I came across your very interesting website while searching for info on the Monitor semi-automatic washer that my parents had in the mid-1950s and hope that you might know of a link to some additional information about this company and its products. In particular, we are looking for photos of that old, semi-automatic. We were the only family in our area that had--or even heard of--a Monitor semi-automatic washer.
My brother and I remember it well, as it replaced an old-fashioned wringer machine when we were kids. The Monitor, which our parents had probably from about 1955 or 1956 until August 1959 when we moved into a new house and bought an automatic, had two tubs. The larger tub washed and rinsed the clothes and the smaller tub wrung out the water so that the clothes could be hung on the lines. There was no roller/wringer.
An unusual feature of the smaller tub was that it had a deeply recessed top and a "rubber" bladder inside the tub. The clean but wet clothes were loaded into the bladder, the top was closed and a metal bar flipped into place to "lock" down the heavy (probably cast aluminum) top.
Then, water entered the tub, squeezing the bladder. The bladder gradually compressed, pressing the clothes against the lid and leaving them dry enough to hang on the line. The water extracted from the wet clothes was pushed upward into the deeply recessed (maybe 1.5 to 2 inches) washer top and drained away via drain holes. When the batch was finished, the bar was pushed to the side, the lid was opened and the clothes removed.
Sorry the for the lengthy explanation, but I always get blank looks when I mention the machine. If you have any information or even hints about where I might look for additional information, we would be very grateful.
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