Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1853-03-24
Boot-Making in Milford, (Mass.)

DVVS-hNnAhS AA MAAVANt \NA"S/
We copy the following sketch of boot
making in Milford (Mass.) from the cor
respondence of the Boston Commonwealth.
1t will be for our readers an interesting
piece of statistics:
Until within twenty years agriculture
was the principal occupation of the in
habitants, and the town produced con-
siderable quantities of cheese, butter, lard,
pork, and beef, perhaps equal to any in
the Commonwealth.
At the present time the town is devo-
ted principally to the manufacturing of
boots. In 1887 there were l28, 900 pairs
of boots manufactured in this place, val
ued at S212, 500, and giving employment
to 342 persons. This branch of business
made but slow progress at first here-a-
bouts: for we find that in 1843 there were
only l55, 900 pairs of boots made here
But what it lacked in speed then it has
more than made up in progress since; for
last year one firm made 135, 900 pairs.
A gentleman immensely interested in
the boot business, to whom [ am indebted
for many acts of courtesy, informed me
that Milford did not contain dandy nor
loafer. Indeed; there is work for every
body, and every body appears to be at
work.
The unrivalled prosperity of this town
is much indebted to the generous enter
prise of Godfrey & Mayhem, one of the
oldest and most prominent business firms
in town, and to Aaron Chahin, Esq, who
has expended not less than $35, 600 in e.
recting buildings during the last three
years.
The first process Of making boot is
to block the fronts, then crimp them, then
block the backs, then block the Innings,
make the counters, pasting the backs,
Innings, and counters together; then fol-
lows the process of dinking and stitch
ing, siding, turning, cutting soles, bottom
ing, bufing, making the drop stitch,
blacking the edges, freeing, vanishing,
gliding, and packing. A boot passes
through not less than twenty hands be-
fore it is ready for the market.
Underwood & Godfrey, the inventors
Of the Hungarian boot, have model es-
tablishment A short description Of it, [
am sure, will not be uninteresting to the
general reader. The building is located
en- Pearl street, three stories high without
the basement, and 40 by so feet. The
first room l visited is used for receiving
boots, as they come in by the car load
and wagon load, from the hands in diff
ferent portions of the State. In this a.
partment there were stacks and stacks Of
boots. In the next room were heaps of
kip, grain, wax, calf, enamel, and lining
leather. Next came the room where the
uppers are cut. In the basement there
is room for storing sole leather, adjoin-
ing which is another for cutting soles.
In another apartment l 4 treers were at
work, with their sleeves up, and pots of
blacking-gum and oil before them. These
stout, hearty fellows once treed 294 cases
of boots in single week. One man
treed 30 cases of mems long-legged calf
skin boots in that time, at rs cents per
dozen, earning $22,5O in six days. In
the packing and drying room an immense
quantity of boots hung like black cloud
over the ceiling. In another room men
were at work making the drop or imita-
ton stitch, which is to the real stitch
what the demagogue is to the patriot
Although it is counterfeit, it looks like
the genuine article Then we visited
the crimping room, the bufing room, the
closing room. &c.