IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND Crnnc
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William McAdams, of Leicester, in the County of Leicester,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND
Crnnc '
Sealed the 10th June 1879, and dated the 24th December 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William McAdams at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th December 1878.
WILLIAM MCADAMS, of Leicester, in the County of Leicester.
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES."
IMPROVEMENTS
The Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of boots and
shoes, whereby the uppers and goloshes thereof are made entirely without seams
from ordinary skins.
For this purpose I take an ordinary skin, such as kid, levant, mock kid, wax calf,
or other suitable skin, and cut it to patterns adapted for producing the various
shaped boots, goloshes for boots, and shoes required. A slit or slits are also made at
or near the centre thereof, then after being moistened the blank is stretched over a
last or model to produce the required shape thereto.
For one form of shoe the shape to which I cut the leather for the upper is some-
what as follows:- I cut an elongated piece with curved or nearly semicircular ends
and slightly hollow sides, the part which is required to form the front of the shoe
being slightly broader than that to form the heel. Longitudinally along the centre
line thereof, commencing nearly at the centre of such line and extending backwards
a suitable distance, I cut a slit, and connected with such slit I make a curved cut,
the convexity of which is towards the aforesaid slit, and I continue the ends of
such curved cut forward a slight distance in nearly parallel lines.
To form one shaped upper for a boot I cut a blank with curved ends, but broader
at the back than at the front, the sides joining, the two curved ends being straight
or nearly so.

page_text: At or nearly at the centre of the said blank I cut slits, consisting of two broad
cones or pyramids minus their bases, the upper parts of which cross each other at a
short distance from their apices, which latter meet a centre line drawn longitudinally
from back to front of the blank, by which mode of cutting a small diamond shaped
opening will be formed at or nearly at the centre of the blank.
In cutting blanks for the golost es of goloshed boots I cut a piece nearly of the
shape herein first described, but narrower, and with only a slit along the longitudinal
centre line, such slit extending nearer to the one end than to the other.
It will be readily understood that the shapes of the blanks and the slits cut
therein may be variously modified without departing from the peculiar character of
my Invention.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William MoAdams in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th June
1879.
WILLIAM MADAMS, of Leicester, in the County of Leicester.
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES."
"IMPROVEMENTS
The Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of boots and
shoes, whereby the uppers and goloshes thereof are made entirely without seams
from ordinary skins.
For this purpose I take an ordinary skin, such as kid, levant, mock kid, wax
calf, or other suitable skin, and cut it to patterns adapted for producing the various
shaped uppers required for boots and shoes and goloshes for boots. A slit or slits is
or are also made at or near the centre thereof, then after being moistened the blank
is stretched over a last or model, to which it is secured to produce the required shape
thereto. After being allowed to remain on the last or model a sufficient time to
enable the leather to retain the form given to it, it is removed and made up in the
usual manner.
For one form of shoe the shape to which I cut the leather for the upper is some-
what as follows, and as represented at Figure 1-I cut an elongated piece with
curved or nearly semicircular ends a, b, and slightly hollow sides c, the part d which
is required to form the front of the shoe being slightly broader than the part e to
form the heel. Longitudinally along the centre line thereof, commencing nearly at
the centre of such line and extending backwards a suitable distance, I cut a slit f,
and connected with such slit I make a curved cut g, the convexity of which is
towards the aforesaid slit f, and I continue the ends of such curved cut g forward
a slight distance in parallel or nearly parallel lines; the part h thus made forms the
tongue of the shoe.
To form one shaped upper for a boot I cut a blank, such as represented at Figure 2,
with curved ends a, b, but broader at the back e than at the front d, the sides c
joining, the two curved ends a, b, being straight or nearly so.
At or nearly at the centre of the said blank I cut slits i, j, forming two broad
cones or pyramids minus their bases, the upper parts of which cross each other at a
short distance from their apices, which latter meet a centre line drawn longitudinally
from back to front of the blank, by which mode of cutting a small diamond shaped
opening k will be formed at or nearly at the centre of the blank.
In cutting blanks for the goloshes of goloshed boots I cut a piece, such as repre-
sented at Figure 3, such piece being nearly of the shape herein first described, but
narrower, and with only a slit along the longitudinal centre line, such slit f
extending nearer to the end a than to the end b.
It will be readily understood that the shapes of the blanks and the slits cut
therein may be variously modified to suit the pattern or shape of upper or golosh
required without departing from the peculiar character of my Invention.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the mode in which
I carry the same into effect, I would have it understood that what I claim is,
the manufacture of the uppers of boots and shoes and the goloshes of boots
entirely without seams from ordinary skins, in manner substantially as herein
shown and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William McAdams, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-first day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy nine