218 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



shown in Figure 49, then around the standing part 

 again in front of the hand as shown in Figures 

 50-51. The end is then drawn up so as to make the 

 knot firm. It is important that the end be drawn 

 up tight before pulling up the standing part ; for 

 if the standing part be pulled straight before draw- 

 ing up on the end, a slip knot is formed instead of 

 the hitch as shown in the cut. After a person be- 

 comes used to tyng this knot it is tied as easily and 

 quickly as the ordinary halter knot and is better, 

 for the reason that it is not so apt to become jammed 

 and hard to untie. 



The long splice requires that about one hun- 

 dred times the diameter of the rope be used ; in 

 other words, each end to be spliced must be un- 

 layed for a distance equal to fifty times the thick- 

 ness of the rope. After this unlaying is done, the 

 first step is to place the ends together in such a 

 way that each strand lies between two strands from 

 the opposite rope. Before doing this, however, one 

 should be sure that the rope is opened up properly, 

 as shown in Figure 52. If one 

 strand is crossed over the middle 

 of the rope as shown in Figure 

 53, which often happens, unless 

 the operator is very careful, the 

 splice cannot be properly finished. 

 When the ends are properly set 

 together as in Figure 54, two 

 pairs of strands from opposite 

 ropes are twisted together. This 

 twisting is not a part of the 

 splicing proper^but is done sim- 

 ply to hold the middles of the 

 ropes together and to avoid con- 

 fusing the strands. The proper 

 way to twist them together is to 

 take any strand from the left-hand 

 rope and twist it together with 

 the strand from the right-hand 

 rope which lies next back of it, 

 or away from the operator. This 

 is shown plainly in Figure 55. 

 The left-hand strand is twisted to 

 the right as though the operator 

 were trying to 'wring,, water out 

 of it and laid against the strand 

 from the r.ight-hahd 'rope. This 

 latter strand is then twisted in a 

 like manner and laid against the 

 first one, and this operation re- 

 peated four or five tiraes. *These 

 strands in trying to untwist will 

 naturally wind themselves to- 

 gether. A second pair, .is - then 



twisted in like manner as shown 

 in Figure 56. 



We are now ready to proceed 

 with the splicing, which is done 

 by taking the remaining loose 

 strand from the right-hand rope 

 and unlaying it one turn at a time 

 and laying the corresponding 

 loose strand from the left-hand 

 rope in its place, twisting it the 

 same as it was twisted in the 

 original rope as in Figure 57. 

 This process is repeated until the 

 strand from the left-hand rope is nearly used up. 

 If the directions given above are followed 

 closely and the strand from the left-hand rope is 

 twisted as it should be as it is laid in the place of 

 the other strand, this part of the rope will look 

 exactly like the original rope, as may be seen in 

 Figure 58. 



When only a few inches of the left-hand strand 

 are left, make a half hitch around the rope to keep 

 it from raveling out any farther and go back to the 

 middle of the splice, and untwisting one of the other 

 pairs of strands proceed to splice in the opposite 

 direction, going through the same process as with 

 the first pair of strands. After doing this you should 

 have something that looks like Figure 59, which 

 shows the three pairs of ends ready to be finished 

 off. 



The finishing process , may be carried out in 

 one of two different ways, depending upon the 

 result desired. In the case of a new rope which is 

 to be used for a belt or in some other place where it 



