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THE beginnings of shoemaking in Lynn were exceedingly small - "like a grain of mustard seed, which indeed is the least of all seeds, but when it is grown, is the greatest among herbs." In like manner has the shoe industry grown, until our goodly city, with many sister communities in the Commonwealth, and New England as well finds shelter "in the branches thereof." Probably Philip Kertland, the first Lynn shoemaker, did not lay claim to more than ordinary skill in the art, and for many years those who followed in his footsteps were content to do as he had done. The best shoes worn by the Lynn dames came from England and France. Those constructed here were made of neat's leather, and were serviceable, if not handsome. The sole leather was worked with the flesh side out, and for nearly two centuries both shoes were made on the same last. About the year 1670 shoes began to be cut with broad straps for buckles, which were worn by women as well as men. Fifty years later buckles for ladies' shoes went out of fashion. The coming of John Adam Dagyr in 1750 gave the trade of shoemaking in Lynn the turn and impetus which led to its adoption as the leading industry of the place. He was a thorough workman, and produced shoes equal to the best made in England. The Lynn craftsmen were apt scholars, and it was not long before the fame of the Lynn shoe had spread throughout the colonies. The little, square shoemaker's shop became an institution, and fathers and sons in their spare hours, particularly in winter, worked alongside the journeymen and apprentices, the numher working in a single shop ranging from four to eight. In the years preceding the introduction of machinery these shoe shops had become very numerous. The shoes were cut at the establishments of the bosses, and given out to be made through the town. The uppers were called "shoes," and the soles "stuffs," and thread, wax and everything necessary to make the shoe were supplied by the bosses with the shoes. The ladies of the household had quite as important a part in the work as the men. They stitched, or bound, the uppers while the men were preparing the soles. The sewing-machine made quick despatch with the time-honored occupation of our mothers and grandmothers, but Lucy Larcom has immortalized their work in her pathetic poem of Hannah Binding Shoes. The invention, or rather the perfecting, of the McKay machine in 1862 put an end to the old-style methods of shoe making, and the modest shoe shops which were scattered all over the town were gradualy turned over to the uses of the pigs and chickens, and the shoe factory became an institution. These naturally clustered as closely as possible about the railroad. Mr. John Wooldredge was one of the first to see the advantages of the laborsaving machines, and it was he who, in 1852, brought the first sewing-machines to Lynn, and ten years later, first applied steam power to the manufacture of shoes. It was not till the close of the war, in 1865, that the use of steam engines in shoe factories became general. With machinery came the minute sub-divisions of the labor of making the shoe, so that, in place of the three, and possibly four, persons who would once have performed the labor upon a shoe, the work is now shared by not less than thirty-four. No more interesting trip can be taken, than with a competent guide, to go through one of the large shoe factories and watch the processes by which abstract particles of leather, iron, cloth, buttons and other things, in all more than one hundred in number, gradually come together in the form of a shoe. Commencing at the basement, one finds himself in a most confusing medley of brawny men in scant clothing, for it is hot down there at all seasons, huge machines which run with a clatter and thud that suggest great power, and piles of leather in all stages of manufacture, from the whole side to the soles which have been sorted, sized and tied up ready for the making rooms above. In this room we find the stripper, sole cutter, sorter and tier-up; and one cannot help wondering if those who are runnmg the stripping and dinking machines are as indifferent to the loss of a finger or possibly a hand as they seem to be. We are next shown into the cutting room where the upper leather and linings are prepared. There is nothing exciting here. These twenty or more gentlemen who are ranged around the room, each at his cutting-board, work with a deliberation and care which is seen in no other part of the factory, but necessary to faithful work. In this room we find four more divisions of the work - 1, outside cutter; 2, lining cutter; 3, trimming cutter 4, dier-out. Following our guide we mount another flight of steps and find ourselves in the stitching room. The energetic clatter of the different busy machines render us oblivious to the conductor's explanatory remarks, and we content ourselves with watching the continued evolution of the shoe under the busy, skilful fingers of the operatives. The uppers pass first into the hands of the lining maker, then to the closer, third, seam-rubber; fourth, back-stayer; fifth, front-stayer; sixth, closer-on; seventh, turner; eighth, top-stitcher; ninth, button-hole cutter; tenth, corder; eleventh, button-sewer. On casting up our account so far, we find that twenty persons have had a part in making our shoe. From the stitching room we are taken to the finishing room, where the bottoms and uppers, which have thus far been travelling by different routes are finally brought together. In this room, as in the stitching room and