the ma- chine. To the rear of the machine there is usually attached an aluminum soap tank, for putting the soap or any other solution into the machine. The ordinary dash wheels are belted directly, with- out gearing, from a countershaft, which is furnished with the machine. The speed of the dash wheel should not be over twenty-eight turns per minute, if it runs much faster than this, the goods are swung completely around by centrifugal force and receive no action what- ever. It is necessary to use the very best double belt to run a dash wheel, as it must run quite slowly, and the belt has to be very taut. In case one desires to use a cylinder washer, for the purpose of washing new shirts, the author wishes to state that it is necessary to erect an elevated tank in connection with the machine in the same manner as that described in connection with the dash wheel, and for the same purj)Ose. A cylinder machine, in its essential details, will be described later. It is absolutely necessary, in any washroom, whether it be for new work or old, to have some sort of hot-water system. Having hot water, not only facilitates and shortens the process of washing, but enables one to get better results than from heating cold water by steam. Every change of water should be of the same tempera- ture, as the water preceding it, and this condition can only be brought about by having a supply of hot water always ready for use. There are several different methods of obtaining hot water, the most a23proved plan being the utilization of exhaust steam from the engine. Of course, if an engine is not used, then live steam must be let into the water tank directly, but in almost all steam laundries today, a steam engine is employed. A regular hot- water plant consists of a large elevated tank, used for storage, and the water passing into this tank, and then through an exhaust steam heater, becomes heated from exhaust steam. There are many makes of hot-water heaters, but where there is a mineral deposit in the water, the author advises the use of that class of heater which not only heats the water, but also removes the greater percentage of mineral deposit. In this kind of heater the steam is exhausted at the bottom of a large steel tube ; at the bottom of this tube is placed excelsior, and above the excelsior several sections of plates of iron. Water is admitted at the top, flows over these plates, and as it falls it j^asses through the steam, when the mineral deposit is ^precipitated, the water becomes heated, and is jDu.mped into the elevated tank. This class of heater has an oil separator, which removes all oil that there may be in the exhaust steam, and prevents any of it from getting into the hot water. An example of this form of heater is shown in Fia;. 2. Fig. 3. MONITOR ■WATER PXTRIFIEK. (Monitor Water Purifier Co.) Another form of heater, which is much used, con- sists of an arrangement similar to the one already de- scribed, except tliat the inside is filled with coils of copper pipe, through which the exhaust steam passes. This heater is filled with cold water, and receives the heat from the steam bj radiation through the copper pipe, whence it flows by pressure into the tank. With this kind of heater no pump is required. A very cheaj) method of heating water is as follows : Have an elevated tank, in the bottom of which has been placed a coil of steam pijie, through which the steam is to be exhausted from the engine so that the steam heat will radiate through the pipes into the water. The coil, in this case, should be sufficient to radiate all the heat in the steam, and should any steam escape when the tank is filled with cold water, it would indicate that more coil is required. With this arrangement, when the tank is first filled with cold water, no steam should exhaust into the open air. The coil must have an out- let, for when the water becomes hot, the steam will not condense in the coil, and it therefore must escape or pro- duces a back jiressure on the engine. I consider this arrangement very desirabk^, as it not only serves as a hot water heater, but produces a partial vacuum in the exhaust jjij^es by the steam becoming condensed, and thus increases the power of the engine. In other words, it serves the jiurpose, to a certain extent, of a steam- engine condenser. This storage hot-water tank may be placed in any convenient position in, or outside the building. It should be elevated sufficiently to allow the water in the bottom of the tank to gravitate to the washing machines. There is very little danger of its freezing, the water always being hot. The only difficulty that might arise, would be with the water freezing in the pipes leading from the tank into the building. But no trouble should be experienced if these pipes are well protected. If necessary to have a tank outside, it is practical to so place it. The tank should be connected with the wash- ing machines, to the elevated tank in rear of washing machines, and to the stationary tubs or other places where hot water is needed. In the equipment of a washroom, a good extractor is a very important adjunct. There are many makes of extractors, but all embody the same principle, i. e., the extraction of the moisture from the goods by centrifugal force. All the moisture is not removed by the extractor, however, and the machine that can run at the highest rate of speed with safety, is the most desirable machine to buy, because the greater the ninnber of revolutions of the basket, the greater the amount of water that will be extracted. The universal type of extractor is constructed as — 10 — follows : A perforated steel cylinder or basket is mounted on an upright shaft, in yielding bearings, and driven by a pulley on the lower end of the shaft. The basket is enclosed in a water-tight casing which is open at the top. The yielding bearings are necessary to allow the machine to revolve on the center of the centrifugal force. It is impossible to place goods in an extractor perfectly in balance, and if the machine is made with rigid bearings, and operated at a high rate of speed, it will run with great vibration, on account of the load being out of balance. When, however, it is mounted in yielding bearings, and the shaft allowed to oscillate, the mass of weight will find its own center and revolve on the same principle as a top, without causing any vibration to the machine or the foundations. The prin- ciple point of merit in an extractor is that it is capable of being run at a high rate of speed with its load very greatly out of balance. The best extractor being that which can be run at the highest speed and the most out of balance. The yielding bearings are usually an arrangement of springs in the bearing directly under- neath the basket, and the lower end of the shaft is mounted in a ball bearing. This allows the shaft to oscillate and swing about its lower extremity. See il- lustrations, Fig. ?>, 4 and 5. Another very good type of extractor, which, in the author's judgment, is built on the best scientific prin- ciples, is that in which the shaft extends above the basket, with the upper end secured, in a ball bearing, while the lower end rests in a movable box. In this type of machine, gravity acts in place of springs. The objection to an arrangement of this kind, is that the machine driven from above, and to have the shaft ex- tending above the machine, is not so convenient as when 11 Fig. 3. EXTRACTOK. (American Laundry Machinery Co.) — 12 — the machine is driven from below. Manufacturers of this type of machine, however, have brought it to the highest state of perfection, and its many advantages quite outweigh this objection. An example of this type is shown in Fig. 6. Extractors are dangerous machines, at the best, and they should be handled with the utmost care. If they are run at too high a speed, there is danger of an explosion, and when an extractor explodes, the result is almost equal to that of a boiler explosion, and it may be very destructive to life and j)roperty. There 'is great danger, also, in running this machine too much out of balance. Many times the vibration causes the bending of the shaft or breaking of the spring, in which case the results are likely to be disastrous. An extractor is driven by. a countershaft, which is generally furnished with the machine. It is well to have a friction pulley on the countershaft, which drives the machines, to take the slip or lost motion when starting. It takes quite an amount of power to start an extractor, but after it has reached its speed very little power is required to keep it .in motion. There- fore, it must be started slowly, and should there be no friction pulley, the belts will necessarily slip, in which case much damage is caused to the belt, as well as loss of power. The larger the extractor the less its drying capacity. It is the quick travelling of goods around a small circle that causes the greatest centrifugal force ; the larger the circle the less the centrifugal force at the same surface speed. A thirty-inch basket is the most prac- tical machine for steam laundries. The usual speeds -of standard makes of extractors are as follows : 13 — »1 P4 s X — 14 Fig. 5. EXTRACTOR. (The F. M. Watkins Co.) — 15 Fi^. 6. EXTKACTOR. (A. T. Hagen Co.) — 16 — 20-inch basket, 1,400 revolutions jjer minute. 24-incli basket, 1,300 revolutions jDer minute. 26-incli basket, 1,200 revolutions per minute. 30-inch basket, 1,000 revolutions per minute. Sizes larger than 30 inches are unusual, and anyone purchasing a machine of larger size should get advice regarding the speed from the manufacturer. Extract- ors are made as large as 60 inches, but such machines are not practical for laundrv purposes, and are used more especially in woolen mills and textile manu- factories. It is doubtful if it is economy for a laundryman to manufacture his own soap. There are so many thoroughly reliable houses, and competition has brought the price of soap to such a low figure, that it does not l^ay to make it yourself. In either event, whether a laundryman makes his own soap or buys it, a metal soap tank is a necessary adjunct to every washroom. The usual commercial soap sold to laundries is put up in barrels in chips, and to use this soap economically it should be boiled up into a liquid soap.. A metal tank is necessary for this purpose, as the alkali destroys wood fibre, and a wooden tank becomes worthless in a very short time. The soap tank is preferably made of galvanized iron, and, for ordinary washrooms its dimensions should be as follows: Diameter, 36 inches; depth, 30 inches; made of JSTo. 22 galvanized iron. In the bottom should 1)0 a circular steam coil, with small holes about one- eighth inch diameter, drilled about one inch apart. The end of the pipe should be capped, to bompel the steam to escape through the holes, and thus produce small steam jets all over the bottom of the tank. Water .should also be run to this tank. - 17 — A tank of this size will cook up about a half barrel of chipped soap. To use it, proceed as follows : Fill the tank about half full of hot water, empty in about half a barrel of chip soap, turn on the steam, and boil until the entire mass is a saponified liquid. If any "building up" is necessary, add it to the soaj) when boiling. The author considers it a good plan to buy neutral soap, and to strengthen it with caustic soda or potash. In this way one knows exactly what he is using, and if he is acquainted with the amount of caus- tic the stock will saponify, he is never in danger of get- ting free alkali in his soap. Many manufacturers make what they term a "strong" soap. The author has found this soap to contain quite an excess of alkali, and alkali in a free state in goods is most ruinous in its effects. It destroys fibre nearly as quickly as sulphuric acid, and there- fore laundrymen must be very careful to determine that their soap is not "overloaded." The author does not consider it safe to add over 5% of caustic soda to pure neutral soap, and if the soap is in any way strong, the adding of caustic soda must be undertaken very cautiously. However, as the present discussion is on the subject of new work, the matter of the strength of the soap is not of so great consequence as in the case of old work. JSTew goods are very little soiled and only need a sudsing to soften the fibre, and make them in better condition to receive the other chemicals. In case colored goods are being washed, an entirely neutral soap is required. The necessary equipment for doing new work having been described, the process of doing the work will now be explained. — 18 — CHAPTER 3. PROCESS OF WASHING. The foundation of good work, be it new or old, is in good washing; and when I saj washing, I do not mean what the word technically implies, but the manner of cleansing the goods, the body starching and the coloring. Color, especially in new work, is of the highest importance, and it is a matter in which every manufacturer endeavors to reach perfection. New work requires to be decidedly blue in tint, in order that it will appear white after it has remained in boxes and until it reaches the purchaser. If goods do not have this blue tint when they are first laundered, they will shortly become yellow and unsightly. It is also necessary to have the blue tint well "set" in the goods so that it will not easily fade. New goods are rarely sold to the consumer in less than six months after they are manufactured, and they should therefore have a color that will stand that length of time. It is the proper manipulation in the Avashroom that gives such a color. The author thinks he can safely say that every manufacturer of inij^ortance in this country uses aniline colors. This dye is easy to handle and rarely spots or streaks, as does ultramarine, and, when prop- erly used, produces a pure and beautiful shade. How- ever, aniline is a very fading color, and must be handled with the utmost care or it will escape and leave the goods in a yellow condition. The author under- stands that ultramarine is used quite extensively in Europe, but personal experience with the two colors — 19 — makes him favor the aniline, and he believes that any one acquainted with the method of handling it would use no other. Indigo blue and the bluing bag are so far behind the times that it is scarcely necessary to refer to them at all. Under the head of washing new work, white shirts will be considered first. Washing white shirts re- quires greater care, and the process is more complicated than when handling any other work, excepting white collars and cuffs. Shirts that are to be washed in a dash wheel must be tied in such a manner that they may not become entangled, for, in case they should, they will not receive ths proper treatment, as the liquid can not penetrate the mass of the goods, and the center of the mass will not receive the same color as the goods on the outside. Moreover, when the goods are in an entangled condition they are more likely to be torn, and will become so matted together that they can not move except as they may slide from side to side in the pocket. It very frequently happens that they are worn out completely where they come in contact with the wood in the machine. Tying shirts for the dash wheel consists in binding a string around the shirt, securing the arms to the side of the shirt and fastening it just below the bosom. When a shirt is tied around the bosom the color will not take in that part of the bosom with which the string is ini contact, resulting in a yellow shade on the shirt at or near the bottom of the bosom. Shirts should always be tied with a white string, as any sort of colored string will stain the goods. The ordinary dash wheel will wash forty dozen light shirts, or thirty-six dozen heavy shirts, which, — 20 — when equally divided, will be ten dozen light shirts or nine dozen heavy shirts to the package. It is never advisable to overload the washing machine, as there should be space enough to allow of free action of the goods and liquids, in order to produce the desired results. If the machine is too full the goods will not move as they should. Warm water must be admitted into the machine while it is in motion, and it should rise to a level of about eight inches from the bottom of the machine, as indicated in the water glass. Soap should then be added, in a quantity sufficient to produce a free suds. The goods should be run in this suds about thirty minutes. Washing in suds is not for the purpose of removing the dirt so much as to soften up the fibre and remove all sizing contained in the goods. New work is usually very little soiled, and consequently it does not require a very strong soap. The object to be attained is to free the goods of all foreign matter, and leave them in a condition which will allow a free action of the process which is to follow. After "sudsing," the goods should be thor- oughly rinsed in warm water the same temperature as the suds, and it should be noted here, that in no case should any water enter the machine at a lower temperature than the water preceding it. In other words, never allow the goods to be cooled below the temperature which they have been given already. It is recommended that they be rinsed after the suds, twice in warm water, and about five minutes each time. 'Rext in order comes the bleaching, which is of the highest importance in new work. All muslins that — 21 — are made into shirts are already bleached, and have received a tenacious green shade from the process in tlie bleachery. This shade must be entirely removed before good color can be produced by the laundryman; therefore it is necessary to bleach the goods in order to get rid of this green color, but not for the purpose of making them any whiter than they really are. Goods, when properly bleached in the washing machine, should have no color whatever, but they should have a natural, pure whiteness, which condition makes it pos- sible to treat them successfully by the laundering pro- cess. Some muslins require more bleach to bring about this result than ethers, and the laundryman must be the one to judge to what extent bleaching must be car- ried, lie may possibly, after running the goods in a certain strength of bleaching solution for some little time, find that the color has not been entirely removed, and he must then 'add more bleach to the solution, and in this way, feeling his way, ascertain the amount necessary to produce the desired result. After the goods have been rinsed, run in water of the same tem- perature and as much as for washing add to this solu- tion a quantity of chlorine liquid, the amount being regulated by the strength of the liquid. If chloronate fluid or chlorozone be used then the author would rec- onnuend as a starter for a lot of forty dozen shirts, about eighteen liquid ounces. If this is not suflicient increase the quantity until the result desired is ob- tained. If chlorine liquid, made from chloride of lime, be used, and which has the strength of 15 degrees Beaume hydrometer test, the author would recommend adding 55 fluid ounces and operating the same as with manufactured bleach. In either case, be it manufac- tured bleach or a solution made from chloride of lime, 22 the elements used in this process are the same. There are a great many adherents to the manufactured bleach liquid, while many others stick to the old process of making chlorinated fluid from chloride of lime. See formula on page 350. Either solution is practical, and it matters little which is used, although the author be- lieves that the manufactured article is most convenient and q'Liite as economical. Manufacturers of chlorinated fluids of this nature claim that their process produces more chlorine than can be obtained from chloride of lime. They produce a ehloriate from its natural af- finity and charge into a solution the caustic soda liquid, Avhile chloride of lime absorbs gas, and gives it off again when dissolved in the liquid. Of course, anyone can understand that the chlorine being incorporated in the lime, will escape to a certain degree, and the element mainly desired would thus be lost, taking this fact into consideration, the chlorinated fluid is, perhaps, the most economical. It is generally supposed that chlorine does the bleaching. This is not the truth of the matter, however, It is the oxygen which destroys the color. The chemical action is, that the chlorine unites with hydrogen in the water, producing hydrochloric acid, and leaving the oxygen in the solution, which does the bleaching. After the laundryman has ascertained what strength of chlorine is necessary to use, it is advisable to run the machine in this bleach solution for about thirty minutes. After this, the goods should be most thor- oughly rinsed in water at a temperature of not less than one hundred and eighty degrees. Rinse three or four times, from eight to ten minutes each time, having an abundant amount of water in the machine. It is ab- — 23 — solutely necessary to remove every trace of chlorine in the goods, or else it will be impossible to produce any sort of color. Aniline blue can not act where there is any chlorine present, and, in order to thoroughly neutralize any chlorine which may remain after rins- ing, it is recommended that the goods be treated to a solution of water and acetic acid, which is com- monly called "souring." This will put the goods in a condition to easily take the color, and to retain a permanent shade. jSText in order comes the matter of coloring, which is the fine art in the laundering of new work. It is a fact that no two grades of muslin will take a color alike, and it is also true that the same process applied to a certain brand of muslin at different times, will not produce like results in color. The conditions vary in the treatment of muslins in the bleacheries, and varia- tions in the water in some localities affect these condi- tions. Especially, is this true, when using mineral water. Water at times seems to contain more mineral than at others, and the object to be attained in new work, is uniformity in color. In order to obtain uni- formity one must meet all conditions. It is not true that a formula can be given for the production of a uniform color under all conditions, and the man who would produce a uniform color must use a great amount of ingenuity in handling of solutions. What is desired in new work is a true blue, a blue that will compare in shade to the sky. It should not be green, nor purple, nor violet, but blue. In order to get a true blue, one must use the three colors men- tioned, green, purple and violet. The operator is ad- vised to have a mixture of each shade, and, if in making — 24 — up the color, it is found that the green predominates, add the violet, or, if the the violet predominates, add the green, using the purple for the foundation. If goods are too green they will look very nice and bright when first washed, but they will soon turn yellow, as yellow is the next color to green. If, on the other hand, they are too violet they will have a dark steel-gray ap- pearance. In order to insure permanency to the color, and brightness in effect, the use of oxalic acid is recom- mended, and the author states in this connection that if oxalic acid is properly used, nothing harmful will result. Oxalic acid has no injurious effect on goods when they are in a wet state, but if it is allowed t-o remain in the goods, and the goods are dried, then a chemical change takes place, and the oxalic acid is very destructive. But, if, after using the acid, it is thor- oughly rinsed from the goods, there is no danger. The use of oxalic acid is recommended also, because it has the most natural affinity for aniline color, and for this reason it will render those colors most tenacious. The author's plan of color with oxalic acid is as follows: Draw into the elevated tank, already de- scribed, about sixty-five gallons of hot water; add to this hot water, for forty dozen shirts, eighteen ounces of oxalic acid ; thoroughly dissolve the acid in boiling water before pouring into the tub, otherwise the crys- tals might remain in the bottom of the tub, and not dissolve. Heat the water to a temperature of not less than two hundred degrees, and to this add the color. The natural effect of oxalic acid on aniline is to pro- duce a green shade, and in order to offset this it is nec- essarv to use a blue having a strong violet or purple — 25 — shade. One has to feel his way in this matter, and the author woukl suggest not putting as much blue as the operator might at first think necessary into this oxalic acid solution, but only enough to give the indi- cated shade, as more can be added afterward in case it is found that the goods are not blue enough, or have not the right shade. The author usually immerses the shirt by hand in this bluing solution, and when he finds that it appears too green, he adds a deeper shade of violet, or, if they appear too violet, he adds a deeper shade of green, and in this way any desired shade of blue may be produced. After having ''tried" the coloi' in this way, and finding that it is the right shade, the solution is allowed to run into the machine. The laundryman will usually find that the goods in the machine will not be as blue as the shirt outside in the tank, and therefore, when making up the blue solution, it is usually necessary to have it several de- grees bluer than desired, because, from some cause or other, when it enters the machine it will not blue the goods in the machine as much, and after several trials one can judge quite accurately the shade of the bluing- necessary to produce the desired shade in the tank. Should the goods not be blue enough, more bluing must be added to the machine. This may be done through the box at the back. Care must be used to pour it in slowly, or else the goods will not receive a uniform shade of blue. AVhen the goods become too blue the remedy is more troul)lesome to apply. In this case it is usually necessary to bleach all the color out of them and to begin again, as the oxalic acid renders the aniline an almost indelible dye. 