Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1885-12-02
AN HOUR IN A ROPE-WALK,


machine can do more than eight men
could do in the old way, and where one
man could comb one bale of hemp
one machine can comb seventy-five
bales. The product of the largest rope
walk in the United States is one hun
dred and fifty tons of rope and Irvine
aweek. This ropewalk is in Bushwick.
Fifty-five years ago four horses furnish
ed the motive power; to-day five hun
dred and fifty horse engine is employed.
Twelve kinds of hemp are used in
rope making, Russian hemp being the
best. Separating the hanks is the first
process. The hanks are unbound and
lied. The oiling machines are large,
revolving drums of wood that absorb
and hold the oil kept in the troughs be-
low. From the oiling machines the
hemp goes to the combing machines of
different sizes. Five combings are
necessary. The combing machines are
very ingenious. After the combing the
fibres become roping, and endless yell
low streams of it flow from upper stor-
les to stories below for the spinning
machines. Women and girls operate
the spinning machines. The spinning
machines are much more interesting.
The streams of roping come down
through the spouts, and are guided by
girls into sheet-iron barrels that can
be wheeled to the spinning machines.
Roping after going throug Oh the spin
ming machines becomes spun yarn.
One room is called the waste room.
The waste is combed and blown until
the good fbres are saved and spun in
to yarn for Irvine. Many machines are
used in spinning and balling harvest
Irvine. The machines for balling are
not so interesting as the machines for
spinning and balling small cordage,
although the former are run by girls.
In a low addition in the tar room shop,
where spun yarn for tarred rope goes
through process almost as old
as the hills. Through long troughs
nearly filed with hot tar the yarn is
drawn until it is thoroughly saturat-
ed. On coming out it passes through
squeezers, and any excess of tar is
pressed out. Then it passes through
the airfor a considerable distance to
dry, and finally it wound on bobbins.
From the tar shop the way led to the
extreme lower end of the ropewalk
and the machinery for making large
ropes, or cables. The machinery is
crude, but substantial, the stancheons,
beams and braces being of roughly
hewn wood. The holdings of spun
yarn are placed upright on iron pins
on series of shelves. The ends of
the threads are drawn together and
put through the holes of guage plate,
from which they 60 to an iron tube
board, the size of the hole being guaged
by the size of the rope to be made.
Ninety-eigh hit threads make a slx-inch
cable, and with all these threads to at
tend to at the guage-plate rope
maker is kept busy. The friction of
the threads going through the tube
makes the iron so hot that the hand
cannot be kept on it. After being
drawn through the tube, the end of
what is now strand is attached to a i
hook in the former, an upright machine
on wheels that runs on track the full
length of the rope walk. The hook re-
wolves rapidly, and makes the twist in
the strand. The former is drawn
along by ropes, and, as it moves away
from the guage plate arms are swung
out from pillars along the track to
hold up the strand from the floor.
The former travels slowly. but with a |
good deal of whirling, to the upper end
of the track. The strand is then at
tached. with as many others as neces-
sary, to hooks IN another former on
another track, forming the rope.
About one hundred sizes of rope are
made, running from one-sixteenth of an
inch to twenty-four inches in diameter.
The length of large rope is generally
one thousand feet, and the largest rope
made nowadays is fifteen to eighteen
inches, and no large rope is made
except to order. Cordage of all sizes
was in the storeroom awaiting ship
meut, and the big cables were coiled
and bound as neatly as thread on a
spool. The superintendent pointed out
its perfection with as much admiration
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
gentleman was bound to get her off,
and he sent word on a Saturday morn
ing to have the cable ready on Monday
He said couldn't make it
without working Sunday, but said l
had never worked on Sunday, and 7 |
didn't propose to then. The old gentle
man wouldn't stand any nonsense, you
know, and knew it, but he knew me
we'll enough to believe that if l said l
would have the cable ready, it would
be ready. I.told him I would have the
cable ready, and that he needn't worry
himself about it. Well, we went to
work as we had never worked before |
I kept the boys at it until midnight.
and then knocked them off. Not a |
man did stroke of work on Sunday,
but at midnight the fnll 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 ClOinp a dairy pOOd