CORDAGE. 



251 



rate, while a skilled workman superintends the 

 process as the work progresses. In a word, 

 the " winch " in a rope-factory is mounted on 

 a train-car, while the bobbin-frame remains 

 stationary. 



.\s many strands can be twisted at a time as 

 there are hooks on the winch, and their length 

 is only limited by the length of the rope-walk. 

 "When the car reaches the end of the walk the 

 strands, or as they are now called the " readies," 

 are removed from the hooks and fastened to 

 stationary hooks or pegs. At the same time 

 the yarns are cut at the other end of the walk, 

 and there also the ends of the readies are made 

 fast, and the long, hard twisted strands lie 

 side by side, reaching from end to end of the 

 rope-walk. 



In large factories the walks are equipped with 

 double tracks, one of them devoted to the final 

 laying up of the rope. For this purpose a car 

 is fitted with a standard, which supports a 

 " top " like that shown in Fig. 1. "When it is 

 desired to lay up a rope, the readies are shifted 

 to the other track, and inserted in the scores 

 of the top as seen at D, in Fig. 2, and at H, in 

 Fig. 3 ; the ends of the strands are released 

 and, aided l>y machinery which propels the car, 

 the strands begin to twist firmly around one 

 another. The car, as it advances about as fast 

 as a man can walk, leaves a perfect rope be- 

 hind it (as at G, Fig. 3), which when finished 



independently of the other (see arrows near 

 A A A, Fig. 5). At the same time all three of 

 the bobbins are geared to a large outer frame, 

 F F F, that revolves in a contrary direction as 

 indicated by the large arrow. In practice this 

 large frame stands facing toward C. It is here 

 shown at right angles to its proper position, to 

 simplify the drawing. 



"When set in motion the action of the ma- 

 chine is perplexing to the eye, and it is scarce- 

 ly possible to follow its movements. The 

 strands B B B are led from the flying bobbins 

 to a tube the size of the required rope, and the 

 reversed motion of the large frame, F F F, 

 gives the necessary twist to the combining 

 strands just as they enter the tube 0. From the 

 other end of the tube they emerge in the form 

 of a rope or cable (D), of any desired size, ac- 

 cording to the size of the machine. This is car- 

 ried directly to a reel (E), and is coiled up ready 

 for shipment. The largest rope-machines are 

 not more than thirty feet long a great saving 

 in space when compared with the 1,000 feet 

 or more occupied by a rope-walk. Moreover, 

 machine-made rope can be produced of any 

 desired length : 3,000 feet is not uncommon 

 for drilling cables, whereas the product of a 

 rope-walk must frequently be spliced. John 

 Good has invented a machine that does the 

 spinning and laying at one operation. 



Fig. 6 shows the different kinds of cordage 



FIG. 5. A ROPE-MAKING MACHINE. 



A, A. A. bobbins carrying twisted readies, and so geared that they can revolve end over end with the arrows ; 

 F. F. F, a large frame supporting the bobbin-frames, and geared so as to revolve with large arrow ; B. B, B, 

 readies receiving a double twist from the reversed action of the bobbin-frames ; C, forming-tube ; D, finished 

 rope ; E, reel. 



is as long as the walk itself, less what is taken 

 up by the twist of the strands. 



The machine process of rope-making is more 

 difficult to describe, owing to the complicated 

 operations involved. In Fig. 5, let A A A rep- 

 resent large bobbins or spools filled with read- 

 ies or twisted strands. These are mounted on 

 axles set in frames, which have other axles or 

 gimbals of their own, so that while the strands 

 are being reeled off from the bobbins, the 

 bobbins in turn can revolve end over end, each 



in common use. A is right-handed, or plain 

 laid rope the ordinary rope of commerce 

 having three strands. B is four-stranded 

 or shroud-laid rope, also right-handed. The 

 fifth strand marked a is the heart of soft stuff, 

 and is necessary in rope of this character be- 

 cause four strands can not be laid up together 

 without leaving a vacant space in the middle. 

 C is cable-laid or hawser-laid rope, composed 

 of three plain laid ropes, and therefore left- 

 handed, since the completed rope must have 



