R O P 



ROf 



fixed in the ground ; over its top is a femicircular frame, 

 called the head, which contains twelve whirls, if it be for 

 twelve fpinners to fpin at the fame time ; thcfe whirls turn 

 on iron fpindles, with hooks to their front ends to hang 

 the hemp on, and are worked by means of a leather band 

 encircling the wheels and whirls. The tools and terms 

 appropriate to rope-making are defcribed in their proper 

 places. 



Rope- Tarn, the yarn of any rope untwitled. It com- 

 monly confills of cable-ends which are worn out ; and 

 arc cMedjunis of the calles. It ferves for many purpofes 

 among the failors. 



Rope-yarn properly denotes the fmallefl and fimplefl 

 part of any rope, being one of the threads of which a 

 ftrand is compofed ; fo that the fize of the latter, and of 

 the rope into which it is twifted, are determined by the 

 number of rope-yarns. 



Ropes, Standing, in a Ship, the fhrouds and itays are fo 

 called, becaufe they are not removed, unlefs to be eafed or 

 fet taught. See Shkoudk, and Stays. 



Ropes, Staple, ropes made of hemp, not inferior to clean 

 Peterfburgh. 



Rope- Bands, braided cordage, ufed to fallen the heads 

 of fails to their refpeftive yards. See Robbins. 



Rove-DccL See Deck. 



Rope, in Agriculture, a thick fort of cord formed of 

 hemp, or other material ; much ufed by farmers. See 

 Cordage. 



A very ufeful fort of rope for traces, and other fimilar 

 purpofes, has lately been formed of the coarfe wool of fheep. 



Rote, Cart, that fort of rope ufed in loading hay, ftraw, 

 or other bulky loads, by the farmer. Thefe ropes mould 

 always be ftrong, and formed of the bed materials, what- 

 ever the nature of them may be. 



Rope is alfo a word fignifying to tedder, as a horfe, 

 or other animal. It is a very injudicious practice, and 

 one which fhould by no means be generally followed by 

 farmers. 



Rope, Cord, or Strap, in the Manege, is any of thefe 

 tied round a pillar, to which the horfe is fattened, when 

 they begin to quicken, and hippie, to teach him to fly from 

 the chambrier, and not gallop faltly or incompaclly. 



In thofe maneges where there is no pillar, a man (lands 

 in the centre of the ground, and holds the end of the rope. 



Ropes, Drag, in the Artillery, are thofe by which the 

 foldiera pull the guns backwards and forwards both in their 

 exercife, and in an engagement. They are of various 

 lengths and dimcnfions, as they are ufed for guns or 

 howitzers of different weights. 



Ropes, Foot. See Toor-Ropes. 



Ropes of two Pillars, are the ropes or reins of a cavc- 

 fon, ufed to a horfe that works between two pillars. See 

 Pile ah. 



Raevr Dancer. See Danceii, and Nusance. 



Rope of Sand, a phrafe familiarly ufed to denote dif- 

 union, or want of adheflon and continuity. In this fenfe 

 it is applicable to a variety of cafes, and in military lan- 

 guage to the difagreement that fubfills between the colonel 

 and the captains of a regiment. 



Rope Machine for railing Water, in Hydraulics. — If a 

 vertical grooved wheel, fixed in a frame, be Qtuated within 

 the water at the bottom of a well, and another fimilar 

 wheel, having a handle affixed to its axis, be fituated in 

 another frame at the upper part of the well ; alfo an eiullefs 

 rope (via. a rope whofe two extremities are fpliced into 

 each other) be palled round both wheels ; then, on turning 

 the handle, the wheels and the rope will be caufed to mow, 



viz. the rope will afcend on one fide, and will defcend on 

 the other, paffing fucceffively through the water of the 

 well ; but the afcending part will carry up a quan- 

 tity of water adhering to its furface ; and this water 

 differs in quantity, according to the fize of the rope, the 

 depth of the well, and the quicknefs of the motion ; 

 viz. with a larger rope, in a lefs deep well and quickelt 

 motion, a greater quantity of water will be raifed, than 

 other wife. 



In order to intercept the water at the top of the well, the 

 upper wheel is inclofed in a pretty large box, in the bottom 

 of which there are two holes, through which the afcending 

 and defcending parts of the rope pals. To thefe holes are 

 affixed two fhort tubes, which prevent the exit of the 

 water which falls to the bottom of the box. There is alfo 

 a lateral fpout on the fide of the box, clofe to the bottom, 

 for the water to come out of; and on the broad fides of the 

 box there are two holes for the axis of the wheel. The 

 9th and 10th figures of Plate XIV. Hydraulics, exhibit a 

 feftion and a front view of a machine of this fort, which 

 was put up in the year 1782, on the caflle hill at Windfor, 

 where the depth of the well is 95 feet. A fimilar machine 

 was alfo placed on the round tower of Windfor caille, 

 which draws the water from the depth of 178 feet. 



The fame letters refer to the like parts in both figures. 



The wheel, H, at the bottom of the well is of lignum 

 vitx, one foot in diameter. Its axis is of fteel, and turns 

 with its extremities in fockets of bell-metal. 



The frame, I I, is of iron. 



The wheel, E E, at the top of the well is of iron ; but 

 its rim, with the groove which receives the rope, are of lead. 

 The diameter of this wheel is three feet. 



The axis, dd, is of Heel, and its extremities turn in bell- 

 metal fockets, which are fixed in two upright pods, A, A, 

 that fupport the machine. T is the handle affixed to the 

 axis, which handle defcribe6 a circle of 28 inches in diameter ; 

 b h is the wooden box, lined with lead, which inclofes the 

 wheel E. F, F, are the holes at the bottom of the box 

 through which the rope pafles. Their diameter is about 

 two inches. 



On the fame axis, dd, another wheel, C C, of about four 

 feet in diameter, is fixed. This wheel is of wood, loaded 

 on the edge with lead, and it ferves as a fly to facilitate the 

 motion. 



The rope is of horfe-hair, and meafures half an inch in 

 diameter. 



With this identical machine, feveral experiment* were 

 tried, the refult of which is as follows : 



When the machine was worked (lowly, viz. fo as to 

 make about 30 revolutions of the handle in one minute, 

 then very little water came up adhering to the rope ; and 

 of this water a very fmall portion was leparated from the 

 rope within the box, fo as to come out of the fpout Z, in 

 the fide of the box. 



When the revolutions of the handle were about 50 in 

 a minute, then a confiderable quantity of water came up 

 adhering to the rope ; and on turning the wheel E E round, 

 the greateft part of that water, having acquired a confiderable 



velocity, flew off in a tangent from the rope, and formed a 



jet within the box. This water, falling to the bottom ot 

 the box, came out of the (pout '/. 



It was (bund, thai the Utmoft exertion of an ordinary 

 working man could not make more than 60 revolutions ot 

 the handle in a minute ; in which cafe the rope moved at 

 the rale of about 16 feet yw- f-cond. With this velocity 

 the quantity ot water that came out of the fpout, Z, wa» 

 about fix gallons per mimitt ■: lr.it it would have been im- 



poflible 



