The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1884-10-29
MODERN sHoEMAKERs.
The Interiors of the Factories Where Foot.
wear fs Made

Now for look at the present mode of
manufacturing boots and shoes The little
one-story buildings have been replaced by
huge structures fom and five stories high,
Instead of each man making his own g case
throughout, he has one certain part assign.
ed to him, and does nothing else. On the
lower floor of the building isthe sole leather
room. Here the leather is received in rolls
of two or three hundred pounds. This,
after being soaked in water until soft is run
through machines by which it is cut into
strips, skived, rolled, and died out into
soles, inner soles, and taps, the smaller
pieces cut into lifts for heels. This is the
most dangerous room in the factory for the
workmen because of so much kniyed ma
chinery. 1t is a rare thing to find such
room that does not contain one or more en-
ployees minus finger or thumb. Some
times frightful accidents occur. The racer,
huge machine modelled something after
tho guillotine of France, is used in cutting
the sides of leather into strips. It contains
knife four feet long that would cut
mans arm off as easy as scissors cuts a
thread.
In the cutting room we find long rows of
men at work at high benches cutting calf,
kip, split, and other kinds of leather into
various patterns for yamps This is very
particular work, and cannot be done by
machinery. From the cutting room the
leather is brought to the stitching depart
|
ment, where at long rows OF sewing ma
chimes 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 leather room and
the vamps from the stitching room come to.
gether and are made up into boots and
shoes Around the sides benches are ar
ranged at which the lasters work, while in
the centre are the machines The lasting
of boots and shoes by machinery has not
yet been accomplished in satisfactory
manner, and, owing to tho nature of the
work, probably never will be. BY the laster
the work is made ready for the filter, who
taclss on the coles. 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 business, and has prob
ably done more to break up the old system
of manufacture than any other. 1t does the
work of twenty or twenty-five men, the
work is done better, and the machine occu.
pies no more room than two men. The
lasts are next drawn out, and the work is
taken i'll hand by the edger. The edging mo-
chine, like most of the boot and shoe ma
chinery, does the work of twenty men,
though it occupies only the space of two.
The work is now transferred to the heel
ing department. The heeling of shoes by
machinery is one of the most interesting
operations to be seen in the factory. The
heels come from the sole leather room oil
prepared for the machine, and are fed in
ana nf a t;--ee.-z tri.v si.oo 40 piaooo IA pvsl-
ton, the nails driven, the heel shaved and
the shoe released, all in four seconds. With
this machine some operators can heel l,O0C
pairs OF shoes per day.
The largest gold nuggets ever found were
the following The Sarah Sands nugget,
found at Ballarat. 1t weighed $50 pounds
Troy, or 1850 ounces. This, at "a per
ounce, would be worth &c, 40. The Blanche
Barley nugget, dug up at Hangover. II
weighed lao pounds, and was worth co, $50.
The Welcome nugget, found at Ballarat. II
weighed 1874 pounds, and was sold for f10,-
600. This was the largest ever found.
As soon as it become known that the du-
ties ON opium imports were to be increased
from SO to $40 pound, the dealers of San
Francisco brought in several millions worth
of the drug, and as the supply exceeded the
demand it had TO be stored away in various
banks and warehouses. Recently, that which
came in under the old rate was nearly ex.
hnusted, and the first shipment under the
new, consisting of 131 cases, Melted the gov
eminent, in the way of duties, $65, 500.
This may give the public some idea of the
extent the habit of eating and smoking the
deadly drug has gained over the people Of
this country