The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1896-10-08
SURE THE SHOE woULDNoT 90.

SURE THE SHOE WOULD NOT DO.
So Practical nIen Told tho Inventor OF .
sowing Machine.
Gordon Mckay, with whom shoe man
ufacturers were once better acquainted
than now, was recently honored with
the degree of master of arts by Harvard
college. ,a
When Mr.. Mckay sought to bring
his sewing machine into use, he was told
by all practical shoemakers that the
"thread must fill the hole" This was at
once seen to he impossible, for in this
machine the needle must draw the
thread through the hole, and when the
needle was no longer in the hole, OF
course the thread could not fill it. 1t
was then that Mr.. Mckay said: IF
it is true the thread must fill, then the
machine (Which was then finished in
vention) is so much scrap"
It was here that r. H. Mathies again
showed that wonderful quickness of
perception which had played SO i'm
portant part in the improvements that
finally made the machine practical
success. Needing not the fact that ex-
perts were against him, he said: "One
experiment is better than a thousand
expert opinions. Try it," So pair of
shoes were made. each sewed with the
same thread, one with the smallest
needle possible and the other with u
needle ridiculously large-and being
worn by Mr.. Mathies, in two weeks the
shoe sewed with the small needle ripped,
while the other stood we'll till the sole
was worn through and then served as
a welt to sew on tap which was worn
out and renewed. The sewing never
failed. 1t is on this discovery that the
whole business of Mckay machine
sewed shoes rests to-day, and there arc
probably 1OO,O00,C0O pairs of them made
every year.
An amusing anecdote relating TO this
feature in the shoe may not be out Of
place. When these shoes had been al
lowed to be taken as equal to hand
sewed shoes in the army. by order of
Gen. Meigs some cases were' sent to
the arsenal at Philadelphia on a con-
tract. Col. Crossman gave them to an
inspector who had been long in the
shoe department. making army shoes.
He examined them AMI soon discovered
the thread did not fill the holes end
reported that they were worthless.
Nevertheless, under orders from Gen.
Meigs, they were accepted and given
out to the army. In few months Col.
Crossman informed Mr. Mckay that
he heard the shoes were failing in the
army and that he had sent his in
spector to look into it. The inspector
returned with the report that the shoes
that failed were 'hnIl.i made"
Col. Crossman then, to make an end
of the doubt cast Oh machine shoes,
sent the same inspector-who, by the
way, was the same one who first re-
ported against the shoes becaus: the
thread did not fill the hole - to 60
through all the hospitals and see every
man, and get a report from all who ha ID
worn the machine shoe. The report
was made covering one rea1n of fools
cap. Each mans name, regiment, etc,
was given, and the words he used. as
far as possible. There were over 1000
soldiers statements III the report, and
the inspector concluded his report by
saying: II have executed the work
given me. and I must say have not
heard of a machine shoe that has
ripped. Nevertheless, know n ma
chine shoe cannot be good, because the
thread does not fill the hole It is
probable that nine in ten of the shoe
manufacturers who will read this arti-
Gle are of the same opinion as the in
spector.-Shoc and Leather Reporter.