Abstract: The apparatus comprehends a bath and a pad liquor supply charged thereinto, a guide means disposed within the bath for guiding the goods therethrough, and a steam jacket communicating with a steam source. The jacket lies in vertical disposition upwardly of the bath and has apertured top and bottom walls. A partition disposed within the jacket suspends downwardly from and connects to the jacket top wall in registry with the aperture thereof to define a primary passage through the partition which is open at its upper end to atmosphere and open at its lower end into the jacket, through which primary passage, the goods are passed before passage into the jacket. The jacket and partition cooperantly constrain the steam flow through the jacket in a first downward flow direction exteriorly of the partition in a heat transfer relationship therewith and in a second upward flow direction interiorly of the partition through the primary passage in a direction counter to the downward direction of movement of the goods.