The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1903-10-24
HOW ROPES ARE MADE.

The basic principle of all ropes,
large or small and of whatever mate
rial constructed, is the twisted strang
of spun fibre, and in the degree of
skill shown in the twisting and the
spinning lies the beauty and utility
of the finished cord. The materials
most generally used in rope building
today are the common hemp. There
are several plants of varying distribu-
tion from which hemp is obtained,
but the most familiar is that cultiva-
ted in many of Our States and yield
ing stringy bark. 1t came origi-
nally from about the Caspian and has
been cultivated for ages in Oriental
countries for its various products of
fibre, powerful drug and oil obtained
from the seed. In this country the
plant grows from eight to twelve feet
high from seed sown along in April,
and is cut when the leaves begin to
turn and the stems to whiten. The
stems are cut and stripped and left to
be dew or rain rotted, or else are i'm
mersed in water to loosen the fibre
from the wood, which is separated by
being beaten or being run through
breaking machine and drawn through
"hackles'' which same are sharp iron
spikes set upright in frame. This
treatment lays the 6bres lengthwise
and combs out the waste tow.
Although machines have been in
vented for the making of ropes, there
is much of the hempen stuff made yet
by hand, but for ships rigging and
boat hawsers fibre is required which
will not detoriorate in water. For
the handmade rope considerable
space is necessary-or, rather consid-
cradle length, for the rope-walk of
time immemorial is a path several
hundred yards long. In modern es-
tablishments this path is inclosed in
a long, low building, in each end of
which is placed what small amount
of machinery the plant requires. chief
among which is large wooden wheel
operated by a hand crank and carry
ing several cord bands communicating
a revolving motion to as many little
spindles ending in hooks. A work.
man takes a large bunch of the
Strengthened fibre and fastens it about
his waist with the ends in front.
Then drawing out two wisps of this
be ties each to hook, and as they
begin to turn the spinner backs away
down the path, paying out two lines
of catching, snarling fibre between
fingers and thumbs, which are pro-
tected by pieces of woolen cloth. If
the fibre comes too thick he thins it
with deft jerk, and if too thin he
thickens it with nimble doubling of
the supply, and all the time he is
backing steadily and the little rotating
hooks are twisting his hempen yard.
At intervals along the way are out
standing frames on which he rests his
yarn to keep it off the ground, and
when the end Of the walk is reached
the two nearly made threads are tied
together and caught over hook and
back he goes to begin the same work
over again.
Experience teaches the spinner just
how fast to walk so that the yarn may
be evenly twisted, while he also calls
instructions to the boy at the wheel,
who turns fast or slow, as the occasion
requires. When a quantity of the
yarn is finished then begins the uni
ting of it into strands, and much the
same process is followed, for three or
more threads are twisted into one,
but always the twist given to the
strand is in the opposite direction
from that given to the yarn, and if
the strands are laid up into a rope
the direction is reversed again, so that
a 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 SUBJ
sequently through nipping appara-
tus, which removes the superfuous
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 pur-
poses has been superseded by metal
ties, and especially is this true of the
cotton 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 it's life.
The process by which the various
fbres are made into rope are essen
TALLY the same, since they all come to
the factories in bales, are opened up,
spun into yarn, formed into strands
and laid up into rope. In the max
ing of manila cordage the fibre is
opened up and passed through ma
chine consisting of corrugated iron
rollers, which, with the addition of a
sprinkling of oil, soften and render
the stuff more pliable. Then it is
run through machines when the 6bres
are Strengthened and combed and
shaped into loose rolls, and these are
combined and stretched before being
sent to the spinning jenny, which
twists them into yarn and winds il