Carthage courier. (Carthage, Tenn.) 1913-current, 1921-03-17
WHERE SHOES
COME FROM

WILL 4 kGO1I1
Following are some of the facts
given by an old experienced shoe man
in which he relates where the ma
terial from which shoes are made
comes from, and what these materials
are:
Take high-grade shoe with a pat
ent leather vampr and dull leather
top. The vamp is made of Russian
horsehide, tanned in this country with
a bichromate of potash formerly OBJ
tanned from Germany. The top, in
all probability, is made from the skin
of a goat raised in South America,
tanned in Philadelphia with gambler
brought from the East Indies. Wool
oil from Michigan makes it soft and
pliable. The brilliance of the patent
leather is obtained by polishing it
with a composition containing lamp
black and turpentine from North.
Carolina, linseed oil from Ohio, damer
from New Zealand, couchone and as
phalt from South America, wood nap
tina from Michigan, benzine from
Pennsylvania, amber from the Baltic
sea, sandarac from Africa, mastic
from the Island of Scio, Greece, f1emi
from Asia and Cuban lac
THE lacing hooks and eyelets are
made in Connecticut, the material in
them consisting of alloys of zinc from
the mines of Joplin, Mo-, and copper
from the Lake Superior district. Aga
tine, an ebony-like substance contain
ing eight distinct ingredients gather
ed in Asia, South America, and the
! United States, is used to coat them.
The Australian kangaroo furnishes
the leather for the tongue, the lining
of which is made in New York state
from the wool of sheep grown in
Ohio. This felt is glued to the back
of the tongue with gum arabic from
the Near East.
"The outer sole is obtained from
the back of Texas steer, tanned in
Kentucky with bark from Tennessee,
while the inner sole is made from the
home-tanned hides of California cat
tie. The lifts of the heel are made
from South American leather, and the
dextrine which holds them together
comes from Illinois corn fields. Before
leaving South America the leather is
partially preserved with chenang. The
sole of heavy oak is stitched to a welt
cut from Texas leather and made into
welting in Pennsylvania The welt
IS stitched to the insole and upper
with linen thread made from wax
grown in Belgium and spun in Scot
land The thread is fabricated and
strengthened with wax made from
resin and tar extracted from the nine
trees of North and South Carolina.
Mr.. Slavin went on to say that the
cement which holds the thread chan
mel around the edge of the sole comes
from the sap of Brazilian rubber
trees. The wire nails which hold the
upper to the inner sole are made in
New Jersey. The steel shank placed
between the inner and outer sole. he
said, is made from ore mined in the
Great Lakes section, { rolled into
shanks in Pittsburg and attached to
the leather board foundation in Mas
sachusetts.
Portugal supplies the cork filler,
which keeps the moisture out of the
shoe" said Mr.. Slavin, "the cork be-
ing mixed with a solution of pitch
and tar from the Carolinas The base
of the leather box toe is made from
leather hides hardened by shellac,
which in crude state comes from Siam.
The counter originally comes from
the Argentine. Over the box toe is a
protector made of Georgia cotton and
coated with a composition of Para
rubber. The felt heel pads are pro
duced from the same source as the
lining Of the tongue. The twill used
in lining the shoe is made of Texas
cotton, woven in Massachusetts, mills
and stiffened in Philadelphia with a
paste produced from Kansas wheat
flour.
Thread spun from Sea Island cot
ton supplies the top stitching, while
the silk thread used in stitching comes
from Japanese raw silk, spun in Con-
necticut. The silk label also origi- |
mates in Japan, but is woven in New
Jersey. The shoe lace is made of |
native cotton, dyed with logwood from
Yucatan or with the analine colors
made in Germany and this country. |
The lining and upper of the shoe are /
pasted together with a cement made |
of a British rubber composition Cal |
ifornia produces the gold used for |
stamping the upper facing after it is |
beaten into thin sheets in New York /
state. The marking machine ink is |
made from Indian Cocheneal and oils.
obtained from Oklahoma
"The bright polish seen on the sole |
of a new shoe is due to a coat of bay
berry tallow, which is produced from /
the fruit of the Indian bayberry tree
mixed with native beeswax and tur-
pentine. The tops are cleaned with
gum tragacanth from Persia. Last, |
but not least, the nails used to fasten I
the heel and shoe together are made /
from Swedish iron ore, and a special /
steel manufactured in Pittsburg holds |
the top layer to the heel."-New York /
Times.