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 THE 
 
 HYDRAULIC PRINCIPLE 
 
 OF 
 
 LEANSING FABRICS^ 
 
 J. I^OIBZEn^STS- 
 
 U':^ 
 
 // 
 
A ^ 
 
 A 
 
 In placing lliis puniplilct in the hands uf the public it devolves upon me to make 
 a few explanatory remarks, which shall be as brief as possible. Having from boy- 
 hood been educated, theoretically and practically, in the Art of Bleaching and extract- 
 ing from linen and other fibrous materials, the natural vegetable matter, and acquired 
 discoloration; also being a practical mechanic, and having a special knowledge of 
 the of extensive laundries and their machinery; 1 feel competent to judge the merits ot 
 all devices and principles used for such purposes. 
 
 Upon first introducing to the public one of the devices known as \\ ashboiler 
 h'ountains, I was cognizant of the fact that the principle was correct; having years 
 before used it in the Bleachery — on a mammoth scale — in what is known as a 
 "boiling keer;" into which was placed from 6,000 to 10,000 yards 01 goods at a time. 
 This was done to remove the vegetable matter befokk entering the chemical solu- 
 tions, and .AFTERWARDS, to remove all trace of the chemicals; which would otherwise 
 destroy the goods. 
 
 What at first seemed strange to me — knowning what could be accom- 
 plished with steam antl boilng fluids, without the slighesl injury to the most delicate 
 fabrics — was the deep-rooted predjudice of housekeepers, against all innovations upon 
 the old method of doing the family washing; to make matters worse, many similar 
 devices had already been offered for sale; but all had failed. Why? was a problem 
 which did not take long to solve. I investigated; and soon discovered to my utter as- 
 tonishment, that neither .sellers, manufacturers, nor inventers, knew how to use the 
 articles themselves; much less teach others. 1 found that the erroneous idea of 
 cleansing by stearsrfilone; prevailed in all minds: That i.s, they used but a small quan- 
 tity of water in the boiler, and a great deal of soap; converting it all into steam 
 and lather. What was the result? They rotted and discolored the clothes, and peo- 
 ple threw them aside in disgust. I saw at once that the public must necessarily be 
 INSTRUCTED in the ART OF CI.EANINO FAKRICS— a herculean task — but had I aban- 
 doned it, as others had before me, Wash-boiler Fountains w-ould now be among the 
 things of the past. Instead, like wringers and Sewing Machines, they are becoming 
 a household necessity. In my eight years experience with these washers I have dis- 
 coved many difficulties. 
 
 The point upon w'hich I have labored the hardest of all, has been to produce a 
 superior washer at the same or less cost. I have succeeded beyond my most sanguine 
 expectations; and the result, is the Perfect Washer. In it, I believe I have left nothing 
 to be accomplished. The pamphlet will speak for itself: That it has been successful, 
 is asserted by the fact that upwards of one hundred thousanij of these washers 
 have been sold by it alone. Believing that the public will not fail to appreciate the 
 situation. I am Respectfully, 
 
 (^ I. BOBEKTS. 
 
 / 
 i / 
 
 \ 
 
PLILOSOPHY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 ROBERTS PERFECT WASHER, 
 
 iiLi-:. mil. \ v; expl 1 1. \ 'ed 
 
 and 
 
 I) rEsrio. \ 's . I, \ 's wehej). 
 
 It is important at the start, to recognize liie fact that there is 
 really an art in the cleansing of fabrics. There are few — even among 
 those who make it a business — who caii readily explain the principle 
 upon which they do th- cleansing. The numeroi^s mechanical con- 
 trivances have all failed; they either do not cleanse . or they wear out 
 the clothes faster than the rubbing board; and it is harder work to 
 operate them than to do the rubbing. Again they consume entirely 
 ihe time of a person during the whole operation. 
 
