The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1885-04-05

Is Stamped on the Toe of the Stocking You Buy.
In the beginning, stockings were knitted on ord-
nary needles. after the manner in which our grand
mothers are wont to knit them.
Then Mr.. Lee, an Englisliman. invented what be-
came technically known as iat-knitting machine,
that produced webb which, by sewing, was made
stockings having these Irritating features had been
endured many years, 1t occurred to some one-haply
a tender-foOted neutrality-suspicious. If a stocking
could be made without seams or punches on u ma
chine benefit would be conferred on mankind.
The first effort to do this had result which was
scarcely recognizable as stocking. In getting rid
of the seams and the bunch at the heel the shape
was got rid of too, 80 that instead of stocking
mere bag was produced. il very slack, this bag
would 1T the foot when drawn on tightly and held
on: but the moment it was let go it would begin TO
move about OH the foot and finally creep down as
wad into the Toe Of the boot IL was called the
"railroad stocking
soon after tho advent Of the ''rairoad" stocking
an improvement appeared, which might have been
styled the combined OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
road stocking. 1t was simply the bag with an en-
| largcd top. The enlargement began at about the
length of mans foot from the toe end Of the bag
about where his heel would come. But it was not a
| stocking heel. II was left TO another inventor to
discover that neither of these railroad" stockings
presented the angle of the foot and leg common TO
| the human foot and leg. Both seemed like cover
ngs for the stumps of ainputated limbs. As such.
they would have had sale, but not so large sale
as the regular made stockings, since the number of
| whole limbs exceeds the number of stumps, as
every one will admit who gives critical attention to
| The next genius conceived the idea of knitting
| into one side of the bag an angular piece which
threw the foot ont of line with the leg; and he
patented stocking SO made, limiting his descrip
ton and claim to the narrowed, angular piece so in
troduced. This stocking though marking one step
wear II sufficiently elastic to be put on, 1t refused
TO stay in place, Just as the shaped "raroad bag
parts OF the foot 1t was too small at the nstep and
caused pain. 1t was, indeed, very uncomfortable
ad e ad
| taken by the addition of a wdened angular piece
| next to the narrowed piece.
This was DECIDED advance, giving greater
angle Of foot and leg, more roomy heel, and less
draft over the lnstep. II was patented to Mr. shaw
and sod yef Of his MI thew @
fit we they shifted about on the foot, especially
around the heel, and bound the insep too tightly.
about the same time several imltators In different
parts OF the country made alterations ~ their hand
machines to enable them to narrow and,widen, so as
| to be capable of knitting under hand operation, the
stocking patented 10y him.
These persons did not in any case offer
to pay him royalty, and he was too poor to
maintain suit against them. But they found
| what he had found, that the stocking was not
ferior and ill-fIttng goods would be tolerated The
demand was limited. The goods would do for
the kind of people who were satisfied with the rail-
| road" goods, but not for the more numerous class
which had been used to full-fashoned hosiery. The
manifest need OF Improvement led to many altera-
ticns IN the mode of knitting the heel. One inventor
formed the heel out of series of lunes, quarter
moons, making 1t resemble the modern stovepipe
elbow.
Another introduced a lune Just above the mar
| rOwed and wdened parts which had been patented
by Mr. Shaw. The inventors, however, always tried
to give the right shape and yet knit the heel one
irOie part For this reason they failed to give addl-
| tiOnal room where II was needed. Putting more
web into the heel either made i baggy or caused it
to encrOach on the insep, or both. The outer cir
conference of the heel remained practically, at the
same distance from ethe pivotal point under the
shown IN the sketches All their stockings nould
wrinkle and draw at the instep. The heel ,couid get
down under the foot and be very uncomfortable, like
their mother bag.
The business OF making these Ill hitting stockings
by these persons was carried on with varying ILL
| success In many places for some years, when Mr..
Shaw, giving up the idea OF knitting whole heel,
patented his gusseis or cores. These gussets were
| left by his automatic loom to he united by hand
l.They served to enlarge the stocking where had
needed enlargement; drew the sale up properly into
the arch OF the foot drew tho leg closer In back OF
the ankle Joint, and yet gave the needed room be-
tween the point OF the heel and the top OF the nstep
The sizes OF these cores could be easily varied for
feet OF different sizes, and the parts proper
toned one TO another, that any draft toward the toe
tended rather tn Keep the heel IN place than TO pull
1t down under the foot and so that the stocking NJ.
ted alike every part OF the foot, giving degree of
| comfort heretofore unknown, even to persons who
were accustomed 10 the full-fashoned French or
English goods Mi. shaw went beyond his early
ambition To make a seamless stocking, ana made 4
perfect one. The business OF making these perfected
stockings, which soon became known as Shawkn
has been an unparalleled success from the start IN
1878. So great demand sprang up for these goods
an Impulse was given 10 the production of the pre-
factory forms, most II not all, OF which nave beer
In one way or another palmed OF AS "Shaw stock
ingsn upon persons who had heard OF the Shawhni
hut had never worn or seen them. And the tram,
in these Inferior goods inferior In both quality ant
nt-is vast one to-day There are 81 many who hav,
yet TO try the bogus goods and he dlsappOined ant
so many too, who have never known the luxury
aud comfort OF a really good stocking and are quite
indifferent as TO what they put an TO their feet. OF
the other hand, the appreciation of the Shawknit u
constantly extending, not only into new helds. bu
IA every locality where FIRST Introduced. Merit
telling In the case OF these goods rs IN that OF ever
other superior commodity. No matter what may III
the fate of uferior stratus, the clearly Indicated re
suit with respect to the Shawknt ~ the
"SuRNivAL oF the FlrrrSE"
The genuine Shawknit have the name stamped OF
the toe. No person desiring these goods need lie dc
| Celyed. Let every one insist upon having stocking
stamped Shawknit and decline al Limitations,
Tor there are no limitations eNcept feeble ones II
oolors. There ar" no structural mutations az ma
cForiiing Jelt3Hf-rnE GuSsErS AT The nEEi, no
can there be an efficient substitute for these gusseis
some intrngemens were made soon after the Shaw
knit were put upon the market, but tho infringer
we're enectually stopped 10y proceedings IN III
. ntel states Courts. Most reputable dealers i
! New England keep The genuine goods, though the
may not show them I'LL called Tor. some OF thel
prefer 10 sell goods which have no established Nal
aud pay u larger profit, or which wear out Two 0
hree tllues AS fast, ami 10 makea more lNey trade
II Is Indeed common complaint OF the dealers thu
: the Shawkuit wear too long, that " II u man hu
two or three pairs he Will not need another stoclin
. for a year"
SIZES . TO IL! INCHES.
a DYES AS GOOD As THE BEST
I ALL CoLoRS AND MIXTURES FOR 50 PIE
2 DOZEN
HENNING THE EInTHIER