The Red Cloud chief., 1899-11-17
OLD-TIME GUN SHOES.

Not SO Pretty as the b of To-day.
but There Wa india Rubber In Them.
Philadelphia Record: India rubber
shoes were first manufactured In Rox-
bury, Mass. In 1888. and verify they
were "fearfully and wonderfully
made" They really bore nc resem-
blance whatever to a shoe. They had
the appearance OF having been run In
to molds OF blown. the same as glass
bottles are made. They were made OF
pure rubber gum. No attempt was
made to initiate the shape of the shoe
or foot they were intended to cover.
In shape they were hollow tubes. taper
Ing toward the toe. At the place where
the opening to pull them over the shoe
should be was an irregular hole. with
Out shape. just as they came from the
mold. The hole was enlarged with
a pair OF shears to ut the instep. or
cut high or low to suit the taste or
caprice OF the customer. The work
was done by the salesman after the
buyer had selected, according 10 his
requirements. heavy or light, thick or
thin. Mems sizes were very heavy the
soles being frequently from o%ne-fourth
to a half inch In thickness. They were
tied In pairs and stuffed with straw or
hay to keep them In shape for ship
mcnt. A lady's foot. incased In this
huge. ill-shaped mass Of India rubber
gum. Weighing at least a pound, pre-
scented a clumsy appearance. indeed,
particularly when compared with the
light and truly artistic appearance OF
the present styles. The first attempt
at making overshoes OF india rubber
did not prove a success, a large amount
OF capital being sunk In the expert
ment. as we'll as all the unsold stock.
They answered the purpose in cold
weather, but would not stand the heat,
melting into a disgusting mass. Ex-
periments to remedy this difficulty re-
suited H. reaching the opposite ex
IRENE. the cold weather freezing them
ev hard as to make them brittle. SO
they could not Re drawn over the shoe
until they were thoroughly warmed
and this obstacle to success was no,
not overcome until Charles Goodyear
uiSSoNciSu INV pioScSs VI NuicahiIiht
rubber. which has rendered his name
immortal. Rapidly following this ers
OF improvements, the India rubber sho,
began to assume beauty OF proportion
and practical utility. The shoes wer'
lasted. and the merchant threw asid'
his shears, One particularly populaI
style that had a great run for a coupl,
OF years was trimmed With fur aroun,
the tops and came well up on the an
kles. Dickens has immortalized thi
particular style by placing them on tn,
feet Of the pretty Arabeila that MI
Wrinkle met and fell In love With Will
visiting with Mr.. Pickwith at Old War
dies. All rubber shoes were mad
from the solid gum at that time, an
we are safe In saying that a single pal
would outweigh six pairs OF those no,
In the market. Besides being heav
and ugly. they were often painful fror
being so tightly stretched over the fee
They made the wearer look club-foot
ed. and any attempt Mt embellishmen
was a failure and made them appea
clumsler still. But this condition Q
things was not to last. In 1874. Good
year pefected his v~ulcanizing process
and his method OF spreading the pur
gum upon elastic textile fabrics. an
the manufacture OF rubber shoes ha
since improved from year to year, ur
til they have become a thing Of beaut!
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A