The first part of this invention consists in providing the under surface of India-rubber shoes, buskins, gaiters, boots, and over-shoes, with projecting metallic points, permanently secured in or to the soles, so as to render the same less liable to slip or slide, when used in walking over snow, ice, or other smooth or slippery surfaces. In carrying out this improvement, the inventor procures short metallic points, in the form of headed rivets, in length very slightly exceeding the thickness of the sole, having a head of any convenient size. The diameter of the head is not material, but it should not be less than an ordinary rivet-head; and the size of the projecting portion should be, for light shoes, about 1/20 of an inch in diameter, which may be increased according to the size of the shoe,—care being taken not to render the shoe burdensome. Before the sole is applied to the shoe, these rivets or points are inserted through perforations in the sole, so that the heads shall rest upon the inner surface, and the points project through and beyond the outer surface, but so slightly that they can scarcely be felt in passing the hand over the surface. The sole thus prepared, is then applied in the usual manner, to the shoe. Another mode of providing the sole with such points, differs from the foregoing, in this respect only;—instead of using a number of headed rivets, the patentee takes a metallic plate, with projecting points, which may be cast for the purpose, so that when the points are inserted in the sole, the projecting points on the outer surface will be similar to those prepared with rivets as above described; while, on the inner surface, instead of presenting several heads, there will be one plate, which may be treated as one connecting head for all the rivets. The third part of the invention relates to a method of making that kind of shoes known as clogs, and consists in making them of India-rubber, or the compounds thereof, and of what the inventor denominates India-rubber sponge, moulded of the desired form, with the upper part of the sole, which comes in contact with the sole of the shoe or boot, formed with a ring all around, and protuberances, so as to give the desired elevation with little weight.