CHAPTER XXIII.

LEATHER.

Leather and Prehistoric Man.--Earliest Implements and Processes Forerunners of Modern Inventions.--Modern Leather Unknown to the Earliest Races.--Tanning.--Leathers of Different Nations.-- Hand Tools and Variety of Operations.--Inventions of Nineteenth Century--Labour-Saving Machinery and New Processes.--Epoch of Modern Machinery.--1780, John Bull and his Scraping Machine, Hide-mill, Pioneer Machine of Century.--Fleshing Machines.-- Tanning Apparatus.--Reel Machines.--Tanning Processes and the Chemists.--Machines for Different Operations.--Pendulum Lever Machine.--Leather Splitting, and other Remarkable Machines.-- Boots and Shoes, their Character before Modern Inventions.-- Randolph’s Riveting Machine of 1809.--Great Civil Engineer, J. M. Brunel’s Machines.--1818, Walker Invents the Wooden Peg.--Peg-making Machines.--1858, Sturtevant’s Great Improvement.--Fifty-five Million Pairs of Boots and Shoes then Annually Pegged.--Metal Wire, and Screw Pegs.--Last-turning Machines of Blanchard.--McKay’s Shoe Sewing Machine.-- Revolution in Shoe Making.--Special Machines for Making Every Part.--One Machine Makes 300 Pairs a Day.--Many Millions made Daily.--Vast Increase of Labourers as the Art Advances.-- Illustrations of Yankee Enterprise.--Modern and Ancient Harnesses.--Embossed Leather.--Book Covers and the many Useful and Beautiful Leather Articles.--The Vast and Important Leather Manufactures. 361