'No amount of rinsing will remove it; nothing but l)leacli. Therefore when the goods are too blue it is about useless to try and rinse the color do^vn. Begin again, remembering to be more conservative in the amount of colors next time. It is necessary to run the goods in this solution not less than thirty minutes, and longer if the shirts are heavy, in order that the bluing may take well in all the thick seams and bands. After the goods have re- mained a sufficient length of time in this water-color they should be well rinsed three or four times in warm water having in it about eight ounces of acetic acid. The author usually prepares the rinse-water in the tank before letting it into the machine. This is done in order to prevent any water coming in contact with the goods before it has received the acetic acid. It is necessary to use this acid rinse-water to preserve the hrightness of tone in the color and prevent fading. Pure acetic acid is entirely harmless and will not injure the most delicate fabric and, by its use in this way, the clothes may be thoroughly rid of the oxalic acid, still retain the color, and also any injurious effects from the oxalic acid will be prevented. After this rinsing the goods are ready for "dipping." Dipping consists in starching the shirts with a small amount of starch cooked in a large quantity of water. !Nearly all new work requires dipping to make it fin- ish smoothly and firmly, and to produce a sizing in the goods. In the cheaper grades of shirts it is also nec- essary to produce stiffness in the body. The lighter and cheaper the muslins, the heavier should be the dipping, and as the quality improves the quantity of dipping is lessened until, reaching the finest grade of muslin, which requires but a very little body starch- ing, only enough starching is necessary to prevent the — 27 — bodies from having a '"sloppy" appearance when ironed. Dipping also thoroughly fixes the color. It should he the object of the laundryman to have the goods the same shade after they are dipped as they were after being water-colored, and, in order to produce this re- sult, a thin shade of bluing is necessary in the dipping. As pointed out before, oxalic acid has a tendency to turn aniline blue to green, and in order to counter- act this it is necessary to use a violet. It is found that the dipping has a tendency to turn aniline blue to a purple, consequently it is necessary to add green to produce the same shade in the goods as with the water-color. Should the same combination of bluing be used in the dipping as in the water-color the goods would turn to a deep ^ iolet or purple, and should the same combination be used in the water-color as in the dipping the goods would have a green appearance. Consequently in the water-color more of the violet shade and less of the green must be used, and in the dipping more of the green shade and less of the violet. By experience one is enabled to so nicely mix his colors that the shade of the goods after they are dipped will be exactly the same shade as after they are water-col- ored, while yet an entirely different combination of bluing is used in the dipping. It is very difficult, and perhaps impossible, to set any formula which can be applied in the matter of color. It must all be regulated according to the con- ditions and the quality of the goods being treated, and the only thing left for the laundryman to do is to have his different shades of color and then to study the com- binations and effects. It should be stated here that the dipping should never be bluer than the goods after the — 28 — water-color ; if anything, it should be a trifle less blue. Should the dipping be bluer it will settle in the heavy parts of the shirt, such as the bosoms and bands, and cause a mottled appearance when ironed. On very light, cheap shirts it is necessary to extract the water before the goods are dipped in order that they may take more starch and have a heavier feeling when fin- ished. Many buyers of this class of goods are verv particular about the "weight." In some instances I have known buyers to weigh a half dozen shirts, and if they did not come up to a certain standard, they would be returned, with the statement that the mus- lin (?) used was not of the proper weight. Yet it was not the muslin which was at fault, but the goods were dipped too lightly. For a cheap, light shirt the author advises using 28 pounds of starch and 60 gallons of water for forty dozen shirts ; for a medium grade of shirts it is ad- visable to use 20 pounds of starch and GO gallons of water, and for the best grades of shirts, 10 pounds of starch and 60 gallons of water. One can use a fair grade of corn starch that may be purchased in the mar- ket at present for about 2^ cents a pound. N^early all dealers keep this grade of cornstarch, and it will answer the purpose as well as a higher priced quality. The starch dipping should be boiled in a tank for five or ten minutes, and to this solution be added about twelve ounces of acetic acid and the required amount of bluing. It is also necessary to test the dipping and the shade of blue in the same manner as when testing the water-color; viz., by dipping a shirt into the solu- tion, and in order to ascertain the correct shade it would be Avell to examine a shirt after extractino'. This — 29 — will enable the operator to correctly judge the depth of color, whereas, if one looks at a shirt thorou^^lily satu- rated with the bluing it appears bluer than it is when the starch is extracted and the goods are in a true state of color. Goods, when they have the proper color, should appear, particularly when held towards the light, quite blue, and light coming through the goods should be the same tint as the goods. If this is not the case and the goods reflect a dull, greenish tint, then the color is ^'off," and should they be laundered in this condition they will have a very dark appearance. After the shade of the dipping starch is considered correct, let it run onto the goods for about twenty minutes. After this they should be removed from the machine and thoroughly extracted. It' is advisable to run the goods in the extractor twenty minutes, in a machine that is run at twelve hundred turns a minute. It is necessary to extract' all water possible from the goods before they are sent to the starchroom, for any amount of water left in them will weaken the starch just so much, and they will be proportionately soft. The method of washing white shirts is, in brief, as follows: Run shirts ten minutes in lukewarm water. Rinse well in lukewarm water three times, five min- utes each time. Bleach: 16 fluid ounces of chlorin- ated fluid, 60 gallons of water. Run thirty minutes. Rinse three times in acetic acid solution, ten minutes to each rinse. Dip made of 60 gallons of water, 28 pounds of starch, acetic acid and blue. Run thirty minutes ; take out and extract. White collars and cufFs are treated in a similar manner to white shirts, and the formula is practically the same. — 30 — The washing of colored bosoms and white bodies is an entirely different process from the washing of white shirts. Many of the colors in print goods are very fading, and in no case can any bleach or oxalic acid be used, and but very little acetic acid may be employed. In some colors no soap can be used without danger of fading the goods. The manufacturers of print goods use two kinds of dye ; one has an alkali basis and the other has an acid ba.sis. The alkali color will stand any amount of soap and not fade, while if too much acid should be used, it will cause the color to fade. But with the acid-colored goods soap will fade them and acid brighten them. As it is not practical to determine the nature of every color with which one has to deal, it is necessary to make the solutions so nearly neutral that they will not affect either color. On the cheap grades of colored bosom shirts it is advisable to use no soap. Usually the goods are not soiled, and the action of the machine, together with the different solutions, will cleanse the goods of all dirt or soil they may have received when being made. It is necessary, also, to warn laundrjTnen never to use a hot solution on colored goods. Many goods are faded by using too hot starch, and laundrymen are prone to attribute it to other causes than this one. Colored bosom shirts v.diich have cuff's to match should have the cuff's washed with the shirts in order that if there be any fading or changing of shade, the cuffs will receive the same action as the shirts and will match them when laundered. Otherwise the bosoms and the cuffs may be of different shades when finished. The best method of handling colored bosom work is as follows : Rinse goods about fifteen minutes in — 31 — lukewarm water. The coloring of the bodies of this class of goods is better done in the dipping starch. This starch should be made in about half the quantity of water which is required for the dipping, and after the starch is cooked, draw into the solution as much cold water as is necessary to dip the goods, and as will bring this solution to a temperature which will not fade the colors. The dipping should never be any hotter than can be borne by the hand. To this solution of dip add six ounces of acetic acid, and the required shade of blue. The bluing of white bodied shirts should be a deeper shade than for white shirts, as the color can not be so thoroughly fixed in the goods, and therefore it will fade to a considerable extent while being dried and dampened. After the color is found to be correct, run the dipping into the machine in the same manner as for white shirts. Run not less than thirty minutes, and extract. In any laundry there will be a certain amount of goods which have to be done over, or relaundered, from some cause or other, and the treatment of these "wash- overs," as they are commonly called, is somewhat dif- ferent from the process employed when they were or- iginally washed. They usually come back to the wash- room more or less soiled, and require greater care in the washing, that is, they necessarily have to be washed in a strong solution of soap and water in order to remove the soil or dirt they may have on them. Consequently, more attention must be given to this part of the process. They should first have the starch and sizing rinsed out of them with luke- warm water, and then be washed for about thirty minutes in a good strong soap suds, after which they — 32 — should have a second suds, and run from fifteen to twenty minutes longer. Then the water should be brought to a temperature of not less than two hundred and ten degrees, after which they should be thorough- ly rinsed in hot water. After rinsing they should have a slight bleaching, and then be finished in the same manner as when originally washed. Care should be taken in the amount of bleach used on the goods the second time. If they are bleached as strongly as they were originally, it might cause them to be tender, and it is not necessary to do so, as there is no color in them to be removed, except stains, which may inci- dentally happen. The wash-overs of colored bosom shirts require Avashing in the neutral soap, and in order that the cuffs may match the bosoms, should they have any, the cuffs should be matched up and washed with the shirts, even though the cuffs do not require it, for, if the shirt that has cuffs should be washed at any time without the cuffs, the two may not match. After these goods have been washed in a lukewarm neutral soap, they should be rinsed and then dipped, as when origin- ally treated. It is customary, and convenient, to have a small washing machine especially for wash-over work. Then this class of work will not interfere with the regular routine of the wash-room. — 33 — CHAPTER 4. THE STARCHKOOM. Ill about every well regulated "iiew-work" lanndry, the wash-room is in the basement; this seems to be the most natural and convenient place for it, and as the goods are generally under cover, there is very little trouble from dirt falling on them. It is customary to have the starchroom and the ironing-room on the top floor, for the reason that the goods while there are generally exposed, and dirt and dust is likely to fall from the ceiling, particularly if there is an occupied room above them. There is never trouble from this source where these rooms have no others above them. Moreover, a better light is to be had in the upj^er story of a building, and good light is necessary to good work. The starchroom is preferably supplied wath a cement floor, which should be graded to an open sewer connec- tion. This floor may be so constructed that it will be very durable, and absolutely water tight. It is in- judicious to try to conduct a starchroom in an upper story without having some sort of a water-tight floor. In fact, any form of metal floor will soon rust out, and cause leaking, and any kind of wood soon rots away. Therefore cement would appear to be the most prac- ticable, and although it may be a little more expensive, the first cost is a minor consideration when everything else is taken into account. A cement floor may be constructed as follows : Re- move the ordinarv floor and insert a false floor between — 34 — the joists, about four inches below the top of the joists. luto the sj^ace above the false floor pack a certain amount of good. Portland cement and gravel. After this has hardened, finish the top in the ordinary way, having an average thickness, in every part, of about five inches. After this floor has hardened it will be very durable and serviceable. It would be necessary to have a templet for the bolts to secure each machine in its position so that when the machines are in posi- tion it will not be necessary to disturb the cement. The following formula for a cement floor is that used by the author: The total depth of gravel and cement should be about Sve inches. The first four inches should be made up of coarse gravel and Port- land cement, in the proportion of two to one mixed in a trough of water. After being placed in position, it should be levelled off and pounded down with a heavy maul or a tool such as pavers use. On top of this a coat of cement is laid, made up of gravel which has been sifted through a sieve having a mesh of one-eighth of an inch. This gravel is mixed with Portland cement in the proportion of two to one. It is also mixed in a trough with water, and spread over the gravel and cement bottom immediately after it is wet up. The method of putting down cement floor is in squares, or blocks. The cement is outlined by a straight edge set edgeways, and the cement is filled in flush to the straight edge, and then stroked off level with the top. After it has set, the straight edge is removed, and a fresh piece of cement put in. It is necessary to have a good foundation for a cement floor. If it is made on the ground floor, the cement bottom should be made on the dirt. If made on an upper floor the — 35 — floor should be shored up underneath with posts to pre- vent any spring in the floor, as in the case of the floor springing the cement would heconie cracked and would leak. In buildings where an ordinary floor has been laid, it will be necessary to remove the old floor and make a false floor about three inches below the top edge of the joists. This is done by nailing cleats se- curely to the side of the joists and filling in between with short boards well fitted together. On this base floor the gravel and cement is placed and the cement floor built up in the same manner as already described. The cement floor will finish higher than the original floor, which is necessary in order to cover the joists and make a secure job. The shafting and power transmission devices for the starchroom machinery may be placed overhead. It need not be very heavy shafting as the power re- quired in the starchroom is very light. Modern starch- ing machinery requires very little power. The move- ment of the machines is rather slow, consequently there is very little dust arising from the movement of the belts and shafting. It is necessary to have a supply of cold water and steam in the starchroom, hence the piping for these must be put in place. The machinery necessary for the modernly equipped starchroom are, shirt starching machines, collar starch- ing machines, power roll wringers and band starching machines. A practical machine for starching the general run of new work is the Benjamin machine. This machine forces the starch into the shirt by pressure and not by friction, the pressure being sufficient to drive the starch through the many thicknesses in a shirt bosom, — 36 — TOP VIEW OF NEW UNIVERSAL SHIRT STARCHER. Fig. 7. NEW XTNIVERSAL STARCHER. (Empire Laundry Machinery Co.) — 37 — and especially is this recommended where heavy work is to be done. This machine has also rubber stripping rolls which remove the starch from the surface of the shirt, leaving it free to wipe and finish. A general starching machine for stock work is the ^ew Universal, shown in Fig. 7. In this machine the shirt is kept in a straight position and not tangled into a bunch, as is sometimes the case. Another important machine in the starchroom is the collar starcher. While there may be doubt as to the real economy of labor in using a collar starcher in a custom laundry, it may be said that this machine is almost indispensable in any laundry doing new work, especially colored collars and cuffs. The old process of starching collars and cuffs is generally known as the dipj)ing process, that is, the goods are put into a sort of tumbler together with hot starch and churned around for a certain length of time. This process pounds the starch into them, and while it pro- duces stiff work at a very low cost, it will not do at all for new work and particularly for colored goods. In the first place the hot starch and the action of the machine is very destructive to colors and causes a great many wrinkles which it is almost impossible to remove. The shape of new collars and cuffs should always be considered, and where they are starched in a dip-wheel it is about impossible to get them true in regard to shape. Of course, on the better grades of collars and cuffs it is possible that they may be handled in a dip-wheel, but it is preferable that they be starched on some good collar starcher. The majority of the colored work at the present time is starched dry, that is to say, it is not washed at all, but simply run through — 38 — the machine and starched. Much of this goods is manufactured and made into collars and cuffs which go with either negligee or stiff-bosom shirts, and are of the same pattern as the collars and cuffs. T^egligee shirts are not starched at all excepting neck and wrist- bands, and the collars and cuffs must necessarily match Fig. 8. McKAY COIiLAR AND CUFF STARCHER, (Troy Laundry Machinery Co.) them in shade and color. This is easily accomplished by starching them dry on the collar starching machine. In many instances, manufacturers of new white collars and cuffs are using collar and cuff starching ma- chines. I believe it to be of advantage on this class of work, as the cost of starching new goods is much greater than starching old work, and therefore it is economy to have a collar starching machine. The McKay Collar and Cuff Starcher, shown in Fig. 8, 39 — Fig. 8-A. No. 3. COLLAR AND CUFF STARCHER. (Troy Laundry Machinery Co.) — 40 — is an example of this type of macliiue. This machine is the invention of Mr. Joseph McKay. The principle on which it operates is as follows : The goods are fed into the machine between two endless aprons. The lower apron consists of a heavy canvas belt, the upper apron of a thinner material. The goods are carried between these aprons below the starch line and Avhile they are being passed through the starch they receive a rolling and rubbing motion from the top which forces the starch through the goods in a manner similar to the action of the hand. They then pass out of the starch and between the rollers, which remove nearly all the surplus starch. It is claimed for this machine that this action removes the wrinkles in the goods. As the goods are fed into the machine they are passed between two rolls which revolve at a slower speed than the speed of the apron and as the goods are being held between the. rolls the aprons catch hold of the goods, and as they are running faster than the goods the ten- dency is to stretch the material and to draw the wrinkles out. Another good type of Collar Starcher is the Hagen, shown in Fig. 9. The j^i'ii^ciple of feeding the goods through this machine is the same as the McKay, but instead of the rolling, reciprocating motion of the McKay, there is a system of stationary rolls covered with rubber, having numerous small cells or cavities which carry the starch. The goods pass between these rolls and by pressure on them the rubber yields and the starch in these small cells is forced through the goods. Still another machine is the Weldon, sho^vn in Fig. 10. This machine does away entirely with the fibre — 41 — Fie. 9. THE HAGEN COLIiAR AND CUFF STARCHER. (A. T. Hagen Co.) — 42 Fig-. 10. "WEIiDON STARCHER. (Love Mfg. Co.) aprons. It has a metal carrying arrangement which carries the goods between the rolls of metallic rollers. The carrying device is arranged and adapted to a link- chain mechanism which rnns on sprockets. This gives a positive motion and rednces the liability to get out of order. The Bishop, the Ewing, the Enreka and the Economic are other well-known starchers and are shown — 43 Fig. 11. THE BISHOP COLIiAR AND CUFF STARCHER. (G. H. Bishop.) Fig. 12. THE E-WING COLLAR AND CtrFP STARCHER. (The Ewing Machine Co.) — 44 Fig. 13. THE EUREKA COLLAR AND CUFF STARCHER. (F. W. Mateer & Co.) in Figs. 11, 12, 13 and 14. They all employ the same principle of putting the starch into the goods, viz., by passing the goods between rollers while submerged in the starch. Another machine which is very useful for the starch- room doing new work is a band starching machine. Laundrymen handling this class of goods usually have — 45 — Fig. 14. THE ECONOMIC COLiAR AND CUFF STARCHER. (The Economic Mfg. Co.) many shirts or shirt waists having attached colhirs and cuffs and for this kind of work a hand starcher is very useful. The machine shown in Fig. 15 is the invention of Mr. C. H. Brace, of Pittsburg, and is usually known as the Brace Band Starcher. The principle of this machine is that the starch is carried in rolls or rubber cells and pressed into the goods by pressure from aux- iliary rolls. The starch is carried from the tank to the rubber roll which has these cells, by a carrier roll which revolves in the starch and against the surface of the rubber roll. The bands, cuffs or collars are passed between the rubber roll and the pressure roll and are — 46 — Fig. 15. "BRACE" •WRISTBAND STARCHER. (American Laundry Machinery Co.) — 47 Fie. 16. HAGEN ■WRISTBAND STAKCHER. (A. T. Hagen Co.) thus starched without causing any wrinkles in the goods. After this they may be run through the wiping device which is attached to this machine. The Hagen machine, shown in Fig. 16 has no wiper. — 48 — The power roll wringer is a very important ad- junct to a well equipj)ed starcbroom. This wringer should be attached to a stationary tub having water and steam connections. This tub is usually for the purpose of washing the cloths used in wiping the shirts when finishing. The cloths can be thoroughly washed and rinsed in this tub, and wrung out with the wringer, when they are again ready for use. Another important matter which will receive the consideration of every laundryman, who desires to be up to date in modern laundry methods, is the manner of starch cooking. Recently there have been invented heat-retaining starch-cookers which are commended highly. In the first 2:»lace they have the correct theory of starch cooking, besides being so constructed that they retain the heat for a long time in the starch after it is cooked, making it possible to cook starch at night, and to use it the next day. An illustration of the Bishop Cooker is . shown in Fig. 17. These cookers have a separator which removes all the water from the steam before it enters the cooker, thus leaving the steam in a dry condition, and making it impossible for any moisture to get into the solution after it has reached the boiling point. The author has continually boiled starch in one of these cookers for six hours without increasing the quantity in any degree. To those who desire a cheaper arrangement for cooking, the author recommends the use of a wooden tank arranged at a suitable height from the floor to allow the starch to run out through the large faucet into a tub or pail. Into this tank should be introduced steam pipes and the outlet should be at the bottom. Connect the steam into a cross having four openings, 49 Fig-. 17. BISHOP COOKER. (G, H. Bishop.) and into these openings connect curved j)ipes, each pipe curving in the same direction and opening in the same direction, similar to a revolving lawn sprinkler. As the the steam is discharged from these pipes it causes the starch solution to revolve verj rapidly and in this way thoroughly mixes the Avhole mass. Just outside thig tank place a water-trap to prevent any water getting into the starch. This trap may be constructed as follows : Take a two-inch pipe about eighteen inches long and put a cap on each end ; insert the inlet steam — 50 — pipe through the side of this two-inch pipe at about one-third the distance from the bottom. From the top of this two-inch pipe connect the steam outlet, and into the starch-cooker at the lower end of the pipe have an outlet, controlled by a valve to allow the escape of the condensed water. As the steam enters this large two-inch pipe the water gravitates to the bottom end and the steam rises to the upper end, thus completely separating any water there may be in the steam, preventing it from coming into the starch and weakening the starch solution. This form of starch-cooker will cook the starch fully as well as the more expensive kind but it has not the heat retaining qualities. However, one can cook quite nicely with this arrangement and he need not be con- cerned as to the results. All machinery in the starchroom should be arranged close together in one portion of the room, leaving the balance of the space in the room free for finishing the work and conducting the general business of the room. There should be erected, near the machines, stationary tables having board projections for the purpose of finish- ing and wiping the goods. All tables in the starch- room should be covered with zinc. It afi^ords a very clean surface, is easily kept clean and will cause no stains as is the case many times where wet goods are placed directly in contact with wooden surfaces. The boards on which the shirt is rubbed and wiped off are arranged to project clear of the table about twenty- eight inches. They should be about twelve inches wide and rounded on the projecting end. It is not feasible to cover this board with zinc as the zinc will cause the starch to come out of the goods when the goods are — 51 — removed from the boards. It forms a partial vacuum under the surface of the goods and when the goods are lifted up from the board the starch remains on the zinc surface, causing the shirts to be soft when finished. There also should be arranged above this table, hooks on which to hang short bars containing twelve small brass hooks and on these bars the shirts should be hung as soon as they are finished. This bar is taken with the shirts and hung in the dry room, thus avoiding any danger of getting the shirts soiled or starchy, as is the case where they are starched, finished and then laid on the table before hanging in the dry room. It is not a wise plan ever to hang white shirts by the yoke, as it invariably causes a stain in the yoke from the wood or wire from which they are hung, or else they will be soiled from handling in removing the hanger from the shirt. The yoke of the shirt is the part which shows very prominently when the shirt is ironed, and therefore the yokes should be very pure and clean when the shirts are finished. If anyone will practice a while with the ordinary stick which shirts are hung on, they will find that they can hang the shirts by the skirt as conveniently as they can by the yoke. After the shirt is finished and ready to hang, lay it across the starch-board, bosom up. Take the stick in the right hand, place one end under the right side of the shirt, having the projecting end of the stick to the right, turn the stick under the skirt to the left side of the shirt and with the left hand fold the left side of the shirt over the end of the stick, al- ways having the stick far enough up on the shirt so that when it is folded on the stick it will remain in place. This forms a very secure way of hanging shirts and it prevents any possibility of soiling the yokes. — 52 — With colored work this plan of hanging is not re- quired. The only objection to hanging the shirts by the skirt is they will not dry as quickly as when hung by the yoke, but this is not a consideration when one wishes to be assured of perfect results after the goods are ironed. If the dry room is so arranged that these bars, carrying a dozen shirts, may be transferred from the starch table directly to the dry room, it avoids a great amount of handling, because when the shirts are starched and hung on these bars they are practically hung in the dry room. To ensure perfect results in starching great care must be given to the proper preparation of the starch, the quality of the article, and the manner in which it is cooked. The author advises for the best results, in new work, to use one-half wheat and one-half corn, in the proportion of one and one-half pounds of starch to a gallon of water. He would recommend the use of fairly thin cooking starch, but not too thin. Starch must have a certain amount of body in order that it may renuiin in the fabric. If it is too thin, especially on very light work, the starch seems to escape from the goods, and leave them in a soft condition. The proper method of cooking starch is as follows: Draw into the cooker as many gallons of water as the amount of starch solution requires. From this quan- tity of measured water draw off into a tub about one- third of the quantity. Into this water add the required number of pounds of starch, and thorouglily dissolve it before putting it into the cooker. Heat the Avater in the cooker to the boiling point, and then stir this dissolved starch solution into the boiling Avater in the cooker, after which boil the solution as hard as it is practicable, for fully thirty minutes. — 53 — For example, for a tub of starch of twenty gallons have twenty gallons of water in the cooker. Draw out seven gallons ; to this seven gallons add twenty-five pounds of starch, half wheat and half corn ; heat the "water to boiling point; pour dissolved solution into cooker and cook thirty minutes. If the starch solution is for white work, add four ounces of acetic acid and a small amount of aniline blue. The starch need not be too blue, but just enough to remove the yellow cast in the starch. If the goods are just blue enough and if there is acid present in the starch, the blue will re- main clear in the goods ; but should the starch be blued too heavily, it will show .blue spots wherever there is any surplus starch left on the goods, and it is also liable to produce a mottled appearance. For the starching of colored w^ork it is advisable to use very little acid, as acetic acid in many cases fades print goods. In this solution it is recommended to add about six ounces of Japan wax to prevent the goods sticking to the iron when they are being finished. It is possible to iron goods without any wax in the starch, but the ironing is not so easy. The starch sticks to the rolls, and is liable to cause the goods to "rumple up" unless there is wax present. Especially is this true in collars and cuft's. In many instances it is possible and practical to use less expensive solutions of starch, and less wheat or less corn may be used, but the proportions already given are about the usual ones. To what extent this may be carried may easily be ascertained by any laun- dryman. The formula laid down is one that will en- sure absolute certainty. 