basement, everything is lively. Men and boys are working as if for life and scarcely stop to bestow a look upon the visiting party. Racks and horses filled with shoes in all stages of completion fill the floor, and numerous odd looking machines are located at convenient spots. At one end of this room the component parts of the shoe come together in the hands of the stock-fitter, whom we number twenty-one in our list, and are passed from hand to hand until they arrive at the other end completed, ready for packing and shipment. From the stock-fitter we watch our shoe go into the hands of the laster, who, with a dozen of his fellows, works at an odd-shaped bench. Attention is attracted to one who is evidently a veteran. Taking a preparatory chew of tobacco, which he carefully stows away in one cheek, and with a backward toss of the head filling the other with something less than a gill of sharp tacks, he proceeds to last our shoe; and with caring for the tobacco, working the tacks one by one to his lips with his tongue, and dropping an occasional emphatic ejaculation as he drops a tack or pounds his thumb, his mouth is kept as busy as his hands. The cutting and lasting departments of the shoe factory are the only ones which have not been successfully invaded by the labor-saving machines, and these are about the most important in the factory. Upon the good judgment and close calculation of the cutter depend, in large measure, uniformity in the quality of the product and the profits of the business, for no degree of ability or foresight in the management can counteract the ravages of a wasteful cutter; and upon the faithfulness and skill of the laster depend the fit and set of the shoe, assuming, of course, that the work leading up to the laster has been faithfully done. Hence it is, that good lasters are always in demand, and their Union has maintained a more independent position than any other organization connected with the craft has been able to assume. Invention has now turned its attention to this department, and a young Lynn mechanic has produced a lasting machine which promises to be successful, though it has not yet come into general use. From the laster the shoe goes to the sole-layer, whom we number 23 ; next to the McKay stitcher, 24; and then on to the beater-out, 25; trimmer, 26 ; edge-setter, 27; liner, 28; nailer, who fastens on the heel, 29; shaver, 30; buffer, 31 ; burnisher, 32 ; channeller, 33; and the shoe which started as a number of abstract particles so little time ago, is now completed ready to be stamped and placed in neat paper cartons by the packer, and shipped to its destination. In our enumeration we have named only those who perform the most important parts in the making of a shoe. But in the difterent processes of tanning the leather and numerous subordinate parts in the shoe factory, the united labor of more than fifty people are required to produce a modern pair of ladies' shoes. The shoe and leather industry is found clustered as closely as possible about the railroad, and in the "shoe district;" the most of the buildings which are not occupied as manufactories of shoes or leather are devoted either to some branch of business intimately associated therewith, or to the dispensing of animal comforts. This district lies almost wholly between Liberty and Market streets, and Broad, Silsbee and Mulberry streets. Some of the finest factories in the city are on Willow street. Looking down the street toward Central square at any hour of the day, one gets a vivid impression of the busy life that constantly throbs through this street and the great artery beyond. On the right are the buildings occupied by the Lynn Shoe Supply Co. and T. J. Little & Co. ; on the left the factories of Keene Brothers, A. M. & J. H. Preble, W. A. Dole & Whittredge, and M. J. Worthley and the leather firm of Lothrop & Bowen. Passing Oxford street, on the left are seen the large Tebbetts factory and the fine Mower building. Included in this section is the large building occupied by Morgan & Dore, on Oxford Street, shown on page seventy-nine. This enterprising firm do only a portion of their business in Lynn, having large factories at Pittsfield, N.H., and Richmond, Me. Keene Bros, also do a large business at Skowhegan, Me. Passing into Central square, we get an animated view of that busy center. On the right is the large Fuller block, occupied by Charles D. Peeker &. Co., who also have a large factory at Great Falls, N. H., and by numerous express and other offices. Many of the buildings on the square are scarcely appropriate to the place they occupy, but in the march of progress they will doubtless ere long be replaced by more comely structures. Mt. Vernon street is occupied by some of our most enterprising firms. The sign of L. S. Johnson on the corner, and the name of F. W. Breed, have come to be regarded as landmarks, and the whole street has a substantial and prosperous appearance. Exchange street, the Pine street of the olden times, is a busy spot, but the buildings are mostly small and of wood. Union Street, from the square to Broad street, has, during the past few years, taken rapid strides forward, and now some of our strongest firms and best equipped factories are located here. The Brown and Ingalls buildings, on the left, were the first brick factories on the street. The Ashcroft building, on the corner of Washington and Union streets, is a substantial and comely structure, and some live firms are located in it. The firm of Shepherd, Murphy & Co., who occupy the corner store, are among our most enterprising young concerns, who do a