Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-09-27
MILLIONS OF SHINES.
An Industry That is Immense in It's
Proportions.

There has been mucn talk about the
Magnitude of the engineering opera
ions in the Panama canal zone, and
INC statistical experts have made fire.
'luent use of the dimensions of the big
':ilcn as Il comparison for all the big
undertakings OF the country 1t may
still surprise some to learn that there
ire many !ittle-heard- industries in
he United States that can only be
alked of in figures of as large denom-
jnation as we have to use for the Pan
anna caral.
Take shoe polish as an example. Ev-
crybpdy uses Shoe polish, yet few give
t much thought. AMI facts about it's
manufacture probably impress most
coGle even less than the question,
w acre do the pins go?" Neverthc-
less, great as is the Panama canal,
With its fifty miles of length and 200
feet of breadth. there is enough liquid
'hoe polish made in this country each
year to put high shine on every
>Guarc foot Of It's surface Gf the sur
fSce had a leather finish)
About the middle Of January there
VAS d meeting in New York of the
principal manufacturers of shoe dress
ing During that meeting reports were
read that showed inc combined output
10 have been 216,G0o. 900 packages in
1903. and that is enough to give 21.69S.-
i27.0GO individual shines. All this poll
;;:ll was sold in boxes of an average
;;ize Of two and a half inches square
and five inches high. so if set side by
.lde they would extend from New York
10 san Francisco and back, II {; double
lire.
still another graphic illustration of
tic size of this industry is made by
hoWing that these boxes of shoe pol
ish. piled upon the plot of ground oc-
Cupird by the famous tower of the
Metropolitan building in New York,
would exceed the height of that struc~
ture more than twice. AS modern
Tower of Bahle it should be success,
TOO, because more than one of the big
makers of shoe polish have made their
product so familiar IN all languages
that cane upon the ancient tower
would have little effect on the shoe
polish box tower.
All IF us who have used shoe polish
Tor twenty years or more have seen
many improvements in that line. At
that time we have not seen the last of
oil or talloW as a leather preventative
and beautifcr. and about that time an
imported backing made of lampblack.
vinegar, molasscs and water was can
Sldered as good as could be made.
Long and tiresOme labor would pro-
duce Il very faint shine.
Next came n tin box with the same
ingredients reduced to Il paste. This
was used mostly by men and boys and
required ready flow of saliva land
sometimes of profanity. too). together
with vigorous elbow action Still later
came the alcohol yarnish. which gave a
quick ard brilliant slime Unfortunate
ly. the alcohol and the varnish would
crack the shoes to pieces in a few
weeks. and the saving in labor was
dearly PAID for in the destruction Of
leather.
Then came shellac dressing of a.
little moro merit. but with the same
'E"ct on the leather as alcohol varnish
This was followed by the combination
nolishes, where a liquid is applied and
rubbed down and followed by a paste
that also had to be rubbed to it's final
finish. The next step was to combine
tie materials of liquid and paste into
= paste. which was done so satisfactor-
lily that it is now a big seller.