Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1883-02-14
Modern Manufacture OF Shoes.

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 hand
made "welt." This handmade, welted
shoe required two seams, the inner seam,
or the sewing-in of the welt and upper,
and the stitching" or sewing together of
the welt and the outer sole. The aver
age time required 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 the inner sole, upper,
and outer sole, substituted one seam for
two; and when it was worked by
''power," such was the expedition of its
movements that eighty pair an hour have
been stitched upon it, giving less than
twenty-three seconds to each shoe. The
time saved in Gu tting soles is equally
wonderful Thirty years ago sole leather
was almost altogether cut by hand A
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
machines, $50 sides can be cut in 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 the last. The saving in
time and stock amounts to many hun
dreds per week. Or if the sides have
been cut into strips, one of these ma
chimes can cut 250 sides per day against
ten that smart, old-time worker 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 a shoe passes through
nearly fifty hands before completion.
Cutting the soles is the first operation,
and is done by the above ma
chine with dies. The whole side is laidout
upon "A large table, the top of which is
level within 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, instantaneously bring
down bar with sufficient force To cut
out the sole. This may be done as rap
idly as the operator can place the die,
but good judgment is required in select
ing the thickest and most solid parts of
the leather for outsoles, 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 possible have been cut there
from, the idea in each instance being 80
to place the dies on the stock as to avoid
waste. The soles are now in the hands
of the sorter, and have been through
three hands--the stripper, ole-cutter,
sorter-and then comes the tier-up. The
upper stock is cut i'm what is called the
cutting-room, and the hands consist of Cd
the outside cutter; (2) lining cutter; (3)
trimming cutter, and (4) dier-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 60
into the hands of the lining-maker, then
Co the closer, CD steam rubber, (S) back
slayer, Coz front-stayer, (1O) closer-on, (l1)
turner, (l2) top-stitcher, Q3) buttonhole
cutter, Q4) cordcr, Q5) vamper, Cl6) but
ton sewer-on-all these being different
persons. The uppers and bottom 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-ftter.
From this point the process goes on-(21)
stock-ftter, (22) laster, (23) sole-layer,
(24) stitcher, (25) beater-out. If for
mems boots and shoes, now comes the
Casting" or the drawing of the upper
snugly and evenly over the last,
so that it will fit closely
in all parts, and the edges Just
lap over the outer edge of the insole, all
temporarily fastened until the outsole
can be attached. This Is commonly 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 pur-
pose has yet been introduced which has
met with any considerable degree of
favor from manufacturers. There is a
lasting machine, but it is susceptible of
Returning to the ladies'
shoe, the next person to receive it is the
(26) trimmer; then the setter, liner, mailer,
buffer, burnisher, channeller, and
channel.turner, and several other minor
parts The shoes finally reach the hands
of packer and the amount of capital
this simple routine represents through
out the United States Is astonishing, as
the manufacture of shoes embraces many
other branches.
In 1870 there were 4,237 tanneries in
the United States, employing 20,784
hands, using capital of $42,720,505,
paying in wages 1884 l8, producing
leather valued at sc, 169, 1888; and there
were 1851 establishments for the manu-
facture of boots and shoes, employing
81 ,7O2 hands, with capital of $37 3d.
019, paying In wages $40, 504 ,444, using
$50. 502,7l8 worth Of mate rails, manu-
featuring boots valued at $50, 231, 40 and
shoes valued at $73,s46, 203, with pro-
uuCtfOU Ndlutu AT GlfV, fVt,VVV, vi WulCH
Massachusetts, supplied $50, 565, i45, in
creased in 1875 to $S9,375,792, and in
1880 to nearly 800, 900, 900.
Boston Is by far the largest market for
boots and shoes in the world. There
were shipped from there during 1880 over
two and a quarter million cases of boots,
shoes, and "rubbers" to interior and
coastwise ports, the cases holding from
twelve to sevnty-five pairs per case, but
at low estimate, over fifty
pairs. Though we are the frstin
the world in the manufacture of shoes,
England is not far behind. There are
about 400, 900 persons interested in the
shoe trade in that country, one-third be-
ing women. In London alone there are
1851 shoemakers, and 1t has been esti.
mated that 100000 tons Of oak bark are
annually used in Great Britain in the
tanning of leather.--Lynn (Mass.) Cor.
N. Y. Post.
Good work from human beings, lust