IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Thomas, of No. 128 and 129, Cheapside,
in the City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES."
Sealed the 6th July 1869, and dated the 16th January 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Thomas at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th January 1809.
I, WILLIAM THOMAS, of No. 128 and 129, Cheapside, in the City
of London, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND S¤ors," to be as
follows:-
My Invention has for its object to facilitate the manufacture of boots
and shoes by means of sewing machines.
For this purpose, according to one part of my Invention, after pre-
paring the inner sole I sew to the outer surface thereof a strip of leather
or welt in such a manner that the outer edge of such welt is attached
near to the edge of the inner sole, while the inner edge of the welt

page_text: projects inwards upon the sole. This latter is then secured with its
inner surface on to the last, and the edges thereof are turned down, the
last being recessed, so as to cause the turned down edge to lie flush
therewith. The inner edge of the welt is then turned up, and the upper
having been drawn over the last and the stiffener inserted it is sewn
to such turned up edge of the welt, a second or outer welt being at the
same time sewn to the outer surface of the upper, the edge of which is
thus situated between the two welts. The two welts and the edge of
the upper are now turned down flat on to the last, and the projecting
edge of the outer welt is then sewn to the outer sole.
According to another part of my Invention I first sew the back of
the upper (the stiffener being first introduced) up to the waist of the
boot in an inverted position to a turned up welt sewn to the outer sole
up to the waist in the manner described in the Specification to my
Patent, No. 8445, dated 13 November 1868. I then invert the upper
and the outer sole, so that the latter assumes its correct position, and
after inserting an inner sole, to which an inner welt extending round
the front portion thereof up to the waist has been sewn in the manner
above described I then sew the front portion of the upper together
with an outer welt, also extending to the waist, to such inner welt, and
after turning down the edge of the upper and the two welts I sew the
front portion of the outer sole to the outer welt, which is made to join
at the waist with the welt of the back part of the boot.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Thomas in the Great Seal Patent Office 2
on the 15th July 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
THOMAS, of No. 128 and 129, Cheapside, in the Oity of London, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her 3
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of January, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Thomas, Her special

page_text: licence that I, the said William Thomas, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Thomas, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Thomas, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and scals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after, the date of the said Letters Patont.
, NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Thomas, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
bo performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement thereof, reference being had to the nocom-
panying Sheet of Drawings, and to the figures and letters narkod
thereon, that is to say :-
My Invention consists in making boots and shoes as follows:-To
the flesh side of the inner sole, prepared by thinning it round the edge,
an inner welt of leather or other suitable material is sewn. This sole
is then secured with its grain side to a last, and after turning up the
edge of the inner welt the upper is drawn on to the last, the stiffener
inserted, and the upper and the outer welt are sown to the turned up
edge of the inner welt. The welts and upper are then beaten flat to
the last, the waist is stiffened by the insertion of the filling or shank
piece, and the outer sole is sewn to the outer welt. The boot is afterwards
finished in the usual manner.
Having thus set forth the nature of my Invention I will now proceed
more particularly to describe the manner of performing the same, for.
which purpose I shall refer to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
To the inner sole A, previously thinned round its edge, a welt B is
sewn at b, b, either as shewn at Figure 1 or as at Figure 2. The sole A
with the walt B (about of an inch wide) sewn to it is then fixed upon

page_text: a last C (Figure 3), and the edge of the welt B having been turned up
the upper D with its stiffener added is lasted, and the upper together
with the outer welt E (shewn in side view at Figure 5) is sewn to the
inner welt B at e, e. The upper D and the two welts thus sewn
together are then hammered down flat, so that the edge of the outer
welt projects, as shewn at E, Figure 4, after which the waste is stiffened
by the shank piece, and the filling G is inserted, and the outer sole F
is sewn to the welt E in the channel at f.f, as indicated. The boot is
afterwards finished in the usual manner.
Figure 6 shews a plan of a boot with the turned up welt B, the lasted
upper D, and outer welt E, as before described, and Figure 7 shews a
perspective view of the same parts, the inner welt being in all cases
colored blue, the upper red, and the outer welt green for facility of
reference. The feathered edge of the inner sole is pared away near to
the line of sewing of the welt round the heel of the boot or shoe. The
thicknesses of the welts and uppers are exaggerated in the Drawing in
order to shew them more clearly. The welts and sewing may if desired
terminate at both sides of the heel, as shown at Z, Z, Figure 7, and the
part Z, Z, Z, of the soles and upper may be pegged or rivetted together
in the usual way.
1
By the above-described method of manufacturing boots and shoes
it will be seen that the sewing of the inner welt to the inner sole, the
sewing of the upper and outer welt to the turned up inner welt, and the
sewing of the outer sole to the outer welt can all be readily effected by
the sewing machine.
The welts being applied as above described a sure guide is afforded
for the sewing by reason of the end X of the sewing machine' (Figure 5)
abutting against the surface of the inner sole A, which is kept to its
position by the workman; the welts it will be seen constitute endless
bands, allowing of perfect freedom of manipulation for causing the
sewing to follow correctly the different curvatures of the last. The
insertion of the needle in sewing is by preference effected in the direction
of the arrow, shewn in the plan at Figure 6.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood
that what I claim is, making boots and shoes by sewing an inner
welt or thin strip of leather or suitable material to the inner sole, and

page_text: then sewing to the turned up inner welt the upper and outer welt, to
which latter the outer sole is sown, substantially as herein-before set
forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Thomas, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.