'No one formula can be offered as regards the quality of the work. Each amount may — 54 — be cheapened, and to what extent, the laundryman must determine. It is the same with starch as with everything else ; you can not get something for nothing, and if you want the highest results you have to pay for them. It is the author's policy with reference to supplies to ahvays use about the best that is procur- able. The methods of starching will now be taken up, and the starching of new white shirts will be considered first. After the goods are w^ashed and extracted they should be placed in clean zinc-lined trucks, covered with a cloth, and sent to the starchroom. They are then taken from this box, and folded ready for starching. They should be folded through the center of the bosom, having the w^ristbands laid on the side of the bosom. They may be arranged in this way in several thicknesses, thus occupying very little space on the table, and then transferred to the starching machine in large bunches. The operator removes the shirt as it lies in this bunch, and places it in the machine. If it be a "New Uni- versal" machine or a "Benjamin" it is placed in the machine just as it is folded. The machine is then closed, and the starch worked into the shirt. If it is of the "Bishop" type, then the shirt has to be bunched in the same manner as though it were to be dipped in a pail of water, placed in the machine, and the ma- chine closed, and by an automatic arrangement it is starched, the starch being forced into the goods. In ordinary medium-heavy work a starching ma- chine will starch at the rate of one hundred and fifty shirts an hour. For heavy work more time is required, and the time must be determined by the grade of the work. When the shirt is well starched, remove it — 65 — from the machinp, open it up, and if the starch has thoroughly worked through the bosom into the inside that is all that can be expected^ and it is tnen ready to be finished and wiped. Some machines have stripping devices which remove the surplus starch, but in the general type of machine the surplus starch must be re- moved by hand. After the shirt comes from the machine, it should be thrown on a clean table, and taken from there by the one who is to finish it. It should then be drawn on the board, neckband first. The operator should thoroughly rub the bosom with the palm of his hand, remove all wrinkles, and press the plies of the bosom thoroughly together. A shirt bosom, when it is well rubbed down, will be somewhat transparent, enough so that the wood in the board can be seen through the bosom. If the bosom has been rubbed first, the wristband should be brought up, and laid on the bosom, and also rubbed. After thoroughly rubbing out all wrinkles it should be carefully wiped with a clean piece of cheesecloth, or a sponge, cheesecloth being preferable for shirts. All the surplus starch must be wiped from the bosom, or any other part of the shirt. First wipe the wristbands, then the bosom, then the yokes, then the inside of the yokes. After this has been done remove the shirt carefully from the board, being careful to see that the plies remain stuck together. I^ext hang the shirt on the stick, as already described, and then hang it in the dry room. Shirts starched in this man- ner are half ironed. They will come out of the dry room smooth and firm, without any wrinkles. Great care must be given to this ])art of the work, as it is the turning point of good work in the shirt department. — 56 — Wiping cloths should not be used for too long a time, as they soon become starchy and thus lose their efficiency. A large number should always be at hand, and when they become starchy they should be washed immediately. They are then ready for use again. If there is any starch left on any part of the shirt it will show when ironed, and the most unsightly thing that can appear on a shirt is surplus starch. If shirts are to be ironed by hand, it is possible to leave wrinkles in the bosom when they are being ironed, as hand-iron work is damped far more than machine- ironed work. If, however, shirts that are to be ironed by machine have any wrinkles in them, the wrinkles will invariably be there when the ironing is finished. So it is of the highest importance to have absolute perfection in the starching of shirts which are to be ironed by machines, and it is an advisable feature in shirts to be ironed by any process. Open-front shirts are finished the same as open backs, except that it is necessary to raise the upper lap of the shirt, and thoroughly wipe the under lap where the upper lap covers it. The two halves of the bosom should then be pressed together again, and the shirt hung in the dry room in this condition. Some laun- drymen consider it of such importance to have the bosoms remain stuck together as to go to the trouble of fastening the neckbands of open-front shirts, where they join, with a clasp, in order to insure the open fronts remaining in their proper position when drying. The author scarcely considers that this is required, but it is well, if possible, to have open fronts remain stuck together until they are dried. It causes them to re- tain their shape better, and it makes it easier, if they — 57 — are ironed by machines, to produce the proper shape in the bosom when it is finished. Great care must also be exercised in the wiping of the inside yokes. This part of the shirt shows when it is fokled, and therefore it should receive its proper attention when being starched. The method of starching colored shirts is the same as wdiite shirts, excepting that there should be but very little acid used in the starch, and the goods may be hung by the yoke. There should always be a sufficient amount of starch in the machine to ensure perfect work, for, if the starch gets too low the goods wall not be well starched. The cloths used for wiping shirts are usu- ally made of cheesecloth, each piece of which should contain about one yard and a half, and there should be a sufficient number of them in order that they may be washed frequently, and that the wipers may have a plentiful supply. One cloth should not be used to wipe more than a dozen shirts before it is washed. For the ordinary "washing it is only required to be washed in the stationary tank, in warm water, but they should be thoroughly cleansed once a week by washing them and bleaching them in the regular washing ma- chine, and they should receive this process before first using them, in order to get them in a condition to become a good absorbent. Some laundrymen use sponges, but the author's experience leads him to believe that cloths are better for shirt work. Sponges will answer, however, for collars and cuffs that require a very light wiping. In starching white collars and cuffs, the use of a collar starcher is recommended, although they can be starched successfully in a dip wheel. But the author — 58 — is inclined to believe that the shape of the collar is better maintained when starched in the machine. The dip wheel seems to shrink them somewhat and destroy the outline of the pattern. The chief quality wanted for new work is a thick finish. That is, the goods should feel heavy and the edges should have a thick appearance and it is never advisable for new work to have the appearance of hav- ing been ironed too hard. It is the author's opinion that collars starched on a good machine are less liable to have a thin edge. They have to be finished with great care or else they will be flattened and the starch ooze out, causing them to have that thin appearance which is common in old work. It is quite difficult to explain this quality, but if a new collar of a certain brand is compared with an old collar of the same brand after it has been relaundered in the custom laundry, the difference and quality referred to will be very ap- parent. This quality is obtained almost entirely in the starching. The goods come from the wash-room in the same condition as do the shirts. They then should be straightened out and piled in bunches in dozens. The oj)erator feeds them into the machine as rapidly as the machine can receive them. On the opposite end another operator receives the goods from the machine and lays them in dozens. From there they are taken to the finishing table, all the wrinkles taken out and wiped very carefully and hung on bars ready for the dry room. The starch for white collars and cuffs may be the same as for white shirts, only in the case the goods are very light the starch should be made somewhat heavier. Much care must be givesi to the finishing — 59 — and wiping. The collar or cuff must be pulled into shape, corners and curves put in their proper position and the edges made straight. In fact the original cut of the collar must be preserved, and special care must be given to this matter throughout. Absolute perfection in the laundering of white work must be attained in order to compete with others, and to do this the starching must be absolutely correct. E"otliing should be slighted in the process of starching collars and cuffs. A little imperfection might pass on a shirt, while it will not do at all on collars. The trade demands perfection, and they are very nearly getting it; and anyone who expects to be able to com- pete in this class of work must recognize this fact. Everything about the process of starching collars and cuffs must be correct. The starch must be absolutely right; the machine must be in perfect condition, and everything must be immaculately clean ; the operators themselves should be clean ; the tables and cloths and racks and everything about the room must be absolutely clean. The hanging of collars and cuffs is another im- portant matter and should receive careful attention. If they are hung over an ordinary bar, they are liable to be soft and stain where they come in contact with the bar. If they are hung by the button hole, they are more or less drawn out of shape and are liable to be stained with verdigris where they come in contact with the hook. The most practical manner in which to hang a collar is over a bar, providing the bar is made to overcome the objections stated. This bar should be about an inch and a half wide and an inch thick and the dry — 60 — room racks fitted to receive it. The upper edge of this bar should be grooved in the center allowing two ridges at the outer edge of the bar so that when the collar is hung over the bar it will have only two bearing points. The sides of the bar should be tapered so that as the collar hangs down it will not come in contact with the bar. This form will allow the collar to be hung in the center and will preserve its shape. It will not come in contact with any surface except where it rests on the edges of the bar, and this will prevent it from becoming soft, as is the case w^here the entire surface touches the bar ; therefore it is a very simple and practical manner of hanging. The whole bar should be covered with a cloth to preyent any stains from the wood. The cloths should be renewed frequently, as they become charred and torn by continual use and if they are not removed frequently they will cause trouble by staining the goods. It is a simple matter to cover them. All that is required is a straight piece of bleached muslin which should be starched and wasted over the bar. These bars should have a rack i)laced to receive them at or near the starch finishing table, and as the goods are starched they should be hung on the bar immediately. When the bar is full it should be placed in the dry room in a manner similar to the method of hanging shirts. During the entire process of starching, the collars and cuffs should be kept in their original dozens and dried in the same manner, and when they are taken from the dry room they should be tied again the same as when received for starching. The method of starching colored collars and cuffs is very different to that of white ones. In the first — 61 — place it does not require nearly such an amount of mechanical action to saturate the goods with starch. The material used is generally of a coarser and looser nature, and absorbs starch more readily. It requires less attention to wiping and in every way is an easier article to handle than white work. It is usually brought to the starchroom directly from the manu- facturer and is starclicd without being washed. Tlie goods are fed into the machine and handled similarly to white work, but inasmuch as it is not washed the shade remains the same as it was when manufactured. It is much easier to finish them, as there are very few wrinkles, and very little attention need be paid to shap- ing in finishing. Unless exclusive machines can be used for this class of work any of the standard makes of machines will answer the purpose. Of course, it is more difficult to handle colored work that has been washed and in that case the same attention to details must be given as in white work, although the mechanical action of starch- ing is no greater and the same type of machine that will starch dry laundered work will also starch colored work that has to be washed. Starch used for colored collars and cuffs should be a trifle heavier than that used for starching shirts and should have no acid or bluing in it. Care must be used not to have the starch too hot for colored work. Very hot starch causes many colors to fade. The hanging of colored work is done in the same manner as with white work, and what has been said in regard to keep- ing bundles of white work together should be applied to colored work. It is best to sort the work immedi- ately after it is finished, and it requires but little atten- tion to keep the original iimnber of pieces in the bundles throughont the whole laundry process. Another matter in connection with the laundering industry which the author has neglected to mention, and which in many laundries it will be found neces- sary to understand, is the laundering of neckbands. Many manufacturers make their shirts with a laundered neckband but launder no other part of the shirt. Es- pecially is this true in colored negligee work or in jjutf or silk-bosom soft shirts. If the neckbands are white, they should be washed in the same manner as white shirts and in fact they may be washed with a load of white shirts provided the neckbands are placed in a net. After being washed they can be run through the collar starcher and treated the same as white collars and cuffs. If they are colored bands then they should be run directly through the collar and cuff starcher without washing, in the same way as with colored collars and cuffs. The starch in any machine, whether it be for shirts or collars and cuffs, should never be allowed to get be- low the temperature of 160 degrees and in order to maintain this temperature it is necessary to have the starch heated by steam. Many makes of starching ma- chines have a steam jacket and the starch is kept hot by radiation, while in other makes the steam comes directly into the starch, and in this case the water- traps should be put on the steam pipes to separate the water from the steam as has been described in the case of the starch-cooker. If the water is allowed to get into the machine from condensed steam it will reduce the consistency of the starch and will cause the shirts to be soft, and this is nuiuy times the cause of soft work. — 63 — It takes so very little water to destroy the efficiency of starch, and, quite frequently, starch is thus destroyed without the operator noticing that there is any differ- ence in its consistency. The results will show only when the goods are ironed. Tlierefore it is necessary to use great care in regard to this matter. — 64 — CHAPTER 5. THE DRY ROOM. There are a great many theories advanced in re- gard to drying out the moisture that is contained in fibre, and while they may sound very well in theory, I find they do not amount to much in practice. The matter of circulation and condensation have received exhaustive experimenting, both in lumber drying and in laundry drying. Some make great claims for the plan of extracting the liot moist air from the dry room, condensing the moisture in it, and return the same air again "in a dried state," into the dry room. This impresses the average laundryman as an ex- cellent idea. But when put to practice, there is noth- ing in this plan. It is true that the air becomes saturated with moisture, and should the dry room have no ventilation whatever, it would be only a short time before the goods would not dry at all. Consequently, this moist air must be gotten rid of, and it is just as well to let it escape into the open air by some good form of ventilation. This plan is better than to try to con- dense the moisture in this air, and to return the dry air to the dry room. The only way to condense moisture in the atmos- phere, is by reducing the temperature to what is known as the "dew point." When this is done the water falls from the air precisely in the same manner as the dew is discharged from the atmosphere. As the "dew point" is usually at a lower temperature than the out- side air surrounding the dry room, the air which passes — 65 — tliroiigli the condenser conies out colder than the out- side air. Should this cold air be discharged again into the dry room it would retard the drying process just in projiortion to the difference in temperature between the air condensed, and the air surrounding the dry room, so it can be seen that it is much better to let the moist air escape and replace it with fresh air from the out- side. Of course, it is understood that the temperature of the air must be raised before any amount of drying can be accomplished, and the higher the temperature of the air, when it enters the dry room, the less nmnber of heat units are required. Therefore, everything being considered, the author believes that the condensing plan is a detriment. He does believe, however, that it is a good plan to cause an enforced circulation. The drying process is caused by the air being exjianded by heat, absorbing the mois- ture from the fibre by what is known as capillary at- traction. The strata of air directly in contact with the fibre first receives the moisture and when this is loaded, it gives off its moisture to the next particle of air to it, and so the process continues until the air takes up all the moisture. If it can be so arranged that when the i:)articles of air next to the fibre are loaded with mois- ture, they are moved, and fresh, dry jDarticles take their places, it can be readily understood that the drying will be accomplished much more speedily. This theory the author has fully demonstrated, and the adoption of the following jilan is advised : At the top of the dry room have an inverted funnel-shaped hood, and if the dry room is large, have several of these hoods at different points in the ceiling of the dry room. To these hoods connect galvanized iron pipe about four — 66 — inches in diameter, and have the pipes from each hood joined to one larger j)ipe. Have this larger pipe con- nected to the inlet of an ordinary fan blower ; from the outlet of this blower extend the same sized pipes to the bottom of the dry room, and connect it by several branches into the base of the dry room, under the steam coil. By operating this fan a current of air through the dry room is obtained. In the matter of ventilation it may be said that any plan whereby a certain portion of the air may escape and be replaced by fresh air, is practicable. The theory that moist air falls to the bottom, and that the ventilation should be at the bottom, the author believes to be incorrect. He considers the best way to ventilate a dry room is to allow the cold air to come in at the bottom, and as it is heated and expanded, allow it to escape at the top, in the natural order of things. The ventilator pipes should be regulated with a damper or otherwise too much heat will be lost. The dry room is continually being opened and closed, and in that way much change of air is accomplished. Hence the ven- tilation is not of so much importance as it would be in case the dry room were a ceiled air-tight compart- ment. Therefore the most practical plan is a small provision for ventilation, as already described, together with the plan of circulation. It is not necessary to run the blower at a very high rate of sj^eed, but at just sufficient speed to produce a gentle circulation of the air in the dry room. After all has been said, the most essential thing about a dry room is heat. A dry room must be hot, and the hotter the better. A dry room, to produce the highest result, should have not less than one square foot of heating — 57 — 6'.p, '■ •■ i^ ■ I'l t il I h1HiillilLIMI'B'>_ ; I'll I ' 'I III AL I I /J 1. 1, I ! l/l; /i1' t/ »lff /l*llf Fig. 18. STANDARD DKY ROOM. (The F. M. Watkins Co.) -68 %^' Hi >, < s W -J >; it .i<art of the work is to he ironed should be covered with a soft wool felt, as it is impossible to produce a nicely ironed yoke on a hard table. Of the irons used to do this part of the work the rough face polishing iron is to be preferred. This is a small thick iron and is suitable in every way for this class of work. The shirt is laid on the table with the right side of the yoke next to the table and the bosom away from the operator. The operator first irons the double por- tion of the yoke of the shirt next to the neckband, covering a space extending about three inches from the outer end of the yoke. He then irons the strap, or bind- ing, which extends down the back. Last of all, he irons that portion of the back which naturally shows when the shirt is folded. This part of the back is usually joined to the yoke in gathers and to iron these gathers nicely requires considerable skill, which can only be obtained by practice. The shirt should not lay flat when this part is being ironed. The iron should start low enough on the back of the shirt to be free from the gathers., It is then moved upward with one hand while with the other hand the yoke is raised and as the iron moves forward it presses out the gathers instead of ironing — 129 — them in wrinkles, as would be the case if a shirt was ironed without being raised as described. Son\e manufacturers do not have the shirt gathered at this 2^oint and this makes it much more convenient to iron. But the prevailing style at the present time, is to have the shirt gathered at this point so it will show a fullness in the back of the yoke when the shirt is finished. Unless this part is ironed nicely the shirt will i^resent an unsightly appearance, no matter how well the balance of the shirt may be ironed. The inside yoke is the fir^;t thing usually observed as it has the size mark and the label on it. Any imper- fection there will be observed more quickly than any- where else. As first impressions are lasting it is best to use great care on this part of the garment. The knack of ironing of an inside yoke well is not very easily acquired. It requires greater practice than any other part of the process. It is necessary to have on this table a basin of clear water and a paddle shaped stick which is to be used for cooling the irons. The irons should be quite hot, almost to the scorching point, in order to iron inside yokes well. To maintain this heat the irons require frequent changing. As is usually the case, they will become overheated and, unless the operator is provided with means to cool them, it is quite certain that more or less of the work will be scorched. It is also necessary to provide this table with a small piece of Japan wax, and when the iron is taken from the heater it should first be touched light- ly on the wax and then rubbed on a clean piece of muslin before it is put on the shirt. Unless this is done the iron will stick to the shirt and is quite certain to scorch it. — 130 — A considerable amount of pressure must be applied to the iron, and the voke must be damp enough to allow the rough dry to be ironed easily. It is impos- sible to get a nicely ironed yoke if it is too dry. Be- cause of this fact it is necessary to iron this part of the shirt first before it becomes dry during the other operations. It is also very necessary that all the moisture should be dried out during the process of iron- ing; if not, the shirt will have a mussed appearance M'hen finished. A good operator, on a well-equipped table, can easi- ly iron fifty dozen inside yokes a day, unless they be unusually heavy and with reinforced backs. So it will be necessary to have only one inside-yoke ironer to one line of machines, as the capacity of a single line, as already described, is fifty dozen open-back shirts or thirty-five dozen open-front shirts a day. The ironing of inside yokes by machine is done on a machine similar to the wristband-ironer. The yoke is drawn out straight and ironed from below the gathers towards the neckband, and then reversed and ironed on the other side. This can be done either before or after the bosom is ironed. With the Henrici bosom-ironer it is necessary to iron the inside yoke after the bosom is ironed, as the back of the shirt comes in contact with the cylinder which carries the bosom- board while the bosom is being ironed, and if the yoke is ironed first it will crush it out of shape. This is not the case with the Watson machine, as nothing comes in contact with the yoke while the bosom is being ironed. The only objection to ironing the yoke first is that it is liable to become mussed when the operator puts it on the bosom-machine, but if the operator uses proper care this will not happen. 131 — CHAPTER 14. BOSOM IRONING. The foundation of a well-ironed shirt is in the bosom ironing, and as this is the main feature of the shirt the utmost care and skill must necessarily be given to this operation. It was for a long time advocated that shirts could not be successfully ironed by machinery because the machines iron them out of shape. This was, to a certain extent true, until shirt manufacturers made a dee-p study of the problem, and made shirts which could be ironed by machinery. Th^re are today, how- ever, some shirts that can not be ironed by machines, as the manner in which they are cut will not permit the correct shape to be obtained on a machine, while the same shirt may be ironed correctly by hand, as the hand-ironer can stretch it, and make it conform to the shape desired. In ironing bosoms on a machine, one is handicapped by the bosom being ironed first;. If the shirt is ironed by hand the neckband is ironed first ; a ring is put in the neckband, or a block, as the case may be, and the bosom is stretched and conformed to the shape of the ring or block, thus making certain of obtaining the proper shape. When the bosom is ironed by machinerv the judgment of the operator must be relied on to iron the bosom in such a way that it will be properly shaped. This shape must be such that when the neckband is afterwards ironed, a ring or block may be placed in it, — 132 — and the bosom made to lie naturally without a buckle or a break. The greatest difficulty with the latter method is that the operator is liable to neglect to pull the bosom in narrow enough at the point where it is "sloped." That is, the bosom will be wider at the neckband than at the bottom. The side lines of the bosom, instead of running parallel, will form a slightly oblique line to each other. This throws the line of yoke at an out- ward angle, and will not admit of the neckband closing at the back. A shirt ironed in this way will, when the neckband is buttoned, raise up in front, making it im- possible to correctly set the yoke, or to fold the shirt properly. A shirt, Avhen it is correctly ironed, will allow the neckband to come together when the shirt is laid flat. A safe guide to go by to accomplish this result is to have the lines of the edge of the bosom parallel. In order to gain this end it is necessary to stretch the shirt at the bindings or edges of the bosom, which allows the yokes to be brought up square, and thus bring the upper part of the bosom into its right position. The seam which joins the yoke to the front of the shirt should run at right angles to the bosom board. If a shirt is placed on the bosom board in this j^osition, clamped and ironed, it is reasonably certain that there will be no trouble in having a proper shape as the re- sult. There is not so much importance to be attached to the size of the shirt as there is in getting the line to the shirt correctly adjusted to the neckband and yoke clamp. If the bosom lines are parallel, and the yoke seams are at right angles, this will regulate the dis- tance in or out from under the neckband clamj) of any — 133 — sized shirt. Of course a small shirt naturally will project farther under the neckband clamp than a large one, hut the difference is not so great as one might expect, and for this reason it is possible to iron all sizes of shirts on one board. What has been said in this connection aj)plies to open back shirts as well. The general feature is the same in ironing open front shirts, the only difference being that there are two pieces to consider instead of one. The theory of getting the shape remains the same. The lines and angles must be preserved in iron- ing open fronts, just as in ironing open backs. The main difficulty in ironing open fronts, as compared with ironing open backs, is the tendency of the upper lap of the bosom to come out longer than the lower lap, and to bulge up when the shirt is folded. Another difficulty is to avoid the showing of a crease in the upper lap where it lies over the under lap. The first difficulty is overcome by having the upper lap caught lower dow^n by the neckband clamp than the under lap. This will allow the shirt to lie flat, as the under lap Avill be longer than the upper lap. This is necessary in order to have the neckband stand up properly, as the neckband, when ironed, should stand at right angles with the bosom, hence the under lap has to be longer to allow the upper lap to lie naturally, and to give the two pieces of the neckband their relative positions. To avoid the crease use a thin piece of felt of the same thickness as the shirt bosom, placed on the right- hand side of the bosom board, and coming to a line where the edge of the nnder lap would naturally meet it. Thus, when the upper lap is laid on, it will have the same level, which is caused by the thickness of the — 134 — felt joining the edge of the nnder lap, so that when it is ironed there will be no impression made on the under lap, because it is ironed on an even surface. The two sides of the bosom are ironed at one time, which, of course, leaves an unironed surface on the lower lap, where it comes under the uj^per lap. To iron this, loosen the clamps, j^ull back the upper lap, readjust the clamps, and then iron over the under lap again. This wall iron the exposed surface which was under the upper lap. Open-front shirts, having a one-piece neckband, are more difficult to iron than those having two-j^iece neckbands, and of course it is impossible to sej^arate the laps and iron the portion under tlie upper lap in the manner just described. This kind of shirt needs to be finished under the lap on the bosom-fixing table, otherwise the bosom is ironed the same as an open-back shirt. Pique bosoms are usually ironed on the wrong side, in order to bring out the embossed figures. Great care should be taken to thoroughly iron this class of work, as any dampness left in will destroy the appearance of the bosom. Plaited bosoms are comparatively easy to iron, pro- viding they are well starched and dampened. It is well to raise the plaits after the bosom has been ironed over twice, then to finish the bosom, and raise the plaits again. Do not run over the bosom after the plaits have finally been raised. In ironing white work, the matter of sponging is quite an important matter. Even if there is no occa- sion to use the sponge cloth to remove the dirt, it is still necessary to use it in order that the bosom may — 135 — take on a better finish. It is quite a knack to sponge a shirt properly. The sponge cloth should be verv soft and absolutely clean, being large enough to make a good handful when it is dampened and crushed to- gether. The cloth should be saturated with pure, clean water, and wrung out as dry as possible, when it is ready for use. After running over the bosom once or twice, sponge the surface with this cloth, by rubbing the cloth up and down, using as much pressure as pos- sible. Do this iunncdiately after the shirt has passed under the hot roll, as the heat remaining in the bosom aids in giving the surface that peculiar