The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-05-01
A Visit to the Boot and Shoe
Factories of Lynn.
MULTIPLICITY OF INVENTIONS.
How They Have Revolutionized
the Entire Industry.
Foreign Orders for Shoe Machinery
Constantly Accommodating.
Irsx Mass. Anril 27. ls18.

nch startling extent as IN this city OF Lynn, to-day
the greatest shoe manufacturing place in the world
Tnere is hardly in the entire range Of boot and shoe
making with its numerous Details single thing to
BIO but machine stands ready 10 az IT, 80 that In
some factories which nave visited to-day nothing
remains for human hands do but put the strings
In the ladies' or misses shoes Is IL wonder, thon
that Europeans begin TO believe, not so much in Amer
lean shoes, but in American shoe machinery, which
they purchase fast they hear OF the new IN
ventions, take them their respective ocali-
ties and produce what they call an American shoef
Only last week q steamer lett Boston with no.
than fifty OF these machines, most OF which are
manufactured In The State OF Massachusetts, To give
an idea oil tho practical work accomplished by this
machinery merely need state tho tact that in 1865
there were 80, 600 shoemakers in Massachusetts
than there to-day and yet the value OF the pro-
ducts of The various is 81, 100000 greater
per annum to-day Than IL was then There are ma
chimes for sewing, siding, lasting heclng, pegging,
buhng, rveling, crimpIng edge setting, cyclcting.
backing and other minut4 oil the shoemaking
business and no less than seventeen different
inventions are now actually required for any
large boot and shoe factory. AT some OF the
industrial exhibitions your readers may have here
and there noIlced two OF these machines, but
1t is only in place like Lynn, where they are all
working their highest speed, and where the work
OF he rapidly follows that OF another, that man
stands amazed ut Yankee ingenuity To think that
woman alone, working ten hours day. can, with
the eyeIeltng machiue, tor instance, put holes in
LAO pairs OF shoes in single day seems almost in
credible; and yet / very intelligent looking
young woman engaged in that Identical work this
morning without any apparent exertlon on her part
asked her, while she running the uppers Of some
very ine material through the machine whether she
could work little slower SO that might watch
tho progress Of the little metal rings that fasten
themselves so rapidly into the holes but she smiled
and said machine left her option and drove
her work along IL like the ticking oil clock. as
rapid and systematic, ana all she had to DO was TO
guide tho upper. When II is remembered that there
are twenty-six differ eat patents on the eyeettng
machine alone, and that this machine Is not by any
the most important hepmate tor the shoe
makers 1t viii readily be understood that tn ere are no
less hundred different notifications OF the
various articles OF machinery required for we'll or
ganized American shoe factory.
Aud IN this connection let call the attention OF
your lady readers to the TACT thar while they have
contributed doubt TO enrich the Howes and Sing
OF The past for thor sewing machines, the shoe
manufacturers OF New England enriching another
man. The Mckay sewing mach Inc Tor boot ana shoe
mukers--itseli a costly machine-gets o royalty O.,
cents each pair OF boots and shoes
while in the State Of Massach usetis alone about
ninety million pairs are mado in single year, tho
that has eyer preceded It, TINS machine mas only been
in use since 1871. The ingenious OF all the ma
chimes however, is the heeng macn Inc, which takes
the hoe rough state, iastens II TO the boot ana
trims II in less time than u takes 10 write these low
hines descriptive OF It's operation
..And yen said MIR. Bennett one OF the largest
manufacturers mere, arer nc had shown me all OF ms
machinery the various noors OF MS establishment,
'.wneu IL comss 70 real, tine work, on which We take
pride puttng our name, We 20 back 10 manual LABOR
10 thai point where tho various pi"ces
"a
yet IS good enough to finish our very best snoes.
Man'n Moman's subtle fingers must, alter all, give
thc finishing touches Tor that class OF work."
