News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1882-10-19
THE SHOES WE WEAR.
DESCRIPTION or THEIR MANU-
FACTURE.
The Difference Between the Hand
Made and the Machinc-Made
Article.

FACTuNE.
The Difference Between the Hand
Made and the Machinc-Made
Article.
From the n Y. Evening Post.l
From 1855 dates the downfall of the
shop and exit" The sewing machine
was introduced in 1862, and machine
made shoes are the order of the day.
The difference in time between the old
and new way is remarkable. The
machine-made shoe is, as a matter of
necessity, a double-soled shoe, and
hence took the place, in great degree,
of the old handmade "welt." This
handmade, welted shoe required two
seams, the inner seam, or the sewing in
of the welt and upper, and the "stitch-
ing" or sewing together of the welt and
the outer sole. The average time re-
CURED in sewing each of these seams
was not less than fifteen minutes, or
half an hour for each shoe, or an hour
for each pair. The machine, by sewing
directly through inner sole, upper, and
outer sole, substituted one seam for two;
and when it was worked by "power,"
such was the expedition of its move
ments that eighty pairs an hour have
been stitched upon it, giving less than
twenty-thfee seconds to each shoe. The
time saved in cutting soles is equally
wonderful. Thirty years ago sole leath-
er was almost altogether cut by hand.
man was only able to cut few sides
in day, and no care was taken to be
very exact. The soles were rounded off
to the last by the workman. Now, with
the machine, $50 sides can be cut in a
day, and every sole will be exactly the
same size and with the dieing-machine
sixty or seventy cases can be died out
exactly the shape of last. The saving
in time and stock amounts to many
hundreds per week. Or if the sides
have been cut into strips, one of these
machines can cut $50 sides per day
against ten that smart, old time work.
er could do.
The central part of Lynn is devoted
to the large manufactures, where the
shoe can be watched from the side to
the case, and where in the old shop one
man did the work, now shoe passes
through nearly fifty hands before COM
pletion. Cutting the soles is the first
operation, and is done by the above
mentioned machine with dies. The
whole side is laid out upon large table,
the top of which is level with the bed of
a machine long enough to take in its
entire length, so that the workman can
place the die on any portion of the side,
and then, by a treadle movement, in
simultaneously bring down a bar with
sufficient force to cut the sole. This
may be done as rapidly as the operator
can place the die, but good judgment is
required in selecting the thickest and
most solid parts of the leather for out
sides, the thinner and poorer portions
being used for insoles and heels. Smaller
machines of the same style are used for
cutting out the taps, counters, and heel
lifts, as these are cut from the parts of
the side left after all the outsoles posi-
BILE have been cut therefrom, the idea i'll
each instance being so to place the dies
on the stock to avoid waste. The soles
are now in the hands of the sorter, and
have been through three hands-the
stripper, sole-cutter, sorter-and then
comes the tier-up. The upper stock is
cut in what is called the cutting room,
and the hands consist of Cd the outside
cutter, (2) lining cutter, 60 trimming
cutter and a. der. out. This is in most
cases hand work, and in mems boots
and shoes entirely so, but the Lynn
manufactures almost entirely produce
ladies' shoes. -
The uppers are now taken to the
stitching room, where they pass % into
the hands of the lining maker, then CO.
the closer, Cd steam rubber, 81 back
slayer, (9) front-stayer, QO closer-on,
Q1) turner, Q2) top-stitcher, Q3) but
tonhole cutter, Q4) corder, Q5) vamper,
Q6) button sewer on-an these being
different persons. The uppers and bot
tom stock are now taken to the lasting
or finishing room. AS we have already
seen, the bottom stock has passed
through four processes. ending with the
tier-up. These, added to the sixteen
through which the uppers have passed,
make twenty before they reach the
hands of the stock filter. From this
point the process goes on-(21) stock
filter, (22) laster, (23) sole-layer, CA
stitcher, (25) beater-out. If for mems
boots and shoes, now comes the "last-
ing" or the drawing of the upper snugly
aud evenly oyer the Lust, that it viii
fit closely in all parts, and the edges
just lap over the outer edge of the in
sole, all temporarily fastened until the
outsole can be attached. This is COM
monty done by hand, the workman
drawing the leather over with pincers,
and lacking it in place. To do this
work by machine is task the solution
of which has been sought by mechanics
and inventors for many years, but no
machine for the purpose has yet been
introduced which has met with any con-
siderable degree of favor from manufac-
turers. There is a lasting machine, but
it is susceptible of Improvement Re-
turning to the ladies' shoe, the next
person to receiv it is the (26) trimmer,
then the setter, liner, mailer, shaver,
buffer, burnisher, channeller, and chan
nel-turner, and several other minor
parts. The shoes finally reach the
hands of packer; and the amount of
capital this simple routine represents
throughout the United States is aston
ishing, as the manufacture of shoes en-
braces many other branches
A Little too Warm.