ROPE MAKING. 



strands are again stretched in their places, 

 and every tiling adjusted, so that the 

 sledge stands square on the walk, and then 

 a proper weight is laid on it. The tackle 

 is now cast off, and the cranks are turn- 

 ed at both ends, in the contrary direction 

 to the twist of the yarns (in some kinds 

 of cordage the cranks are turned the 

 same way with the spinning twist.) By 

 this the strands are twisted and hardened 

 up, and as they contract by this opera- 

 tion, the sledge is dragged up the walk. 

 When the foreman thinks the strands 

 sufficiently hardened, which he estimates 

 by the motion of the, sledge, he orders 

 the heavers at the cranks to stop. The 

 middle strand at the sledge is taken off 

 from the crunk ; this crank is taken out, 

 and a stronger one put in its place. The 

 other strands are taken off from their 

 cranks, and are all joined on the hook which 

 is now in the middle hole ; the top is then 

 placed between the strands, and being 

 pressed home to the point of their union, 

 the carriage is placed under it, and it is 

 firmlv fixed down : some weight is taken 

 off tlie sledge. The heavers now begin 

 to turn at boih ends ; those at the tackle- 

 board continue to turn as they did be- 

 fore, but the heavers at the sledge turn 

 in the opposite direction to their former 

 motion, so that the cranks at both ends 

 are now turning one way. By the mo- 

 tion of the sledge-crank the top is forced 

 away from the knot, and the rope begins 

 to close. The heaving at the upper end 

 restores to the strands the twist which 

 they are constantly losing by the laving 

 of the rope. The workmen judge of this 

 by making a chalk mark on intermediate 

 points of the strands, where they lie on 

 the stakes which are set up along the 

 walk for their support. If the twist of 

 the strands is diminished by the motion 

 of closing, they will lengthen, and the 

 chalk mark will move away from the 

 tackle-board; but if the twist increases 

 by turning the cranks at the tackle- 

 board, the strands will shorten, and the 

 mark will come nearer to it. As the 

 closing of the rope advances, the whole 

 shortens, and the sledge is dragged up 

 the walk. The top moves faster, and at 

 last reaches the upper end of the walk, 

 the rope being now laid. 



In the mean time, the sledge has mov- 

 ed several fathoms from the place where 

 it was when the laying began. These 

 motions of the sledge and top must be 

 exactly adjusted to each other. The 

 rope must be of a certain length, there- 

 fore the sledge must stop at a certain 



place. At that moment the rope should 

 be laid ; that is, the top should be at the 

 tackle-board. In this consists the address 

 of the foreman. He has Ins attention di- 

 rected both ways. He looks at the 

 strands, and when he sees any of them 

 hanging slacker between the slakes than 

 the others, he calls to the heavers at the 

 tackle-board to heave more upon that 

 strand. He finds it more difficult to re- 

 gulate the motion of the top. It requires 

 a considerable force to keep it in the an- 

 gle of the strands, and it is always dispo- 

 sed to start forward. To prevent or 

 check this, some straps of soft rope are 

 brought round the staff of the top, and 

 then wrapped several times round the 

 rope behind the top, and kept firmly down 

 by a lanyard or bandage. This both 

 holds back the top, and greatly assists 

 the laying of the rope, causing the strands 

 to fall* into their places, and keep close 

 to each other, which is sometimes very 

 difficult, especially in ropes composed of 

 more than three strands. It will greatly 

 improve the laying the rope, if the top 

 has a sharp, smooth, tapering pin of hard 

 wood, pointed at the end, projecting so 

 far from the middle of the smaller end, 

 that it gets in bet ween the strands which 

 are. closing. This supports them, and 

 makes their closing more gradual and re- 

 gular. The top, its notches, the pin, and 

 the warp, or strap, which is lapped round 

 the rope, are all smeared with grease or 

 soap, to assist the closing. The foreman 

 judges of the progress of closing chiefly by 

 his 'acquaintance with the walk, knowing; 

 that when the sledge is abreast of a certain 

 stake, the top should be abreast of a cer- 

 tain other stake. When he finds the top 

 too far down the walk, he slackens the 

 motion at the tackle board, and makes 

 the men turn briskly at the sledge. By 

 this the top is forced up the walk, and 

 the laying of the rope accelerates, while 

 the sledge remains in the same place, be- 

 cause the strands are losing their twist, 

 and are lengthening 1 , while the closed 

 rope is shortening. When, on the other 

 hand, he thinks the top too tar advanced, 

 and fears that it will be at the head of the 

 walk before the sledge has got to its pro- 

 per place, he makes the men heave brisk- 

 ly on the strands, and the heavers at the 

 sledge-crank worksofily. This quickens 

 the motion of the sledge by shortening 

 the strands; and by thus compensating 

 what has .been over-done, the sledge and 

 top come to their places at once, and 

 the work appears to answer the intention, 

 When the top approaches the tackle- 



