Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1861-10-03
FRENCH ARMY SHOES.

A correspondent of the New York Erening
Post gives an interesting account of the manner
in which the shoes are made for the French ar
my. He says:-
One of the most curious circumstances in the
manufacture of these shoes is the supervision
exercised by the government at every stage of
the work.
The manufacturer buys the leather, after be-
ing certain that II is not tanned by means Of
acids. He cuts the article, rejects the bellies
and the necks, and employs exclusively that
which is called the "hearts." A machine armed
with hammers beats the skins, which are then
cut. When beaten, they are examined, piece
by piece, by experienced shoemakers and tan
ners, named by the War Department, who re-
ject all which appear doubtful The maker re-
ceives from the hands Of these experts the leath-
er which they pronounce good, and cuts it me-
chemically. There are % pieces in each pair Of
shoes. Each Of these, great or small, is exam
ined separately by another expert, sworn We
ri6er, who accepts It on his own responsibility
and by his signature. These pieces are then
carefully examined one by one, by Military
Board, consisting of three captains, who mark
with stamp their rejection or acceptance. The
parts are then reunited as they should go to-
gether; they are placed on the lasts, (there are
1000 pairs Of lasts in the establishments they
are fitted, they are sewed. Each shoe passes
through fifteen hands before it is finished; after
which it is examined and received by sworn
expert, who afiixes ticket with his name, and
il is examined, in the last instance, without APP
peal, by military commission, composed of a
Commandant and three Captains, stamped for
acceptance IL all right or for rejection II sim
gle nail is wanting or II the awl and wax thread
do not show q certain number Of points in the
sole in the distance of two centimetres.
A pair Of shoes manufactured in this way, in
the now factory, costs eight francs, in the army
shops, six francs.
France has a central workshop, which places
the clothing, shoes, and even the encampment
of the soldier, under the hand and eye of the
Minister of War. In a few years, the compa-
MES employed in this work hitherto can either
be suppressed or employed in the repairs of
military effects. But is there not some danger
in this concentration of all the resources of the
army at a single pointp What II the workmen
the contractor should fall through some unfort-
innate speculation The first is not deemed
serious, for the workmen are patriotic, and the
LOO workmen employed in the manufacture
are not, properly speaking, shoemakers. The
work is so divided among them that few learn
but single branch of the business, and would
suffer if they should desert the factory.
The Minister could also organize military
workshops in such case. There is no danger
of fire, for the buildings are freproof Should
the contractor fail, the government could take
the establishment and give it over to the care of
another.
Much of the work is done by steam machine
ry,and this is the only fault of the institution
the soldiers disdain machine-made shoe, but
they will soon get cured of this idea.