The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-09-06
MACHiNE-MADE SHOES.
They Were Thought to BE Imprac-
teal VIXEN First Manufactured.

Shoe and Leather Reporter
Gordon Mckay, with whom shoe manu-
facturers We're once better acquainted than
now, was recently honored with the degree
of Master of Arts by Harvard College.
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 be impossible, for in this machine the
needle must draw the thread through the
hole, and when the needle was no longer il
the hole, of course the thread could not fiji
1t. 1t was then that Mr.. Mckay said: eff
1t is true the thread must FILL then the ma
chine (Which was then finished invention)
is so much scrap"
1t was here that r. H. Mathies again
showed that wonderful quickness of percep-
ton which had played so important a
part in the improvements that finally made
the machine practical success. Needing
not the TACT that experts were against him
ne said: One experiment is better than
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 a needle
ridiculously large-and being worn by Mr.
Mathies, in two weeks the shoes sewed
with the small needle ripped while the
other stood well till the sole was worn
through and then served us welt to sew
on a tap which was worn out and renewed.
The sewing never failed. 1t is this dis
covery that the whole business of Mckay
machine-sewed shoes rests to-day, and
there are probably 100 200, 900 pairs of them
made every year
An amusing anecdote relating to this fea-
ture in the shoe may not be out of place
When these shoes had been allowed TO be
taken as equal to hand-sewed shoes in the
army, by order of General Meigs some
cases were sent to the arsenal at Philadel-
phia on contract. Colonel Crossman gave
them to an inspector who had been long in
the shoe department making army shoes
He examined them and soon discovered
the thread did not fill the holes and re-
ported that they We're worthless Never
theless under orders from General Meigs
they were accepted and given out to the
army. In few months Colonel Crossnan
informed Mr.. Mckay that he heard the
shoes We're failing in the army and that
he had sent an inspector to look into it,
The inspector returned with the report
that the shoes that failed were hand
made
Colonel Crossman then, to make an end
OF the doubt cast machine shoes sent
the same 1nspector-who, by the way was
the same who first reported against the
shoes because the thread did not fill the
hole-to go through all the hospitals and
see every man, and get a report from all
who had worn the machine shoe. The re-
port was made. covering one ream of fools
cap. Each mans name, regiment etc was
given, and the words he used as far as
possible. There We're over 1000 soldiers
statements in the report, and the Inspector
concluded his report by saying: Il have
executed the work given me- and I must
say L have not heard of a machine shoe
that has ripped. Nevertheless / know a
machine shoe cannot be good. because the
thread does not fill the hole 1t is prob
able that nine IN ten of the shoe manu-
facturerS who Will read this article are of
the same opinion rs the inspector.