 By adopting the hydraulic principle of washing as embodied in 
 the Roberts Perfect Washer, you can wash quis-kly, thoroughl}'-, with- 
 out labor, and avoid entirely, all wear and tear; and at the same time 
 be at liberty to do other work about the house. The fire will do both 
 the washing and baking, at one and the same time. 
 
 I wish to impress upon your minds that mechanical devices must 
 keep the clothes in motion to force w ater through them. By the 
 hydraulic principle, the clothes remain intact, while the water is kept 
 in motion and forced through them. Ask 
 
 WHAT DOES THE CLEANSING, 
 and invaribly \ our answer will be, " plenty of rubbing," well so it is: 
 you rub on the soap, then rub it well in to soften the dirt: then you dip 
 and rub and rub and d-p, io force water through the fabric, to carr)^ 
 away the dirt, after being softened by the soap. Now please bear in 
 mind that 
 

 
 i;i,KA(;iiJ.\(i. 
 
 Much is saitl yet little understDod alxnit llic term "bleaching." 
 As used by the housewife ii simply implies thorough cleansing. Ask 
 whv she boils her clothe , and her answer will be : "To bleach them: " 
 properly speaking she -hould say, "To cleanse them;" she has not 
 stopped to consider that the simple operation 01 slightly scalding— Un 
 she cannot boil them -takes out the dirt and d scoloration which 
 hours of" laborious rubbing on the washboard has failed to rt-move, 
 vet such is the fact. 
 
 Now, trv the hydraulic principli: of cleansing for ten or fifteen 
 minutes, upon a boiler tuli of clothes, which you iiave almo.st exhausted 
 yourself in rubbing; a'ter taking them out,examine the suds, and you will 
 be astounded at the result; rinse and hang them beside others washed 
 the old way, and see the 'bleaching'' they hive undergone, and yet 
 they have not been bleached, 'Mily cleaus-d. Ti-.ose goods were white 
 as. snow when yuu purchased them; made so by a professional bleacher: 
 few ot whom there are in the United States. 
 
 The proper application of t'le term bleacir.ng implies the art of 
 extracting vegetable matter or other natural di.-,coloration from textile 
 fabrxs. The process of bleaching requires constant care and watcli- 
 fulnes.s. A single moment lost may destroy everything. You wi 1 see 
 t lie force of the■^e remarks when the process is det:iiled. 
 
 To illustrate we wiil take linen, the most difficult of all fibres to 
 bleach. The g-^ods to be bleached are first subjected to the boiling 
 procesi — where the hydraulic piinciple is used on a large scale — in a 
 strong alkaline solution, this continues from six to eight hours, accord- 
 ing to the texture of the- goods. Out of this they are thoroughly 
 rinsed, first through warm and then cold w. ter. They then pass into 
 a solulion of chloride of lime: which process is also carried on at a 
 high temperature in order to expand \\i<i. fabric, so that the inside as 
 well as the outside can be bleached; here the goods are kept in motion 
 mechanically, at lejr-t once in ten to fifteen minutes; this admits of 
 atmospheric action upon the goods; without which in some form, 
 nothing can be either cleansed, bleached or dyed. At the proper time 
 they are taken from this rinsed through cold water, and again bailed 
 in good soap and water to extract all traces of bleaching matt. r. 
 From this they pass into a solution of sulphuric acid, in which they re- 
 main several hours; when taken out they are well rinsed, and ;igain put 
 through the boiling process in good soap and \Y^iter; fro)n this they are 
 well rinsed again ai\d come out as white as sriow, ready to finish for 
 the market. ' 
 
 Can those goods again absorb and fix all their natural discolora- 
 tions? No, impossible. Then why do they become vellow and 
 discolored? There are various reasons: first, poor soap and hard 
 water; second, careless or incompetent washer-women; third, lack of 
 strength to do the rubbing. 
 
