Oh, Do Dry Up!
Cotton Factory Times, 1 August 1913
The introduction of steam into weaving sheds in order to reduce breakages in poor quality yarns became a major issue for the Weavers' Union. Legislation had been introduced in 1889 to control the practice, but as this cartoon of 1913 shows, the union was still petitioning parliament for more effective controls. Steaming meant operatives worked in uncomfortable, clammy conditions and was believed by weavers to be the cause of many health problems.
