Drying Machinery.— The next process is that of drying. The goods are first taken from the washer and placed in what is known as a centrifugal extractor. This machine consists of a perforated copper basket, revolving rapidly inside an iron or steel curl or case, and making from 800 to 1,400 revolutions per minute. The water is thrown out through the perforations in the basket by centrifugal force, and in about 20 minutes the goods are partially dried and ready to be taken out. The drying process is completed by the use of a dry-room. The improved types include the cabinet room, made up of a series of racks or trucks arranged with bars or hooks to hold the collars, cuffs, shirts or other garments, and running on tracks into a cabinet made of wood or metal. The heat is supplied by a series of steam coils arranged horizontally or longitudinally in the room, and often heated by the waste wash water. Fans are used to circulate the heat among the goods and accelerate the drying process. The most recent development is the automatic dry-room. In this the goods are hung on hooks attached to an endless chain or wire cable, which enters into and passes through the room in a series of loops, and out at the other end of the room. The goods are dried in one journey and are re moved from the hooks by an automatic device so that they fall into baskets on the outside of the room.
Ironing The third general division of laundry work is the ironing, for which many forms and styles of machines are used. For collars and cuffs, it is done on machines consisting of a combination of re volving covered drums coming in contact with revolving heated rolls, the goods being ironed as they pass through. The covered drum is wound with layers of felt, cotton flannel and muslin, forming a padding much the nature of that which covered the old-fashioned family ironing board. The heated rolls are highly polished and are heated by gas or steam. Formerly all these machines required the goods to be passed through several times for a per fect finish. The more modern types of ironers are known as "one pass These have a series of heated rolls and drums so that the collar is put in at the front of the machine and comes out at the back perfectly ironed. Some of these ironing machines of
modern production have a capacity of from 250 to 300 dozen collars or cuffs per hour. The length of the ironing surface of the heated rolls of collar and cuff ironing machines of different sizes varies from 12 to 48 inches. For the ironing of flat pieces such as sheets, table linen and towels, a machine known as the mangle is used, by which the goods are dried on revolving cylinders heated by steam. In the recent types of mangles great capacity is attained; in some the • length of ironing sur face reaches 10 feet and requires several operators to feed the machine. For shirts, a separate class of ironers is required. These are the bosom, body, sleeve and hand ironers. The general principle and operation are, how ever, the same as in the collar and cuff ironers, previously described. The most recent de velopment of shirt ironing machinery is a series of machines steam heated, and on which the finish is produced by pressing instead of iron ing. Flannels are pressed on a hollow table having a perforated surface through which steam comes up in sufficient amount to dampen the goods. Special padded forms of various shapes are employed in the pressing of ladies shirtwaists and fancy skirts. • Other important machines not described above and which are used in laundering are starchers, shapers and dampeners. There are many other forms of laundry machinery made to cover parts of processes, and new forms and types are constantly being invented and put on the market. The special census of manufac tures taken in the United States in the year 1914 reported a total of 6,097 power laundries of factory grade, operating machines aggregating 174,N1 horse power. These establishments em ployed 130,641 wage-earners who received an nually a total of $59,483,000 in wages. The capital invested amounted to $98,055,000, and the amount received for the work done was $142,503,000. Consult Rothery, G. C., and Edmonds, H. 0., The Modern (London 1909).