The Portland daily press., 1899-11-22
THROWING THE LASSO.
An Expert Tells Something About the
Various Methods of the Art.

(From the Denver Republlcan.)
A lasso Is about forty feet long-seldom
exceeding fifty feet-and out of that must
bs deducted the amount taken in making
the ncoss and the part which Is retained
in the rand. Thus 10 Is seen that the
average cast Is about twenty-five or
thirty feet, ard the "roper'' who con
throw anywhere near nifty feet with &C.
ouraoy is a rarity. In California they
sometimes use a rops as long as sixty.
five feet, but there they seem to have q
habit of throwing sn enormously large
loop-much larger than is really necessary
In actual work, however, 1t will be found
that q mans hard IL not large enough
properly to hold much mora than fortT
fse5 Of rope when rolled resdy to throw.
Ths Issso Ia q orestion Of u certain en-
vironment and med. Its place is o, the
bros d prairles and grazing lands ard Its
chief utility lies in the stonk business.
IL is almost useless In q wood d country
by reason OF the obstructions afford d by
branches and bushes. Tie fine st lassos
are of rawhid,, cut into thin strips and
braid d six-ply, into rope of from three
sighths to one half inch In diameter.
They are quite expensive, good iorty-
foot rope costing about 81 On this ac-
count Of late years, hard-twisttd grass
rope il usad, but the rawhide rope is tse
best In the wind A. 1t is heavier and
when nlled with oil Is not affected by
wet westher. A braided rope. also. has
less tsrdsnoy to kink than twisted
rope. Cowboys have . mixture OF lard
and besswax with which they dress their
hemp or linen ropss to keep out the
dam pnsss. and also to prevent them from
getting too dry. Ihs most celebrated OF
the genuine "riatas'' are made In Chica-
90. which produces an article much
superior to the rougher ones turned out
| In Mexico
There are three general methods Of
throwing with many minor variations
Of ipdivid ual habit. The rope Ia held In
practically the same way in every case.
First is the plain, straight cast. the
moose swinging around above the heed
movement. some ''ropers' throw q
small loop, hard ard fast, almost on
level; others q larger, lazisr kind, which,
nevertheless, "arrives." For myself,
favor small loop thrown hard, as it
seems the best all-round style. most effsc-
tive against the wird or other adverse
conditions.
The aim is somswhat to the right of the
object to be roped-say q foot and half
ON twenty -hse-foot throw, the exact
instant of release being governed by
weight of rope. wind, velocity of swing,
etc. Judgment coioes instinctisely with
practice. The rest of the rope Is he'd
ooiled In the other hard and released rs
fast se desired, two or three coils being
| retained.
10 'snub" the rope (wlnd it about the
pommel after oasting) in the instant Of
time allowed is n trick quite as diffic ult
| 40 throwing properly. The Mextcans,
with their large diameter pommels, have
to take only one tn m; tho American
pomm3 3ls, being smaller, require two.
| Tho mammal Qftan am0kea from the
friction created, and Is frequently deeply
| grooved and almost burned by the rope
The impor tant part played by the trained
COW pony Is obvious. He IL taught to
| sttle back on his launches the instant
ths rope begins to tighten, and In many
other ways materially to assist his mas
| ter.
The second met hid Of throwing is ex-
| actIy the reverse-that Ia, the moose Is
swung from the left to right above the
! head before release. This Is called the
"CaIIfornia throw" ami pos sibly gives O
little greater range. At any rate, one or
| two of the longest throwsrs know use
| 1t, and find it so myself. IL may be
only a personal result. Any good "roper"
eau throw either way.
The third is the corral dag" which,
as Its name indicates, Is for use afoot and
| in confined quarters. IL consists In
trailing out tie loop on the ground o
hind one and swapping is forward BY an
uDu6rnauu mOtiOns
| The lasso's greatest effectiveness as a
| weapon is when the wieldsr IL mounted.
When both adversHries are afoOt Its value
| is very slight, With cattle or HORSES IL
| Is very different thing. The whole es-
ssuoe Of the matter is to tighten tie
moore around an opponent With 1srk
sufficient to dismount him or take him
| of his feet To that cad you may ride
At him swiftly. or, If pursuing him,
stop your horse srdisnly. Or, II be is
stationary, and you cannot ride past him,
| yeu can wheel your horse and retire afser
| q su soesf fal cast. In lassOing man, II
! done skilfuliy. the instant tf time Is too
brief for him either to throw of the tight
eniug moose or cut it And 1t 10 one Of
the most deceptive things To attempt to
dodge.
| 1t Ia posi- BILE to control the moose OF u
lasso by the remainder Of tAs rope, but it
is a dextsrity which few ecaniTe In years.
The finest roper 1 know cf Vincents
Oropesa champion CT Old Mexico. can
do this to peffectlon, and his perform
ancs Ia one of the ablest in saat tntsrest-
ing EXPEDITION of plainsmanship; Oropesa
| Is an enthusiast. Ons tf the Mexicans
| once .old me that one night the oham-
pioa dseamtd CT new cast and at once
i gos un and went out scantily clad, ana
In half an hour haa mastered it.