CONGRESS SHOES AND GAITERS. 319 



those made of animal leather ; and the expense of manufacturing 

 some kinds, when the shoes or boots are cemented, is as ten to 

 one in favor of gum-elastic, so that when the channels of supply 

 are fairly opened for obtaining the raw material in the abundance 

 in which nature yields it, what is anticipated now can hardly 

 fail to be realized. 



Among the numerous kinds of gum-elastic boots and shoes that 

 are being made, the following may be noticed, most of them be- 

 cause of some peculiarity in their construction, on which 

 account diagrams of some of them are given. 



PERVIOUS OVER-SHOES. 



The public have become so well acquainted with the im- 

 pervious vulcanized over-shoes, that any description of the 

 various styles, or comments upon them, more than have before 

 been made, may be superfluous. The perforated over-shoes, 

 which are here alluded to, are made whole, and without per- 

 forations, like other over-shoes, for about Jialf an inch up the 

 sides, the other parts of the upper being perforated, as represented 

 plate XX., fig. 1. 



CONGRESS SHOES AND GAITERS. 



This is a term which has been applied to boots and shoes of 

 various kinds, which have the gussets or springs inserted, which 

 are described, page 



These might, with more propriety, have been called the peo- 

 ple's boots and shoes, for the reason that, in all probability, they 

 will go into general use among all classes. While the article was 

 made with the springs of shirred goods, they were much ap- 

 proved, notwithstanding' these springs were too close for hot 

 weather. Since the introduction of the perforated spring, no 

 objection exists to this improvement. It is found to answer the 