 But the chief reason is — and this little p.imphlet has been im- 
 pressing upon your mind all the way through, th;it you cannot use 
 water by hand, which is hot enough to soften and expand the fabric to 
 that extent which is absolutely necessary, to thoioughly t^xtract the dirt 
 and discoloration. 
 
7 
 
 A combin;itioii dI' boiling water, good soap and a rapid circula- 
 tion or water force, is what is required to thoroughly cleanse (not 
 "bleach" ) your clothes. A second process of bleaching would ruin them. 
 
 The Roberts Perfect Washer will clease them every time. Try it 
 and you will never regret the trifling outlay. 
 
 The foregoing furnishes as lucid an explanation as possible, of 
 tiie hydraulic principle of cleansing fabrics, also of the functions of 
 the Roberts Perfect Washer. Yet, the following are anticipated : 
 
 QTJESTIOISrS. 
 
 f^. Can you wash flannels? 
 
 A. \'es but bear in mind, very little soap should be used in washini; flannels. 
 Woolens are fulled and felted by the application of soap in a machine known as a 
 falling mill ; in which they arc continously pounded till they are as firm and heavy as 
 required. Flannels become thick and hard by the use of too much soap, and improper 
 handling. To wash them properly, they should be kept at a high temperature from 
 lirst to last. Sudden changes from hot to cold water, contracts the fibre and causes 
 them to shrink : An)- Fuller of woolens will tell you this. F"lannels never should 
 be wrung. Wringing acts to a certain extent like the Fulling Mill ; and when con- 
 tinued from time to time, makes them hard. They should be hung up directly out 
 of the water, and in a warm place. If you would always have your flannels soft and 
 beautiful, adopt the following rule, viz : use but Utile soap. W'ash and i-insc in hot 
 water. Do not wring them. Dry in a warm atmosphere. 
 
 (^). Will this process destroy colors? 
 
 .\. 1' ugiti\e prints will part with their colors by this or any other process : but 
 li.xed colors will not only be uninjured, but benefited by it. Colors are originally set 
 by a process of boiling : and by this process of washing they are thoroitghly cleansed; 
 which makes them look bright and new. If you have any calicos — with fixed colors 
 —which are old and dingy just try this process. The result will astonish you. This 
 must always be borne in mind when washing calicos never use strong soap or alkalies. 
 ,\cid forms the base of many prints, and other colored fabrics, and is frequently de- 
 stroyed by the use of alkaHes : This releases the colors. Flnglish Scarlets — the most 
 dural)le colors known — -will never fade when properly washed, nor even in the sun, 
 hut are frequently ruined by srR<JNG soaps. 
 
 Q. What causes a scum to rise on the water when the soap is put in ? 
 
 A. A chemical change has taken place a saline condition of the water kills the 
 alkalie in the soap and releases the fatty substance which rises to the surface. You 
 cannot wash with hard water by any known process. You must add either borax or 
 Sal-soda till you overcome the natural condition of the water (make it perfectly soft) 
 then put in the soap, not before. Always use rain water when it can be had. 
 
 [It is not to be wondered at that people are incredulous at the first sight of the 
 washer, when we consider the innumerable expensive and cumbersome devices, which 
 have proved worthless : and they naturally ask:] 
 
 Q. How can such a thing wash clothes ? 
 
 \. Several years ago a gentleman writing to me about this principle .said "I must 
 own that when I saw the*vasher I was utterly incredulous as to its cleansing powers: 
 my lamily were still more so. In fact they had no faith in washers of any kind ; but 
 being strongly urged by a friend who had used one successfully, I concluded to trv 
 one. We made the first trial with a good many misgivings. In fact / could not see 
 how so simple a thing could wash clothing. I^ut when I saw the water pouring from 
 the discharge pipe at the rate of eight or ten gallons per minute, and when I re- 
 flected that THIS A.MOUNT OK WATER must PASS THROUGH THE CLOTHES TWENTY 
 
 OR THIRTY TIMES in the course of an ordinay wash, my doubts began to give way. 
 [ saw there was both philosophy and common sense in the principle, and that it was 
 impossible for it NOT to prove effective. I am now a firm believer in it and trust it 
 will find the place it deserves in every household." 
 