dampness which is necessary to produce the highest result in the finish of white work. It imparts that satin-like finish which is so desired by the trade and assiduously sought after by the laundryman. All the moisture in the bosom must be thoroughly dried out before the shirt leaves the bosom-ironer. If there is any moisture left it will cause the shirt to have a warped and buckled appearance, and it will not be so stiff as it would be if it were thoroughly dried out. What has been written thus far in regard to bosom ironing applies to the Watson type of machine. There is an essential difference in the operation of a "Hen- rici" machine, because of the fact that the shirt is ironed on a portable board. The shirt is put on this board independently of the machine, and then the board is passed under the hot roll, ironing the surface "of the bosom on practically the same principle as on the Watson machine, but the handling of the board requires greater skill on the part of the operator than is required to cause the board on the Watson machine to move under the roll. However, with a "Henrici" — 136 — macliine many tricks can be accomplislieJ, like ironing any one portion and not another, or jnniping from one end of the bosom to the other, and various other nec- essary movements which can not be accomplished on machines of the Watson tj'pe. It is the usual plan with the Henrici machine to have one operator put the shirts on the board, and an- other operator run them upder the roll. The one iron- ing the shirt removes it from the board when finished, while the other operator puts another shirt on another board, adjusts the neckband clamp and rings, stretches the bosom, and gets it ready for the machine. This plan of handling the work renders it possible for the machine to be kept in operation almost continuously, thus making it feasible to greatly increase its capacity. One of the principal advantages claimed by the man- ufacturers of this machine is that it will produce a correct shape on any size or style of shirt. As the shirt is ironed with its bosom, yoke and neckband in their proper positions relativG to each other. As sizes change they are ironed on different sized boards, thus theoreti- cally ironing every shirt correctly to a certainty, if the operator is careful to adjust the shirt properly On the board. The shirt bosom is first drawn over the board, the board being inside of the shirt, and the neckband is then adjusted to the round cavity in the upper end of the board. Into this cavity is placed a brass ring w^hich is made to expand outwardly firmly, pressing the neck- band against the wall of the cavity, and thus holding the neckband in its proper position. This clamps the yoke in its natural position. The skirt is then stretched and the bosom ironed. — 137 — Open fronts are ironed in practically the same man- ner as has already been described in connection with the "Watson type of machine. It is not practical, however, to iron nnder the iipper lap on the Henrici machine, but this part of the shirt may be finished on the same machine that irons the wristbands. The makers of the Henrici machine advocate the use of a sj^lit felt for ironing open fronts, but the au- thor's experience with it has not been entirely satis- factory. However, for the benefit of the reader, the method of using the split felt will be described. A felt of medium thickness is placed over the regu- lar covering of the board. This felt is split or divided at the line of the edge of the upper half of the open front bosom, and it extends downward to the point where the bosom is joined together. It is also cut at right angles at the point where the neckband joins the bosom, and also at the bottom where the bosom is joined to- gether, and it extends to the edge of the under lap. This will allow the projecting of the under lap under the felt, which leaves an all-felt surface on which to iron the upper lap, making it possible to iron the upper lap and not show a crease. The objection found to this plan is that, when the shirt is buttoned, that por- tion of the shirt which is under the felt will not be finished like the balance of the bosom, and the lap in the neckband will vary, and many times cause that portion which is not ironed like the rest to show when the shirt is finished. — 138 CHAPTEK 15. IROIS'ING backs; NECKBANDS AND WRISTBANDS. The ironing of the Lacks of shirts is a compara- tively simple operation. As little attention may hs given to this part of the shirt as, to any other. The main object in ironing the back is to absorb the mois- ture there may be in it, and to prevent the bosom be- coming moistened, as would be the case if the shirt were folded with a damp back lying against it. The shirt should be drawn on to the covered roll, having the bottom of the skirt to the left. The full length of the back should then be ironed from the seam where it is joined to the front to the opposite seam. Care should be given to the manner of keeping the facings straight. This is easily done by holding the neckband together with the right hand, and pulling the shirt taut with the left hand when the roll is pass- ing over the facings. Backs should be ironed sufficiently to evajoorate all the moisture, as it is the same with backs as with every other part, that dryness must be the result. Otherwise there will be failure in attaining the best results. Xeckband ironing is the most difficult and particu- lar operation in the whole process of ironing. It re- quires greater skill and longer practice than anything else, and it is the most difficult operation to describe. The only way one can succeed in learning this oper- tion is to take what few suggestions may be offered, which may serve as a guide in starting, and then per- — 139 — sistently practice until the knack of ironing the neck- band properly is acquired. There are two things absolutely essential in ironing neckbands. One is to iron a stiff neckband, and the other is to make it stand up at its proper angle. Un- less a neckband has the proper dampness, and is ironed with a great amount of pressure, it will be soft. If the bosom is stiif and the neckband soft after it is ironed, it is certain that the neckband has not been ironed properly. I have knoA\T:i many laundrymen having this trouble who thought the cause of it was in the starching, while all the time the trouble was in the manner in which the neckband was ironed. iN'eckbands must necessarily be ironed inside and outside. The inside of the neckband must be smooth, in order that the shirt may be worn with comfort, and the outside must be ironed to show the proper finish. So it is doubly difficult to iron the neckband. The neckband should be ironed first on the inside, which is somewhat easier than ironing the outside. Once ironing over is usually sufficient. In ironing the inside, commence at the left end of the neckband, as the shirt is held up, bosom towards the operator. Grasp the neckband firmly with the left hand near the end of the neckband, with the right hand holding the yoke. Put the end of the neckband under the hot iron and apply the pressure. When the shirt starts immediataly grasp the lower end of the bosom, holding the left hand in the same position as at first, the thumb and forefinger acting as a guide to direct the course of the neckband, with the forefinger as close to the revolving roll as possible. With the right hand carry the shirt in such a position as will — 140 — allow the neckband to travel under the iron without running out from under it or the bosom running under, and while the neckband is passing through, hold it taut with the thumb and finger and apply all the pressure possible. Once over is usually sufficient to iron the in- side. In case the neckband runs out start it in again at the beginning and try it over. After the neckband is ironed inside it will be partially turned in, and be- fore it is ready to be irc.ned on the outside the neckband should be reversed into its proper position. To iron the outside connnence at the right end of the neckband, or the end opposite to the one first ironed when the inside was ironed. Grasp the neckband and yoke with tlie hands in the same manner as when starting to iron the inside. Immediately after the shirt starts, seize hold of the lower end of the bosom and, as the shirt moves forward, let the right hand fol- low the sweep of the bosom, keejjing it in its right posi- tion continuously relative to the neckband, and hold- ing the shirt bosom at right angles with the roll. When the band first starts in, the right hand will be low down near the knees of the operator, and as the band is ironed the right hand will travel upward and in a circle agreeing with the motion of the neckband, always holding the shirt in such a position that the bosom will not become broken up. As the last half of the neckband is ironed the hand reaches out and passes downward in a circle, and when the hand has reached to about the level of the neckband ironer it can let go of the shirt and allow it to fall down to a perpendicular position. Thus it will be seen that the shirt bosom has described a complete circle, the face of the bosom being at all times at right angles with the roll, causing — 141 — the neckband to stand up at its proper angle to the bosom. The left hand should be held as close to the roll as possible. The curvature of the neckband must be maintained, and therefore it will not do to allow the hand to remain too far away from the roll or to guide the neckband into the machine on a horizontal line. This would break up the bosom and would ren- der it impossible to properly guide the work. The difficulty is, of course, that the neckband will run out from under the iron or the bosom run under the iron. ^STeckbands are quite narrow, and must be ironed to an exact line. The bosom has been perfectly ironed right up to the seam of the neckband, and if the neckband is properly ironed, there will be no un- finished portion at the point where the neckband joins the bosom, neither will the bosom be broken up in any way. For the benefit of those who have not mastered this part of tliQ ironing the author would advise per- sistent practice on work which is not intended to go to the trade. It is usually the author's plan to teach new operators on work that has to be washed over, for, unless the neckband is well ironed, it is not in con- dition to send out, and one can not aiford to allow a novice to practice on work which has to go to the cus- tomer. If a neckband is poorly ironed it can not be fixed without washing it over. Open-front shirts are harder to iron than open backs, although about the same motions have to be gone through with. The main difficulty comes, how- ever, in ironing the last half of the ojien front neck- band, as the operator has to commence at the centre of the bosoms, and usually, as this is quite narrow — 142 — where it joins the bosom, starting it in is much more difficult. Always have the iron almost scorching hot. It is not a difficult matter to iron a wristband well. The i^erson operating this machine need only possess moderate ability. About the only thing to do is to place the work under the iron, give the machine suf- ficient pressure, and guide it through. First iron the inside of the wristband, and then the outside. Then iron the facings, and, last of all, iron the portion of the sleeve where it joins the wristband by having the wristband and sleeve drawn well on to the roll. This will allow ironing a certain distance on the sleeve, mak- ing a smooth finish. The covered roll should not be over four inches in diameter when fully covered. If it is larger than this, it will be difficult to get the sleeve over it. Wristbands should be well ironed, as they are usu- ally folded up and in sight, and consequently should have a good appearance. . Laundrymeii will discover that it is more difficult for an operator to iron all the wristbands of the shirts that go over one line of ma- chines than to iron any other one portion of the shirt, with, perhaps, the exception of the sleeve ironers, al- though, if the operator gets accustomed to the work, it can all be done on one machine. — 143 — CHAPTER 16. BOSOM-FIXING. ISTow comes that part of the process which rights the shirt into shape, and gives it its character. The shirt has received rongh handling np to this time, the bosom is broken in many places, caused from having been handled, when having the back, neckbands and wristbands ironed. The shirt is now put into its proper shape, and kept so until finished. 'No operation after the bosom-fixing need in any way break up the bosom or damage the appearance of the shirt. If there is any moisture left in the bosom it is taken out here ; if there are any imperfections in the ironing they are corrected here, and if the shirt has become slightly soiled there is now an opportunity of cleaning it, or to do anything else which is needed in correcting or fixing up the general appearance of the shirt. If the shirt is ironed slightly out of shape on the bosom-ironer, it may be corrected here, and the opera- tor's first object is to overcome any imperfection in shape and endeavor to make the shirt lie flat. The shirt is first buttoned, and then drawn on to ^ the bosom- fixing board. There is a ring or block placed in the neck, which expands the neckband to its full size. If the shirt then bulges in the centre, the yoke above the bosom should be dam]-»ened, the neckband and ring well drawn down on the board, and the yoke-clamp applied. The bosom should then be stretched by pulling the — 14-4 — skirt do^vnward evenly in tlie line of the bosom, and while in this position, the clamp that holds the skirt should be brought down to secure the shirt in this position. This will cause a tension on the bosom and the yoke. The whole surface of the bosom should next be moistened very slightly. The operator should now, take a smooth-faced sharp-cornered flat-iron and go over the whole bosom slowly, commencing at the centre of the bosom at the bottom and moving towards the neckband. After the neckband is reached the iron should move outward, following the curve of the neckband, and as the iron is passing round the neckband, the operator should stretch the shirt sideways, carrying all the fulness ahead of the iron. When the edge of the bosom has been reached, reverse the motion of the iron, and pass around to the other side of the neckband, stretching the shirt ahead of the iron, as before. If the shirt is properly moistened, the iron of the right temperature, and if the iron is moved over the surface very slowly, it will level all unevenness, and shrink out all fulness. For instance, if after the shirt is stretched, as has been described, there should be a fulness in the centre of the bosom near the neckband, by slightly dampening this fulness, passing the iron over it slowdy, and stretching the shirt sideways at the same time, the fulness will all disappear and the shirt lie flat. Unless any such fulness is removed it will be impossible to set a good yoke well or get the shirt to lay flat when folded. A good operator on a bosom- fixing machine can correct quite extreme errors of this description. After the bosom has been made to lie flat, raise the plaits, and iron under them. Then the shirt is ready to pass on to the yoke-setter. — Ma- in fixing the bosoms of open-front shirts the oper- ator has many times to correct the fault of the upper lap being longer than the lower lap. Of course, when this is tlie case, the upper lap will rise up in the form of an arch when the shirt is pulled on the bosom-fixing board. This extra length in the upper lap must be removed before it will lie flat, and to accomplish this result requires considerable skill. The goods in the upper lap have simply to be shrunk, and this is ac- complished by moistening the upper lap to quite an extent, especially where it laps over the imder lap. Care must be taken, however, not to get it too wet, or it will spoil the api:)earance of the bosom. Take the flat-iron in the right hand, and commence at the bottom of the b(>som, on the edge of the upper lap. With the left hand press the bosom down, and with the fingers and thumb extended, distribute the unevenness into equal parts, holding it in that position while the iron is raised slightly at the point, moved forward, and the uneven surface under the iron pressed down. Then, holding the other uneven surfaces in their proper position with the fingers, gradually work up the bosom, covering each uneven surface, and press- ing it down, until the neckband has been reached. It will then be found that all the fullness in the bosom has been shrunken out. One can not start with the iron and push it over the surface. If he does, the iron will simply press the fulness ahead of it and by the time the neckband is reached there will be so much fulness, that if it is then ironed do^vn, it will produce a large wrinkle. Each forward motion of the iron should be accompa- nied by a slight raise of the forward edge, keeping the — 14(j — heel of the iron well pressed down on the bosom, and with the hand ahead of the iron holding- the bosom so it can not slip. The bosom being slightly moist when the iron is brought down, the material will shrink to- gether, and thus the fulness will be taken up. Open-front shirts that are caught in the neckband will have to be finished under the lap on the bosom- fixing; table. This is done with the flat-iron before the shirt is drawn down on the board. It is a simple mat- ter to do this. The shirt is placed on the board, the upper lap raised up, the point of the iron inserted be- tween the laps, and the unironed portion of the surface of the under lap is then easily ironed. After this pro- ceed as described before. To do good work in bosom-fixing, the iron should be very hot and just below the scorching point. It is im- possible to do this work as described, with a cold iron. It is usually the authoi''s plan to have a gas stove for a single iron on the bosom-fixing table, located on the opposite side of the table from the operator, and con- venient to the work. The author uses one iron only, and has it over the flame during the time the operator is changing the work. He has the blaze just high enough to keep the iron at the right temperature all the while. Each time, before the iron is placed on the shirt, it should be rubbed over a cloth having a little wax on it, in order to prevent it from sticking to the bosom. A beveled edge iron is of no use for this kind of work. It requires a sharp edge in order that the angle, where the neckband joins the bosom, may be ironed. — 147 CHAPTEE 17. YOKE-SETTING. The yoke-setting inacliine is an ungainly thing to work with. It is a ditticult matter for a beginner to control the motion of the iron and the pressure. This machine is not operated by power, but is merely a sort of tool for ironing the yokes. It has sufficient pressure to thoroughly set the plies of cloth together, so that when the yokes are finished they adhere to each other and form a solid piece of goods which does not break nor blister when the shirt is folded. After the bosom has been properly shaped on the bosom-fixing table it is laid flat on its back on the yoke- setting machine. A ring is put in the neck and the yokes folded to the line, which the shaj)e of the shirt naturally indicates. The operator then takes hold of the handle of the heated iron having the sharp edge of the iron pointed in the direction of the wrist, and with the left foot on the treadle raises the iron. The iron is then swung to the point on the shirt where the bosom joins the yoke, having the sharp edge of the iron close against the neckband. Then the iron is moved slowly towards the top of the shirt, following the curve of the neckband. After the iron has been passed to the top of the yoke it is pushed from the neckband towards the shoul- der seam, ironing the front of the yoke and sticking it to the back. After this is done the iron is passed — 148 — up and down on the side of the shirt next to the bosom, firmly sticking the front and back together. The operation just described is usually done first on the left side of the shirt. After it is finished the iron is swung around to the light side and placed at the line where the bosom joins the yoke. It is next moved upward and around the neckband, as has been previously described, the motions, however, being re- versed. Pressure is applied to the iron by allowing the foot to rise and thus let the weight of the machine down on the iron. The degree of pressure is regulated by the foot and is worked in unison with the motion of the hand. The successful setting of a yoke depends on the nicety of the pressure and the proper movement of the iron. At no time should the iron be moved rapidly. In fact, the slower it is moved the better will be the work done. The work must be properly sponged and dampened ; it must not be too wet, yet it must have moisture enough so that when the iron is passed over slowly and with sufficient pressure the yoke will become thoroughly stuck together. Unless the yoke is so stuck together, a per- fect fold can not be obtained, as it will break up and be- come soft and the slightest amount of handling will cause it to be mussed. There must, of course, be suffi- cient starch in the yoke to make this possible ; otherwise one might iron it as carefully as can be and yet not get a stiff yoke or one that is stuciv together. It is desiral)le, in order to get a good fold, to stick the sides of the shirt together at the edges of the bosom. This will make a firm sul)stance through which to form the side creases when folding, and it enables one to fold a shirt compactly, making it into a firm and flat pack- — 149 — age. The iron of a joke setter must be quite hot, near- ly to the scorching point, and it should never be allowed to remain on the shirt without being in motion. The iron may be hot enough to scorch should it be at rest, yet will not scorch if it is slightly in motion. The bosom fixing and yoke setting has now given shape and character to the shirt. The proper appearance of the shirt depends largely on the correct operation of the bosom fixing and yoke setting. After the shirt leaves the yoke setting machine its character has been fixed, and it now remains only to iron the sleeves and body, which operations do not particularly add to or detract from the general appearance of the shirt, although of course they should be done well in order to produce a high class product of laundry work. — 150 — CHAPTER 18. SLEEVE AND BODY IRONING. In ironing sleeves and bodies, care should be taken in handling the work in order that the bosom or the yoke may not in any way be broken up, as this would destroy the good work of the bosom fixing and yoke setting oper- ations. After the yoke has been set the shirt should carefully be placed on a rack in the proper position in order to allow the shirt to remain in the same sha23e as it was when it came from the yoke setter. The sleeve iron- ing operator now takes the shirt carefully with the left hand holding the left yoke and the right hand holding the edge of the body near the bottom of the bosom. In this position the body of the shirt is held edgeways with the bosom opposite the operator. In this j^osition it is carried between the covered roll and the revolv- ing heated roll of the sleeve ironer. The yoke end of the shirt is at the left and nearest to the body of the ma- chine. Pressure is then applied which brings the shirt in contact with the revolving heated roll near the edge of the bosom and parallel witli it. The ironing move- ment is from this line towards the edge of the shirt and in the direction of the sleeve. That portion of the shirt at the side of the bosom and extending to the edge, should be thoroughly ironed as far as the bottom of the bosom before the sleeve is ironed. After this is done, the ironing motion continues down the sleeve to the wristband, and while the sleeve — 151 — is beina: ironed, the left hand should be inserted within the sleeve and the fingers extended, in order that the sleeve may be ironed as wide as jiossible. At the same time press with the right hand outside the sleeve and against the left hand which is inside the sleeve, thus holding it taut as it passes under the revolving roll. After thoroughly ironing this side of the sleeve let it pass between the rolls, releasing the pressure when it comes to the wristband, in order to avoid crushing the wris^and. Then on the opposite side of the same sleeve start to iron at the wristband, ironing up the sleeve to the body of the shirt. To iron the other sleeve, withdraw the shirt from between the rolls, in order to avoid crushing the neck- band, and then bring it back between the rolls without changing the position of the shirt. Have it pass only far enough along so that the neckband and the bosom are at the other side of the rolls. Then commence to iron the sleeve at the point where it joins the back of the shirt, extending downward towards the wristband, at the same time holding the sleeve, as has already been described. After the sleeve has been ironed as far as the wrist- band commence to iron the other side of the sleeve, beginning at the wristband and passing towards the body of the shirt. In this way you iron up the sleeve as far as the body of the shirt, passing on to the body and ending the operation on the front of the shirt near the edge of the bosom, on the side opposite to where the ironing of this part was started. These move- ments iron both sides of the sleeves and the part of the shirt in the front at the side of the bosom, do^vn as far as the bosom extends. — 152 — The shirt is now completely ironed excepting the front of the skirt extending from the bottom of tha bosom downward. The ironing of this portion of the shirt is a comparatively simple operation. The shirt is placed on the body ironer with the back on the apron, pressure is applied, and the shirt is brought in contact with the heated roll at the bottom of the bosom. As the shirt moves forward the operator holds it taut and carefully adjusts the folds of the skirt so that there may be no wrinkles in front of the shirt in a space as wide as the bosom. If this is done no wrinkles appear in the skirt wdien the shirt is folded. All the fulness, if any, should be brought to the edges and ironed dow^n where it will not be seen. If the shirt has a tab, the second time the iron passes over the skirt the tab should be raised and that portion under the tab ironed. The shirt has now been entirely ironed, and nothing remains but to fold it. This will be the next operation described. — 153 — CHAPTER 19. FOLDING SHIRTS. The general appearance of a shirt largely depends on the manner in which it is folded. This may seem to be a very unimportant operation, but it is one equally as important as any other, and great care should be used in performing this part of the work. The folder should be provided with a hot iron and a clean sponge cloth, as it will be found necessary, many times to remove slightly soiled spots and reirou any little portions which may not have been completely ironed by the machines. The folder should be provided with a small pad of felt which may be slipped into the shirt to form a surface on which to press the bosom, should it be nec- essary to reiron any portion of it. The iron should have a smooth face and square edges, the polishing iron usually being employed. There should be a small, round block attached to the edge of the table and projecting about an inch beyond the edge, and this block should be covered with felt and cloth. The block is used, when necessary, to reiron the neckband. The shirt is held in such a position that the block is wuthin the neckband, and then it is easy to iron the outer surface by passing the iron around the block in contact with the neckband. After every imperfection has been corrected, the shirt is laid flat, bosom up, and a crease is formed — 154 — along the bosom, continuing down the full length of the shirt on the left tide by taking hold of the shirt at the left yoke with the left hand, and the bottom of the skirt with the right hand. Then raise the shirt up, and swing the sleeve and the side back under the bosom. ]^ext, lay the shirt again on the table, crease the yoke in the line of the bosom and hold the shirt in position with the left hand. With the right hand press down the bosom and form the crease close to the edge of the bosom. JSText, jDass the hand the full length of the shirt. After this has been done, run a hot iron 'the full length' of the crease. Then, with the left hand, take hold of the right yoke and with the right hand take hold of the lower end of the skirt. Again raise the shirt and form the crease on the right side of the bosom, and, throwing the sleeve and side back under the bosom, pass the iron over the crease as before. Care should be taken to run these creases in straight lines close to the edge of the bosom and nearly parallel, the full length of the shirt. The lines, however, extending down the skirt of the shirt should incline slightly to- wards each other. This will prevent the back of the shirt when folded from being any wider than the bosom. After these two lines have been formed, the shirt is turned over and laid on the table with the bosom downward. The sleeves are next laid parallel to the line extending down the shirt. The crease of the sleeve should be formed at the yoke, commencing at a point about two inches from the line of the bosom. This will throw a crease diagonally across the sleeve at about an angle of forty-five degrees, and this crease should be ironed down with a hot iron. Then the — 155 — sleeve should be folded with the wristbands laid about three inches from the top of the shirt, making a crease in the slevee about midway between the shoulder and the wristband. One wristband should be folded a little higher than the other in order that they may not form too great a bunch in the shirt. All the creases having now been formed the shirt is ready to fold. The next operation is to turn in the outer edges of the shirt and fold over the whole side of the shirt next to the operator, keeping the sleeve in its relative position. When this is done fold over the opposite side. The shirt is now folded, forming a package the full