El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-07-27


better than any shoe formerly sup
Piled TO the army. The shoes worn
by civilians range in size from fives
TO lis or I2z EZ-president Taft
wears no. Is. but he has his shoes
made to order
The new sizes made for the soldier
range from 81 20 IS The shoes on
my desk are no. Is They are so
large that I could put the No.
have on inside one and it would rat
tie around like a pea in a pod They
are heavy The old army shoe gns
about three pounds per pair
The new ones weigh two pounds
more. They have a steel horseshoe
round the heel and a steel tip at the
toe. wen suited for bootinE the kaiser
or any Boche that may come over tas
top The sole is plated with hobualls
and a row OF hobs extends in and
around the inner edge Of the heel
Leather Is very Best.
The leather OF the new army shoes
is the finest that can be procured
The uppers are as smooth and soft as
glove but thick and heavy. with
the grain side out and the smooth
side next the foot I pur my hand
inside one Of the shoes and felt about
for tscks OF rough places There are
none.
The tongues are sewed TO the up
pers which come high up over the IN.
step. The shoes have cotton lace
strings and the eyelets are brass The
leather Is bark tanned and water
proof The sole is heavy. and espec-
iaIrr fitted for work in the trenches.
The large sizes are due TO the need
Of r0omE. Weu fitting shoes for
marching. and also TO the fact that
the men in the trenches often wear
two or three pairs Of stockings, one
over the ether TO keep out the cold
They sometimes soak their stockings
with talIow, which adds TO their
thickness
Soldiers Look to Their Boots.
The soldiers must have the right
kind Of shoes in order 10 do their
work we'll I'm the FrancO-Prussian /
war not less than $4,000 German sol 4
dfers were at one time incapacirated I
for field service on account OF bad
feet. and before this war began q
percent of the German army was
found unfit for military service I
through sore fee-. due to bad shoes I
in our civil war whole brigades were 1
temporarily diabled by bad shoes. and 4
after several days marching one /
fourth CT the infantry would have
sore feet
1t vas the quick step Of stonewal |
Jackson's foot cavalry that gave the I
south its victory at the second battle I
of Bun Run and waterloo was lost
because the French endorsements /
failed TO arrive Napoleon said he
made war not so much with the arms I
as with the legs Of his troops ana
WeLiugtoun designed q boot which 4
was worn BY the British army Tor /
years
Testing shoes on Infantry.
Prior to this war, our army shoe /
board spent several years studying .
the feet Of the soldiers and designing
the service shoe which was used Up f
10 the time we sent men TO France
The head OF that board was Edward
Lyman Nuusou. lieutenant colonel Of
the medical corps. who has written a
book on the soldiers foot and rhet
military shoe In this he gives the
results Of experiments made upon the
feet Of our army In 1SU1 battalion
of infantry marched eight miles and
then camped for "A hours The next
DAY it returned The army shoe
board found that 80 percent Of the
men had severe foot injuries after
their eight mile tramp, and that
many Of them required hospital treat
meut. In later marches in shoes de-
signed and fitted by the board the
most Of the men got through without
injury
I'm ordinary marching Col 1Iunson
estimates that the soldiers takes an
average step OF so inches and lhati
in travelling one mile each foot strikes
the ground 1000 times This means
that i'm an IS mile march the soldiers
foot strikes the ground $4,000 times,
and If he has a rough place in his
shoe. that place gives his foot $4,000
ndividuaI rubs or throws him out OF
action during the march
Picking Shoes Too Small
the men were not III 70 pick their
own shoes IL found that the aver
age man wears shoes two sizes too
small. and that his foot sWells and
charges while marching Two
thirds of the soldiers were wearing
short shoes. and it was only two out
of 200 who would naturally select
shoes too large for them
Fitted According to Rule.
At present the feet OF the soldiers
IRE fitted according 10 rule. one way
Is 20 load the soldier with his IuL
of about 90 pounds weight
and have him stand on a platform
IN his bare feet Bis feet are then
measured and ample room is given
or expansion The average shoe Is
lbout a size larger than the measure
ncnts and the soldiers are shown how
% break in their footgear-
The government gives them dlrec-
tons as TO the care Of the feet, and
The officers have to examine the feet
1f the men and see that they are an
right Special recipes are given as
.o the treatment Of blisters and corns,
and the men are even shown how TO
cut their toe nails. The nails should
be cut sCuarelv across 20 prevent
their growing in at the corners. and
OF dubbed nails are pared
The Fiat Foot.
All foot diseases are Wen known
-o the army, and flat feet and broken
rches are good reasons 20 exempt a
man from the draft The draft board.
however. should be careful 20 note
the difference between a fiat foot
which is real and that which is only
apparent The negro's foot Us 1at-
ter than that Of the Caucasian and yet
- does not interfere with marching
There are certain white men who
have feet which are neEroid IN char
zcCer, and fla some the muscular de-
relopment Of the sole almost fills up
md obliterates the foot arch.
The footprints OF such men resem-
bic those Of flzC feet but The men
can march all right and there should
be- no exemption fin their cases The Z
true flat foot looked at from the side
IS lattened over the instep. and at
~ the loot seems to be sunEen- II
the man steps in a basin OF water
md then walks over the bare floor
The whole or greater part Of the foot
arch VIII De registered in the inn
print.
Thirty Million Pairs Of Shoes.
il takes an enormous amount Of
leather 10 make f0otEear for the {
army. By the time this letter is pub