 The alwve facts are worthy a place in the minds of all housekeepers, whether 
 ihrv adopt the hvdraulic principle or not. 
 
\()L'MAV IU-: INDUCED TO 1N\ KS'l" SI ..">« FOR TIIK CKf,K15RATKD 
 
 ROBERTS PERFECT WASHER. 
 
 It is ihc bcsL washer in llic wuild. So acknow Icd^^'cil liy all who ha\(.- used or 
 seen ii. li does away with the Kllbbi lift' KoUIMl. saves limo and wear and 
 tear of clothes, cleanses thoroughly, ami bloSK'lli'M |>*'rr«'Oll.V. Will work in 
 anv kind of boiler or the old-fashioned wash-pot. 
 
 THE ORIGIN.AL l'.\fENT 
 of the liKOAl) 1'RINCII'LE embodied in this washer bears date Nov. 19, 1864. 
 The improvements cover an entirely new principle of developing force at the bottom 
 of a washboiler, and are pronounced by the I'nited Slates Patent Office, after a con- 
 tinuous examination of nearly one year, unlike anything e\ er before shown. Every 
 claim was therefore allowed. Specifications filed .\pril i, iSSo, and patent granted 
 Feb, 15, iS8t. 
 
 The inventor is undoubtedly the best informed man on this subject to be found. 
 Being a PROFESSIONAL BLEACIUiR, and skilled mechanic, and having had 
 experience in handling every known device for cleansing purposes used in laundries. 
 He has spent the last eight years in manufacturing, selling, and improving the HY- 
 DRAULIC PRLN'CH'LES of washers ; also in educating the people up to the use of 
 this principle, and has D1SC0VF:RED and SURMOUNTED all the difficulties met 
 with in other devices. Therefore he feels competent to judge, and stands ready to 
 meet upon>these grounds all who may present themselves. This company is regularly 
 incorporated under the state laws of New York. We have jnirchased the patent, and 
 
 OUR TERRITORY 
 IS OPEN. WE WANT ACTIVE, ENERGETIC AGENTS BY THE HUN- 
 DRED, to whom we will secure territory by certificate. We can offer inducements 
 such as have never been given to agents heretofore by any concern on this Continent. 
 We employ skilled mechanics, and manufacture all of our own goods, and shall 
 be constantly producing new inventions for household use, several of which we now 
 have in different stages of perfection, and which will be covered by Patents. 
 
 AGENTS 
 are frequently prevented from selling goods because their terms are made public. 
 Some people do not consider the labors of an agent, and try to beat down the fixed 
 price of an artice, deferring from time to time the purchase thereof, thus increa.sing 
 the labor and cost of selling. Consequently 
 
 OUR TERMS TO AGENTS 
 will be considered strictly private, and sent only to those ordering a TRIAL W.VSII- 
 
 ER. ' ' ,r, 
 
 This W^asher has never been sold for less than $3. Bui bear in mind we have 
 COME INTO THE FIFT.D TO STAY and do business, and will send a 
 
 TRIAL WASHER 
 
 PREP.MD to any pa.it of these Unitefl Slates on receipt of 
 
 ONLY its 1.50. ♦ 
 
 It will save you that the fnst (lay's work you do with it. Who would be without 
 one? 
 
 OUR REFERENCES 
 are good goods, promptly filled orders, and the New \'ork County .National Bank of 
 this city. 
 
 CASH MUST ACCOMPANY ALL (JRDERS. 
 Remit by Post Office money order, registered letter or draft on New \'ork. Write 
 your own address plainly to the 
 
 KOBRRTN .fl-F'O €0., 
 41 H A' 420 Wo«t 27tli St.. ]Vow York Vity. 
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