CERTAIN IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES
Year: 1842

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
BAKER, of Grosvenor Street, Grosvenor Square, in the County of Middlesex,
Surgeon, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Twenty-seventh day of January, in the fifth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Baker, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said William Baker, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said William Baker, my executors, administrators,
or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England and Wales
and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES;" in which said Letters Patent
is contained a proviso that I, the said William Baker, should cause a
particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said in part recited Letters, as in and by the same,
reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Baker, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention
consists in a mode of constructing the soles of boots and shoes, by introducing

page_text: a layer of horse or other strong curled hair (felted or matted together, with or
without a layer of caoutchouc between the inner and outer soles of shoes
and boots, by means of which the damp and cold of the inner surface of the
outer sole leather of a shoe or boot will not so readily pass to the foot of the
wearer of such boot or shoe; and in addition thereto a sole so made will offer
a more elastic substance for the tread of the foot. And in order that the
Invention may he more fully understood, and in further compliance with the
said proviso, I, the said William Baker, do hereby describe the manner in
which my said Invention is to be performed, by the following statement
thereof, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
figures and letters marked thereon (that is to say) :-
:-
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Fig. 1 is a side view of a boot, partly in section, shewing a layer of felted
or matted horse, or other strong curled coarse hair, placed between the
inner and outer sole and occupying the place of the small strips of leather
or other material commonly used by shoemakers, and sometimes called
bottom fillings; and also of the shank pieces, both of which are here un-
necessary.
Fig. 2 is a plan view of the layer of hair, the dotted lines represent the
outer edge of the sole which is larger than the layer of hair, to allow of the.
edges of the sole being finished, as in the common boot.
Fig. 3 is a partial section of a similar boot to Fig. 1, the only difference
being the addition of a layer of caoutchouc (indian rubber) under the layer
of hair, to prevent the water from further penetrating the sole. a is the felted
or matted hair; b, the caoutchouc; and c, the under sole of the boot. I
'would remark, that when the sole of a boot or shoe is to be composed of moro
'than two thicknesses of leather, then I prefer that the layer of felted or
matted hair should be between the two upper pieces of leather of which the
sole is composed. In some cases, in addition to the use of a layer of matted
'or felted hair, I apply a thin sheet of india rubber (caoutchouc) on the under
surface of the matted hair, either by applying the solution of india rubber
'(sometimes called india-rubber cement, which is well known and can readily
be purchased) thereto, or by placing a thin sheet of india rubber on the under
surface of the matted or felted hair when it is introduced between the soles in
manufacturing a boot or shoe.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I would have it understood that what I
claim as my Invention is,―

page_text: First, applying a piece or sole of matted or felted horse or other strong
curled hair between the inner and outer sole in the manufacture of a shoe or
boot, as before described.
And, secondly, combining the use of india rubber and matted or felted hair,
as before described, between the inner and outer sole of a boot or shoe, as
before described, in the manufacture of the same.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Baker, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twentieth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-two.