length of the shirt and as wide as the bosom. The bottom of the skirt is next turned in and creased with an iron, folding it upward and over the back of the shirt, making a crease at the bottom of the bosom. I*^ow pin the skirt to the back of the shirt, and the operation of folding is finished. If this oper- ation is carried oiit faithfully, it will produce a flat, compact package having straight lines and regular angles. The main point in folding a shirt is to have it snug and compact, and this is done by making the creases in the proper places and using an iron to make the creases permanent. Much care must be given to these details or the effects of good ironing will be lost in the bad appearance of folding. After the shirt is folded it should be laid on its back and carefully pressed all over with an iron, when it is ready for the examining room. — 156 — CHAPTEK 20. THE EXAMINING ROOM. Shirts are taken from the folders to the examining room and inspected, and those that are perfect are passed on to the boxing room, while those that are not right are either fixed or Avashed over. Many times the examiner is able to clean some portion of the shirt and make it passable, and there are other shirts that ■may be made all right by having them retouched or cleaned by someone who is trained to do this class of work. In every well-regulated laundry it is customary to have some one person who is an adept at this class of business. He is usually known as the "cleaner," and one who is an exjDert at fixing up a doubtful shirt is a valuable person to have in a laundry, as he will save his wages many times over in the amount of goods saved from relaundering. An operator of this sort requires quite an extensive paraphernalia. He should have an ironing-table, sponge cloths, flat-irons, a bar of soap, a bottle of bleach, a bottle of acid, and the various liquids necessary to the cleaner's art. Of course there will be many shirts that are so soiled or poorly ironed that they will have to be washed over. These shirts should be sent directly to the wash- room, and should be Avashed before everything else, and relaundered in preference to any other work, as a lot of shirts can not be shipped until the washovers come through. — 157 — Great care should be given to wasliovers in order that they may not have to be washed over a second time, for any small number of shirts in a lot that have to be returned to the washroom will delay the shipment of the entire lot. Therefore it is necessary to make a special effort to organize a quick system in relaundering washovers. Fie. 47, TROY EYELET RAISEK. (Troy Laundry Machinery Co.) The inspector will frequently find shirts which need repairing. These should also be attended to promptly in order that they may get through in time and not delay the lot. Usually a shirt which has to be repaired must be relaundered, and it should be re- paired in time to be relaundered with the washovers. The examining table should be provided with an eyelet raiser, and the shirts that are passed should — 158 — have the eyelets raised and then passed on to the assort- ing racks. There are several makes of eyelet raisers, hut the kind recommended for large quantities of new work are those which are attached to the table and oj^erated. with a lever. A machine of this kind is the Troy eyelet raiser, shown in Fig. -±7. — 159 — CHAPTEK 21. BOXING. After the shirts are examined they are ready for boxing. There are various methods of handling the work in this department, but the most modern and approved plan is to have pigeonholes arranged on a table. These pigeonholes are open at both ends to allow the shirts to be put in from the examining table at one side and taken out by the one who boxes the shirts at the other side. They should be arranged three tiers high, run- ning from sizes twelve to eighteen. If white shirts are coming through, only two tiers are required, one tier for box plait and the other tier for French plaits ; but if colored shirts are arranged for, then three tiers are required, as colored shirts usually run in three colors of the same pattern. In sorting white shirts, each size is put in the pigeonhole by itself, the box plait in one tier and the French ]dait in the other. The boxer on the other side of the rack pulls the shirts out of the pigeonholes and l)oxes them, usually putting three French plaits and three box plaits in a box, then stamps the box to show what it contains. If he is boxing colored shirts, two shirts of the same color are put in a box. In the boxing of open-front white shirts no distinction is made except in sizes. If collars and cuffs are packed with the colored shirts, it is necessary to open the boxes and insert the — 160 — proper size collars to match the shirts. The collars are usuallj tied to the neckbands of the shirts to which they belong, and the cull's are slipjDed into the bosom through the neck-opening. The process of laundering new shirts has now been described from the time they start from the washroom until they are boxed, and the method described in iron- ing is that in which machines are used, this being the most popular and economical method. For those who would desire- to use them, other methods will be de- scribed in the following chapters. — 161 — CHAPTER 22. IRONING SHIRTS PARTLY BY MACHINERY AND FINISH- ING BY HAND. This plan of ironing shirts is to use the machinery in the same manner as when ironing entirely by ma- chinery, until the shirt reaches the bosom-fixing table. The inside yoke, the bosom, the neckband, and the wristbands are ironed by machinery, and the balance of the shirt is finished by hand with the flat-iron. The finishing is done on a table having a project- ing bosom-board clamp and stretcher similar to the bosom-fixing table; in fact, the bosom should receive the same treatment on this table as it receives on the bosom-fixing table. The back of the shirt is ironed Avith the flat-iron, by folding it down the center of the back, and ironing each side of the fold. Afterwards the sleeves are ironed, then the yoke is set ; next, the front skirt is ironed, and the shirt is ready for folding. This plan of ironing is well adapted for a flne grade of shirt, and it is considerably more economical than ironing the shirt entirely by hand. It produces a fine, soft finish on the body of the shirt, and makes the garment very comfortable to wear. It is not as firm and compact as when ironed entirely by machinery, and it will not stand handling and preserve its appear- ance as well as a machine-ironed shirt. One of the advantages of this plan is that so much money need not be invested in machinery, and one starting a new — 162 — business in this way is not compelled to go to the ex- pense of a fully equipped plant. It possesses the ad- vantage of producing the work at a comparatively low cost, without too great an outlay. It is quite important to finish the shirt as soon as possible after it has been ironed by the machines. In order to do good hand ironing, the goods must be thoroughly dampened, and if shirts are allowed to re- main too long in the air, they will dry to such an extent that it will be impossible to iron the bodies well by hand. To sponge a dry piece of goods and then attempt to iron it usually results unsatisfactorily, and there- fore it is necessary to iron the bodies and finish the shirt immediately after it has come from the machines. The folding in this process is the same as has already been described. 163 — CHAPTER 23. nAND moisriNG. It is a difficult matter to exj)laiii how to iron a shirt by hand. It is a knack which can only be acquired by j^ractice, and an operator can become skilled only by long practice. One who irons a shirt by hand may put his own individuality into his work, as no one has anything to do with the ironing of the shirt but the operator himself. He dampens his own work, and finishes it complete. He is responsible for ironing every part of the garment. It requires a great amount of intelligence, good judgment, and long practice to become a skilled hand ironer. One can not acquire it in a short time, or pick it up by seeing someone else do it. It is a trade complete in itself, and reflects as much credit on the workman who does it well as does any other trade with which the author is familiar. Therefore no more can be done than to merely state the manner in which the shirt is ironed, and the process through which it goes, step by step, until finished. The ironer usually takes as many shirts as he thinks he can iron in one day and dampens them to suit him- self. Some ironers require work damper than others ; no ironer would be satisfied with another's dampening. Work that is to be ironed by hand requires to hi damper than when it is to be ironed by machine. In fact, it must be so damp that it will be soft, and the plies — 164 - of the goods must be in a pliable condition, so that they may be easily separated and the wrinkles easily removed. Hand-ironers usually dampen their work by sprink- ling it. They then roll each shirt into a tight, compact package and closely pack them all together in the small dampening boxes, which are a usual adjunct to an iron- ing table. It is connnon to have a cover which fits in- side of this box, and after the shirts are dampened and packed away, a cloth is laid over them, the cover placed on top of the cloth and pressed firmly down. The cover is held in position by any sort of a weight. It is a com- mon thing in a factory, where work is ironed by hand, to see heavy stones lying around, wdiicli the ironers use for weights in pressing down these covers, while the shirts are being dampened. The goods are allowed to lie in this condition over night, when in the morning they are ready for the ironer's artistic work. A hand ironer is equipped with an ironing table — such as has already been described in Chapter 11 — a polishing iron, a flat iron, a basin of water, a sponge cloth, and a plait-raiser. With these, a small piece of wax, and a means for heating his iron he is ready for business. Hence it may be seen that it does not cost much to fit up for hand ironing. The first thing to be ironed on a shirt is the neckband. This is ironed with a polishing iron. It is drawn out and laid flat on the table, the body of the shirt being placed on the back of the table, with the neck band near the front edge and nearest the operator. The inside is ironed first, and then it is turned over and finished on the outside. When finishing the out- side a great amount of pressure is required in order to — 165 — get a stiff neckband. The operator must put his whole weight on liis iron, and use a great amount of ''elbow urease." The neckband is usually ironed first because it requires a very hot iron, and should one attempt to iron any other portion of the shirt and then try to iron the neckband, the neckband would be soft, owing to insufficient heat in the iron. A hand ironer must study to keep his irons at the right temperature, and yet work fast, and this is done by ironing those parts first which require the hottest iron, and those parts last which require less heat. He must also plan to have one iron heating while the other is being used, and as he has only two irons — the polish- ing-iron and the flat-iron — he must have them always ready, and not wait for them to heat. When he starts in, he heats his polishing iron first, and wliile using that allows his flat-iron to become heated and, as already stated, he irons the neckband first. Next he irons the inside yoke with the same polishing-iron. After the neckband and inside yoke are ironed, the neckband is buttoned, and the shirt drawn over the bosom-board. A ring is placed in the neckband, and the shirt drawn down in a manner similar to the way in which it is handled on the bosom-fixing table. It is, however, stretched sufliciently to remove any wrin- kles, which may be done by stretching it lengthways. It is then clamped in position. The operator now, by means of a plait-raiser, and by stretching the bosom sideways, removes all the wrinkles in the bosom, leav- ing it in a perfect condition to be ironed. During the time it has taken to effect this operation the flat-iron has become heated sufficiently to do its work. If it has become overheated it must be cooled in a basin of water before it may be used. — IGG — After the flat-iron has been removed from the fire tlie polishing-iron is placed on the fire to be reheated. The oi^erator now irons over the bosom carefully with the flat-iron, nsing sufficient pressure to press the plies together, and to dry the bosom out. During this oper- ation the iron is moved very slowly and carefully. This j)rocess simply dries the shirt, producing very little finish. After the shirt has been sufficiently dried it is then gone over very thoroughly with the polishing- iron. Wlie7i the bosom has been dried out with the flat-iron it should be slightly redampened with a sponge cloth and ironed again with a polishing-iron. When the polishing-iron is being used the operator should employ a great deal of pressure and go over the surface very rapidly. This will give the finish required, and the proper amount of polish is obtained by ironing the bosom on a hard surface with the polishing-iron. Hand ironers usually have a soft felt which they slip under the bosom when using the flat-iron, and after the bosom is set and dried the felt is removed, leaving a harder surface on which to polish the bosom. Open-front shirts are placed on the bosom board wuth neckband buttoned and the shirt stretched and clamped in its natural position, the upper half of the bosom lapping over the lower half. When the upper half is ironed a felt is usually slipped under it in order that one-half of the bosom may be ironed without a crease. The shirt is then unbuttoned at the neck and the under lap is ironed. After tliis the shirt is again buttoned and the bosom polished in the same manner as has already been described, with this exception, that a piece of metal covered with cloth is slipped under the upper half of the bosom, affording a hard surface on — 167 — which to iron and polish the upper half without show- ing the imjjression of the lower 'half. The stillness of a bosom depends on the way in which it is ironed. If the first operation — that is, drying the bosom out — is not done properly, the bosom will be soft. The iron must be very hut, almost at scorching heat, and shoidd be moved over the bosom slowly with all the pressure that can be applied. Soft and blistered w^ork usually results from the use of a cold iron, and it should be understood always that an iron should never be moved rapidly when drying a bosom. The conditions change when it is being pol- ished. Then friction is required to produce the de- sired result, and, as the bosom has already been dried, there will be no bad results from moving the polishing- iron rapidly, although this iron must be very hot, as well as the other. After the bosom has been ironed the shirt is then finished, as has been described in ChajD- ter 22. In a great many well-regulated laundries are found hand ironers employed in machine operating plants. The reason for this generally is that the proprietor has peculiar makes of shirts which can not be ironed by a machine. Many times hand ironers are employed to iron samples, and all work which can not be ironed practically by machinery, such as shirts with collars attached, embroidered fronts or any other styles which require special attention. 168 — CHAPTER 24. LAUNDERING NEGLIGEE WORK. The methods of laundering stiff-bosom shirts have been described already, but as yet nothing has been said regarding the laundering of negligee shirts, and the term negligee, in this instance, will be applied to all such shirts as do not have a stiff bosom ; for ex- ample, Madras and percale made into the common negligee shirts, the puff bosom, and the shirt having a soft bosom made either of silk or Madras. During the past few seasons there have been a large number of the last-mentioned shirts manufactured, and as this shirt promises to remain in fashion for a considerable time, the method of laundering it should be described. This shirt is usually made with a laundered neck- band; that is, the neckband is laundered before it is sewed to the shirt. In better grades of this make of shirt the wristband is also laundered. It has a white body and a colored, fancy bosom, usually made of some silk material. There is no washing required on this shirt. It is necessary only to iron it. Therefore it need not go into the starchroom or be hung in the dry- room. The parts that are to be ironed are slightly moistened, preferably with raw rice starch-water. The neckband should be slightly dampened and run through a neckband ironer, as the neckbands become more or less bent and "broken up" during the process of manu- facturing the shirt. The neckband ironer will freshen — 1G9 — them up and also close the stitching, which shows quite plainly on a laundered neckband. It is not practical to launder this neckband on the shirt, but as it is unnecessary to wash the body or the bosom, it would not be possible to have a good-looking neckband if it were not washed. If the neckband is colored, then it is a comparatively easy matter to laun- der it on the shirt. After the neckband has been ironed the yoke should be slightly moistened on each side and ironed with a polishing-iron, then the bosom and neckband are but- toned, a ring placed in the neckband and the shirt laid flat on the table on which it is to be ironed. The table for ironing negligee shirts is not of the same construction as the one required to iron stiff bosoms. It requires no bosom board, for the reason that the shirt is ironed flat, having nothing inside of it. The plan recommended for such a table is one which has a clamp arranged on one end for se- curely holding the yokes in position to allow of stretch- ing the shirt. This clamp extends across the entire end of the table and is curved in the centre in con- formity with the shape of the top of the shirt. The clamp may be arranged to operate by means of a lever which, when pressed down, holds the yoke firmly to the talde. There should be a small hook on the inner edge of the clamp wdiich engages the neckband ring and holds the neckband in position when the clamp is pressed down. When the shirt is laid on the table it should be dampened slightly with starch-water on the yokes and the front. Then it should be placed in position and the clamp pressed down. The operator stretches the shirt — 170 — and takes all fulness out of the front, holding it in this position by pressing the left forearm down on the shirt, the arm extending at right angles with the shirt. While the shirt is being held in this position the oper- ator irons the front, covering the bosom and the sides, and during the whole operation of ironing the front, he should not remove his arm from the shirt. A clamp arrangement to hold a shirt taut is a good thing, but it takes considerable time to operate it, and therefore the plan to do without it by using the arm is recom- mended. After the operator has become accustomed to holding a shirt in this manner it will be found com- j^aratively easy and rapid. After the front of the shirt has been ironed the clamp is raised and the yokes set ; then the bottom of the skirts are finished, and the shirt is ready to be folded. The method of folding soft shirts is essentially dif- ferent from that employed for stiff bosoms. As there is no bosom to hold the shirt in shape, some rigid sub- stance must be supplied upon which to form it. A thin board beveled at the edges made of the size and length which the shirt is required to be when folded is generally used. It is a good plan to arrange folding tables independent of the ironing-table and to have the board upon which the shirt is folded hinged to the table. A table should be cut out at the extreme end di- rectly central with the folding board. This cutout in the table admits the neckband when the shirt is laid on the table with the front do^\m. The neckband is placed in this opening and held in its proper position for folding by bringing the hinged folding board on the back of the shirt; the shirt is then folded over the board in similar lines to the folding of stiff bosoms, which has been alreadv described. — 171 — The pinning of the shirt is the same as the pin- ning of a stiff bosom, except that an extra pin is placed in the back of the shirt to hold the yokes in position. Care must be taken to have the shirt folded centrally, and it is necessary, before removing the shirt from the board, to see that it is central. After the shirt has been folded and pinned, the board is raised and the shirt drawn off of it. It is unnecessary to iron the sleeves or the back of the shirt on any of this negligee work which is not required to be washed. There is another kind of shirt which is made in a similar manner to the one already described, with the excej^tion that it has what is commonly called a puff bosom. This bosom is gathered at the top and at the bottom, leaving a large amount of fulness in the front. Many of the better grades of these shirts being made of white material, they require washing, and should be washed just as any white shirt. When they are washed it is necessary to fully launder them; that is, send them through the entire process. The neckbands and wristbands must be carefully starched to prevent any starch getting on the bosom. The shirt is then dried and dampened and afterwards ironed throughout. The bosom may be nicely ironed on wdiat is known as the ladies' sleeve ironer. This is usually an egg-shaped iron heated by steam or gas. The bosom is drawn over this heated surface and, as it is made of a very thin material, it is dried and ironed very rapidly. The inside yoke is ironed by hand, the neck and wristbands ironed by machines, the sleeves usually ironed by machines, and then the shirt is ironed on a flat table having a yoke clamp, as already described. The folding is the same as with other negligee shirts. — 172 — The cheaper grade of puff bosoms and those that are made of white material having laundered neck- bands are not washed. This shirt is handled in prac- tically the same manner as the one first described, except that the bosom is slightly moistened and ironed on the puff ironer. Madras and percale negligee shirts are usually made with an unlaundered neckband. These shirts are not washed, but it is necessary to starch the neckband and wristbands. It is a delicate matter to starch a neck- band on a shirt and not get starch on the front of the shirt. In fact, it is almost impossible to starch the neckband and keep the front clear of starch, without having some device to keep the starch from getting on the front. Some sort of arrangement has been sug- gested on which there is a protector which will prevent starch getting beyond a certain line. The author has a crude arrangement which fills the bill. It has the appearance of a miniature guillotine. The ''knife" has a straight edge which is brought in contact with the goods by means of a foot lever connected to it. The shirt is laid at the back of this contrivance and the knife is brought doAvn and forms the dividing line between the neckband and the front of the shirt. Under the shirt is a piece of felt which allows the knife to press the goods into its soft surface, thus preventing the possibility of starch getting back of the knife on the front. While the neckband is in this position it may easily be starched by hand. As Madras and per- cale absorb the starch very easily, the wristbands are starched at ihe same time and the shirt dried. This grade of goods requires no dampening pre- vious to ironing, for it is possible to iron the neckbands — 173 — and wristbands well bj simply dampening them with a sponge cloth at the time of ironing. The goods are so soft and loosely woven that the moisture quickly j^enetrates them and puts them in a condition to be ironed at once. After the ironing has been done the shirt is finished according to the method described in a j^revious chapter. 174 CHAPTER 25. COLLAR AND CUFF IRONING. There are a great many machines manufactured for ironing collars and cuifs, and about all of them contain the same j^rinciple of ironing; that is, a re- volving heated roll, running in contact with a revolv- ing jiadded roll, the essential difference between the various machines of this character being only in the application of the principle. Some manufacturers use springs, while others use weights for pressure. Machines of smaller capacity are quite simple in con- struction, while those of greater capacity are more complex. The better grades of machines are constructed in such a manner that the heated roll may be made to travel at several rates of speed, thus producing differ- ent grades of finish. Domestic finish, medium gloss and high gloss may usually be produced on the modern collar ironer by simply shifting gears. The faster the hot roll revolves — the padded roll revolves at the same rate of speed at all times — the greater will be the gloss produced. Machines of the largest capacity are so constructed that they will iron the goods, when prop- erly dampened, in one passage through the machine. They usually iron the collar or cuff once on the wrong- side and twice on the right side by a single passage through. This class of machines has generally three heated — 175 — Fig. 43. MONARCH COLLAR AND CtTFF IRONER. (Adams Laundry Machinery Co.) — 176 — rolls and two padded rolls. In the first set of rolls one hot roll runs in contact with one j^added roll, the padded roll being on top, or above, the heated roll. The goods are then carried from tliese to the other rolls. The second set of rolls consists of one padded roll and two heated rolls running in contact with it, the heated rolls being above the padded roll. Thus it will be seen that as the goods pass through the machine they receive the ironing action once on one side and twice on the other. This type of machine is represented in the Adams Laundry Machinery Co.'s Sharp's Monarch, Fig. 48, the Troy Laundry Machinery Co.'s ISTo, 5, Fig. 49, and the American Laundry ^Machinery Co.'s Mammoth is shown in Fig. 50. These machines differ only in construction. It is claimed by the manufacturers of these ma- chines that they will iron two thousand dozen collars or cuffs in ten hours. These machines have elaborate chain gears by which almost any finish desired may be obtained. The pressure is applied by weights and may readily be increased or decreased simply by adding weights to, or taking weights away from, the pressure levers. They are also constructed so as to be quickly thrown out of gear in case of accident, or the pressure quickly removed. Another style of collar-ironer is represented in the Adams II, Fig. ,51, or the Columbia, Fig. 52, and the Troy Xo. 6, Fig. 53. This type has a revolving heated roll between two revolving padded rolls and in contact with them. The goods are fed between the upper revolving padded roll and the heated roll, and re- turn between the lower revolving padded roll and the — 177 Fig. 49. TROY No. 5 COI^LAR AND CUFF IRONER. (Troy Laundry Machinery Co.) 178 Fig. 50. MAMMOTH COLLAR AND CUFF IRONKR. (American Laundry Machinery Co.) — 179 — heated roll, thus making one heated roll do all the ironing. Seven hundred dozen pieces per day is about the capacity of these machines, and they do very nice work. In these machines the jDressure is also applied by weights, and they are so geared that several different finishes may be j)roduced. Collar-ironing machines of lesser capacity than those already described, are those having one heated roll and one padded roll. This type of machine is represented by the Nelson & Kreuter tegular collar-ironer. Fig. 54. This machine has a padded roll above the heated roll, and a return apron, which carries the work back to the operator after it has been passed through. It is an excellent machine of medium capacity, and is used extensively in the custom laundries. The pressure in this style of machine is usually applied by springs or screws. It is built for the purpose of producing high gloss, and while domestic finish may be obtained, ma- chine is designed for gloss work. The fact alone that the work has to be passed through the rolls several times before it is finished, naturally tends to this end, and that is why this class of machine has had such a large sale, for many of the customers of medium capacity laundries require gloss finish on their collars and cuffs. The next machine in point of capacity is one having its revolving heated roll above the padded roll, and is represented in the "Watkins" machine, kno^\^l as the ISTo. 7, and shown in Fig. 55. Many laundry machinery concerns manufacture this machine on the same lines, there being no patent upon the device. This machine is found in small custom laundries ; it produces a very high gloss, and has a capacity of about one hundred and fifty dozen pieces a day. — 180 Fij. 01. "H" COLI.AR AND CUFF IRONER. (Adams Laundry Machinery Co.) 181 — Fie. 52. COLiTIMBIA COLLAR AND CUFF IRONER. (Wilson Laundry Machinery Co.) — 182 — Fig. 53. TROY No. 6 COLLAK AND CUFF IRONER. (Troy Laundry Machinery Co.) — 183 — There is yet another type of machine for ironing collars and cuffs, which has a reciprocating padded sur- face, running in contact with a revolving heated roll, see Fig. 56. This machine resembles the Sinclair type of bosom-ironer. In fact, the Sinclair firm and other manufacturers, make a machine that is known as ''The Combination," it being adapted to either iron shirt- bosoms or collars and cuffs. It produces a very high gloss, which is well adapted to the requirements of laun- dries whose trade demand that finish. There is another reciprocating collar-ironer which is known as the ''Gardner." This machine differs from the one just described in the fact that the roll is recip- rocated instead of the padded surface. It is so con- structed that the roll will revolve one way and slide the other, or revolve both ways, or slide both ways; thus it will be seen that it has either a great amount of friction or no friction. This niachine has been used for many years in some of the Troy collar shops, and is still quite a favorite on certain grades of work. There is a small machine which is a necessary ad- junct to the laundry of large capacity. This machine is known as the "Troy Collar Tipper," and is used to iron the tijDS of winged point collars after they have been ironed on the large machine. As the collars are ironed only once on the inside it leaves an undesirable appearance on the part of a standup collar which is folded over, and consequently the collar tipper helps the laundryman out of this difiiculty. This machine is simply a power press, having a felt surface pressed against a heated surface ; the point of the collar is slightly moistened, placed under this hot plate, and jjressed ; this gives the desired finish to the collar which — 184 — Fig. 54. "N. & K." COLLAR AND CUFF IRONER. (Nelson & Kreuter.) — 185 - Fig. 56. COMBINATION COLiLAR AND CUFF IKON£R. (S. H. Sinclair Co.) — 186 Fig. 57. OOLLAR TIPPER. (Troy Laundry Machinery Co.