safe and constantly increasing business. The firm of John S. Bartlett & Co. occupy the large building on the opposite corner, successors of the name and fame of the old firm of B. F. Doak &. Co. The new Buffum block, opposite Washington street, is a handsome structure and a decided ornament to that section. The factory of Mr. J. N. Smith was one of the first large buildings built in this section, and is one of the few large wooden factories now remaining. The large Alley building, near the foot of the street, is a very convenient, well-equipped block, and is occupied by Kimball Brothers, who also have a large factory in Gardiner, Me., and the firm of Charles Buffum & Co., a substantial firm of long standing. Mr. Buffum antedates most of the shoe manufacturers in Lynn now in active business. Broad street was at one time headquarters for much of the business done in the town, but its glory has in a measure departed. The handsome factory of V. K. & A. H. Jones, on the corner of Beach street, and the large block at the head of Buffum's wharf, are the only large factories on this street. The lower end of Market street has always been identified with the shoe and leather industry. In the cut previously shown of this thoroughfare in 1820 are numerous tanneries and shoe shops. The Lennox block on the right, and the Lancaster and the Martin buildings on the left, are substantial and commodious structures. The large blocks of factories on either side of the street above the railroad, erected many years since by Hon. Samuel M. Bubier, contribute a fixed, settled aspect to that section which is lacking in some parts of the city. Mr. Bubier has been identified with the shoe business in Lynn for a long time. He was formerly an extensive manufacturer, and has witnessed all the changes which have taken place. He has now retired from that branch of the business, and devotes himself to the care of his large property and to supplying power to many buildings in the vicinity of Market street, besides his own. He has always taken an active interest in the affairs of the town, and served one term as mayor in 1877. Munroe street has several large factories, notably that of P. P. Sherry, which at the time of its erection was the highest building in the city. Mr. Sherry laid down the principle, which has since been extensively followed, that land grows cheaper the higher up you go ; but considerations quite as potent as that named are the good light and freedom from dust afforded by the upper rooms in high buildings, which is essential to good workmanship, particularly in the finishing rooms. On Oxford street is the handsome new building of D. A. Caldwell & Co., occupied by D. A. Caldwell & Co. and J. F. Swain & Co., erected in 1885. This is one of the best appointed factories in the city, and in the design of the front elevation, more attention was paid to architectural effect than has been done in the plans of many of our large factories. The other large establishments on Oxford street are those of C. S. Sweetser and Aaron F. Smith, and the handsome new building erected on the site of C. A. Coffin's factory, burned in 1885. Passing out Washington street we come to the large block, recently completed, of Valpey & Anthony, one of the finest in the city. The course of our wanderings has brought us nearly back to the point of starting, and during our walk we have inspected the principal part of the shoe district. The list of shoe manufacturers in Lynn number one hundred and seventy-six, ranging from single individuals manufacturing in a small way to large corporations and firms running several large factories and employing hundreds of hands. Nearly all grades of women's shoes and slippers are made, from the cheapest slipper to the finest French kid boot. The methods of transacting the shoe business have changed quite as much as the processes of manufacturing. At first a home market was found for most of the product. Then, after the coming of Dagyr and the improvements in the workmanship and quality of the goods which he introduced, the surplus found a market in Boston, being transported thither in bags, boxes, or in any convenient package, sometimes on the backs of the bosses, whw walked to Boston and returned in the same manner, but more commonly by team. After the close of the War of the Revolution, the business became very much depressed, owing to the competition of shoes made abroad. The matter was brought to the attention of Congress, then in session in Philadelphia, through the efforts of Ebenezer Breed, of Lynn, and Stephen Collins, a native of Lynn, but doing business in Philadelphia; and a tariff was placed upon foreign shoes, which had the immediate effect of reviving the industry. Thus the shoe manufacturing industry was the first to be taken under the protecting wing of the Government. Mr. Breed subsequently introduced into the city the manufacture of morocco leather, for which he received a vote of thanks from the National Committee of Manufactures and Commerce. He also secured the establishment of the Lynn Post-Office in 1793. For many years he did a very large business, but late in life misfortune overtook him, and he ended his days in the almshouse. Much of the manufacturing sixty years ago was done by Micajah C. Pratt, James Pratt, Nathan Breed, Isaiah Breed and Nathan D. Chase, whose manufactories were all on Broad street. Isaiah Breed's office was in his dwelling-house on what is now the corner of Broad and Exchange streets. For many years they received very little money for their goods, but took their pay in barter, and in turn paid their