Crescent Laundry

1922 - Advertisement

7 January 1927 - The Crescent Laundry, owned by G. Collins, has just finished a frame addition to its laundry building. As soon as the new floor space is occupied, the laundry will have more room for its increasing volume of business. According to Mr. Collins, his laundry business has shown an increase every year since he came.

Cheney Free Press October 11/18, 1935

Crescent Laundry Installs Scientific Water Softener

Permutit System Gives Patrons the Latest in Service

The Crescent Laundry during the past week has completed the installation of a Permutit Water Softener, as well as two new galvanized iron storage tanks for both cold and hot water. Mr. Collins states that this new softener will enable him to give to the people of Cheney the finest possible laundry service.

Cheney water contains 9 grains of hardness, principally lime and magnesia, which actually destroys half of the soap used. The lime and soap combine to form a sticky curd which gets into the fiber and is impossible to entirely rinse out. When ironed, this curd spreads the fibers and shortens the life of the material.

The Permutit Water Softener actually removes the lime and magnesia from the water, so that after passing through it, the water is actually softer than the softest rain water. The result is that dirt and grease are removed in less time and with less mechanical energy, less soap, and consequently less wear, than was formerly possible with hard water. Clothes are made whiter, fluffier; sheets, pillow cases and linens have less need of bluing and bleaching. Blankets and other woolen articles are easily cleaned for, with soft water, milder soaps may be used; there is no danger of fading and they come through as soft and downy as the day they were purchased. Curtains and other delicate and costly fabrics are made spotless with no appreciable wear because the soft water, aided by mild soaps, make the dirt soak loose. In every case, washable belongings will have longer wear and finer appearances.

The Permutit company of New York has been building water softeners for more than 20 years. Thousands of their softeners are today in use in more than 400 industries as well as homes throughout the country.

1942-01-02: Pipes frozen in Tuesday night’s cold snap resulted in a boiler explosion and considerable damage Wednesday morning at the Crescent Laundry. Proprietor L.C. Lancaster was not in the building at the time.

CFP 8 April 1943

Crescent Laundry Destroyed by Fire Early Thursday; Loss Estimated at $15,000

L.C. Lancaster suffered the loss of the Crescent Laundry plant with an estimated monetary loss of $15,000 early Thursday morning and many a Cheney citizen lost his shirt in a fire which destroyed the building and equipment of the laundry completely. The loss was partially covered by insurance, it was learned.

The fire, which appears to have started in the drying room about one-half hour after Mr. Lancaster had started the fire and gone home for breakfast was reported by Merl Stiffler to H.B. Ashworth who turned in the alarm at about 5 minutes after 7:00. The fire department responded immediately but the fire was uncontrollable and consumed the frame building and its contents.

Lancaster stated that at the time the laundry for two companies of troops in the area was in the building, besides the laundry from two of the dormitories and many private bundles.

A year ago last New Year's morning the same plant was damages heavily when the boiler exploded.

Despite the early hour a large crowd soon gathered to witness the attempts of the firemen to control the blaze, and many a rueful glance was cast in the direction of the spot where personal apparel was burning. One fireman who at 8:30 was still dousing a smoldering pile of clothing said, "There's my underwear!"

One of John Davis' most vivid recollections is the [Crescent] Laundry fire, when a power line fell into the water and it caused a ball of fire that many thought had killed all the firemen near it. It didn't, and they went on to try to work against odds in knocking down the fire. It was an old wood frame structure that had lots of lint to spread the fire and the building pretty much burned down. CFP 1971-Jul-01

In 1943, L.C. Lancaster had the old electric train depot interior remodeled to house his laundry business after his Crescent Laundry building burned down in April. He introduced fluorescent lighting into the building, opening for business January 1944.