The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-08-18
PENITENTIARY SHOEMAKING,
Sixty Convicts at Work.
From ow Columbia Reporter.
COLUMBIA Aupl,st. !

ok lioHtnS ago tho NeUs and Courier
drew attention to the offer of Mr.. A. C..
Dibert, of Trenton, n. j., to employ as
many conyicts as he could procure for
the purpose Of establishing q shoe manu-
factory within the walls Of the Peniten-
tiary, and on two occasions asked that
the reason of the board of directors for
declining the liberal offer he made be
stated for the information Of the public,
or that the said proposition be. enter
tained.
In May last, at the meeting of tho
board, contract was effected with Mr..
Dibort, Hereby he secured one hundred
convicts for term of FIVE years begin
nlng or the ist of September ensuing. at
the rate of so cents per day for adult
males and 81 cents for women and boys
under sixteen years Of age.
Immediately upon securing the labor,
Mr. Dlbert, who has had G large expert
ehce IN shoe manufacturing with conyicts
IN New Jersey, ordered the necessary
machinery and prepared to begin opera
tions with as many hands as he could OBJ.
tain oeiore September lst at the rate
agreed upon for the term beginning at
that time. Much delay was experienced
In ming his orders, else the manufac-
Tory would have been working long ago,
put at last, with most Of the machinery
in position, he is now working with
ABOUT sixty hands, and is fast converting
the raw laborers into skilled operators o6
machinery.
paid visit TO the factory today and
found nearly sixty hands EMPLOYED and
all but few of the many machines
needed at work. The building used is in
the Penitentiary yard, and was complet.
ed few months ago by the Pepitentiarv
authorities with the expectation of EN-.
ploying it for purpose similar to that
now effected. 1t is substantially built of
brick, is 1876 feet long by so feet broad
and contains three stories, the second of
which is occupied by the manufactory
proper and half Of tho third as store
room for leather. The second story can
FULLY accommodate one hundred opera-
tiyes and is spacious and ventilated by
thirty-four large windows.
The full complement Of one hundred
hands will be at work by the 1st Sep.
tember, and Mr.. Dibcrt is anxious to
treble the number should the State de-
eide to keep the convicts within the walls
OF the Penitentiary. The building can
easily accommodate that number.
The water power by which the ma.
chlnery is worked is furnished by the
canal, and is carried to the building bv a
wire rope 267 feet long.
The policing of the establishment is
done by the regular guards of the Peni-
tentlary, whose officials have entire
charge of the discipline of the convicts.
The contractor simply furnishes them
the leather and provides instructors to
initiate them into the work. The repu-
lar working hours are from 7 to II m.
and from to p. IN. The work is all
light, consisting chiefly of the guidance
OF machinery, and the number employed
are proving themselves fair workers.
The processes through which the
Leather passes before it emerges boot or
shoe are many and curious, and travers-
ing the great room one sees n pedal COW
ering 60 through the following process of
evolution:
l: The raw material of leather begins
its journey.
.. 1t reaches the CUTTERS" who cut
the uppers by hand, using zinc patterns.
and "broken."
i. Next it is put on "crimping
block" and "crimped." These processes
smooth and mould the uppers into shape.
D. The upper goes to the "ftting
room." where it is first closed, being
pasted in by other hands and then stitck-
ed in with silk by How and Singer sowing
machines. This department is occupied
by women
+. The upper is then passed to the
stock room" sole leather department.
where, large roller weighing $500
pounds rolls or presses the hides for
soles entire, without their being first cut.
I. The sole leather then goes to a
"Burlingame sole die" and is rapidly cut
into numerous styles of soles.
8. Then "channeling machine"
grooves .he sole and turns up the "chan-
nels"
8. The "slips" and "shauks" are then
nailed on by hand. They form brace
or riliDg to the sole.
10. Next "sole moulding machine"
shapes the sole for wearing.
IL. 1t is now ready tojoin the uppcrs in
the Tasting department" where the soles
are put on by hand.
~. The soies are riveted by the "Dur.
ham Rivetting Machine" which is won
der of mechanism. It's capacity is eighty
pair per hour.
13. The shoe is carried to a "Gilmore
Leyeller, where the bottoms are beveled
and the shoes arc ready for the "heeler."
II. The placing Of heels is done by
hand.
Is. 1t goes next to card.breasting
machine" where the heels are breasted
or shaved down on the front side.
l6. The heel is shaved next by a
king & Won Noehm's Machine"
which has capacity of 1,400 pair q
day.
II. The shoe now reaches "the Usell
Trimming Machine" where the edges of
the so!es arc trimmed or pared. The ca
pacity is one and half pair per minute.
1S: Next to "the Union Edge Setting
Machine" where the edges Of the sole
are FURNISHED or "set," capacity 800
pairs per day. Heat is furnished for
furnishing by little machine which
makes its own gas.
10. The bottom is next "stoned" or
Snndpaporing Machine"
81. The shoe now goes to the "fnish-
ing team" where the bottom is carefully
sand,papered by hand, and wash COM
%. The shoe is then dried blacked
and FURNISHED by hand, the "top chan
mel" put on, and the uppers get on the
finishing touches.
23. Then at last to the packing de-
partment. is lined, tied up and placed
ready for shipment.
In three weeks there will be "sole.
sewing machine" to sew soles on at the
rate of 6OC pair a day, and also heeling
machine to "hecl" the shoes, which is
htr :t.