DEEP-SEA WORK 271 



of the winch, the rope being kept taut by passing 

 through a block against which a weight pulls. When 

 the reel tends to run too fast, the rope-drive will slip 

 and so provide the necessary compensation. 



It should be remembered that with a cargo winch 

 there is much more wear on the warp than with the 

 trawling winch. In using either of the above methods 

 care should be taken to reduce the slip on the driving 

 drum to a minimum. 



Storage reels for the above purposes should be of 

 extra solid construction and provided with a powerful 

 hand brake. Most of the patterns on the market are 

 only intended for occasional use, and are consequently 

 of the very lightest build, with inferior bearings. 



A. — Deep Sea. 



1. Dredging and Trawling. 



As this is the heaviest and in many respects the most 

 difficult part of oceanic work, it should be the first to 

 be considered. 



Next in importance to the winch is the wire rope to 

 be employed ; this must be flexible, lest it kink and 

 snap when the strain is taken off, as, for example, 

 when the trawl touches bottom. Flexibility implies 

 several strands, each of numerous wires, and this 

 unfortunately involves weight. Fig. 194 shows a 

 section of a suitable rope, and displays six strands of 

 twenty-four wires each (6 x 24) ; each strand has a 

 hemp core, and the whole rope a hemp heart. 



Before selecting a rope, it is of great importance to 

 select a manufacturer with care ; it is not every firm 

 which understands the special demands made upon a 

 rope by deep-sea trawling. 



