The Republican journal., 1872-09-19
The Old Shoemaker and the New. HI N
Steam Produces the Wherewith we are

Steam Produces the Wherewith we are
| Shod.
"I4et the cobbler stick to his last" says
the ancient maxim. But the cobbler won't
do it. The demand for shoe leather is so
wide and constant that the professors of
the art-the ''gentle craft of leather" as
| Whittier calls them,-must enlarge their
facilities and produce more rapidly. The
busy west and the tecming south look
from their corn and cotton fields to cold
New England for the needed protection to
their feet, and busy factories have sprung
up over all the north to meet the want.
| The venerable cobbler, with his slow
pegging awl, his waxed thread and lap
stone, full as he was of Jokes and stories
for the loungers, has gone, and in his
place stands the giant steam Juggling at
his hundred labor saving machines. Brain
takes the place of muscle and multiplies
| the product a thousand fold
Such were our reflections standing in
the hum of the machinery at the new fac
tory in orr city, looking at its novelties.
And we saw so many matters of interest
that we made note of some of them for
our readers. The building is 200 feet
long, 80 feet wide, and four stories in
height, including basement The power
is furnished by a - horse power engine.
connected with shalting running all over
the building. Two large tubular boilers
furnish steam for the engine and for heat
ing the building The factory is to be
Immediately piped for gas. An immense
reservoir under the basement collects
water from springs and the roof to supply
all needs Of the business A steam force
pump carries water in pipes TO all parts
of the building, to which hose is ready at
all times to attach in case OF fire. The
factory not onyprotects itself, but can lend
ald to its neighbors in ease OF need.
The basement contains the heavy ma
chinery. The sole leather, after being
wet in y reservoir, is taken to 4 machine
like 4 guillotine, which brings its knife
down and cuts it into strips as wide rs
the length Of sole. These are next
fskived," or have the spongy flesh side
shaved off, and pass between rollers which
does the hitherto slow work of the lap
stone. Next these strips 60 to u machine
holding a die for cutting out soles. which
it does at blow as fast as the leather
can be adjusted. usually thirty-tive
minute. This die reverses itself at every
descent, so that the heel comes where the
toe was, thusavoiding any waste of leather.
The neXtapparatus that takes charge of the
bit of leather is a powerful die that at one
blow gives the sole its curved shape as it
appears on the shoe This machine isn't
particular what material is put in, it gives
squeeze all the sanle--as a young man
can testify whose fingers were mashed the
day before. Another machine cuts the
heels, using for q portion bits Of leather
that can make half lift. The heels are
tackled together by hand, but 4 ma
chine will soon be put in for doing this
work.
In the third story the upper feathers
are cut out from patterns. This work,
for the larger portion, is done by hand,
but dies are employed for the small pieces.
These with the cloth Innings, then 90 to
the sewing room. Here, on long benches
at the windows are the machines that sew
the leather and lining together and close
the heavy seams. They are run by steam
and tended by women. 1t is astonishing
to see how rapidly the stitching travels
along the seams, carrying through the
leather 4 strong thread which passes
through thin tar that answers for the bees
wax of the seamstress. A lively little
machine then irons smoothly down the
seam at the heel Next comes punch
ing apparatus that makes 4 row of holes
for lacings, and does it in the twinkling
OF an eye. Then another machine puts in
eyelets and closes them down
We have now seen the solcs prepared.
and the uppcrs finished up TO the point Of
joining them They are then all sent to
The lasting room, where so to speak, sole
and body meet. The upper then has u last
placed inside, with the inner sole, and is
placed in an ingenious machine which
forces the edges of the upper leather over
tbn ~. -, NV, IL
operating pegging machine. The outer
sole is then tackled on. and the work goes
by IN elevator 10 the pegging room above.
Here is the most curious operation of all,
in the shape Of a machine that makes the
holes, us well Us cuts and drives the pegs,
all at one operation. The pcgging ma
teral comes in the shape OF long ribbons
Of wood, haying one edge sharp. The
machine feeds these up to the work.
Grasping 4 shoe the workman puts ii in
place, moves q lever. and off it goes with
4 sound like watchman's rattle running
its complications of brass and steel swiftly
along the edge, leaving = trail of pegs,
solid and we'll driven. The time occupied
in pegging a shoe is only eight seconds,
OF 1T the rate of seven and half in
minute. When the factory is in full opera
ton, six of these machines will be used.
The next operation is that known us
levelling or rubbing down the pegs and
inequalities on the sole, by a quick work
ing machine. The man who does this
work was hired from tn e many applicants
without his name being known; but it
sngularly enough proved to be leveller.
The shoe then passes to a man who blacks
the edges OF the sole. Then the bottoms
are snoothed on Il wheel covered with
sandpaper The heel is put on and all
the nails driven ut one blow of 4 machine,
and without moving the shoe, q cutter
works round the heel, turning it to shape