^ — 187-- Fig. 58. HAGEN STEAM COLLAR AND CXJFF IRONEK (A. T. Hagen Co.) — 188 — has already received a nearly complete ironing by hav- ing been passed throngh the collar-ironer. The Troy tipper is shown in Fig. 57. The machines which have thus far been described are all heated by gas. There is, however, a machine maunfactured to iron collars and cuffs wdiich is heated by steam. This machine is of Ilagen manufacture, and is illustrated in Fig. 58. It is claimed for this ma- chine that it possesses the advantage of being free from the danger of ever scorching the work, and that it pro- duces a pearly white appearance, which is not always the case in goods ironed by machines heated with gas. This machine is said to be especially adaj^tcd for custom work because it renders the goods tough and pliable and pleasing to Avear, and while it may not stand the rough handling usually given to new work it is said to be strong enough to hold up and remain in shajoe until it is worn. The idea of this machine is taken from the old steam mangle and it consists in having a large steam cylinder running in contact with several small padded rolls. In this machine the goods are in contact with the heated surface during all the time they are passing through the machine. In other classes of machines the goods are in contact with the heated roll only when the small roll is in contact with them, and then the heated surface is only at the point of contact. In the steam machines, however, the whole of the heated surface is in contact wdth the whole of the surface of the goods, thereby mak- ing it possible to iron the work at a low temperature. The ironing of standup collars is a comparatively easy matter, as they are not folded, but simply curled, which is done by running them through a machine known as the "Collar Shaper." But the ironing of — 189 — FILLING CUP, W REGULATOR GUAZE STRAINER Fig. 59. ECLIPSE SEAM DAMPENER. (Barnes-Erb Co.) turndown collars is quite difficult, as tliey liave to be turned and shaped after thej have been ironed on the collar ironer. It is necessary to dampen the line where the collar turns to prevent the cracking of the goods, and in order to do this neatly the use of a dampening device is necessary to dampen evenly that portion of the collar where it turns over, and not spread the line too wide, as this would cause the collar to be soft around the edge of the fold. This dampening device is generally called the seam dampener, and it usually consists of some sort of a roll arrangement having felt, or fibre, edges to which — 190 — the water is applied, and as this roll passes over the goods it causes a streak of water to remain where the roll has passed. There are various makes of seam-dampen- ers, some of which are automatic, and feed the water continuously when in use. Others are made with a felt washer held in ])lace between two metal flanges; this felt being kept usually in water when not in use. There is a more elaborate seam-dampener manufactured by the Barnes & Erb Co., and shown in Fig. 59, which it is claimed possesses greater merit than the wheel dampener. Any arrangement which will evenly dis- tribute a narrow line of water, where the collar is to be folded, is all that is absolutely necessary. The water for seam-dampening should be warm, so that it will penetrate the goods more quickly. It is also recommended that about five percent of pure glycerine be added to the water, rendering it capable of being more quickly absorbed. After the collars have been dampened they should be allowed to stand a few minutes before turning, to allow the water to thoroughly saturate the fibre. If they are turned too soon after being dampened, they are liable to crack. After they have been sufficiently dampened they should be folded and shaped. The process of folding a collar is quite an art, and it should be done with great care in order to give the collar its proper shape, and not crack the linen. The collar should be partially turned by hand, and then run through the collar-shaper. To run the turndown collar through the shaper and preserve its shape is quite a difficult matter, and re- quires considerable practice before one is able to pre- vent the collar from becoming jammed up in the shaper. — 191 — The shaper creases down the fold, and also curves the collar to conform to the neck, and, as the outside of the collar is longer than the inside, it must come from the shaper at the right curve, or else the inside band will double over and form a crease. TREfiDLE Fig. 60. COLLAR SHAPER, (Adams Laundry Machinery Co.) A collar-shaper consists usually of a rubber roll running in contact with a small metal roll. In some instances the metal roll is heated, in which case the rubber roll is generally dispensed with, and a roll covered with cloth substituted. There is also a sort of shelf arrangement in close contact with the rubber roll, and near the small roll. It is placed in such a — 192 — position that it bends the eoHar when it passes through the machine. The Adams Laundry Machinery Co. manufacture a coUar-shaper, and have so constructed it that the operator can release the pressure and contact of the roll at will, thereby making it pos- sible to have the machine act on any portion of the collar desired. An illustration of this collar-shajDer is shown in Fig. 60. The principle upon which this machine oj^erates makes it practical to shajje rolled turned down collars, and not break the roll of the collar on the end, as the collar can be placed in the machine, and the shaper applied at any point on the collar, and left off at any point. This machine is also made to run at a fast or a slow speed, which is very convenient, for when shaping standup collars or cuffs, the machine may be run rapidly, and when shaping turndown col- lars it may be run at a slow Speed as is desirable. After the collars have been run through the shaper they will be found to be more or less roughened and bent at the edge where the fold is made, and in order to do a first-class job this unevenness should be ironed out. This is done on what is known as an "edge" ironer. This is a little machine having a curved, raised flange, which is brought to an edge. The collar is placed on this curved flange, having the edge of the flange extending inside of the collar, and snug up into the fold ; a grooved hot iron is then passed around on the edge of the fold, smoothing the edge and finishing the job. There have been various machines manu- factured lately, commonly kno^\^l as the "saw edge" machine, examples of wdiich are shown in Figs. 61 to 6-i. There used to be a general complaint from people wear- ing standup collars, about the edges being so rough, and — 193 — — 194 — for this reason the saw edge machine was invented. It is ahnost impossible to launder a standiip collar withont its having rough edges, and to overcome this, the edge is slightly moistened and ironed. Some accomplish it bj passing it through a groove in a hot iron, others Fig. 55. No. 7 COLLAR AND CUFF IRONER. (F. M. Watkins Co.) by having a system of rolls having grooves in them. Either device is practicable. There is no invention in the laundry line that has been so much appreciated by the public as this little saw edge machine, and every laundryman who would be up to date in his equipment should not overlook this simple device. 195 PART SECOND. CHAPTER 1. CUSTOM OB OLD WORK LAUNDERING. This branch of the industry has grown to be a large commercial factor in the business world. While the fundamental principle of laundering remains the same in old work as in new, the conditions vary to a con- siderable degree, and many of the methods are different owing to the fact that not so thorough a treatment or such extensive and complicated methods are required in laundering old work. While it is necessary to relaunder goods nicely, it is not necessary or even practicable to go to the same extent in laundering them as though the goods were to be sold or were to remain a long time in stock. A customer is not particular as to the general character and shape of goods which are relaundered so long as they look well when worn. The dealer, however, requires that his goods present a fine appear- ance when he places them on sale, and therefore the laundryman who launders new work must give attention to everything which adds to the appearance and the char- acter of this work. While the chief requisite of the laundryman who launders old work is to get it clean and starch and iron it well, the prevailing price for relaundering goods does not permit of expending so much labor upon them as was done at the time they were first laundered. — 196 — New work, as a general rule, is better to look at than to wear, owing to the fact tliat, in order to have the goods appear well when on sale and stand hand- ling, they are starched very stiif, and when a man first wears them he is very uncomfortable. Take shirts for example. Usually the bodies are starched, the bosoms are very stitf, and the yokes are stuck together. One wearing some of the new work which has been laun- dered in some one of the stockwork factories, feels as though he were wearing a coat of mail, but when the same shirt is relaundered it comes back quite a differ- ent article. Then the body and the yoke are soft, the bosom is pliable, and one wearing it the second time would hardly believe it was the same shirt. It is much easier to relaunder goods than to first launder them, and the more times they are laundered the easier they can be laundered. The fibre seems to soften, the goods wash and starch easier, and they be- come capable of receiving a more pliable finish. Xice custom laundry work consists in having the goods tough and jiliable, not harsh and stiff. Take a collar, for instance, that is laundered right, it will have a sort of clastic finish, that is, it will be soft without being iveak. It may be buttoned on to a shirt without any (effort or damage to the buttonholes. Shirt bosoms will not be like boards, but s^iringy and yielding, and yet they will not break or blister by wearing. ]S[ice laundry work is clean Avork ; it should be im- maculate. If it is white, it is a pure white ; if colored, it is clean and bright. It is well ironed, has no rough dries or scorches, it is well starched and wiped, and no blotches of starch are seen upon it. l^ice laundry work does not have starch on the body of the shirt or half way up the sleeve. I — 1U7 — The standard of good laundry work was well ex- pressed by a friend of the author, who said that certain work "looked good enough to eat." This I considered a very fitting expression, for work that looks good enough to eat, must be very good looking work, unless one is not particular about what he eats. 198 — CHAPTER 2. WASH ROOM. The foundation of good lanndry work, for old work, is the same as for new, and that is the wash room. It is here that the work is prepared for the other depart- ments. The work must be washed well, or no good results can be obtained, no matter how well the work may be done after it leaves the wash room. If it is not clean, no amount of scrubbing with the sponge cloth in the ironing room will make it look right, and to get good work in the wash room, much depends upon the plan of handling the goods and the general arrange- ments for doing so. In the first place the wash room must be so con- structed that it may be kept absolutely clean. It should be a place where one would not be afraid to spill a little water, or allow a little steam to escape. It should be arranged in such a manner that the floors may be easily flushed with water, and the machines kept clean on their exteriors by the use of the hose. The floors should be made of Portland cement con- crete, with a decided grade leading to a sewer con- nection. It is an excellent plan to have a gutter ex- tending under the machines and connecting with the sewer, and to have the floor graded so that any water on the floor may drain into the gutter and pass into the sewer. The washing machines should open into this gutter, so that, in case any garment is dropped be- tween the cylinder and the machine, it will pass out — 199 — into the open gutter. Thus it will not be lost, as would be the case were the outlet of the washing machines connected directly with the sewer. There should be an abundant supply of hot and cold water. It is quite an easy matter to obtain an abundant supply of cold water, providing the water works are of sufficient capacity, but it is not such an easy matter to have an abundant supply of hot water and there are many varied devices and means resorted to to obtain hot water. This subject has been quite fully covered and discussed in describing the treatment of new Avork. To get the greatest capacity out of washing machines it is necessary to have large water connections. Especi- ally should the hot water supply pipe be large, not less than two inches, as the pressure of hot water is usually not very great. To those who can not obtain a storage of hot water the author would recommend an arrangement of pipes by means of which water may be heated as it passes into the machine. One will not be able to fill the ma- chines as rapidly by this means as one could do with a supply of hot water, as the water must be admitted slowly in order to heat it sufficiently as it passes in. An instantaneous heater may be made simply by in- serting a steam jet into the water pipe, and discharging the steam into the water as it passes through the pipe. If the water pipe is connected at the end of the w^ashing machine, instead of having an elbow where it turns to go into the machine have a "T." Supposing the pipe to be one and one-half inches in diameter, the "T" should have two openings an inch and a half in diameter, one placed on the side and the other on one end. To these openings the water pipe should be con-' — 200 — nected. The opposite end should be reduced to three quarters of an inch, which is the usual steam connection. Through this three-quarter opening should be run a straight thread, that is, one not having the usual taper which is given the regulation pipe fittings. This thread should be equal in size through the opening of the "T" so that a pipe may be screwed in and through this opening from the inside. A six-inch nipple three quar- ters of an inch in diameter, having a thread on one end about two inches long should be screwed into the "T" from the inside, and extend through far enough to admit a connection to this nipple to be made on the outside of the ''T." The steam pipe is connected to the projecting end of the nipple, and the joints made tight by lock nuts, which screw against the steam connection, and also against the '^T." If these lock nuts are not used it will be difficult to make a steam tight joint, as there is no taper to the thread. The nipple extends beyond the side opening of the 'T" where the water is admitted, and when steam is admitted through the pipe it is dis- charged into the water pipe in the direction of the flow of water, acting on the injector principle, and causing no back pressure on the water pipe. The temperature of the water which passes into the machine may be regulated by the amount of water admitted, and by the pressure of steam. Hot water is one of the most essentiaT things in the wash room, in fact, it is quite impossible to do good work without it, and as this arrangement is so simple, anyone may avail themselves of the use of hot water. While this method may not be as convenient as the storage tank arrangement, it will practically answer the — 201 — same purpose. So, when discussing the methods of washing, there will be no attempt to furnish a formula by means of which one may obtain good work without the use of hot water. The jjower for a wash room is usually transmitted by shafting which is run overhead. The modern wash- ing machine requires no counter shafts, and it is usually the rule to extend the line shafting nearly perpendicu- larly over the washing machines. The extractors and any other machinery in the wash room are usually run by countershafts. The best double leather belt should be used on washing machines, as the work is very hard for belts. They are subject to great strains, and when the ma- chines are in oi^eration the belts are constantly being shifted from one pulley to the other to produce the reverse motion of the cylinder. The best quality of belting is recommended for the reason that the wash room is usually a damp place, in which a poor belt is very short lived. 202 — CHAPTER 3. WASHING MACHINES. It is said that more patents have been granted for washing machines than for any other class of ma- chinery. The greater nnniber of these patents have been granted on inventions for domestic use. The energy expended in washing soiled garments is something inventors have for many years been studying to lessen, but without any apparent success. Any machine which has to be operated by hand, usually requires as much energy as is equivalent to that used in washing the goods in the ordinary way. Most of the inventions are not those of practical men, but are the outcome of the efforts of someone who has tried to get something for nothing. While the inventions along this line in jDOwer machinery have been very successful, and the state of the art in the mechanism of power washing machinery is considered by the author to be as well advanced as that of any other machine, the modern washing machine is an evo- lution. The prinsiple on which it operates is two-fold, mechanical and hydraulic. The mechanical part con- sists in dashing the goods from one side of the cylinder to the other, and the hydraulic principle consists in forc- ing the water through the goods by the centrifugal action of the cylinder. These two princij^les combined are found in almost all washing machines today. Machines differ in construction, but the principle is alwavs the same. At one time there were different — 203 — constructions of machines, and machines having differ- ent principles, but as niany of these macliines are now nearly obsolete, it will hardly be necessary to describe them in this work. The modern laundry washer is so far ahead of them, that if a laundrynian should have one of the other kind, the author would advise him to throw it away, and catch up with the procession. A ]30wer washer, such as is used today in all the modern laundries in this country is constructed with a water-tight, cylindrical-shaped tank, having a perfor- ated cylinder within it. This inner cylinder, by a reverse mechanism, is caused to revolve several times in one direction, and to reverse and revolve several times in the opposite direction, the reversing mechanism being automatic, changing the motion of the cylinder at regular intervals. This reverse motion is necessary to prevent the clothing from becoming entangled in the machine. A continuous motion will tangle the goods to such an extent that it is almost impossible to separate them. The above description applies to the washing ma- chine pure and simple. While there are a great many manufacturers who make washing machines, and claim different advantages for them, none claim that their machine possesses any advantages in washing over any other machine, their claims being based usually on the construction of the cylinders, or that of the mechanical movement. Xo special make of washing macliines could be recommended because they would wash any better than any other. Machines might be recom- mended that because they were built on better mechani- cal principles than others, or because they possessed greater durability, but when it comes down to washing, — 204 — — 205 — one will wash as good as another, providing it is of the same size and capacity. In the purchase of a washing machine it is the ad- vice of the author to buy the best. A washing machine is subjected to very severe treatment, owing to the nature of the work it has to do, and at its best is very short lived, as compared to any other class of laundry machinery. The regulation w^asher is built usually for cheai^ness. It has a pine outside cylinder, and a hardwood inside cylinder, with the reverse motion bolted on to the wood of the outer cylinder. This ma- chine is very short lived, as the wood soon becomes softened by the action of the hot water and the steam, the bolts Avhieh hold the motion to the head become loosened, the reverse median ism gets out of line, and as a result the machine soon goes to pieces. Several manufacturers of laundry machinery build washers having a cast-iron head, to which the motion is attached. This is quite a practical machine, and far more durable than a machine having heads of wood. It might seem to some who have had no experience with this class of machine that the iron head would rust and cause trouble. Such does not seem to be the case, as the iron soon becomes coated with a deposit from the w^ater, the soap and the other ingredients which are used in the machine, and this deposit prevents the iron from rusting. As the movement is bolted to this iron head, there is no possible chance for the gearing to separate, as is the case with wooden heads. The IST. & K. Iron- head Washer, shown in Fig. 05, is a good example of this type. A machine having a frame work of iron, into which the wooden cylinder is fitted is also another good style — 206 PS it: WO W2 ^^6 Ht3 -S — 207 — of which tlie Walk ins iiuichiiic, showai in Fig. QQ, is an example. The iron frame is self contained, and the movement is bolted to the frame. All the bearings are attached to this frame. The wooden part of the ma- chine may be removed and renewed without disturbing the belts which operate it. This plan of construction makes a very strong and durable washer, and one that will run for a great many years with a very little cost for repairs. . The perishable part of it being wood is easily renewed, making the machine practically as good as new. There are combinations of various kinds in washing- machines. One which is quite common is a machine having a wood outside cylinder, and a brass inside in- side cylinder, as shown in Fig. G7. This machine is quite expensive, but its durability justifies the first cost. A brass cylinder in an iron frame machine is about as practical a washing machine as one can buy. It pos- sesses all the advantages of any washing machine, be- sides having the great merit of durability. The wear- ing parts are practically indestructible. The outside cylinder, of course, requires to be renewed in time. This can be easily done on this style of machine without even removing the inside cylinder, or changing the belt. This brass cylinder machine is constructed also with an outer cylinder having an iron head, making a very durable machine. The acme of washing machines is the all-metal ma- chine. Fig. OS. The washing machine having a wooden outside cylinder possesses the merit over the all- metal machine of being nonradiating. A metal ma- chine requires more steam, as every time the metal is cooled off it has to be heated again from the heat that — 208 — — 209 — is in the water. As this heat has to be supplied bj steam, it requires more steam to operate a washing machine which is made of metal than one which is made of wood. This is the only objection to a metal washer, but it is quite an objection where one is oper- ating a large plant of washing machines, and therefore it is greater economy from every point of view to use a machine having a wooden outside cylinder, and a brass inside cylinder, for reasons already stated. A machine which has a capacity over one hundred shirts should be geared at both ends. Machines are being manufactured which have a large drive gear at- tached to the journal of the inside cylinder at each end of the machine as illustrated in Fig. 6i). These gears are connected and run in contact with pinion gears which are attached to a shaft running longitudin- ally with the machine at the back. To this shaft is attached the reverse mechanism which drives the cylin- der. Thus the power is distributed equally to each end of the machine, producing no torsional strain on the inner cylinder. Some manufacturers build washing machines hav- ing a galvanized iron outside cylinder. This machine is quite generally used in the hospitals and public in- stitutions. It is considered by physicians and super- intendents of iDublic institutions to be the best machine for that class of work, owing to its sanitary qualities. This construction of machine is popular also on account of its comparative cheapness, as an all-brass washer is a very expensive luxury. There is another machine which it might be well to speak about in connection with the subject of insti- tution work, and that is the machine called a ''Disin- — 210 — (0 H — 211 — fecting Machine." It resembles a washer in construc- tion, and is practically a washer which has the outer cylinder constructed strong enough to withstand the steam pressure employed. The openings are arranged in such a manner that they are easily made steam tight. The article of clothing which is to be disinfected is placed in this machine, the outer cylinder sealed up, and a pressure of steam admitted. The action of the machine agitates the goods and allows the steam to thoroughly i^enetrate every fibre, which effectually de- stroys all disease germs that there may be in the goods, and renders the clothing free from the danger of spread- ing contagious diseases. After the goods have been subjected to a steam bath the washing process is con- tinued in the ordinary Avay. See Fig. 70. The steam chamber is constructed of an inner and outer steel shell, forming a steam jacket, with cast- iron ends, frames and doors fitted with steam-tight copper gaskets. The jacket gives perfect circulation, prevents too rapid condensation and dries thoroughly the goods exposed. This jacket is filled with steam during the entire operation, making the chamber a drying oven, so that the articles to be sterilized and disinfected are brought to temperature before the ad- mission of steam to the inner chamber, and thoroughly dried after the steam has been exhausted. To prevent a possibility of life to the germ by an admixture of steam and air during exposure, an air pump is applied whereby a vacuum of fifteen to twenty inches is pro- duced previous to the admission of steam to the inner chamber. Many institutions, -which have very filthy goods to be washed, have a system of ventilation applied to — 212 — (4 W W -a Hi § O 5 <£ B CO < 213 — — 214 — the washing machines which is excellent, and would not be amiss in any laundry. The plan of ventilation is as follows: Into each end of the cylinder of the washing ma- chine is connected an air pipe about five inches in diam- eter. This air pipe leads to an exhaust fan, and from there to the open air. The exhaust fan is continually running, and any odor or steam from the goods in the machine is removed and discharged through the exliaust pipe, thus preventing the sickening odor which is pres- ent in many institution laundries, . ? well as in some custom laundries. There is a novelty in the way of washing machines, which is manufactured with a woven wire cylinder, and it is claimed that it has a greater washing efficiency than the ordinary machine, owing to the fact that it has more openings through which the water can pass and consequently produces a greater hydraulic action. Un- doubtedly this machine has considerable merit. Fig. 71 is a cut of Woven Wire Washer. 