The Washing Machine: From Hand Cranker to Automaton
Elizabeth Miller
People must have been excited out of their minds when an American
inventor named James King advanced the task of washing clothes
from the washboard to a hand-cranked contraption that resembled a
machine in 1851.
By 1880, more than 4,000 washing devices had been patented. There
were washing "machine" models that rubbed clothes together, or
pummeled them up and down, or stomped on them, or dragged them
through the water, or slammed them against the walls of the
wooden tubs of the day. All powered by hand except one 12-shirt
model that was run by 10 donkeys for a California gold miner who
may have introduced the first "laundromat."
An 1874 washing "machine" by corn planter manufacturer William
Blackstone of Bluffton, Indiana had been inspired by his decision
to build a birthday gift for his wife. Inside the wooden tub was
a flat piece of wood with six wooden pegs, all together looking
like a small milking stool. If you cranked a handle you could
move a series of gears and the result would be that the clothes
were caught on the pegs and swished around in the water.
Mr. Blackstone was also a merchant so be built some more washing
"machines" and started selling them for $2.50 each. His company
exists to this day.
Pretty soon came the competition, spawning hundreds of washing
machine companies spewing out all manner of contraptions and
inching up prices to around $10.00 apiece.
In 1861 came the wringer, an exciting new feature that did away
with having to work so hard at squeezing the water out of the
clothes.
The next big leap came when wooden tubs were replaced by metal
tubs in about 1900. After that came washing machines that
included drive belts, and this made it possible to add steam or
gasoline engines. So now we were on our way from manual to
automatic.
The first electric-powered washing machine was invented by Alva
J. Fisher and unveiled in 1908 by the Hurley Machine Company of
Chicago, Illinois. This launched the new era of electric washing
machines. Some 1920s models included coal-fired heating from a
fire grate beneath the washing drum. Oh, and any model with an
electric motor under the metal tub was pretty sure to get wet and
shock the user.
All during this period the great American washing machine
companies of today were coming to life. Maytag by F.L. Maytag in
1893. Whirlpool in 1911. Bendix in the mid 1930s.
And in 1937, free at last. Look Ma, no hands. A subsidiary of
Bendix Aviation ended the hassles of shoveling coal, messing with
gasoline, cranking clothes wringers, being electrically shocked
and all the rest, once and for all. They brought us the first
automatic washing machine. John W. Chamberlain invented the
device that washed, rinsed and extracted water from clothes all
by itself. This machine was a sensation, even though the
vibration was so extreme that it had to be bolted to the floor.
By 1953, spin-dry washing machines were outselling the wringer
models, and the electric automatic washing machine entered the
evolutionary path of those evermore convenient bells and whistles
that make our lives so much easier today.
Copyright MBPCO 2006 and Beyond. Elizabeth Miller is an
author/publisher. For more about washing machines visit
http://www.washingmachinecity.com
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