LAYING A ROPE, OR, IN OTHER WORDS, OF TWISTING AND FORMING THE STRANDS TOGETHER THAT COMPOSE THE ROUND ROPE
Year: 1805

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, greeting.
WHEREAS His present Majesty King George the Third hath, by His
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Brittain, dated at
Westminster, the Sixteenth day of November last past, given and granted
unto JOHN CURB, of Belle-vue House, of the Parish of Sheffield, in the County
of York, Gentleman, His. Royal licence, power, and authority for the sole
making, using, exercising, and vending, for the term of fourteen years, a
certain Invention of the said John Curr of "LAYING A ROPE, OR, IN OTHER
WORDS, OF TWISTING AND FORMING THE STRANDS TOGETHER THAT COMPOSE THE
ROUND ROPE;" in which Letters Patent is contained a proviso that if the
said John Curr shall not particularly describe and ascertain the nature of
this said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, be
an instrument in writing under his hand and seal, and cause the same to be
enrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within one calendar
month next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent, all
liberties and advantages whatsoever thereby granted should utterly cease,
determine, and become void, anything therein contained to the contrary notwith-
standing, as by reference to the said Letters Patent may more at large appear.
NOW WITNESS THESE PRESENTS, that the said John Curr, by this
present Instrument in writing under his hand and seal, doth describe and

page_text: ascertain the nature of the said Invention and manner in which the same is
to be performed, used, and exercised, as follows, that is to say :-
Presuming there is in use a wheel or engine for twisting the strands at the
top end of the ropery, and another moveable one towards the bottom end of the
ropery, and that the large tooth wheel in each of these wheels above men-
tioned that drive round the smaller nutt wheels contains 94 teeth each, and
that there are three small nutts working into the tooth wheel of the wheel or
engine at the top end of the ropery occasionally that contain 14 teeth each,
and three more that contain 25 teeth each, and three more that contain 50
teeth each, which are also occasionally put into geer for twisting up the strands,
or for laying a rope to accommodate different sizes and dimensions of ropes,
and that there are three small nutt wheels working into the tooth wheel above
described of the wheel or engine at the bottom end of the ropery occasionally
that contain 8 teeth each, and three more that contain. 14 teeth each, and
three more that contain 28 teeth each, which are also put into geer for twisting
up the strands or for laying a rope to accommodate different sizes and dimen-
sions of ropes. Now, in order to lay or twist a shroud-laid rope regularly from
end to end, and to keep the fore twist of the strands and the back twist of the
rope always regular, my Invention herein set forth requires that a wheel or
reel, or other apparatus, shall be attached to the wheel or engine at the lower
end of the ropery above described, in such a manner as to point out and com-
mand the speed of the moveable top or laying block, commonly used in laying
a rope, and the nutt wheels at the top end of the ropery employ'd in twisting
the strands should be so proportioned to the nutt wheels employ'd at the same
time in twisting the rope at the bottom end as that it shall require an equal
number of turns on the wheel at both ends of the ropery to give the proper
twist or hardness to the rope, so that the workmen making one revolution or
turn of the one wheel or engine at the same time as the workmen do on the
other end, a regular proportion of twist is effected and kept up:
In order to simplify these principles, and enable a mechanic to construct
and apply them properly, I herewith annex a view of the wheel or reel (which
is about 30 inches the greatest diameter) and mode of application, as fol-
lows: Upon the axis of one of the three nutt wheels, with 25 teeth, on the
wheel or engine used at the bottom end of the ropery above described, is fixed
a nutt with 6 teeth, which nutt gives motion to the wheel or reel A, A, above
annexed, and which wheel or reel is fixed on the same axis with the tooth
wheel B, B, which contains 92 teeth, on which roel a small cord, wire, or other
fit material, required to be as long as the rope intended to be made, is applied,
and this wheel or reel is so constructed as to be convenient for enlargeing or

page_text: lessening, to suit the twist of the ropes of sundry sizes at the discretion of the
rope maker, which small cord or wire shall be fixed or attached to what is
called the top or moveable laying block after the strands are twisted to the
full hardness; the strands being then all put upon the axis of the nutt
with 14 teeth on the engine at the bottom end of the ropery, and upon
the separate nutts with 25 teeth on the wheel or engine at the top end,
and the wheel or reel on which the cord or wire laps being fixed to the dia-
meter of 18 inches for a rope of 3 inches circumference, and both wheels
or engines being turned with the same velocity, or, in other words, a revo-
lution being made of the wheels at the bottom and top end of the ropery at
one and the same time (which, as they are in sight of each other, may easily
be done), the cord or wire will then turn off the reel, and govern the speed of
the top, which will produce a rope nearly regular in twist and in hardness.
To make a shroud-laid rope of greater or less circumference than the 3-inch
rope above described, the diameter of the wheel or reel will require to bo
lessened or enlarged two inches in diameter for every 3/8" of an inch the ropes
are more or less in circumference, in which case the twist of the rope will be
found tollerably near the twist of a hard-laid rope. And to close a cable-laid
rope on these wheels, or make a shroud-laid rope of larger circum than
4 inches, the 3 strands may be put upon the nutt wheel at bottom end of
ropery containing 28 teeth, and the single strands upon the wheel at top end
with 50 teeth, in which case the wheel or reel will be fixed to half the diameter
of the above directions. If the above-mentioned proportion of teeth does not
harden the rope to the discretion of the rope maker, the nutts at the top end,
with a tooth less each, will make the ropes harder, and, with a tooth more
each, will make them softer, and lessening or enlargeing the wheel or recl
gives more or less twists in the rope.
There are doubtless other dimensions of wheels and nutts that will produce
the desired effect, and several other ways of fixing apparatus to give the pro-
portioned speed to the moveable top above described, but the Drawing and
directions herein set forth will be found simple and commodious in the appli-
cation. The ropes, being thus made by a regular system, will (if the spinning
be well done, and if the rope maker in getting the strands to the full hardness
be careful to cease twisting when the moveable wheel or engine at the bottom
end of the ropery is at one and the same place with each of the strands, to
give the same hardness to all of them, and the ground on which the sledge that
holds back the moveable wheel or engine at the bottom end of the ropery works
to keep the strands in proper tension be regular and even) be very nearly
regular in twist and hardness from end to end. And for cable-laid ropes, con-

page_text: sisting generally of three small shroud-laid ropes, or for making flat ropes,
all of which require the ropes, being made to great accuracy, that they may all
take a regular stretch together when applied to use, will be found a great
acquisition and improvement in the the strength and wear of them; and in
any detached shroud-laid rope this regularity in the manufacturing will bo
found of great service.
Witness the hand and seal of the said John Curr, this Twelfth day of
JOHN HOMISON.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Twelfth day of December,
in the year above mentioned, the aforesaid John Curr came before our Lord
the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification aforesaid,
and all and every thing therein contained, in form above written. And
also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the
Statute in that case made and provided.
Inrolled the Fourteenth day of December, in the year above written.