Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1890-12-05
HOW sroes ARE MADE.
x7,a Outline Method Ahandonesi-Wors
Done by the Machine.

No,,l. oll the shoes manufactured at
the present time are constructed oy ma
chinerv, As in other mechanicai INDUS
tries. the oldtime method, by which each
workman put together a boot from .he
cutting of the sole to the stitching OF the
upner leather, has been abandoned Tor
the system that gives to every person
employed some small part only OF the
TASK to be performed. Perchance 1t VIII
not he uninteresting to review III detail
the process by which a pair OF mems loot
coverings is evolved from the orlginai
leather. The material employed may DO
calfskin, buff leather, grain or splt.
Buff leather is ordinary cowskh' Win
fine rough outside ground off 1t by a bull
inc wheel. Frequently the hide IS sliced
With n knife into two layers, the outer
one next to the hair being called the
e,ra;p and the inner one the split. The
latter makes an excellent quality OF
leather, while the former has the great
advantage of being waterproof. In any
case however, the first operation neces-
sarv is the tanning This is simple, and
is performed by suspending the skins,
inst as they come from the animal, In
watts filed with hot sumach liquor or
hemlock bark. For eight days or less
thew are left to soak, and then are taken
ont, washed and dried in the sun, or
under cover with revolving fans. flnally
they are carefully blacked-for ordinary
use Mt any rate In this condition they
are brought to the factory, in big bum
dies. and now the process begins.
in a
places the thickest of cowhides-pre-
viously chopped into long stripes OF
width lust equal to the length OF the shoe
desired-on a table beneath a steel die,
which descends at brief intervals and
cuts out a series Of perfect soles, as the
material is showed along by the practlced
hand of the workman. Another man
chops out in like manner the various
pieces for the upper using for this
purpose dies that are manipulated by
hand, with mallets to strike them with.
But all really fine goods are cut out by
| hand entirely, the expert employing
brass edged patterns around which he
runs keen knife blade. The upper Is
almost invariably in three pieces instead
of six, as formerly. In this scrappy
condition the upper of the contemplated
boot is sent to the stitching department,
where it is put together by girls with
sewing machines of massive construc-
ton. especially adapted to this sort Of
work The making of buttons and but
tonholes, lining, ETC., all comes under
the head of stitching. This performed,
the shoe that is to be goes to the laster,
whose part of the task is perhaps more
important toits success than that allotted
to any one else
In big factories the lasting is done bya
"teamn of men. No. | takes the wooden
last and tacks the insole upon it, passing
it over thereupon to No. ., who stretches
the upper over the last and tacks it SO as
to hold No. lays the outer sole over
the insole, and secures it with lasting
tacks. The shoe, thus fixed temporarily
in shape, is next sewn together by ma
chine. and the sole is finally attached
with pegs or screws. 1t is a wonderful
thing to see the mechanical contrivanee
devised for this purpose go over the bot
tom of boot with an endless wire screw
in its jaws, putting in metallic pegs
wherever needed, never too long and
never too short, until one shoe is COM
pleted and thrown aside for another, the
whole operation being gone through from
beginning to end automatically. Now
the job is taken up by the heller, who
affiXes the heel already prepared by a
single stroke of a machine hammer,
while knife is whirled around almost
simultaneously and cuts the new attach
ment clearly to the proper shape. This
done, the product, now nearly finished,
goes to a person who blacks the edges Of
the sole and heel. The final touches are
added by an artist who Furnishes these
same parts with an oscillating wheel, and
the shoes are ready for market.
Such is the process by which nearly all
the shoes made in New England are
turned out. 1t is a curious fact, by the
way, that the shoes made for selling in
this part of the country have much lower
insteps than those sent to the south; peo-
pie here possessing feet but slightly
arched-a symptom of physical degener-
alton, it is said The manufacturer is
obliged, in fact, to produce a boot OF
special shape for every small section of
the country supplied by him, and it is
quite the usual thing to send around
agents to the retailers to secure the
measurements of the local pedal extremi,
ties in such and such township, from
which a general average is figured out
and lasts designed accordingly Boston
Cor. Chicago Tribune.