Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1896-12-30
How Shoes Are Made.

Dioohtoh, MISS, the queen OF al
our "Shoe Cities" stands the massiy,
framework, glittering with myriad win
dows, OF the w. L. Douglas Shoe Co,
factory, where bales of leather chang.
with marvellous rapidity in famous shoes
Inc shoemaker's bench Of ave oldeu
time" has disappeared, and in its place
ponderous machines stamp and clanl,
ana growl and toss lunches of leather
from one to another like pack of dogs
worrying some hapless animal, till the
shapeless leather that the cutters pounc.
ed upon In the long room at the ton of
building comes riding into the packing
room, a rack for its carriage, q polished
and shapely shoe.
PROBABLY no place in the world offers
such splendid object lesson in shoe
making as does the Douglas factory,
where everything has been systemized
down to the minutest detail, and so care
iully arranged that walk through the
streets of this busy little world of a fac.
tory illustrates clearly the development
OF the shoe.
FIRST comes the cutting room. Here ia
little machinery, but leather is every.
where, from the scraps that litter the
moor and fill the bins, to the neatly piled
"vamps" and "tops' arranged on racks.
each pile labelled with the name OF the
cutter The most marvellous thing in
connection with this part Of the work Is
the ingenious systems whereby eyery
bit OF leather is kept track of. The fore.
man maps out the work; that is, he de.
termines there shall be so many boxes
OF shoes cut that day and each box shall
nave SO many pairs OF certain size.
Inc cutters, each one doing but single
thing, such as cutting "vamp,r gets his
leather and goes to work, trimming the
leather with curved knife, according
10 metal pattern. His work passes
uhuer the experienced eye Of an inspec.
tor, who at single glance Judges the
quality Of the leather and sorts it into
different grades.
II seems hopeless confusion; yet every
bit OF leather inevitably finds its mate of
the proper grade and size when they all
appear in the sewing room below, pur-
sued by relentless check list, watchfuI
to detect the slightest deviation from
the right road. In this room is a wilder.
ness of machines, many Of which are run
by women. Up at one end of the room
the cut leather starts on rapid journey.
one machine seizes 1t and bites IL few
times and seems to toss II away spiteful-
ly, Immediately it is thrust into the
claws OF another machine that stitches
IL in another place until it comes out at
the other end of the room in the shane
Of a shoe top.
Then the lasters ieize upon it, to fit
the top to the inner sole. Some of the
shoes are "lasted" by hand, others by
vicious looking machine, that
spils out tiny nails, and pounds the un.
fortunate Ahoes with all the energy of a
chairman calling to order caucus. Tho
Douglas people never hesitate to buy the
most improved machinery, and all tho
latest methods may be seen in this room.
Down this room, too, the half finished
shoes pass rapidly. On goes the outer
sole, sometimes by sewing machine,
sometimes by machine that screws the
sole on with little brass screws, that the
ron monster has swallowed voraciously.
with single stamp the heel goes on
he rough edges being shaved off by
vhirling knife. The channel made along
he sole by the stitching machine is filled
With cement, and under the angry stamp
II metal boot the channel is made fiat
gain.
Now we have the completed shoe In
he rough. But there are dozen more
machines, and dozen more processes to
10 applied in the way Of finishing
ouches. Finally, the, shoe, resplendent
n polish, neatly shaped and finished to
he last detail, is wheeled on q rack be-
ore the eagle eye Of the final inspector.
he passed 1t, the shoe is finished, and
'aving followed the leather through the
lands OF five hundred and sixty work.
men, the check list triumphantly re-
Gives It's final endorsement, and we have
perfeotshoe. Fifteen minutes is all the
ime they want to make shoe, when
hey hurry matters,-From the Watch
"' 'oe'o",i e'ass'' ~ ,.,, -. u.