215 — — 216 — 217 — CHAPTER 4. FILTERS. The question of filters in our modern laundries is a momentous question, especially in localities where the ^vater is supj^lied from rivers or streams which are subject to freshets, or have a natural discoloration. It is not necessary to filter water for laundry purposes except to free it from any foreign substance held in solution. The question of bacteria or foreign sub- stances which might affect its qualities as a drinking water need not be considered when the water is to be used for laundry purposes. All that is there required is to have a water tliat is clear, which will not stain or discolor the goods that are washed in it. The greatest need of filters is in laundries depending on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers for their supply. Rarely ever is the water from these rivers clear. There is usually present what is known as red clay or alumi- niferous earth. This substance is very readily taken up by water and puts it in that condition which is commonly called rily. To use this water success- fully this substance must be gotten rid of, and the only plan by which this may be accomplished is by filtering. The principle of filtering consists in passing the water W'hich is charged with foreign substance through a material which has sharp angles or corners that will catch and hold the foreign substances, allowing the water to pass through and come out clear and free from dirt. The usual plan in filtering consists in hav- — 218 — ing a bed of finely ground quartz or sand through which the water passes. This will relieve the water of all particles down to a very minute size. But as this foreign substance is not of a uniform size there are certain small particles which will escape through this Fig. 72. NEW^ YORK FILTER. (New York Continentaljewel Filtration Co.) filtering bed, and pass out with the' water, leaving the water stitl impure. In order to thoroughly eradicate this trouble a coagulant is required. A coagulant is a substance which binds together the numerous finer particles of the foreign substances, mak- ing a body sufficiently large to be caught by the jagged edges of the filtering quartz. It curdles the matter in the water and the quartz catches the curdled particles, leaving the water pass through clear. The usual coagu- — 219 — lant is alum. This acts on the imj)urities in the water in the same manner as the white of an egg does on coffee. The amount of alum required is usually about one- half a grain to a gallon of water. Almost all of our modern filters are provided with means of automatically feeding alum solution into the water while it is being filtered. There is no objection to the use of alum as a coagu- lant, as none of the alum escapes with the water. It unites with the impurities of the water and is retained by the filtering substance. It is then carried away when the filter is washed. The analyses of purified water where alum has been used show no trace whatever of alum. In localities where freshets are common the water becomes very bad at these times and the use of alum alone as a coagulant is not sufficient. At such times it is generally used in combination with lime. The water is first treated with alum and subsequently with lime. The effect is an instantaneous action between the two whereby all the foreign substance is precipitated. Most of our modern filters are provided with apparatus for using alum and lime in combination. There are various makes of filters for laundry pur- poses, of which the pressure type of filters is that usu- ally adopted. This type of filter permits the connection of the water supply to it, and the supply of filtered water passes directly from it, filtering the water under full pressure as needed. The principle employed in all of these filters is the same. It consists in passing the water through a filtering substance, usually of pulver- ized quartz. They usually have means for feeding 220 — Fig. 73. BOWDEN FILTER. (Hygeia Filter Co.) — 221 — ooagiiiants into the water, drop by drop, in such quan- tities as may be needed. The principal merit in any filter is a thorough means of washing the filtering substance. This sub- stance becomes charged with the impurities v/hich it collects from the water, and the impurities must be washed out, or the filter would soon become useless. Many makes of filters are provided with a means of washing by reversing the current of water and break- ing up the filtering bed by forcing the water from the bottom up through the top. As the water is intro- duced into the bottom of the filter it disturbs the par- ticles of sand and carries off the impurities, leaving the sand clean. The ^STew York Filter Co. makes a filter of this kind, which is shown in Fig. 72. The Bowden filter, shown in Fig. 73, is another. There are other makes of filters which have a me- chanical action as well as an hydraulic action for the purpose of breaking up the sand or filtering bed and washing it. In localities where water is very bad this type of filter is of good service, as it thoroughly disturbs the sand by mechanical action, and allows the water to wash every part of the filtering bed. This type is exemplified in the Jewell Filter, illustrated in Fig. 74. The average size filter for a laundry doing $500.00 worth of work a week, and using Ohio or Mississippi water, should be about 60 inches in diameter. This filter should be fitted with a 2|-inch supply pipe, and it will filter 2,500 gallons of water per hour. In lo- calities where the water is not so bad, for a business of the same dimensions a filter 3G inches in diameter is sufficient. — 222 — j::\. FiR. 74. JJilWKL FILTER. (New York Continental Jewel Filtration Co.) — 223 — The best kind of alum to use as a coagulant is what is known as the commercial sulphate of alumina. This is especially recommended on account of its sol- uble qualities, as it goes directly into solution when placed in water. Ordinarily a filter should be washed once in twenty- four hours. With some waters it will require wash- ing more frequently, and there are localities in which the filter need not be washed so often. It depends entirely on the condition of the water, and judgment must be used regarding the frequency of the washing. 224 — CHAPTER 5. ODDS AND ENDS. In every well-regulated washroom for handling cus- tom work there are required various minor machines, tanks, tubs, and utensils, which will be classed under the head of "Odds and Ends." The first of these which is to be considered is the machine known as the tumbler. This consists of a single revolving cylinder, and is used for shaking out flat work or family work after it has been extracted, putting it into a condition to be handled easily. This class of work is usually soft, and becomes so thoroughly pressed together by the centrifugal force of the extractor that it makes it a very slow process to separate the pieces by hand. The tumbler, however, shakes them up, and leaves them in a nice, light condition to be ironed or mangled. Most all of the laundry machinery manufacturers make a tumbler. It is a simple machine. Some of them are made to reverse, and some revolve continuously. The cylinder is usually slatted to allow the lint from the goods to pass through. Laundries which do not use a collar and cuff starcher generally use the dipwheel for this purpose, and this device is found usually in the washroom. There are various shapes and makes of the dipwheel. Some are box-shaped, and others coffin-shaped, while still others are round. The goods are put into tjiem together with the starch, and the machine is made to revolve so that it pounds the starch into the goods. There is no ques- — 225 — tion but that the dipwheel puts lots of starch into the goods, and it puts lots of wrinkles into them as well. Extractors are necessary in a washroom doing cus- tom work, as well as in those doing new work, and, as they have been fully discussed in a former chapter, no further description will be necessary. An extrac- tor having a 26-inch basket is usually the most practi-" cal size, and is that best adapted for custom work. It is also necessary to have stationary tubs with power roll wringers attached, for washing anything that may be too delicate to be washed in the machines. They may be used also for starching skirts, or for starching any other garment requiring it. The sta- tionary tubs should have connected to them hot and cold water and steam-pipes. Porcelain is the best ma- terial to have in a stationary tub, as it is more durable and is cleaner than any other material. To get a practically uniform color in all grades of white material it is necessary to blue the goods by hand in stationary tubs. It is impossible to mix all kinds of goods together in a washing machine to blue them, and have them all take the same degree of color. Some goods take blue more quickly than others, and, therefore, for uniformity in color, the goods that take the blue more quickly or more easily should be blued in a separate tank, in which the water is not so blue as would be necessary to blue these goods which require stronger blue to the same shade. Two bluing-tanks are usually all that are required to give a practically uniform color. These tanks should contain blning-water which in one of them is several degrees bluer than that in the other. The tanks should be located conveniently in the washroom and should have an extractor between them in order — 226 — that the goods can be removed without inconvenience from the tanks to the extractor. The operation in connection with these tanks will be further described when the methods of the wash- room are treated. They should be connected with cold water pipes, steam and hot water not being re- quired unless one prefers to blue in warm water. Of course this tank should necessarily be connected with the sewer. If any starching is to be done in the washroom it will be necessary to have starch cookers placed therein. For a description of starch cookers the reader is referred to a former chapter. It is also necessary to have tanks for making soap and tanks for bleaching solution, as has been described under the head of new work. It is an excellent plan to have, in the washroom of a custom laundry, stationary tanks in which extremely soiled clothing may be soaked before washing. There are many goods which come to the custom laundry so badly soiled that it is quite impossible to get them clean in the ordinary process of washing. As the laundries are supposed to turn out every piece immacu- late, it is necessary to make provision for thoroughly washing ever\i:hing which may be sent to the laundry. Therefore, soaking-tanks are necessary adjuncts. These tanks should be connected with hot and cold water and steam-pipes, and they should also have a proper sewer connection. They should be made of porcelain, or, if of wood, they should be zinc-lined to prevent wood stains. There should also be scales, graduating glasses and measures. Nothing ever should be done by guess in a washroom. 227 — CHAPTER 6. METHODS IN THE WASHROOM WASHING WHITE SHIRTS. Shirts that are very much soiled should be sepa- rated from the others, and, when time will permit^ thej should be soaked two or three hours in a solution of lukewarm water and soap. After they are soaked they may be washed together with the shirts which are not so badly soiled, and will come out looking equally as well after going through the washing pro- cess, because the soaking thoroughly loosens the fiber and partly dissolves the foreign substances which have been in the fiber of the material, rendering them easier to remove in the regular washing operation. It is not advisable to overload a washing-machine, and it is usually a safe j^lan to wash .one-fourth less than the number of shirts in a washing-machine than it is claimed by the manufacturers the machine will handle. ^Manufacturers are prone to overrate the capacity of washing machines, and it is better to wash seventy-five shirts in a machine that the manufacturer claims to be a hundred-shirt washer, if the machine is too full it destroys the action, there not being free- dom enough to admit of the free passage of water through the goods, and the washing process is incom- plete. It is necessary to have room enough for the goods to move about freely, as this aids in the washing and allows the soap and other ingredients to thoroughly penetrate every fiber. — 228 — It is well to first run the shirts in lukewarm water to remove the starch and any other loose foreign sub- stance which the goods may contain. After this has been done the goods are, ready to be soaped. There should be a suflicient amount of water in the machine to thoroughly saturate the goods, and to have a free amount within the inner cylinder. There should not, however, be enough water to float the goods or to raise them from contact with the surface of the inner cylinder. If the goods are al- lowed to float, the cylinder simply revolves around them without materially disturbing their position. But if the goods rest against the surface of the cylinder they are carried up by centrifugal force and the friction of the surface of the cylinder, and dashed against the opposite side. They are thus continually being dashed from side to side. As they ])ass around at the lowest point in the cylinder they pass into the water, and the continual action of falling and dipping carries on the washing operation. The second water should be charged sufficiently with soap to produce a free suds. The soap should contain as much caustic potash as it is safe to use, as goods of this nature are usually badly soiled, and require a very strong aoap. The suds should be about lukewarm, say, at a temperature of 110 degrees. The suds should never be allowed to get any hotter or colder. They should never be allowed to "go down." If suds go down, the soap invariably curdles in the goods and produces soaj) spots or ''black specks." Cold water should never be admitted to suds, as "it will cause the suds to go down, producing the results just described. If there is not soap enough in the suds the suds will — 229 — wear out after awhile, and this causes it to go down. In either event, soaj) spots are the Usual result. In the event of soap curdling and producing a soft, greasy substance in spots on the goods and be- tw^een the linings, it is necessary, in order to remove it, to thoroughly rinse the goods in hot water, and then to add about two quarts of kerosene oil with sufficient water to each seventy-five shirts. Bring this solution to a boiling point and keep it there at least an hour. This will thoroughly dissolve this greasy substance, rendering it easy to rinse it from the goods. After the soap spots have been removed, the washing process must be started again. The goods should be run in this first suds about one-half hour. After they have been run awhile it is well to add more soap to insure the suds from not going down. After running one-half hour in the first suds, rinse twice in water at the same temperature as the suds, always making it a point never to let water on the goods which is at a temperature lower than the water preceding it. Should goods be hot and cold water admitted, it closes the fiber of the goods, and an action takes place wdiich is commonly called "set- ting the dirt." The heat relaxes the fiber, leaving the threads loose and in a condition for the dirt to be easily removed. If cold water be admitted before tlie goods are cleaned, the fiber seems to contract and locks the dirt within it. This is the true theory of setting the dirt. After the goods have been rinsed twice, they are ready for the second suds, and if manufactured bleach is used, the goods may be bleached in the second suds. Goods that are dried indoors, as is necessary in a — 2;jo — custom laundry, require a slight bleaching to preserve their whiteness, and therefore the matter of bleaching with manufactured bleach, which is a very popular method, will be treated here. Manufactured bleach, or chlorinated fluid, is a chem- ical compound of chlorine, an alkali and water. The chlorine is usually generated directly from chloride of sodium, or common salt, and charged into the alka- line solution which retains the chlorine gas. This makes a very convenient bleaching agent, besides being a time-saver as well. It may be used together with the suds, bleaching and washing in one operation, whereas, if chloride of lime is used, it hardens the water, mak- ing it impractical to use soap. The chlorine fluid should be added with the soap in the second suds. Eight fluid ounces of the manufac- tured bleach should be used in a washing of seventy- five shirts. The goods should be run in this suds and bleach about three-quarters of an hour. A small amount of steam should be admitted and the solution gradually heated to not over 200 degrees, x^ever, in any event, allow it to come to a boil, or to 212 degrees. Goods should not be scalded until after they are clean. Soap of sufficient quantity should be used, in or- der that there may be a free suds during the whole time. The same tronl)le will be experienced if the second suds go down as when the first suds go down. It is not necessary to use an excessive amount of soap, as this will cause too much suds, which will run out of the machine, causing an excessive waste of material, be- sides retarding the action of the machine. The suds act as a cushion to the fall of the goods. Proper sudsing consists in havined in Part T, (^hapter 4. Machines for — 251 Fig, 78. BISHOP SHIRT STAKCHEB. (G. H. Bishop.) — 252 — Tie. 79. ILLINI SHTRT STARCHER. (T. L. Knudtson & Co.) i — 25o — starching collars and cuffs have also been described. What has been said about them in regard to new work holds good in regard to old work, so it will not be necessary to further describe them here. The arrange- ment should be practically the same and the utensils the same, and what has been said in regard to starch cooking and cookers may also be applied here. 254 — CHAPTER 10. STAKCHKOOM METHODS. It is not necessary to use as expensive a starch in the custom laundry as it is in new work. As has already been stated it does not require the stiffness that is necessary for new work. iSTeither is custom work affected by moisture the same as new work, as it does not lie as long before wearing, and consequently it remains in good condition until worn. Many of our leading laundries are using nothing but clear corn- starch, and are producing tine work. The invention of thin cooking cornstarch has enabled the laundrymen to get good results with corn alone. However, a little wheat may be added to impart toughness and flexibility, especially in starch for collars and cuffs. For general purposes the author would recommend the use of one- third wheat to two-thirds corn, at the rate of 12 ounces to the gallon for shirt and collar work. This combina- tion produces a firm, flexible stiffness without blister- ing or breaking, and may be used with any starching machine, or easily worked by hand. It penetrates the goods quickly and is wiped easily, requiring no special effort to produce first-class results. In the use of a clear cornstarch there is danger of unevenness in the work. It produces a stiff, hard finish which is liable to crack in turning or in folding. It absorbs moisture very rapidly, and the goods require greater care in dampening, as the natural tendency is to cause too great a dampness for proper ironing. — 255 — Good starch having a proportionate amount of wheat gives better satisfaction to the customers, as it holds its shape better when it is being worn, and does not ab- sorb the moisture so readily from the body. Perspira- tion does not penetrate as quickly, and laundries using wheat starch in the ratio given above are not troubled as much with yellow stains in the seams of collars. This is true because collars starched with wheat starch do not absorb as much perspiration, and it is the per- spiration which stains the seams of the collars. In reference to starch cooking see Part I, Chapter 4. The operation of shirt-starching machines having ihe pressure principle which has already been described Is as follows : In the case of a machine having the rubber bed on the bosom-plate the starch is applied to the cells of the rubber bed or pad by the use of a com- mon brush which is dipped into the hot starch and brushed over the rubber pad. The bosom is then Btretched on the rubber pad in a manner similar to stretching it on the bosom board of an ironing machine. !rhe neckband is brought together and laid flat on the bosom board, -and while the shirt is in this position it is run under a perforated brass roll which has a similar position in the starching machine to the heated iron roller in the bosom ironer. The pressure of the perfo- rated brass rollers coming in contact with the shirt bosom, forces the starch into the bosom by compressing the rubber cellwalls which are under the bosom, and which have been previously filled with starch. The bed of the machine carries the shirt bosom under the roller and automatically returns it to its first position, after which it is ready to be finished preparatory to drying. — 256 — This operation removes many of the wrinkles in the goods, pressing the plies firmly together, and mak- ing it a comparatively easy task to remove the remain- ing wrinkles in the bosom. When the return movement of the bed takes place a cloth-covered roll is automati- ■cally placed in contact w^ith the shirt bosom, and wipes the greater portion of the surjdus starch from it as the shirt is brought back to its original first position. Very little hand wiping is therefore required. Generally, one passage forward and back is sufficient to starch a shirt bosom. Open-front shirts are starched in a similar manner, with the exception that the starch has to be applied to the surface of the bosom which comes under the upper lap. Otherwise a soft streak will occur in the upper lap directly over the line where it joins the under lap, or where it lies over the under lap. In the other style of machine, where the rubber 0, shows a washer suited to this work. It is also necessary to have large extractors of the most approved make, and machines that will run read- ily in balance while at a high rate of speed and carry a heavy load. It is necessary to extract as much water as possible from the goods in order to get the greatest capacity out of the mangle. Flat work is not dried in the dryroom, but on the mangle when it is being ironed — 321 — — 322 — Therefore, it is necessary to remove all the moisture possible before the goods are mangled, and the very best extractors are required. It is well to arrange the bluing tanks higher than the washing machines, similarly to those already de- scribed in Part I, Chapter 2. While the bluing operation is not so particular in flat work as in custom work, it is quite necessary tp dissolve the blue in a quantity of water to prevent it from spotting or streak- ing the goods. Following this plan is strongly advised where ultramarine blue is used. 323 — CHAPTER 3. METHODS OF WASHING MANGLE WORK. Where it is practical, it is better to sort table nap- kins, tablecloths and towels and to wash them sepa- rately from sheets, pillow cases, etc. Table linen is usually very much soiled and requires to be washed thoroughly and bleached considerably. When washing a load of table linen, the machine should not be too full, and the first water used should be warm. The goods should be run for five or ten minutes without soap, after which the water is changed and sufficient soap is added to make a good strong suds. If the goods are to be bleached, the bleaching should be done after the first suds. Rinse twice after the suds used before bleaching. The usual bleaching formula, which is given in Part I, Chapter 3, is applicable to flat work, and the method of rinsing there described is also ad- vised. It is not customary to bleach flat work every time it is w^ashed. The goods need only be bleached every four or five washings. When flat work is bleached it is best to blue it with aniline blue. As it must be blued after the washing process, there is no economy in using ultramarine or other insoluble blues. As aniline blue gives the nicest color, it is better to use it when economy in time is not imperative, or when no time will be lost in using it, as is the case on a load of goods that has been bleached. Bluing flat work with aniline blue is easy. — 324 — The bluing is mixed with water in the elevated tank, and to the water is added live ounces of acetic acid for each load of goods of the average amount, the goods having been previously treated with a sour bath to neutralize the eifect of the bleach and to render them more sensitive to the color. When it is not desired to bleach the work, the bluing operation is done in the suds by the use of ultramarine blue. The whole solution of soap water and bluing should be mixed in warm water in the elevated tank, and the water kept agitated to prevent the blue from settling until it is run into the machine. It should be run into the machine while the machine is in motion, and the machine should not be permitted to stop while this solution is on the goods. A very pretty color may be obtained this way, but as ultramarine blue is insoluble in water, it precipitates easily and causes spotting and streaking. If, how- ever^ it is kept continuously in motion, this difficulty is not often experienced. The strong point in favor of the use of ultramarine is economy in time, as it is used in the suds, and a second operation for bluing is not required. The goods are simply rinsed once or twice after the suds, and they are ready for the ex- tractor. A load of flat work may be well washed in this way in thirty minutes and be ready for extracting. When using mangles that will iron the work directly from the extractor, it is possible to launder this class of work in an astonishingly short time. The demands so many times made on the laundry are such that it would not be possible to meet them unless these short methods were possible. Many of the smaller and cheaper res- taurants do not have linen enough for a change, and — 325 — it must be laundered between meals. It is also often the case in larger establishments that the owners do not invest in a change of linen, as they have found it quite convenient and practicable to have one set only. The modern flat work laundry has made it practicable to relaunder this work in such a short time. Work that requires starching is rarely sent to a flat work laundry. Consequently, no piovision need be made for starching any part of the work. ]^fapkins and table linen should be finished soft, and in order to produce this finish thej^ should be well ex- tracted. If they are mangled too wet on a roll mangle they are likely to be too stiff, and therefore it is neces- sary to be very thorough in the matter of extracting. If possible, the extractor should run fifteen minutes at as high a rate of speed as it is safe to operate it. Information regarding the speed of extractors will be found in Part I, Chapter 2. — 326 — CHAPTEK 4. THE MANGLE-ROOM. It is very desirable to have the mangie-room well ventilated, as the steam, which comes constantly from the machines, soon renders the air oppressive and im- pure. There is such a large amount of evaporation that it is necessary to have some system of enforced ventilation, and this is best done by means of ordinary ventilating fans, like that in Fig. 91, placed in the ceiling or side walls. For a room having 200 square feet of floor space, two 36-incli fans, speeded at 500 revolutions, are none too large in capacity for thor- oughly ventilating such a room. The floor of a mangle-room should be of hard wood, and this should have a good filling of linseed oil in order that it may easily be kept clean and that it will wear well. The machinery may be driven by belts from shafting overhead, but in locations where it is practicable to do so, it is better to have the shafting under the floor in order to keep the mangles free from the dust and the oil which usually falls from the shaft- ing and the belting when it runs overhead. There should be a large supply of steam in order to give the mangles their full capacity. It is advised that not less than a two-inch pipe, running from the boilers to the mangle-room, be used. After the pipe has entered the room it may be reduced and the several branches from the different machines may be connected 327 — Fig. 91. EXHAUST FAN. (Massachusetts Fan Co.) — 3J8 — into the larger pipe with a reducing coupling or bushing. All steam pipes leading to the mangles should be cov- ered with suitable pipe covering to in-event radiation. The exhaust-pipe from the mangles should be con- nected to a steam-trap. A good steam-trap will allow all the Avater to escape and hold back the dry steam, thus keeping the mangles free of water and as hot as the steam will make them. From the steam-trap the condensed water should be run to a well near the boiler and be pumped into the boiler from the well. There should be a steam-gauge attached to the main steam pipe to indicate the pressure of steam on the mangle, and it is advisable always not to carry less than eighty pounds of steam on the mangle, and 100 pounds should be used if possible, as the higher the pressure of the steam the hotter it is. It is advisable never to operate a mangle without a steam-trap. The water can not be discharged by any system of valves as effectually as with a trap ; and, where blow-off valves are used, it is a common fault to blow off much of the live steam, which means a waste of fuel and an unnecessary expense. Steam is not so effectual a heating agent when it is allowed to escape as when it is confined and retained at its great- est pressure, and a means is provided whereby the con- densed steam is removed as formed* — 329 — TEMPEKATUEES OF STEAM AT VARIOUS PRESSURES. The following table showing the temperature of steam at various pressures will be found useful for reference when it is desired to determine the tem- perature of the steam at any pressure usually carried in a laundry. GaiifTe pressure in pounds per sq. in. Temperature in degrees F. Total heat in heat units from water at 32 degrees F. 40 280.51 1169.3 50 297.46 1172.6 55 302.42 1174.2 60 307.10 1175.6 65 311.54 1176.9 70 315.77 n78.2 75 319.80 1179.5 80 323.66 1180.6 85 327.36 1181.8 90 330.92 1182.8 95 334.35 1183.9 100 337.66 1184.9 105 340.86 1185.9 110 343.95 1186.8 115 346.94 1187.7 120 349.85 1188.6 125 352.68 1189.5 — 330 — CHAPTER 5. STEAM MANGLES. The modern large mangle may be divided into three distinct types: First, a machine like that shown in Fig. 92, having a large steam-heated cylinder with several rolls running in contact, the latter being cov- ered with a fibrous material and pressing against the heated cylinder with considerable force. These cov- ered rolls are placed on the upper side of the cylinder and surround the top. They are provided with pres- sure springs attached to sliding boxes in which are mounted the covered rolls. These springs are com- pressed by means of a handscrew, which causes greater or less pressure of the rolls on the cylinder, as may be desired. Beneath the heated roll are two endless aprons which carry the goods in contact with the cylinder and around it, returning them under the cylinder between the two aprons and delivering them to the receiving table. This class of machine gives a finish to the goods in the first operation and dries them out in the second operation, while the apron holds them in contact with the heated cylinder. The arrangement of the rolls and the apron is such that nearly the whole circumference of the cylinder is brought into contact with the goods. That is to say, the goods pass nearly around the cyl- inder, giving the machine great capacity. The second type of machine, illustrated in Fig. 93, consists of a series ., of crescent-shaped, steam-heated 331 — 332 o » < a hi o 5 M Si H « 333 6 f, -^34- a 6 o « < b — 335 — shoes in which revolve padded cylinders. These cres- cent plates or chests are so arranged that the goods will pass between one covered cylinder and its accompany- ing steam-chest to another covered cylinder and steam- chest, and so continne until the goods are dried and ironed. One make of this class of machine, the