Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-08-05

fury. The apprentice was also taught
to make turn and welt shoes This re-
CURED exceptional skill on the part of the
artisan in channeling the insole. sewing
the Wet and stitching the outside.
WHIPPING THE CAP"
As soon as the apprentice had served
his term he started on what was known
as whipping the cap" He journeyed
from town to town, living with the fam
lily while making a years supply for each
member
John Adams Dagyr, celebrated shoe
maker of Essex, England. came to live
in Massachusetts in 1850 He was mas
ter craftsman and gave a great impetus
to the industry in Lynn. Recently a mon
ument has been erected to his memory
in that city.
In the development of shoemaking, this
master craftsman discovered that he could
greatly increase the output of his estab-
lishment by supervising the work of a
number of apprentices and ordinary shoe
makers, instead of spending his time
actually making shoes himself This
marked the birth of the factory system
In time women were employed to per
form some of the lesser tasks. So that
in Lynn, in the year 1895. there were two
hundred master workmen, employing 600
journeymen and others. IN a year 800
coo pairs Of shoes were turned out
These early factory buildings were sim
pie structures, and The shoe was made
under one roof. Frequently the leather
used for the shoes was tanned on the
same premises on which the shoes We're
made.
The farmers found that shoemaking was
remunerative. During the long, cold New
England winters many Of them turned
their hands 10 making an honest penny
They built small ten by-ten factories on
their farms Many of these little shops
are still standing.
In some cases these farmer shoemakers
only partially finished the shoes and sent
them to the factories to be finally COM
pleted and put out on the market.
!IMyTRoDUcTioN OF MACHINERY.
until the Introduction of machinery which
happened little more than a half a cen
fury ago.
The first machine invented to aid in
making shoes was designed to turn out
shoe pegs This was invented in the year
lSll, and peg shoes We're worn widely in
the next few years
1t was not until 1885 that a machine
for driving pegs was made. This was a
hand machine, and its work was by no
means satisfactory.
A machine for rolling sole leather under
pressure was the first machine widely ac-
cepted by the trade. With this machine a
man could do in minute the work it
mad formerly taken a half hour to per
form with the ld-fashioned lap stone and
hammer.
But the machine which gave the shoe
making industry it's grea test impetus was
Lne sewing machine perfected by Elias
Howe.
This machine was followed by another
which seWed with wax thread
With it the uppers of shoes were sewed
IN much more reliable manner than
they had ever been sewed by hand. Other
machines followed for splitting the sole
leather and buffing the grain.
Lyman r. Blake sprang into notoriety
IN 1858, when he invented what was later
known as the Mckay sOle-sewing ma
chine. and which brought to Gordon Nc
Kay in later life the millions with which
he endowed the Lawrence Scientific school
at Harvard college.
The machine was in a crude state when
Blake first endeavored to have it used.
Colonel Mckay believed in the machine,
however, and employed skilled mechan-
les to aid in its perfection
He encountered great deal of Skep-
uclsm and opposition to the adoption of
the machine At one time he offered to
sell the machine to the shoemakers of
Lynn for their exclusive use, if they would
pay him $500 600. Luckily for Colonel Nc
Kay the offer was not accepted.
Public necessity. however. compelled the
ShoemakeTs to do what Colonel Mckay
had failed to obtain by all his offers. The
demand for shoes, more shoes and better
shoes than ever before forced the manu-
facturers to take up the Mckay ma
chine.
Colonel Mckay was still embarrassed by
the lack of capital and was unable to car
~ on his rapidly increasing business. This
brought about the Introduction of the roy
atty system, whereby the machine or the
machine owner participated in the profits
accruing from the use of the machine
This has become an inherent part of the
shoe industry.
ROYALTIES BRING DEVELOPMENTS
Royalty paying became one of the prin-
Ciples of the industry and il has lived
ever since. 1t afforded an easy manner
in which machines could he installed with
out entailinR heavy expense upon the
manufacturers.
The success of Colonel Mckay i'm in
Producing his machines induced a number
of mechanics and inventors to enter this
field. A large number OF their inventions
were purchased by Colonel Mckay.
New York mechanic. Auguste Des-
tOuey invented a machine for sewing
soles. 1t did not prove successful. how
ever. But Charles Goodyear nephew Of
Mr. Goodyear, of vulcanzed rubber fame.
was impressed with the idea and firmly
believed ii could be made practical
He put number Of inventors to work
on the task. Four models were con
structed before a successful machine was
turned out.
This machine was designed TO sew only
turn shoes. Even for this purpose ii was