How many have ever given a thought to the question of where rope comes
from and how it is made, or realize what a variety of uses it is put
to, and how dependent we are upon it in many of the everyday affairs
of life? But let us suppose for a moment that the world were suddenly
deprived of its supply of this very commonplace material, and of its
smaller relatives, cords and twine. We should then begin to realize
the importance of a seemingly unimportant thing, and to appreciate the
difficulty in getting along without it.
Ancient civilized peoples had their ropes and cordage, made from
such materials as were available in their respective countries. The
Egyptians are said to have made rope from leather thongs, and our
illustration will be found interesting in this connection. This is from
a sculpture taken from a tomb in Thebes of the time of the Pharaoh of
the Exodus.
[Illustration: EGYPTIANS MAKING ROPE.]
While this scene is said by the best authority to represent the
preparation of leather cords for use in lacing sandals, it has been
supposed by some to be a representation of rope making. In any event
the process is undoubtedly the same as that used in making rope.
The scene is depicted with the true Egyptian faculty for showing
details, making words almost unnecessary to an understanding of their
pictorial records. We see the raw material in the shape of the hide,
and also two well-made coils of the finished product. One of the
workmen is cutting a strand from a hide by revolving it and cutting as
it turns. Any one who has not tried it will be surprised to see what a
good, even string can be cut from a piece of leather in this way.
Another man is arranging and paying out the thongs to a third, who is
evidently walking backward in time-honored fashion, twisting as he goes.
Coming down to more recent times we find that rope-making had been
going on for centuries with probably very little change, up to the time
of the introduction of machinery and the establishment of the factory
system.
[Illustration: HACKLING.]
~HOW ROPE WAS LONG MADE BY HAND~
In the early days to which we have referred, all the yarn for
rope-making was spun by hand in the time-honored way. We are able to
represent to our readers by the photographs shown, this now almost lost
art. The material shown in the pictures is American hemp, which because
the earlier machines were not adapted to working this softer fiber,
continued to be spun by hand long after manila was spun chiefly on
machines.
[Illustration: NATIVE PHILIPINO SCRAPING THE FIBER FROM THE LEAF STOCK.]
The hemp was first hackled, as is also shown by our photograph, the
hackle or “hechel” being simply a board having long, sharp steel teeth
set into it. This combed out the tow or short, matted fiber, leaving
the clean, straight hemp. This “strike” of hemp the spinner wrapped
about his waist, bringing the ends around his back and tucking them
into his belt, thus keeping the material in place without knot or
twist, and allowing the fibers to pay out freely.
[Illustration: DRYING THE FIBER.]
[Illustration: SCENE IN AN EGYPTIAN KITCHEN SHOWING USE OF A LARGE ROPE
TO SUPPORT A SORT OF HANGING SHELF.]
The workman in our picture is Johnny Moores, an old-time expert
hand-spinner, who can walk off backward from the wheel with his wad of
hemp, spinning with each hand a thread as fine and even as can be asked
for. In the photograph, in order to show the process more clearly, one
large yarn is being spun.
[Illustration: AN OLD FASHIONED ROPE WALK