The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1925-12-29

MOIh OIl a pan ~ SNN
Later shoemakers with a
reputation for making especially
good shoes found that they could
p~rofitably employ others to do GER
tain parts of the work for them, and
. one man give all his time to cuttins
out and stitching uppers, another to
putting on soles, and so on.
That was the beginning OF the
factory system in the shoe indus
try. After the invention Of the sew
ing machine, machinery began to
take the place of the expert hand
work. In a modern shoe factory to-
day there are as many as ITO dis
tinct processes, taken are Of by as
many different machines.
The United States led in the in
vention of machinery for the shoe In
dustry, and that is why 1t is a leader
in the INDUSTRY today. Since 1870
its importation of shoes has heer a
most negligible, while the products
Il its shoe factories are sold in every
country of the world. over 300
million pairs or boots. shoes, and
slippers are turned out in a single
year.
Pounded Leather
The introduction of machinery be-
gan in the early part of the nine
teenth century. The early shoemaK-
err put the leather over a lapstone
and pounded it with a hammer to
make it smoother and more durable.
A roller machine to roll and press
the leather was one of the first ma
chimes to come INTO general USE. In
hand work, the pattern o the parts
of the shoe was laid out on the leath-
or and the pieces were cut out with
a sharp knife, one by one. Now dies
are operated by a machine, stamp
ing out a number of pieces at one
stroke and with absolutely true
edges. The cloth Innings also are
cut on similar machines.
The invention of the sewing ma
chine marked the epoch in the manu-
facture of shoes. Special machines
were first adapted to sewing the
seams in the Innings and uppers, n
in some factories there is, even a
speciallv built machine to sew each
different seam. The final triumph OF
the sewing machine came when 1t
was adapted to the difficult work OF
sewing the upper to the thick, heavy
sole.
How They Are Made
Whom the specifications for an
order of shoes are received in a mod
ern factory, copies are made and
sent to the different departments.
Starting in the stock room, leather
of the o o grade and quantity is
selected. Uppers are cut from light
cattle hides, calf skins, sheep skins,
goat and kid skins and ~horsehides,
while the soles r made from tow
hide. The leather Is put through a
rolling machine and then through
a stripping machine which makes
it Of uniform thickness. Then 1t is
sent to the cutting room, where the
clicking machines stamp out the
required number Of parts by means
of dies made up for this particular
order. A "skiving'' machine trims
down the edges of the pieces to a
neat beveled edge and another ma
chine folds over and pounds down
any edge that will show on the out
side of the shoe.
The uppers with their Innings are
sent to the sewing room. Here they
pass down the line of machines, each
| operator sewing one kind of seam,
until the uppers are lined and ready
for the sole, The metal eyelets are
then stamped in for the laced shoe.
or the buttons and button holes pro-
vided for the button shoe-machines
doing the work in either case.
Meanwhile the soles are cut. put