Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1885-10-07
NO. 50

Those who like the smell OF tar can yea
it here the year round in all its purity.
Through long troughs nearly filled
with hot tar the yarn is drawn until il
is thoroughly saturated. On coming
out it passes through squeezers, and
any excess of tar is pressed out. TheE
it passes through the air for a consider
able distance to dry and finally is
wound on bobbins. Tar protects cord
age from injury by exposure and i'm
mersion, but makes it more rigid and
weakens it. Many efforts have been
made to find a substitute, and there is
a patent process which, it is asserted,
renders rope waterproof, adds to it's
durability by preventing mildew or de-
cay, increases its strength and keeps it
pliable in the coldest weather
From the tar shop the way led to
the extreme lower end of the ropewalk
and the machinery for making large
ropes, or cables. Very little change
has been made there in the half cen
tury. The machinery is crude, but
substantial, the stanchions, beams and
braces being of roughly heWn wood.
Some of the WOrkmen are old and
weather beaten, and seem to belong to
the machinery. The bobbins of spun
yarn are placed upright on iron pins on
a series of shelves. The ends of the
threads are drawn together and put
through the holes of a gauge plate,
from which they go to an iron tube
board, the size of the hole being gagged
by the size of the rope to be made.
Ninety-eight threads make a six
inch cable. and with all
these threads to attend to at the
gauge plate rope maker is kept busy.
The friction of the threads going
through the tube makes the iron so hot
that the hand can not be kept on it. At
ter being drawn through the tube, the.
end of what is now strand is attached
to hook in the former, an upright
machine on wheels that runs on a track
the full length of the ropewalk. The
hook revolves rapidly and makes the
twist in the strand. The former is
drawn along by ropes, and as it moves
away from the gauge plate arms are
swung out from pillars along the track
to hold up the strand from the floor.
The former travels slowly, but with
good deal of whirring, to the upper
end of the track. The strand is theH
attached, with as many others as nee
essary, to hooks in another former on
another track, forming the rope.
About one hundred sizes of rope arG
made, running from one-sixteenth of
an inch to twenty-four inches in diam
eter. The length of large rope is gen.
orally 1000 feet, and the largest rope
made nowadays is fifteen to eighteen
inches, and no large rope is made ex-
cept to order. Cordage of all sizes
was in the storeroom awaiting ship
ment, and the big cables were coiledl
and bound as neatly as thread on a
spool. superintendent Stewart pointed
out it's perfection with as much admir-
alton as he must have had for his first
coil.
II once made a twenty-four-inch
cable,'' he said Ito haul the Henry
Clay off the beach with. The old gen
tleman was bound to get her off, and
he sent word on Saturday morning to-
lave the cable ready by Monday morn
ng. He said couldn't make it with
out working Sunday, but [ said that I
had never worked Sunday, and [ didn't
propose to then. The old gentleman
wouldn't stand any nonsense, you
know, and [ knew it, but he knew me
well enough to believe that if | said [
would have the cable ready it would be
| ready. ] told him / would have the
| cable ready, and that he needn't worry
| himself about it. WE'LL we went to-
work as we had never worked before.
[ kept the boys at it until midnight,
and then knocked them off, Not man
did stroke of work on Sunday, but;
at midnight the full force was put on
again, and on Monday forenoon the
cable was going away on carts-five of
'em. 1t was one hundred and thirty
fathoms long and the old gentleman
gave me credit for doing good job"
| IN. 7. San.