In an estabIIshm IKE The one have described
no Than 3I2 different styles OF nnc goods are
manufactured, not New Ensland only, but for
New York, the entire est and even California, aud
hence tnere Is still ample scope the use
machinery in place wncre tho average cost OF all
boots shoes called fine goods Is only 50 SO Lynn,
In TACT man features higher priced boots d snoes
Than other places but there are also any number Of
common goods made here, orosans, .or instance,
winch were shown 70 mo aud Tor which the manuac-
pskod only tho wholesale price of eighty cents
THE Boor AND SHOE srEcrMrirs
SO Thoroughly does mach nsry, however, cntor into
this Industry that manufacturer VINO employed
large number Of hands ana whose factory, costing
sI20 900, VAS recently burned out on q Wednesday
evening, had merely 10 go 10 me Learest shop
Keep up the production OF his goods The very noxt
day ne ordered his now machinery, and the day alter
hrs factory again turning out 400 pairs 81 shoes
While thu cities OF Lynn anu haverh mako the best
The market, turning out together no css tnan
Io,0O00O0 pairs per amman, there are other places
when have their speciaIlies For instance Brookheii
hue boots are made; Marlborough makes heavy boots
ana shoes for country women; Worcester and Milford
are famous for KIP boots; BrocKton makes mems
aud boys CATERS and oxford ties; while Randolph
SIoughton make mems cali bools. At all OF those
places machinery Is uppcrmost and hurries men and
women almost beyond MS her power rne
pegging machine IN This respect even ahead OF mon.
Jne operative could drive sUO pegs minute with
ms machine II only he could handle the shoes last
enough, Dul he cannot 50 the machine loses strength
and pow err, uatiI some new Inventor steps IN and
places pegging machine here that can be- ouurely
lndependent o. mans hands
MACHINERY OPERATIVES.
The neat aud tidy female operatives, nearly all OF
them Yankee girs, are far superior ~ intellect 10
those have seen at Lowell anu Lawrence. the IN
tricate details attendant upon tae manufacturing 81
Shoes along with tue mani oil tue various parts
seem 50 much more becoming 10 woman : taste That
they take 10 the work quite cnceriuiiy. They seem
home with the stitching, eyeletng. bordering and
sewing machines anu hence they arc ~ majority IA
tnoso factories where unc work y Produced ~
some OF The places which nave visited
they are m charge Of tho accounts ana books
even, aEd superlbtcnd i1ctorss wnere No
less than 500 operatives are engaged Ncnhr
does the ching ciang Of the restless and ever driving
machinery all rufc their temper or interfere Ia
the least with tbelr systematic business habis. 1
alludc THIS, because requested by prom
iuont gentleman Ia Boston 10 take particular note,
throughout my travels IN the manulaa uFing dstrcts,
Of Tie elycI q meehucry upon lbe operatives, ootn
taaic and fcmae. UnwIiing - yet 10 come to anal
rOnslIsioh IN regard to this inquiry, | must ADMIT
taai ~ the shoe factories and cotsoG mills, at least
and hcp,natc aud become cheerai NJ tncir worg.
In fhci, they all look healthier and stronger than
tho thousands 81 gtis wno wend their way down
towuwafds along the Bswrry and other east sIde
streets New York 10 ~ not the better pay they
are receiving nor the country arr thai brings IN nis
rn.orsuiness, but apparently that contact with
machinery which cnab ca them to earn livelihood
WITH nttle manual labor ina however, leads mo
prctnauten into side itsuc, which to-iay cnga
80 nuch attention IN New bnglaBd that mere casual
observation such subject cannot p5ssiUsy % jus-
lice 10 tsc ali ebgr0ssing aUDr question: ~ whirh tns
Is, aztec all ONLY ore oil rs MANY tfhncat1
IMPORTATION % snok MACHINERY.
When, after my wat he shoe itctorcs, locke
Into Of tue machine shops iound, ms ! had az.
tcipstcd, that most 81 the machine men had been
originally shoe inen, who 10 inc course VI tneir bus'
Less had fell tue rtquI cments 81 the trade, aud
hence Invented these anal Itudinous machines NO
longer said Of hose ,uc, do you Gear tue
suuud OF the boctmakcr's BANNER IA te streets Of
Lynn. TINS bcatiBg-Out machine h.s Great, rcyo-
VA part 0 tile business just imagine the
fearful noise would DO al around 5efu u tho old
style hMtnmefiHg should sti be adhered to. and yet
the accomplished Is Just us solid aud more
smooth th1n three been beating ~ stead.
n.y."