The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-02-16
W~~~EN SHOES IN DEMAND.
One Michigan Factory That Turns
Out Three Hundred Pairs Every
Week.
From the New York Sun.

From the New York Sun.
The largest wooden shoe factory In
America is located IN Grand Rapids. Mich.
The factory does not overshadow all the
other buildings in its vicinity, nor does
the hum of its industry disturb the peace
and quiet of the neighborhood 1t is a
small 2-story building, with a sign out
in front to distinguish it from the dwell
ing houses in the same secluded street. 1t
is operated by two Holanders who have
been making wooden shoes almost from
infancy The junior partner occupies rooms
in the second story of the factory build
ing and the senior partner. with his fam
n.y. lives In the rear. while the factory
proper, the largest in the country and
producing about one-half of all the wood
en- shoes made on this side of the water
occupies l2xlO room on the ground floor
opening on the street. Three men find
steady employmentt ia the factory. and
the force al illness is increased to five
ana the product viii average the year
around about 800 pairs of shoes a week
A wooden shoe is produced entirely by
hand, and in its evolution from a block
OF wood to the finished product it under
goes three operations. The wood Is plr-
chased in shoe lengths, and the shoes
always go through the processes in pairs
The shaper takes two blocks and first
with bPoadaX and then with a hand
adze he hews and hacks with great APP
parent recklessneSS until he has reduced
the blocks TO a semhlance of a pair of
shoes. Then he puts them on a block of
wood, and with a long knife that looks
like a scythe blade, swivelled to the block
at one end, he rapidly brings the rough
blocks to the perfect form of a wooden
shoe.
The blocks are then turned over to the
bore, who with a variety of implements
makes the hole for the foot He first bores
a hole for the heel, and then with what
looks like an exaggerated cheese spoon
works his way toward the toe An expert
workman can reach the toe in two or three
minutes, while a green hand could not get
there in half an hour once started with
augers, knives scoops and scrapers, the
place for the foot is rapidly shaped. The
workman often uses callipers, and meas
ure so that one shoe of a pair shall be as
near as possible the mate of the other
The shoe is then sent to the drying room
to remain month, when the final touches
are TO give II the last scraping and the
artistic finish.
Willow is the best wood out of which to
make wooden shoes, but the American
willow is unlike that which grows on the
native heath of the wooden shoe In this
country Eastwood is used almost entirely
and is light, easy to work, durable and
dry. Occasional orders are received for
fancy shoes to be made of maple or wal
nut, ana once an extra fine pair had a
mahogny veneer. The shoes are especial
ly adapted for wearing in wet places,
and the demand for them is steadily in
creaslng. The Hollanders brought them
over from the old country, and were long
made sport of by the irreverent. But the
coming to the conclusion that in adopt-
ing the wooden footwear, the Dutch had
pretty level heads.
The shoes are especially desirable for
work in laundries, breweries, stables and
on the farm where the ground is wet
Hhey do not become saturated with mois-
ture, never get out of shape, like leather
boots, and are surprisingly warm and
comfortable, and in addition they are
cheap. and viii outlive several pairs of
coWhide boots, The awkwardness of
wearing the shoes soon passes away, and
when the wearer enters the house he kicks
graceful Build
The shoes sell for SO a dozen adult sizes.
$40 for small sizes and $3.50 for children's
and are shipped TO all parts of the coun,
try from here The Hollanders are still the
largest buyers but the Americans are
making rapid progress in adapting them
to their own uses. Beside the factory here,
there IS one at Holland, Ottawa county
producing about fifty pairs a week when
in operation, which is only part of the
time. Iowa has one or two, but few, if
any, work more than four or five months
year except the big factory here.