, 1884-10-18
THE SHOEMAKERS
Of the Bay State Thirty Years Ago,
and Those of To-Day.
Intelligence OF the knights of Peg
Hammer and ARI-Present Mode
OF misunderstanding Boots
and Shoes.

Randolph MaSl Cor. New York SUM-
The attention OF the stranger in this old
town f. often attracted by small, one-story
buildings, fifteen by twenty feet, attached to
mnny Of the cottages Of the mechanics, Al
though too substantially built for w~ood-sheds
and outhuildings, they are now used as such.
They belong 10 an interesting err in the his
tory Of the manufacture OF boots and shoes in
eastern Massachusetts, before the advent OF
machinery revoluiionized the business, and
before the bringing Of it into huge steam fac
tories left the little hops Of former days 10
10 inglorious duty as henbouses or rubbish
bins
Step back over the pathway Of time thirty
year and pay u visit to one Of these shops
Say hat it is a cold, frosty night in the fall, for
the men worked in the evening when the
weather was cold. Tho ruddy light CLEANS
chcorfully through the tattered curtains. and
we hear the sounds Of laughter and the click
Of hammers as we draw near. On entering
we find ten or twelve workmen sented on
benches crowded into 4 little room. briskly
working by the light Of lamps suspended
from the ceiling The walls and ceiling are
black from the smoke OF years. and the inky
efforts Of artistically-d dis oscd loungers. The
door is buried in IA layer OF leather chips u
loDl Qtt T. IINil tue luiu1l ol III uulUt rcd
hot cylinder stove sends up its rickety pipe
along the ceiling TO the chimney at The end.
A bonnl placed upon @ shop tub serves as a
seat Tor IA ~neighbor who has dropped in TO
hear the news or To participate in the nrgu-
ment which in many shops is the feature OF
the evening. Perhaps, II we look close,
we may zee On a convenient shelf a diction-
lry or a few works OF reference, which
are often consulted 10 s~ubstantiate an asser-
ton or settle q dispute, for in those days,
before machinery came with its rattle and
roar, conversation was easily carried on,
and habits Of discussion naturally formed SO,
50 that practically each gang was a debat-
ing society on a small scale. Thus It was
that in these shops Of the olden time was
nurtured that spirit OF intelligence for which
the shoemaker Of Massachusetts are noted
to-day.
Now for a look at the present mode OF
manufacturing boots and shoes. The little
one-story buildings nave been replaced by
huge structures four and five stories high.
Instead II each man making his own case
throughout, he has one certain part assigned
to him, and be does nothing else. On the
lower floor Of the building Is the sole-leather.
room. Here the leather is received in rolls
of 200 or 800 pounds. This, after being
soaked in water until soft, is run through
machinery by which it Is cut into strips,
skiyed, rolled, and died out into soles,
inner soles, and taps, the smaller
rieces cut into lifts for heels. This is
the most dangerous room in the factory for
tile workmen because OF so much knived ma
chinery. 1t is a rare thing 10 find such a
room that does not contain one or more EN-
ployes minus a finger or thumb. The racer,
q huge machine modelled something after the
\ guillotine Of France, Ia used in cutting the
sides Of leather into strips. 1t contains a
knife four feet long that would cut a mans
arm of as easy as scissors cut a thread.
In the cutting room we find long rows of
men at work ut high benches cutting calf,
kip, split, and other kinds of leather into
various patterns for vamps, This Is very
particular work, and cannot be don by ma
chinery. From the cutting room the leather
is brought to the stitching department, where
Mt long rows OF sewing machines men and
women are putting the vAmps together and
preparing them for the bottomer.
The bottoming room. which we next visit,
Is the largest in the factory. Here the
stock from the sole-leaIher room and the
vamps from the stitching room come to-
gether and are made up into boots and shoes.
Around the sides benches are arranged at
which the lasters work, while in tho center
are the machines. The lasting OF boots and
Shoes by machinery has not yet been accomp-
lished in a satisfactory manner. and owing
10 the nature OF the work, probably never
will be. By the laster the work is made
ready for the filter, who tacks on the soles,
By the use Of the fitting machine one man
does the work Of twenty under the old
method. The shoes are now ready TO be
pegged. The pegging machine was one OF the
first labor-saving inventions introduced into
the lttaiuaea and has pr,Iahly H,,a mon.
10 break up the old system Of man
ufaoture than my other. 1t does the work
Of twenty or twenty-five men, the work is
done better, and the machine occupies no
morn room than two men. The Lasts are
next drawn out, and the work is taken in
hand by the edger. The edging machine, like
most Of the boot and shoe mac hinery, does
the work Of twenty men, though it occupies
the space OF two.
The work is now transferred to the heeling
department. The leeling Of shoes by ma
chinery Is one of the most interesting opera
tons to be seen in the factory. The heels
come from the sole-leather room all prepared
for the machine, and are fed in one at n time.
Tn shoe Is placed in position, the nails driven,
the heel shaved, and the shoe released, all In
four seconds. With this machine some
operators can heel 200 pairs OF shoes per
lay.
The shoes are now made and ready to be
finished. In the finishing room the bottoms
Rfe secured and brushed and the heels
secured and Furnished by steam power. and
the work is done better than by hand, with
"A saving Of so 10 IS per cent. OF labor. When
finished the shoes are taken 10 the freeing
room. Here the vamIs secure the handsome
form and fine hurnised surface which make
the shoe 20 attractive in the shoe store. This
work is done by hand. As il Is upon the
freeing that many grades OF work depend
for their sale, they require closer attention
To details than a machine could be made to
give. when freed tue goods arc packed for
shipment in boxes containing a case each.
When boots arc spoken OF a case means
twelve pairs. Ia regard 10 shoes twenty -four
pairs is case. Tue average factory ships
1 5Nl unfr4 rar nay