Paragon, Fig. 94, is made in sections, and, when a greater capacity is desired, new sections are added. This machine is sometimes arranged with revolving heated cylinders running in contact with a padded drum, BO that the goods are first ironed on one side and then on the other. The revolving heated cylinder gives the goods a finish, and the stationary shoe gives it the drying capacity. The A. T. Ilagen Co. make a machine which has an arrangement of endless aprons to carry the goods back underneath and in contact with the heated plates. The surfaces of these plates are finished on a planer, making a smooth surface for the aprons to move over. After the goods have been carried back the full extent of the heated surface, they pass between two aprons and return to the delivering table. This machine has a large capacity and produces a fine finish on all grades of table linen. The tendency of this method of ironing is to finish the work without exerting an excessive pressure at any point. The pres- sure is distributed throughout the surface of the plates, the goods being drawn firmly along the hot surface, giving them that finish so much desired by the owners of fine table linen. The cylinder of the padded drum is perforated to allow tlie escape of steam which is evaporated from the goods. The third class of mangles, The "American" Mam- moth, as shown in Figs. 95 and 95a, is constructed with 33G — W n ^ o d o b w -a w S 007 — 338 — a large circular drum which is heated with steam, and arranged to move around it is an endless apron which carries the goods in contact with the heated surface while the drum remains stationary. Above the drum are arranged in reverse order two con- cave steam-heated chests, and revolving in contact with these chests are two padded cylinders. The goods are fed in at the top of the machine be- tween the first steam-chest and the first padded cyl- inder, and are ironed on the side next to the iron- ing chest. Then the goods are passed to the next covered cylinder and are ironed on the opposite side of the goods by passing in contact with the other iron chest. The direction taken by the goods is on a curve shaped like the letter S. The goods are then carried to the large steam-heated drum and slid around it by means of revolving carrier rolls and endless aprons. This machine aifords a large heating surface, and it subjects the goods to such friction under slight pres- sure that it produces a soft and beautiful finish on bed and table linen. It, in fact, affords a means of ironing any piece, from a lace curtain to a bedspread. The three machines just described are well adapted to all grades of work. There are other machines, how- ever, made on a large scale, which perform the function of drying machines rather than that of mangles. Like the machines just described, they have large capacity, and where the laundryman has a large number of sheets and pillow-cases to launder, these machines are recom- mended on account of their simplicity and the little wear they produce on the goods. One of the machines alluded to is illustrated in Fig. 96. It is constructed with a very large perforated drum, which is covered with a regular mangle covering, and surrounding this 3:59 — 340 — drum is a series of concave steam-chests Avliich are in contact with the drum, and the surfaces of these steam- chests conform to the circumference of the drum. The drum is revolved, carrying the goods against the steam- heated concave plates or chests. Arranged at the de- livering side of the mangle is a padded roller running in an opposite direction to the motion of the large drum. This roll takes the goods off the large drum and passes them on between itself and the steam-heated cylinder, giving the goods a slight finish just before they leave the machine. This machine is an excellent one for heavy pieces, such as bedspreads, roller towels, sleep- ing-car linen, and all goods that absorb large quantities of moisture. It is an exceedingly simple machine for one so large, and is built on scientific principles that give it great drying caj^acity. Another machine which acts more as a dryer than as a mangle is made with a series of steam-heated plates through which passes an endless apron to carry the goods in contact with the large heated surface. The friction of the goods against the iron produces a very good finish, which is desirable where a large quantity of bed linen is handled. Much thought and much experimenting have been given to the subject of material for covering mangle drums. Experience has taught that the best material to use for this purpose is an all-wool fabric of good absorbent quality. Wool absorbs and evaporates mois- ture very rapidly, and for this reason it is much better than material made of cotton or a mixture of cotton and wool. The coarser the weave of the wool covering the better will it allow free evaporation. — o-tl — — 342 — Too much covering shoiilJ not be put on the drums, as it will produce a thickness too great for the moisture to pass through. If the drums are padded and are too large in diameter, thej will crowd when in a concave steam-chest and the goods will feed through only with difficulty. Outside of the wool covering there should be wound two or three thicknesses of good muslin in order to give a smooth surface to iron on. There are mangles of more or less capacity which are built with simply a large heated cylinder having smaller padded rolls running in contact with it. This class of machine, of which an example is shown in Fig. 97, is made in all sizes, from one in which the ca- pacity is very limited, up to a machine which has nearly the capacity of the largest mangles already de- scribed. The largest machines, in some instances, have an extra heated cylinder so arranged that the machine will iron the work on both sides. The work done on these machines, especially on table linen, is very near perfection. It is necessary, however, to dry the work and redampen it, with the exception, perhaps, of the work from the larger machines. A laundryman doing a small business in mangle work had best have a machine of this class. The makers of these machines do not claim that they compete in the cost of doing work with the other class of machines, but they do claim that the quality of the work can not be improved. Goods will have a better finish that are dried and redanvpened before mangling; and while it is not practical to do this in connection with a large business, where circumstances will permit, it is always advisable to do so, as the goods finish much softer and usually give better satisfaction. — 343 — if 'I O T3 — 344 — — 345 — Manufacturers usually arrange their machines so that any degree of speed may be obtained, making it possible to increase the capacity where the pressure of steam will warrant it, or, in other words, regulate the speed of the machine to the pressure of the steam. If it is found that the goods do not dry by one passage through, the machine should be given a slower motion in order to allow the steam sufficient time to dry the goods. There is much difficulty experienced in feeding goods into a mangle so that the edges will be straight, and especially is this true of large pieces. An auto- matic apron feed has been recently invented which largely overcomes this difficulty. It not only affords a means of feeding goods into the mangle evenly, but it also affords a safety appliance as well, and should be attached to every mangle. More terrible accidents have occurred with steam mangles than with any other laundry machine or device. In order to feed goods into the ordinary mangle the operator's fingers must go dangerously near the line of contact between the rolls of the mangle, and a slip of the foot or a push from another operator, or many other causes, will bring the operator's hand in contact with the rolls. The re- lentless machine pulls in the victim, making it the most cruel accident which can be imagined. A laun- dryman may not do any thing more humane than to attach a safety appliance to his mangles, unless he already has them. Two mangles representative of other types are The Crawford and The Columbus, shown in Figs. 98 and 99. — 346—' CHAPTEK 6. METHODS OF THE MANGLE-ROOM. As the goods come from the extractor they should be placed in the tumbler, which is a machine for shak- ing out the goods and leaving them in a loose condition, to be sorted and straightened out. The goods are under great pressure in the extractor from the centrifugal force, which compresses them firmly together, and be- fore they can be handled to advantage it is necessary to shake them out. This difficulty occurs more espec- ially in soft goods, such as towels, tablespreads and soft napkins. The trouble is not experienced so much in sheets and pillow-cases and goods of similar char- acter, wdiich have more of a wiry thread, and they might be handled without the use of the tumbler. However, it is a small matter to run the goods a little while in a tumbler, which will thoroughly loosen them and put them in the condition necessary for rapid handling. After the goods have been thoroughly shaken up they should all be placed on a large, roomy table and as many hands as possible should sort the pieces into lots by themselves, and carefully straighten them out, laying them in bunches ready for feeding to the mangle. The larger pieces, such as sheets and spreads, should not be folded through the center,, but they should be gathered together in such a way that as one edge enters the mangle the article may be conducted into the ma- chine without its bunching up or forming Avrinkles. — 347 — The goods, as tliej are folded, should be shaken well by hand to remove the lint which is on them, and to straighten the fringe, if there is any. Feeding small articles requires more operators than when feeding larger ones. When small pieces, such as napkins, are being run, as many operators as can conveniently stand at the machine are necessary. About the same number of operators is required to receive the goods as to feed them, in order to get the largest capacity out of the machine when on small pieces. The larger pieces require only two operators to feed them, two to receive them, and two to fold. Good mangle work requires that the edges of the goods be ironed straight, and considerable skill is nec- essary to do this. The feeders should have long prac- tice and learn to work in unison. If not, they will find it hard to prevent one side of the piece from get- ting started ahead of the other, or the corners from" starting ahead of the center. In either case the article would have an unsightly appearance after coming through, and would not pass as good laundry work, even though the washing and finishing may be perfect. The operators who receive the goods also require con- siderable practice to get the correct fold, and to keep up with the capacity of the machine. The small pieces are folded on the receiving table, but the larger pieces must be folded in the air. As a large piece comes from the machine, two operators take hold of the corners of the article when it first emerges. Then, as the article moves forward, the oper- ators carry it along, and just as the last end of the ar- ticle leaves the machine two other operators catch the corners, and the garment is folded through the center, — 3-48 — the center forming the edge of the fold which hangs down between the operators. The ends are then brought together, making another fold, and so on, until the article is folded as compact as is desired. All this has to be done very rapidly in order to keep pace with the machine, and it requires expert operators or the capacity of the machine will be lessened. All goods having fringe should be brushed out with a hand-brush, or, what is better still, with a revolving brush. Usually all kinds of mangle work are finished by passing once through the luachine ; and with the modern large mangle, if any goods are not finished dry by one passage, it would indicate the goods were left too wet, or that there is not sufficient heat in the cylinders. In the event that the first is true, better extracting is re- quired, and should the second be the cause, more steam pressure is required, or attention should be given to the steam-trap. If the trap is not working as it should be, water will remain in the cylinders and decrease the heating capacity to a great extent. All conditions being right, any one of these large mangles will finish the work direct from the extractor, iron it dry with one passage through the machine, and as fast as is possible to feed the goods and to receive them. Of course, ex- ceptions should be made in the case of roller towels where there are two thicknesses, and in the case of counterpanes, and goods of a similar nature. — 349 — A good foriniila for making potash soap, especially adaj)ted for washing woolens : Boil together 50 pounds of olive oil roots, 50 pounds of tallow, then add to this five pails of water, and enough caustic potash to make a solution of a specific gravity of 20 degrees Beaume- hydrometer test. After this add enough hot water to make 120 gallons of solution, then boil slowly with open steam pipe until solution saponifies. Don't add potash while hot water is running on as it will foam and overflow. This formula affords an excellent soap for washing any soft garments of the wool nature, as it softens the fiber and prevents the harshness which is common in flannels washed with a soda soap. Formiila for making bleach solution from chloride of lime: 25 pounds of chloride of lime, 4^ pounds of caustic soda ; place in a barrel, add 36 gallons of cold water. Have lime mixed with water before soda is added, let solution stand six hours, then draw off the clear liquid and put it in a stone crock. This will make a bleach solution of the specific gravity of 12 to 15 degrees test with Beaume-hydrometer. This formula is to be used in connection with wash- ing formulas given in foregoing pages of this work. 350 — OT w K Z M •x- C/5 M UJ ffl CO D >« — 1 < lH 2 CO < (M (X z UJ H hJ < < ^ u- O /J UJ D ^ QQ Qi < a [- D. w z M < K •Bnmo ■0}8 '-qding •qjBO 'apixQ uoJi (•Ill's) •apijomo ranipos •saj^qd^ng ■BIS8USBK puv Qxni'j CO o o o ?> 1-1 ia oi lo ^ ...» o i-H CO CO > CO (M CO ■*! Tfi 00 t^ 00 -* H H -H CO o 'M -t< t^ CO CO lo ■* CO sai'Bnoqj'Bo ■BisanSBK pa's amiq o t^ o CO 00 CO r^ CO CO lO o" o (M CD i^ X t^ r^ I— I CO CO O (M (M 05 > "^ > •s s ^ s H >> ^ CI be o n:; o be be b ^ O « -3 ^. w a c« bO r^ -*-• -4J .^ « s s s 0) -C3 H O a ^ Q 2 .a be a m O •J O c« pq — 351 o eo (M 00 o CO Oi r^ C73 CO t^ lO >o CO 1—1 rii ■^ C3 i^ »C o o Ci CO o Ol "* 1—1 -f lO 1^ O o -t^ lO Tt< Oi zo CXi ,_! lO CO en CO O Oi CO ,_, 1—1 00 03 lO CO 05 lO t^ CO CO LO CO CM t^ -^ CO Oi CM (M CO tH CO CM CO '"' ■* (M 00 on t^ o o o o (M CI CO o (M lO o lO t^ 05 t^ OS o o o -r 00 o C/J c5 o o\ CO C/J 00 o 1—1 ^ o to -fl (M o o o OO LO H LO 1—1 LO lO CI 1—1 CD Oi '^ OS CO C-l CO Oi CM '*' 1-1 rH C-1 t^ CO 01 LO C^) 00 OS CD lo OS C^l OS CS ^ OS CO LO CS CO g o o CD CO s 00 CO C-1 I— ( 1—1 1—1 CO ^ 00 OS CO 1—1 00 1—1 1— 1 C5 1—1 CO 1— 1 o 1—1 1—1 1—1 o o -t< CS CS CO 00 OO-tiCS'TCI'+liOCSt^ l^ O t^ 1— I 1^ O f CS ■* Tt< Tj< 00 o OS o - > 6C - -" _ci ,>; G O ^ ^ fl I pq o ^ bc o r .9 Ph 1( t— I I— I — « s ^ s a ^ o3 14 ^ s ° O rs -.^ X3 a; > o S-i ^ a p"^ be he hJ «} &H c/:: r-^' o CO be O o o o" U cc ^ o C/2 an Ph P5 P5 Ph > 'a 'a, ■&, f^ 'S CO 'co a CO 33 03 g to 'cc 02 CO CC to CO DQ ^ ^ S S g 353 INDEX. Acetic acid, quantity employed, 233 souring with, 232 test for, 233 use of, 23 Air pipes, 96 pump, 96 removal of, from collars, 264 Alum, best kind for coagulant, 223 use of, 219 Aniline, 18, 23 Backs, how ironed, 138 ironer, 106 Band clamps, 277 clamp, use of, 288 fixing a crushed, 296 ironer, Hagen, 116, 294 ironer, Henrici, 115 ironer, Hoyt, 113 ironer, roll for, 293 ironer, Troy, 112 ironer, shoe, American, 292 ironer, shoe. Nelson & Kreuter, 292 ironers, 111 ironers, relative merits of, 291 ironing, points in, 293 laundering, 62 how. ironed, 138, 142 Bar for hanging collars and cuffs, 59 for hanging shirts, 51 Bleaching, 20 solution, method of using, 234 for mangle work, 323 Bleach, manufactured, 230 solution, formula for, 349 Blower, Root, 94 Blue, excessive, to remove, 25 Bluing for mangle work, 322, 323 tanks, 225 time required for, 26 Body ironer, American, 109 ironer, Hagen, 108 ironer, Henrici, 122, 126 ironer. Nelson and Kreuter, 107 Body ironers, comparison of, 110 Body ironing. 120, 131, 150, 295 method of, 124 ironing, pressure in, 289 Bosom ironer, "Newark," 276 ironer, principle of, 274 ironer, steam-heated, 309 ironer, Watson, 101, 102, 122, 123 fixing, 143 fixing on open fronts, 145 fixing table, the, 117 ironer, Henrici, 103, 104 ironer, large roll, Grever, Ker- kofiC & Co.'s, 279 pique, how ironed, 134 plaited, how ironed, 134 starcher. Brace, 246 starcher. Brace, 246 starcher, Hagen, 249 stretchers, 277 Box, dampening, 81 shirt, capacity of, 127 Boxing, 159 Burners, gas, 93 Chlorine fluid, method of using, 230 in bleaching. 22 liquid, 20, 21 Clamp, neckband, use of, 288 Cleaner, duties of, 156 equipment for, 156 Cloths, wiping, 55. 56, 57 — 354 — Coagulent, 218 Collar and cuff ironer, Adams "H," 180 Ironer, Columbia, 181 ironer, "Gardner," 183 ironer,, steam, Hagen, 187 ironer. Mammoth, 178 ironer. Monarch, 175 ironer, Nelson & Kreuter, 184 ironer, Sinclair, 185 ironer, Troy, No. 5, 177 ironer, Troy, No. 6, 182 ironer, Watkins, 194 ironers, capacity of. 176 ironing, 174. 299 ironing machines, 174 Collars and cuffs, feeding to starcher, 266 hanging, 59 starching, 57, 60 washing white, 234 wiping, 265 Collar shapers, 191, 304 removal of air from. 262 shaping, 190 starched, finish for, 58 tipper, 183, 186 Colored goods, fading of, 268 Color, formula for, 27 importance of, 18 for new work, how to obtain, 23 permanency of, to obtain, 24 test for, 29 uniform, production of, 23 Coloring, 23 Colors, aniline. 18 Colors, mixing, 27 Curdling, remedy for, 229 Curtains, laundering lace, 243 Custom laundering, 195 laundering, chief requisites of, 195, 196 . laundering, general principles, 195 work, comparison with new work, 196 Cylinder, brass washer, 207 Dash wheel, 3 belt for, 6 capacity of, 3, 19 connections of, 5 operation of, 20 Dash wheel, tying shirts for, 3, 19 Dampener, collar and cuff, Adams, 76 shirt, Troy, 74 skirt, Sinclair, 78 speed of rolls in, 77 Dampening bos, 81 for hand work, 87 machines, 75, 77, 272 method of. 79 room, 73, 270 room, location of, 73 room, racks for, 73, 75 sheet method. 270 short-time work, 270 press, power screw, 87 Dew point, 64 Dipping, 26 Dipwheel, the. 224 comparison with other starch- ing machines, 259 how used, 260 starch for, 266 use of for collars, 57 Disinfecting machine, 209 Domestic finish, 278 Drying, theory of, 64, 65 Dry room, 64 arrangement of air supply in, 65 automatic conveyer, 71 condenser, for, 65 heating surface for, 66 metallic, 68, 69, 70 metallic. American, 68 metallic. Henrici. 70 wood, standard, 67. 69 wood, Watkins, 67 ventilation for, 64, 66 Dye, aniline, 18, 23 used for colored shirts, 238 ultramarine. 18 Edge ironers, 192, 193, 303 Examining room, the, 156 Extracting, duration of, 29 Extractor, 11 collar and cuff, 262 construction of, 10 dangers of. 12 dr.ving capacity of, 12 general principles of, 9 Hagen, 15 Henrici, 13 — 355 — Exractor, Watkins, 14 sizes of, 16 speeds for, 16 starch for, 263. Eyelet raiser, 157 Fading of colored goods, 268 Fan, air supply, 92, 94, 95 American, 94, 96 exhaust, 327 Felt, use of in ironing, 133, 137, 281 Filter, 217 Bowden, 220 frequency of washing a, 223 Jewell, 222 mechanical, 221 New York, 218 necessity for, 217 pressure, 219 size for a laundry, 221 where most needed, 217 Filtering, principle of, 217 Finishing machine, 284 Henrici, 281 Nelson & Kreuter, 283 Flannels, washing, 236 washing, dark-colored, 242 Floor, cement, construction of, 33 cement, formula for, 34 Fluter, 308 Folding machines, 126 shirts. 153 Formula for bleach solution, 349 for cement floor, 34 for color, 27, 28 for potash soap, 349 Gas burners, 93, 95 gasoline. 89 illuminating, 89 kinds available for ironing, 88 machine, Springfield, 90 machine, Vernon, 90, 91 supply, 92 Gloss. 280 dampness for, 301 how obtained, 299 theory of, 301 Goods, new, color for, 18 Hanging colored shirts, 52 collars and cuffs, 59 white shirts, 51 Indigo. 19 Iron, Crown, 306 "Jumbo" flat, 306 Ironer, equipment for, 164 band. 111, 114 body, steam-heated, 309 combination, 300 Gardner, 299 Ironing, 163 dampening for, 164 order of operations in, 165 in machine laundries, 167 Stone "racer," 105, 278 neckband, relative merits of, 291 bodies, 150, 295 collars and cuffs, 299 custom work, 285 duck coats, 307 hand, 163 how to obtain good results in, 302 ladies' clothes, 307 machine, 99 machine, process of, 128 machines, air for, 92 machines, arrangement for, 100 machines, piping for, 92 machines, speed of, 105 miscellaneous, 305 negligee shirts, 297 pique bosoms, 290 plaited bosoms, 289 room, 88, 274 room, heat for, 88 room, location of, 33 room, machines for, 100 room, methods. 98, 285 room, racks for, 127 shirts. 274 shirts by hand, 98 shirts by hand and machine, 99, 169 shirts, silk. 297 sleeves, 150 table for negligee shirts, 169 yokes, plan for, 100 Irons, temperature for, 165, 167 Lace curtains, laundering, 243 Ladies' underwear, washing, 241 white skirts, washing, 241 Lime, use of, 219 Madras shirts, how laundered, 172 Mangle, American Mammoth, 336, 337 "Annihilator," 331 — 356 — Mangle, covering, material for, 340 work, bleaching for, 323 capacity of, 348 Columbus, 344 Crawford, 343 description of, 330 extracting for, 320 feeding, 345, 347 Hagen five-roll, 332, 333 Paragon, 334 Poland, 341 room, 326 room, floor for, 326 room, methods of the, 346 room, ventilation of, 326 speed for, 345 steam supply for, 326 steam trap for, 328 Wiles duplex, 339 work, comparison with ordi- nary work, 317 Marking, 310 Napkins, finish for, 325 Neckband, see band Negligee shirts, folding, 170 shirts, ironing, 170 shirts, laundering, 241 shirts, pinning, 171 shirts, table for folding, 170 work, laundering, 168 work, neckbands on, launder- ing separately, 168 Odds and Ends, 224 Old work, laundering, 195 Oxalic acid, effect of. 24 plan of color with, 24 souring with, 232 Oxygen, function of in bleaching, 22 Percale shirts, how laundered, 172 Pique bosoms, ironing, 134, 290 Plaited bosoms, ironing, 134, 289 Plait raisers, 127 Pressure in bosom ironing, 289 Puff bosom shirts, how laundered, 171 Racks for ironing room, 127 Rinse, preparation of, 26 temperature for, 231 Saw-edge machines, 193. 303 Scalding. 230 Seam dampener, 189 Seam dampener, water for. 190 Shafting for starchroom, 35 Shapers, collar, 304 Shirts, bars for hanging, 51 with colored bosoms, coloring, 31 with colored bosoms, wash- ing, 30 with colored bosoms and white bodies, wasliing, 239 colored, dyes used for, 238 colored, hanging, 52 colored, hot solution on, 30 colored, starching, 57 colored, washing, 238 fancy, washing, 240 folding, 153 hanging white, 51 ironing, 274 Ironing by hand, 9S ironing by hand and machine, 99. 169 madras, how laundered, 172 negligee, folding. 170 negligee, ironing, 170. 297 negligee, ironing table for, 169 negligee, laundering, 16S, 241 negligee, pinning, 171 negligee, table for folding, 170 new, ironing by machine, 101 open-front, how ironed, 133 open-front, ironing by hand, 166 starching open-front, 56 percale, how laundered, 172 placing on bosom board, 286, 287 puff bosom, how laundered, 171 press, 272 press, Hagen, SO press, Henrici, 84, 85 press. Nelson & Kreuter, 82 press, Watkins, 83 shape for after ironing, 286 silk, ironing, 197 starcher. Bishop, 251 starcher, Illini, 252 starchers, operation of pres- sure, 255 starchers, operation of rub- bing, 257 starching machines, principles of, 244 tying for the dash-wheel, 19 357 Shirts, white, washing, 19, 29, 227 Shrinljing, cause of, 235 Skirts, washing ladies' white, 241 Sleeve ironers, 120 ironer, Troy, 121 ironing, 150 Soaking tanks, 226 Soap chips, 16 economy in buying, 16 neutral, 17 potash, formula for, 349 strength of, 17 "strong," 17 tank for making, 16 tank, use of, 17 Sorting, 310. 312 "Souring," 23 methods of, 231 Specials, handling, 314 Sponging, method of, 134 Starch cooker. Bishop, 49 cooking, 48 cooking, method for. 52 cooking, tank for, 6, 48 extractor, 263 for dipwheel, 266 formulas for, 27, 28 preparation of, 52 surplus, removing, 258 temperature of, 62 water in, 62 Starched collars, finish for. 58 Starcher, band, 44 band. Brace, 40 band, Hagen, 47 collar, 37 collar and cuff. Bishop, 43 collar and cuff, Economic, 45 collar and cuff. Eureka, 44 collar and cuff, Ewing, 43 collar and cuff. Hagen, 41 collar and cuff. McKay, 38 collar and cuff. Troy, 39 collar and cuff, Weldon, 42 feeding collars and cuffs to, 266 Benjamin shirt, 35 New Universal shirt, 36 stripping device for, 267 for custom work, 254 Starching colored shirts, 57 collars and cuffs, colored, 60 Starching, with dip wheel, 260 finishing after, 262 machine, capacity of, 54 machine, operation of, 58 methods of, 54 method for colored work, 53 white work, perfection in, 59 open-fronts, 56 Starchroom, 33, 244 arrangement of machinery in, 50 floor for, 33 location of, 33 machinery for, 35 methods, 254 shafting for, 35 plan for, 244 tables for, 50 Stamps, rubber, for ironing room, 127 Steam trap, 328 Sterilizer, American, 213 Stockings, washing black, 242 Stripping device for starchers, 267 Table for folding negligee shirts, 170 bosom fixing, 282 linen, finish for, 325 for starchroom, 50 of temperatures of steam, 329 of water analyses. 350 Tank, bluing, 225 for cooking starch, 6, 48 for hot-water storage, 9 soaking, 226 for making soap, 16 for washer, 6 Temperatures of steam, table of, 329 Truck, dampening, 81 Tubs, stationary, 225 Tumbler, the, 224 Ultramarine, 18 Underwear, washing ladies', 241 Uniform color, production of, 233 Ventilation of mangle room, 326 Waists, ladies', ironing, 298 Washer, all-metal, 207 all-metal, American, 210 Columbia, 216 brass cylinder, 207 brass cylinder. Nelson & Kreu- ter, 208 — 358 — Washer, iron-liead, 205 cylinder, metallic, 321 double gear, American, 212 gearing for, 209 outer cylinder of galvanized iron, 209 tank for, 6 Watkins, 206 woven- wire, 215 Washing machines, 202 machine, belt for, 201 machine, capacity of, 227 machines, comparison of, 203 machine, construction of, 203 machines, principle of, 202 machine, purchase of a, 205 machine, ventilation for, 211 mangle work, methods of, 323 miscellaneous, 242 process of. 18 Washovers, 31 Washroom, construction of, 198 equipment of, 3 location of, 33 for mangle work, arrangement of, 320 methods in, 227 old work, 198 shafting for. 201 Washroom, water supply for, 199 Water analyses, table of, 350 heater, 8 heater, construction of a, 199 hot, necessity for system, 7 hot, tank for storage, 9 methods of heating, 7 purifier, Monitor, 8 Weight, to obtain, 28 White collars and cuffs, washing, 234 work, perfection in starch- ing. 59 Wiping collars and cuffs, 265 cloths, 55, 56, 57 Woolens, washing, 235 Work, classification of. 1 new, importance of launder ing well, 2 Wringer, power roll, 48 Wrinkles, removal of. 262 AVristband. see band Yoke clamps. 277 inside, how ironed. 129, 130 ironing, 100 setter, Hagen. 118 setter. Henrici, 119 setting, 147 setting machines, 117 Adams Laundry Machinery Co, Factory, Main ( J93J ^^ J939 Sixth Ave., Office and 1 Salesroom, (TROY, N Y., U. S. A. Ne^w York Office, London Agent, 832 P^rk Ro^ Bldg., R. G. WHITAKER, Opposite 4 Hartivell St., NcHV York Postoffice. Datston, N. E., London, England. American Laundry Machinery Co, General Office and Manufactory, 206-2 \ 4 W. Pearl St., Cincinnati, O., U. S. A. SALESROOMS : 42 Cortlandt St., New York. J. M. ARTHUR & CO.. nn c VI r. 77- c, 7/^1- 40 First St., Portland, Ore. 119 South Franklin Street, Chicago. WALTER TIPS 81-83 High St., Fulham, London, Eng. 708-710 Congress Ave., Austin, Tex. 198-208 Ave. du Main, Paris, France. L. HERMANSON, Sidney, Australia. The Arabol Mfg. Co., 155 William St., NEW YORK, MAKERS OF Lcm^ HIGH GRADE STARCH FOR THE MODERN LAUNDRY. WM. WALTKE & CO., J. M. LONG CO., Agents for St. Louis Agents for Cincinnati and Southivest. and mcinity. The O* Armleder Co*^ Cincinnati, O. Builders of HIGH GRADE DELIVERY WAGONS. ArmJeder Quality is Honest Quality Always. Geo* H* Bishop^ Manufacturer of LAUNDRY Specialties. 59 and 61 West "Washington St., - - CHICAGO. Pacific Coa.st Agents, Foreign Agents, Western Laundry Machinery Co., Isaac Braithwaite & Son, 37 Second St., San Francisco, Cat. Kendal, England. Camden & Phila^ Soap Co* PENROSE W. HIRST, Supt. and Trcas. FAMOUS XXX LAUNDRY SUPPLIES. Factory and Main Office, Chicago Office and Stores, 507-5 J I Main St., 28 and 30 S. Clinton St. CAMDEN, N. J. A. B. FIELD, Mgr. W. E. Caldwell Co., CYPRESS TANKS FOR HOT OR COLD WATER. Louisville, Ky» E^^-.^..-,^:/* "^Jli^ r^^ 118-20 Main Street, COnOmiC Mig, L^C, East orange, NJ.,U.S. a. ONE-STROKE EDGER. Electric Laundry Machinery Co* X Manufacturers of Specialties for Collars and Cuffs 36 La Salle St., Chicago, III. The Ewing Machine Co., Manufacturers of The Ewing Collar and Cuff Starcher, Minneapolis, Minn. Fry Bros* & Co*, Manufacturers MODERN LAUNDRY SUPPLIES. 208 Race Street, CINCINNATI, O. A* T* Hagen Co*^ MODERN LAUNDRY MACHINERY, ROCHESTER, N, Y. Western Branch, Foreign Office, 26 S. Clinton St. I. Braith'wa.ite & Son, Chicago, III. Kendal, England. 24 Garlic Hiil, E. C, London, England. The Hall-Moore Co*^ fnTDe'Szt LAUNDRY Supplies. SOAPS A SPECIALTY. Salesroom and Office. ^<-it t-t 7t-t a -RT-rv /-\ 60 Merwin Street, CLEVELAND. O. L. D. Pfione Bell Main 2866. *' Cuyahoga R 802. Henrici Laundry Machinery Co* W. A. E. Henrici, Prop. Chelsea, Mass., U. S. A. European Co-operati've Firms. The British Henrici Laundry Machinery Co., Ltd., London, E. C, England. The Walham Green Henrici Laundry, Fulham Road, London, S, W. England. Henrici's Wascherei Maschinen Gesellschaft, Berlin, 0. German-^. HenricCs Wascherei Gesellschaft, Berlin, 0. Germany. Henrici's Wascherei Gesellschaft, Ftoridsdorf, Wien, Austria. J* Jenks & Co*; Inc^^ Harbor Beach, Mich. JENKS^ WHEAT STARCH. (The best there is.) SCHOELLKOPF, HARTFORD & HANNA CO. Distributors. NEW YORK. CHICAGO. MILWAUKEE; KANSAS CITY. KINGSFORD^S THIN-BOILING COMPLETE STARCH. Manufacturers— T. Kingfsfofd & Son, —Oswego, N. Y. Selling Agents. Ne