workmen in orders on store keepers in Lynn and Salem. This system kept the workmen always poor and in debt, and in 1842 they rebelled against it, and have since received their pay in cash. From Boston the shoes were sent South, and for many years were sold at auction, oftentimes being sent thither by cargoes, the first full cargo being sent in 1818. Between 1820 and 1829 this was abandoned and the jobbers from the southern states came hither to purchase, that they might be able the better to select goods suitable for their localities. This custom is still kept up to a degree, but twice each year the large manufacturers send their salesmen west and south, who bring their samples to the attention of every dealer whose custom is worth having. These salesmen are, with rare exceptions, young men of character and proved capacity, who do credit to the industry which they represent. If there be any modern tendency in the trade toward a change, it is to be found in the disposition of many of the large houses to sell directly to retailers without the intervention of middle-men, and there are those who predict that this system will be the outcome or the present degree of competition among manufacturers. Tanning became an industry in Lynn some years before shoemaking was introduced. Francis Ingalls, who came hither with his brother Edmund, chose for his habitation the pleasant slope which leads down to Swampscott beach, and on Humphrey street, by the brook, built his tannery, and Alonzo Lewis states that he saw the remains of the vats used in curing the leather. The business was continued for many years with varying success, at times highly prosperous, and at times leather could be bought in other markets cheaper than it could he manufactured here; but in these last years the bulk of the business has centered about Salem and Peabody. In 1808, through the efforts of Ebennezer Breed, the manufacture of morocco leather was introduced. The first factory was established by William Rose on the south side of the Common, opposite where the fountain now is. This industry has grown with the town, and now is only second in importance to the manufacture of shoes. The manufactories are not confined to any particular section of the city. The mammoth establishment of A. B. Martin & Co. on Market street, and of Henry A. Pevear & Sons near Boston street, are among the largest in town. Several large concerns are located in Harrison court, others on Munroe, Broad and Beach streets. The large factory of Lucius Beebe &. Sons, on Western avenue, is one of the most complete establishments of its kind in the East. There are twenty-seven firms engaged in this branch of manufacture, and the product finds a market in nearly every shoe town in the country. In addition to the two leading branches of the shoe and leather industry already mentioned, there are many others directly contributory to them. Among them may be mentioned fifty-seven dealers and manufacturers of boot and shoe soles, heels, stiffenings, &c., sixty-six stitching- rooms, twenty dealers and manufacturers of findings and supplies, thirteen manufacturers of boot and shoe machinery, besides numerous other sub-divisions of the business. In the production of labor-saving machinery Lynn mechanics have made several notable contributions, which are to be seen in every well-regulated shoe factory. One of the latest inventions, and one which promises to become of great practical utility, is a lasting machine which lasts a shoe perfectly in the time a shoemaker of fifty years ago would be getting his tools together. Another industry inseperably allied to the manufacture of shoes is the making of wood and paper boxes. In the manufacture of the latter, machinery has largely taken the place of the former hand processes. The improvement in the style and appearance of the shoes in the last fifty years is no more marked than the changes in the manner of sending out the goods to market. It was a long step from the bags and barrels formerly in use, and the neat, and often highly ornamented, individual carton in which the shoes are now packed. The factories of the Thomson-Houston Electric Co., on Western Avenue are among the most extensive works of the kind in the country, and give employment to a large number of men. They manufacture supplies and machinery for the electric-lighting companies, and their products find a ready market. The general business of Lynn, aside from the special lines of manufacture already described, is composed chiefly of local retail trade. The section of Union street above Central square, and of Market street between Andrew and Essex streets, are chiefly given over to this branch of business. Lynn has a number of large firms engaged in the dry goods, clothing and house furnishing business, and the business in these lines is constantly increasing, the people being able to purchase about as advantageously here as in the large market of Boston. As in most manufacturing towns where wages are paid weekly, the rush of business comes on Saturday, and no more animated spectacle can be seen in any city than is presented on Market and Union streets on any pleasant Saturday evening. Taking all things into consideration, the facilities for carrying on the leading industries, the nearness of the city to the great business centres of New England and the ease of railroad communication therewith, the excellence of her home markets, and her beautiful and healthful location, the advantages of Lynn, either for business or residence, are surpassed by no New England city.
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