Connecticut western news., 1882-10-04
THE SHOES WE WEAR.
l AN INTERESTING DESCRIPTION OF THE
 MANNER IN WHICH THEY ARE MADE.
From the N. Y. Evening Post. l

AN INTERESTING DESCRIPTION OF THE
 MANNER IN WHICH THEY ARE MADE.
 From the N. Y. Evening Post.]
 From 1855 dates the downfall of the shop and "kit." 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 matter of necessity, a double-soled shoe, and hence took the place, in great degree, of the old handmade "welt." This l 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- quired 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 it's move ments that eighty pairs an hour have been stitched upon it, giving less than twenty-thre seconds to each shoe. The time saved in cutting soles is equally wonderful. Thirty years ago sole leath- CT was almost altogether cut by hand. A man was only able to cut a 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, 150 sides can be cut in ] day, and every sole will be exactly the l same size and with the dieing- g-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 25O sides per day against ten that smart, old time work or could do.
 The central part of Lynn is devoted
 to the large manufactories, 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 it's
 entire length, so that the workman can
 place the die on any portion of the side,
 and then, by 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 an6
 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 fol cutting out the taps, counters, and hee lifts, as these are cut from the parts O
 the side left after all the outsoles possi
 ble have been cut therefrom, the idea il each instance being so to place the die on the stock to avoid waste. The sole are now in the hands of the sorter, ant have been through three hands-th stripper, sole-cutter, sorter-and thel comes the tier-up. The upper stock
 cut in what is called the cutting room and the hands consist of CD the outsid cutter, CD lining cutter, (3) trimmin cutter and (4) dier. out. This is in mos cases hand work, and in mems boot and shoes entirely so, but the Lyn, , manufactories almost entirely produc A ladies' shoes.
 stitching room, where they pass (5) int
 the hands of the lining maker, then C 3 the closer, CD steam rubber, (s) back stayer, (O front-stayer, QO closer-or CID turner, Q2) top-stitcher, Q3) but
 tonhole cutter, Q4) corder, Q5) vampel
 Q6) button sewer-on-al these bein different persons. The uppers and bot
 tom stock are now taken to the lastin
 or finishing room. As we have alread seen, the bottom stock has passe
 through four processes. ending with tn . .. tier-up. These, added to the sixtee
 through which the uppers have passet make twenty before they reach th
 hands of the stock-ftter. From thi s point the process goes on-(21) stool l filter, (22) laster, (23) sole-layer, CA 2 stitcher, (25) beater-out. If for men 't boots and shoes, now comes the "las " ing," or the drawing of the upper snugl and evenly over the last, so that it wi \, fit closely in all parts, and the edge = = just lap over the outer edge of the il o sole, all temporarily fastened until tn '' outsole can be attached. This is con 0 monly done by hand, the workma ; drawing the leather over with pincert W and tacking it in place. To do thi ', work hy machine is task the solutio = of which has been sought by mechanic and inventors for many years, but n ; machine for the purpose has yet bee
 introduced which has met with any COT Q siderable degree of favor from manufae !, turers. There is lasting machine, bu it is susceptible sof improvement Re ;t turning to the ladies' shoe, the nez o person to receive it is the (26) trimmer o then the setter, liner, mailer, shaver 2 buffer, burnisher, channeller, and chan l. nel-turner, and several other mino a parts. The shoes finally reach tn f hands of packer, and the amount (
 | oo v>ito1 fhis siro,,1o rcutipo ronrosonR