Sept. 26, 1947: Holes in their stockings

Twenty irate office women appeared before the St. Paul city council today and demanded action. They said their nylons have been damaged by soot in the city's loop. William Parranto, commissioner of public safety, explained that such soot falls from the chimney at Saint Paul hotel. The hotel, he said, burns a Wyoming oil which contains a liberal percentage of sulphur.

May 22, 2017 at 5:15PM

Nylons Damaged,
St. Paul Women
Demand Action

Twenty irate office women appeared before the St. Paul city council today and demanded action.

They said their nylons have been damaged by soot in the city's loop.

William Parranto, commissioner of public safety, explained that such soot falls from the chimney at Saint Paul hotel. The hotel, he said, burns a Wyoming oil which contains a liberal percentage of sulphur.

Smoke therefrom, he continued, contains specks of sulphuric acid, which burns holes in nylons.

Parranto said he will close the hotel heating plant in 30 days unless, in the meantime, the management installs machinery to collect the soot or otherwise corrects the condition.

The women seemed satisfied with the action.

Louis Maurer, superintendent of Mother Friend Laundry, helped load laundered silk stockings into Salvation Army truck in 1943. Sixty-five years later, a question: Why launder stockings and then donate them as scrap material? OK, one more question: Did laundries typically have a superintendent back then?
(Ben Welter/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Louis Maurer, superintendent of Mother's Friend Laundry in St. Paul, helped load laundered silk stockings into a Salvation Army truck in 1943. (Photo courtesy mnhs.org)

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about the writer

Ben Welter