Morning journal and courier., 1891-08-29
Ar rHE nuanEn sHop.

General Humidity Is to Blame-The Goods Would Re Injured by the Presence of Water or VapOr-The Men to Resume Work all Eight.
 L. Candee & Go. .'s bootmakers returned to work yesterday, but as the day was hu- mid and sultry and damp weather contin- ued, many of them decided not to work. Some of the mon, however, stayed through out the day. The differences between the company and the men will probably be adjusted tomorrow, when one of Commis- sioner Hotchkiss inspectors will be pres ent and make an investigation. The en- ployers are willing to do everything in their power for the comfort of the boot makers, but cannot consent to have their goods utterly damaged to satisfy whims of few restless agitators. The windows on the south end of the shop only are kept shut and this happens only in case of rain. As it is, the bootmakers' room is said to be not nearly as close as other parts of the building, where the workmen have worked uncomplainingly for years. As soon as the present humidity abates all windows will be opened and the men will not nave eVeu preteuce AoI oDjoctAnS Co their situation. It is very easily explained how the damp atmosphere acts injuriously to the rubber boot or shoe. The injury occurs during the process of manufacture. The damp air or mist, or fog, settling upon the raw rubber prevents the rubber from sticking to the inner parts, such as Things, insoles, etc., thus presenting an appearance after | the goods are vulcanized of very clumsy piece of patchwork The dampness causes | the raw rubber to loose it's adhesivness. It also causes what is called blisters, and | for this very reason all boot-trees and lasts are thoroughly dried in large spacious
 rooms, called heaters before they are al l jected to heat of 240 degrees to make 1 sure that the wood of which they are made, is as dry as lamp chimney.
 Rubber is perfectly waterproof, and il l the lasts should become damp or wet, and | should remain so when the goods run 1T | the heater to be vulcanized, the dampnesi 1 is turned into steam, and the effort of thil steam-however small the amount-to es cape from inside the boots or shoes acts al sort of blower and causes 8 "goos, 1 flesh" or miniature bubbles to appear al over the surface of the rubber. When tht process of vulcanizing is over and thu | SOOuS COOl OA, IuoSo DllstoTS UT OuDDloS T0
 main and give the work very rough ant
 unfinished appearance.
 1 It is to thorough carefulness in regard ] to fine finish that the Candee factory built up trade which is the astonishment O
 other firms less scrupulous or painstakinl l as to fine work.
 l If the men do not return to work to-da,
 all the cut stock on hand is liable to spoi
 unless great care is exercised in regard t.
 it. The peculiar qualities of the rubbe
 gum when raw make it unplable when ex
 posed for any considerable length of time
 When it becomes thoroughly dry
 acts almost the same as when it i
 wet. When it is dry it also loses it's ad
 hesiveness. But this can be detected whil
 working it and thus it can be reclaimed
 Not so, however, when it is wet. A gen
 tleman who has been in the rubber stam
 business for years said last night that ct , produce perfect stamp the plaster mould
 must be thoroughly dried before pressin
 in the rubber or else they will blister, ,mal
 ing it impossible to produce a perfect in ) pression," and the same may be said of th
 processes in all other branches of the ruk
 Der business.