smoke signals

[NW Mailing List]

Ron that is an interesting question.

I expect the answer is that Monday was wash day because Sunday was the only day that industry didn't work (after about 1900) and the smoke and dust from the various industries would have settled.  Monday was probably the least dusty/smoky day.  That would mean it was not a train effect, but a general industry effect.

The rythym of a coal camp was Monday was wash day, ironing took place on Tuesday and Wednesday.  Going to town for grocery shopping was generally on THursday.  Clean the house and bake on Friday.  Go to town on Saturday with the family for general shopping. Sunday was kind of a day off after church depending on the church you went to.  Some people went ot church in the morning and evening.

That schedule changed over the years, but Monday always seemed to be wash day.

One variation to that schedule that I am aware of was every Tuesday (in the 1940s) three foreign ladies (including my great aunt) would go to town to buy a weekly supply of liquor at the State store before they started the weekly ironing.

Alex Schust 
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: NW Mailing List 
  To: NW Mailing List 
  Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2008 4:46 PM
  Subject: Re: smoke signals


  Is it true Mondays was always wash day for the women, because of the least ammount of trains , therefore smoke, traffic? Ron H

  NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote: 
    There was a practice in existence long before Lucius
    Beebe known as "smoking meets".    One location where
    it was observed was on the long tangents of the Suffolk
    & Carolina (later NS Railway's Suffolk Division).  The
    engine crew of the superior train would cause the loco-
    motive to produce copious amount of black smoke and 
    the inferior train seeing "burning of Rome" effects on the
    horizon would clear accordingly.   "Smoking meets" was
    suspended on windy days and after sunset.  It was a
    practice mangement never condoned.
                                                   Harry Bundy 

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