R O P E M A K I N G. 



revolve round a rommon axis. Fixed to that axis, and 

 revolving with it, is a top, along whose grooves the 

 strands pass to their point of union, when- they are 

 formed into a rope, which is drawn away, when made, 

 by grooved wheels. This machine seems to combine 

 some of the parts of Cartwright's Cordelier, and of Fo- 

 thergill and Grimshaw's Machines. 



In ISnti .Mr. ( urr of Sheffield secured, by a patent, 

 " a method of spinning hemp for making ropes or 

 cordage." In order to regulate the number of twists 

 in the yarn to the distance moved through by the 

 spinner, he connects a barrel with the spinning 

 wheel, and therefore with the whirls which twist the 

 yarn. The speed and motion of the spinner (with 

 whom the rest keep pace) is regulated by means of the 

 rope attached to his body unwinding itself from the 

 barrel above-mentioned. The great object of Mr. 

 Curr's method is to produce an equal elongation of the 

 yarns when the twist is taken out of them by the oppo- 

 site twist of the strand. 



This patent was immediately followed by another by 

 the same patentee, for a method of laying or twist- 

 ing the yarns, by which they have a better and more 

 equal bearing than they have in the common way." 

 In the specification of this patent, Mr. Curr describes a 

 method of regulating the motion of the top, and also 

 of giving a regular motion to a perforated implement, 

 which is a substitute for Mr. Balfour's top minor. 



In the year 1806' Mr. R. Walker took out a patent 

 for an " improved method of making ropes of every 

 dimension by not only making all the yarns bear equal- 

 ly in the strand, and laying the strands uniformly in 

 the rope, but also by making the rope or cordage from 

 the yarns in the same operation." In this machine the 

 rope is twisted by the same frame which twists the 

 strands ; and the principal difference between this and 

 several other patent machines is, that Mr. Walker has 

 each yarn wound on its own bobbin, and arranged in dif- 

 ferent tiers round an open cylinder, and made to pass in 

 a concentrated state through a hollow axis at one end of 

 the cylinder, where it is received on a pulley fastened 

 to a frame that twists the strands into a rope, and on 

 which the strand frames rev6lve separately in twisting 

 the strands. Each strand passes from these pulleys 

 over another pulley near the centre of the machinery, 

 to a grooved block which revolves with the main 

 frame, on which the strand frames turn round separate- 

 ly. At the place to which the strands converge above 

 this block they are formed into a rope, which is hauled 

 away as it is made, and wound up by machinery. Mr. 

 Chapman remarks that the final effect of this machine 

 is to make a rope on Mr. Balfour's principle. Mr. 

 Walker also describes a plan of making a strand se- 

 parately, but we must refer the reader to his specifica- 

 tion in the Repertory of Arts, No. 70, 2d series. 



In 180? Mr. Syeds took out a patent for improve, 

 ments in ropemaking, but it does not seem to contain 

 any thing practically different from the plan already 

 described, though the combinations of the machinery 

 are different. 



In 1807 Messrs. W. and E. W. Chapman took out a 

 patent for a method of making a belt or flat band of 

 two or any greater number of strands of shroud-laid 

 rope placed side by side, so as to form a band of any 

 determinate breadth. These strands, according to Mr. 

 Chapman, should in general be alternately twisted the 

 contrary way to each other, and the yarns the opposite 

 way to the strands. The advantage of this invention 

 consists in this, " that the loss of strength by the com- 



a 



Hope 

 making. 



bination of these htrands into a shroud-laid rope is 10 

 considerable that, exclusive of the reduction of length 

 from being twisted into a rope, which is about one- 

 sixth the strength of two strand*, made in such a way 

 as to make all the yams Ix-ur an equal tension, or near- 

 ly so, will, when laid side by hide, be nearly equal lo 

 three xvch tlrandi when combined at a rope." Mr. 

 Chapman has also invented a " trunk or frame with 

 its apparatus, for combining speedily and correctly to- 

 gether any requisite number of strands or other flexible 

 substances laid side by side." Mr. Chapman is of opi- 

 nion, that these belts are (stronger than salvages com* 

 povi-d of the same number of yarns placed side by side, 

 which Duhamel and others considered to be the strong- 

 est combination of yarns. 



Having thus given an account of the leading im Description 

 provements which have been made in the rope ma- ** .T* m *' 

 nufacture, we shall now describe one of the best modern cll ' ner 5'- 

 machines which is at present in use at the manufac- 

 tory of the Gourock Rope Company, and for which we 

 have been indebted to Archibald Baine, Esq. the prin- 

 cipal partner. 



Description of PLATE CCCCLXXXII. 



Fig. 2. Exhibits a side elevation of the tackle-board PLATE 

 and bobbin-frame at the head of the ropery, and also CCCCURSII. 

 of the carriage or rope machine in the act of hauling ^'8- 2 b. 

 out and twisting the strands. 



Fig. 3. Is a plan or bird's-eye view of the same, 

 without the bobbin-frame. 



Fig. 4. Is a front elevation of the carriage. 



Fig-. 5. Is a yarn guide, or board, or plate, with 

 perforated holes for the yarns to pass through before 

 entering the nipper. 



Fig. 0. & 7- Are side and front views of the nipper 

 for pressing the rope yarns. 



Fig. 2. a is the frame for containing the yarn bob- rig. 2. 

 bins. The yarns are brought from the frame and pass 

 through a yarn guide at b. c is a small roller under 

 which the ropeyarns pass. They are then brought 

 over the reel d, and through another yarn guide e, 

 after which they enter the nippers at /, and are drawn 

 out and formed into strands by the carriage. The 

 roller and reel may be made to traverse up and down 

 so as to regulate the motion of the yarns 



Fig. 3 4. being different views of the carriage, Fig. 3, *. 

 the same marks of reference will denote the same parts 

 of both, so far as they are visible. The carriage runs on 

 a railway. J'J 'is the frame of the carriage, g g are the 

 small wheels on which it is supported, kit is an endless 

 rope, reaching from the head to the bottom of the 

 railway, and is driven by a steam engine, mm is a 

 wheel with gubs at the back of it, over which the end- 

 less rope passes and gives motion to the machinery of 

 the carriage, n n is the ground rope for taking out 

 the carriage, as will be afterwards described. On the 

 shaft 2.2 (Fig. 3.) are two bevelled wheels 3.3, with a 

 shifting catch between them ; these bevelled wheels 

 are loose upon the shaft, but when the catch is put 

 into either of them, this last then keeps motion with 

 the shaft, while the other runs loose. One of these 

 wheels serves to communicate the twist to the ttrand 

 in drawing out, the other gives the opposite or after- 

 turn to the rope in closing. 4 is a lever for shifting the 

 catch according 1}'. ."> is a third bevelled wheel, which 

 receives its motion from either of the other two, and 

 communicates the same to the two spur wheels 6.6 by 

 means of the shaft x. These can be shifted at pleasure, 



