Improvements in Boots and Shoes.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Sept., 1890-Accepted, 8th Nov., 1890
עשע
Improvements in Boots and Shoes.
I, GEORGES Joseph Guillaume, alius, Gaiffe, of Besançon (Doubs) in the
Republic of France, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
This invention relates to improved boots and shoes the soles of which are rendered
incombustible by the application of a fire-proof material, being a bad conductor of beat
to the ordinary leather or wood soles. Over the incombustible material a plate of metal
or wire-gauze is fixed by means of ordinary nails pegs or equivalent such as are used
in the shoe-making trade. The incombustible material used may be pure asbestos or
a fabric of glass-wool or other material answering a similar purpose and over it is
placed preferably a piece of wire-gauze secured in place by ordinary pegs. The
combustible portion of the sole is thus kept out of contact with any burning or
incandescent material on which the wearer may be required to walk or stand and a
piece of asbestos either pure or coated or treated with india-rubber, or glass-wool
inserted therein protects the feet of the wearer from the heat.
In the accompanying drawings four views of boots are illustrated for the purpose of
enabling this invention to be more readily understood.
Fig. 1 represents an ordinary leather boot the sole a of which is covered with a
sheet of asbestos c extending throughout its external surface and with another sheet
applied to the surface of the heel which is to touch the ground. The asbestos is
maintained in close contact with the leather portions a and b by a piece of wire-gauze d
securely fixed in place by nails or pegs e.
Fig. 2 shows an ordinary leather boot the sole a and the heel 6 of which whether
made of leather or wood are covered each with a sheet of cardboard or thin piece of
ordinary leather or preferably with a piece of cardboard or leather rendered incom-
bustible by immersion in silicate of soda. Over this cardboard or leather c is placed a
perforated or solid metal plate or a piece of wire-gauze d which retains in place the
incombustible pad c and at the same time protects it from the direct radiation of the
heat of burning or incandescent bodies upon which the wearer of the shoes may have
occasion to walk or stand. Ordinary pegs e secure the whole to the combustible sole a
and to the heel b and prevent too rapid wear.
Fig. 3 shows an ordinary leather boot to the sole a and heel 6 of which are applied
pieces of asbestos cloth coated with india-rubber c these being retained in place by
means of heat-proof wire-gauze d and nails or pegs e.
Fig. 4 represents an ordinary boot to the sole a and heel 6 whether made of leather
or wood are applied pieces of wire-gauze d; the leather or wood being however coated
on the side to which the wire-gauze d is applied with a layer of incombustible material.
The shape or description of boots and shoes fitted with incombustible soles and heels
may of course vary at will as well as the material of which the soles and heels
are made.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A boot or shoe of leather or wood having its ordinary combustible sole coated
with material which is incombustible and a non-conductor of heat which material in
its turn is covered with a sheet of metal or wire-gauze retained in place by nails or
equivalent substantially as described.

page_text: 2. A boot shoe or the like having an incombustible sole substantially as herein
described.
Dated this 27th day of September 180n
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.