The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1903-11-07

rope the direction is reversed again, SO that
right and left hand twist alternate, which
keeps the finished rope from kinking up on
unwinding. The yarn is put into tank
of hot tar and subsequently through nip
ping apparatus, which removes the super
fuous dressing. The tar tends to protect
the fibre from moisture and friction. There
are wheels turned by horse power in some
ropewalks and these are used in laying up
the large cables containing hundreds of
strands and used for heavy valve packing.
The use of the hemp string for many
purposes has been superseded by metal
ties, and especially is this true of the cot
ton bale tie, whose place has been taken
by the fiat steel band with buckle In
case of fire, which is the dreaded enemy
of cotton handlers, the hemp tie is burned
off first and left the released cotton at the
mercy of the flames, while the metal bands
hold the cotton in compact, slow burned
squares, and so give it a chance for its life.
The process by which the various fbres
are made into rope are essentially the same,
since they all come to the factories in bales,
are opened up, spun into yarn, formed in
to strands and laid up into rope In the
making Of manila cordage the fibre is
opened up and passed through machine
consisting of corrugated iron rollers, which,
with the addition of sprinkling of oil,
soften and render the stuff more pliable.
Then it is run through machines when the
fbres are Strengthened and combed and
shaped into loose rolls, and these are COM
bined and stretched before being sent to
the spinning jenny, which twists them into
yarn and winds it onto bobbins. These
bobbins are sent to the rope machine, call
ed the former, where number Of the
yarns are twisted into strand readies and
sent to the rope machine proper, which
lays up into cable of varying size, the
largest being but a combination of the
smaller size.
Great care must be exercised that the rope
is evenly and properly ly twisted, since too
tight turn would cause it to kink up and
uneven laying of the fibre would cause un-
even wearing. In the laying machine the
readies are rotated to maintain their own
particular twist, which the laying up of
the rope with the proper opposite turn has
tendency to undo.
The heavy manila cables are often built
up around a central core of rope, and this
is often dressed with plumbago, or some
lubricant, to obviate the wear of friction,
and in many of the ropes the outside is
given final treatment by singeing off the
protruding fbres, oiling or sizing the sur
face and polishing it with revolving brush
es of cocoanut fibre If tarring is done at
+ all it is done when the fibre is in the yarn
j, stage, but for the tough, water resisting
n sisal and manila the practice is not much
g followed.
f The largest fibre cables are used about
It railroads for the shifting of cars by means
e of running switches and about boats for
i deep sea towing lines and shore hawsers,
h although in the latter uses steel cables are
5 often substituted. Much heavy machinery
i is run by means Of the rope drive, either
e of manila or cotton, and the larger strongly
s woven cables are fitted over drums with
: V-shaped corrugations. Bolt rope is a
: tightly twisted manila cord for sewing about
the edge of sails, and for the sailor use
t are ropes of various kinds and sizes, and
: they make an intricate web, about which
S he climbs like nimble spider. With the
. marlin spike, sharp pointed iron tool,
D the sailor bends on a hook or ring to a
ropes end by prying apart the twists and
skillfully weaving in the turned back raw
: elled strands. Hay is twisted into ropes
/ for use in core making in foundries, and
E hay and straw rope forms acceptable pack
ING for the glass and china dealers fragile
2 wares. Twine, with its scores of familiar
uses, is made much after the manner of
/ rope and of the same material.