El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-08-01

= EW YORK, n Y, Aug, L.
nj Never before has so much at
- tention been paid 10 the proper
dressing Of the feet Variety in foot
wear during the present season seem
ingly leaves little more to be devised.
The styles IN shoes are as changeable
as any other article Of human apparel
and they do not all make for either
comfort or appearance, although there
has been some Improvement il this re-
spect during the past year The fact
that for several years it was almost
impossible to secure a good looking
shoe for women which had a firm
sole unless il had a really high heel,
led 10 the wearing of boys shoes by
many women. especially those OF ath-
letic or pedestrian tastes. This has
caused the manufacture of the man
nish shoe for women which is similar
to a boys shoe in appearance but it
IS little lighter in weight There are
a large number of women, however,
especially college girls, who refuse to
look at a walking shoe made for wO-
men and insist upon being provided
with the regular boys stock, including
the strap at the back which some
how seems to give the distinctive
masculine touch Low heels for out
ing shoes are more numerous this year
than for some years past and a few
shoes are now shown without any
heels.
While the regular stock slippers and
shoes made in the great factories are
dainty and exclusive in their design,
each season there is an increasing
number Of people for whom shoes are
made to order. This work is not al
ways done in the little hand shops
either. In fact there are fewer OF
these than formerly, but the meas
urements Of the foot are taken care
fully by the filter in the store, and
a ch fe Id Tes
made from the correct measurements.
These lasts are made to order for the
shoe manufacturers, and a shoe can
be made to order from proper last
at only a trifle more expense than
the regular stock. In this way par
ticular women frequently have their
shoes made from the same material as
their gowns and men can give orders
for dress shoes and outing shoes from
the same last knowing that they viii
be equally satisfactory in fit.
America Leads In Footwear.
There is a close connection between
the shoe and stocking in the average
mind, and it is interesting to know
that America. leads the world in both
productions both as regards quality
and quantity During the year three
important patents have been granted
for the improvement OF stocking
knitting machinery. One is a plating
process by which silk may be knit over
cotton, or over another color of silk,
thus making elaborate effects COM
paratively easy Of production An
other is seamless plated heel ard
toe and the third is a machine which
knits the ribbed top Of the stocking
with a single double welt instead of
a ragged edge. These three inventions
have made possible trade ventures
which have quite exceeded those OF
the German stocking manufacturers,
the closest rivals America has had in
the hosiery trade of the world.
The most notable economy con-
nected with the present fashions in
hosiery is the low price at which silk
stockings are placed upon the market.
1t is a silk season indeed, and the
humblest. hardworking toiler may
compete with the millionaire in the
wearing OF silk stockings. The ques-
ton is being continually asked How
can silk stockings be sold so cheap2"
They may ~ found in many stores as
low as three pairs Of Women's hosiery
for 81 and 25 cents a pair for mems
half hose. Those sold at the more
exclusive stores at a higher price are
little more attractive in appearance or /
IN wearing quality. The silk stocking
trade this year has placed the ordinary !
isle or cotton stocking quite in the
background and even IN their wearing /
qualities the latter are no longer su- /
perior.
Cost Reduced TO MInfnun.
One secret is that the improved ma I
chinery has reduced the labor of knit /
ting stockings to a minimum. The /
cost OF SILK is less than formerly, and I
the cost OF manufacturing has been /
reduced in even greater proportion. J
But there is another reason of even 1
greater Importance which has brought I
down the cost Of silken hosiery. This {
IS that the greater part of the so T.
called silk stockings found in the Z
shops are not silk at all. so far as the /
Industry Of the SILK worm is concerned. I
The making OF artificial silk is one Z
of the newer Industries developed in l
the twentieth century and only with
in the past three or four years has I
Ii achieved any great commercial value 4
in America For half a century the I
production Of artificial silk has been 4
talked of and in the early sixties a
true synthetic silk was produced which I
it Is claimed was an exact chemical /
duplicate of the product OF the silk
cocoon. but this achievement had no I
commercial value because Of It's cost of
Beginning of Artificial silk.
A Frenehman named Chardonnet
first made 1t possible to produce arti-
ficidl silk upon a commercial basis.
He went into bankruptcy three times
in doing it. but it is gratifying to
know that he finally achieved wealth.
He produced silk by using a solution
Of nitro cellulose made of either cot
ton or Ood-pulp and dissOlving II in
sulpnurlc ether- some OF the largest |
mills N Europe are stiu using his pro-
duct in modified Torni, although two
others have since then been fornu-
lated one Of these is known as the
solution Of celluIose in :
which copper salts and ammonia are
the solvents. The other is a compost
lion discovered by two English chem
SITS which now is considered the best
and is known as the most practical
for making these artificial filaments
If which silk is composed
The nitro-cellul0se produced by |
depends upon almost the
same solution which is used for max
ing cel1uloid and gun cotton. The
first yarn produced in this way was
highly explosive and dangerous to
handle so it could not be of CONNER
,ial value Another French inventor
discovered a way OF denitrating the
finished yarn so that Is was no more
than paper or cotton. 4
German inventor made still further
and there now are great
actories located at Besancon, France;
At Frankfort Germany; and at Zu-
-ich. Switzerland in which thousands
# pounds of Chardonnet silk yarn
ire manufactured daily. An enormous
liant was opened in Pennsylvania last
'ear for this product.
The ViscOse silk.