Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1870-10-06

HOW THEY ARE MADE ny MAclHEGY4 RAPID INCREASE
OF THE BUSINESS IN THIS CITY.

HOW THEY ARE MADE ny MAcInERY- RAPID INCREASE
OF THE BUSINESS IN THIS CITY.
Wilmington being one of tho largest leather
manufacturing cities i'll the country, it is rather
remarkable that shoe manufactures were not
started here sooner but, being at last started
they OF course, like every thing else started
succeeded We recently visited the youngest
but we believe the largest Of the factories that
of Smith " Turner, on Third street We're agree
ably surprised at the rapid increase of their bus
iness its extent being remarkable, considering
that they only started last January.
All the leather used in this establishments
except that imported comes from Wilmington
factories. and varies from tile heaviest kind Of
the handsome imitation pebbled leather made
from the process recently invented bp Mr. VIM.
Pyle, to the dantiest broiiles, made BIZ Richard
son. The sole leather is from the factory of
Colonel McComb, adjoining. The sole leather
goes at once to the bottom stock room, and tile
upper leather to the cutting room where il is
rapidly cut out by hand uto the various classes
OF work. The cut work passes directly ont into
sewing rooms, where fifty girls are ready to carry
the process on till the shoe is ready for its sole
1t first goes to the pastors who paste III tile
Innings and paste on the tips vamps, ETC., to
prepare the work for the stitchers, to whom it
passes next In their hands il il skillfullv mani
pulated, some sewing ono part Of tile shoe and
rome another, the most skillfnl doing tie fine
scollop work and elaborate STITCHING with Which
the higher priced work is uowde ted There
ilowc's or Singers, and they alt all opciatcd
hy steam the operators being able to start or
stop them Instantly, and regulate their speed IL
treadle. The work is more rapidly done, Inc
machines making eight hundred stitches n
minute while the labor is nothing like 80 hard
for the girls The button holes are worked viii
Union Button Hole Machine. which gives Der
feet satisfaction.
The laced shoes are now sent to HE ptinciin,
and eyeletting machine which punches the holes
re a. a rrit11,
rate, and the buttoned shoes have the buttons
sewn on, and the uppera are complete They 20
at once to the bottom-stocl room 10 he fur
nished with acles.
In this room the sole leather is received ana
prepared Here, as elsewhere, all the work Is
done by steam. Tie leather is first run through
machine and stripped, 80, cut into strips Of
width just equal to the length of the eoles 10
be made from them, 1t is rolled through heavy
rollers, thus answering in place Of tile old and
tedious hammering process and il run through h
'skiving' machine, TO secure perfect uMifomnty
of thickness. Tile strips are then taken 10
blocks, and cut by dies into the proper slape
for soles and heels Tie soics are theu
'chanelled," by machine which rapidly cuts
out the small groovefortles stitches. The soles and
uppers are then sortedand matched and sent ia
another sewing room where they are rapilly
tucked together, ready for the for the Mckay
sewing machines, of which the firm las twG.
This machine is really remarkable orc, and sew.
pair OF shoes minute doing its work we'll
sewing with heavy waved thread, and NH i,
tension far greater than can be got l,y hand.
The aoles now firmly sewed ON. the shoes aro
sent to the finishing room where they are rapidly
finished by mon working III gangs Of four. HE
first man heels the alioe and rubs down tic
soes, the next trims the heel and sole. the third
"burnshes' the sole and the fourth finishes it.
giving the edges the glossy black surface and
putting on the other final touches The shoes
now go down to another row where tie sock
Innings" are pasted in, and then pass to tic
trimming men where they are strung and
stamped after which they packed ready for dim.
meit. This process is slightly varied il the ease.
of tho fanciest kind of work, which nstcltl ni
passing to gang arc finished BY one man FROM
the time they leave the sewing machine
The firm manufacture every variety Of wor,
from the heaviest III demand III Western VILLAGE
to the finest work for city retail trade. T6ey
ship their shoes mainly South and West, sendiu,.
large invoices to Richmond, Charleston, Sayar,
nah, Mobile, New Orleans Memphis. Louisville.
Cincinnati, Chicago, st. Louis, Pttsbnrg. aid
other cities. They started their factory on tile
LIST OF January, 1870, since which time they have
doubled their capacity. They now make from
250Q to 5000 pairs Of shoes a week and employ
over 100 hands 50 OF them being women OF
girls