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SHDIldS QNV SHIX 'SIONX 
 
Cornell University 
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Frontispiece 
 
KNOTS 
 TIES AND SPLICES 
 
 A HANDBOOK 
 
 SEAFARERS, TRAVELLERS, & ALL WHO USE CORDAGE 
 
 HISTORICAL, HERALDIC, AND PRACTICAL NOTES 
 
 J. TOM BURGESS, 
 
 ■A^V 
 
 LONDON 
 
 GEORGE ROUTLEDGE AND SONS, Limited 
 
 Broadway, Ludgate Hill, E.G. 
 

 -J 
 
 @. X('^o^ 
 
 / / 
 
 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 THE USES OF KNOTS I 
 
 II. 
 
 THE HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF KNOTf. • 7 
 
 III. 
 HERALDIC KNOTS . . - lO 
 
 IV. 
 CORDAGE AND ITS VARIETIES - - - - I4 
 
 V. 
 
 SIMPLE KNOTS AND LOOPS - - - - 24 
 
 VI. 
 SHORTENINGS ■ - - " = - 33 
 
 VII. 
 
 KNOTS FOR UNITING ROPJ:S . o = = 39 
 
 VIII. 
 
 SPLICES - - . o . 46 
 
 IX. 
 OTHER MODES OF UNITaNG ROPES - ■■ - $2 
 
 X. 
 
 TIES 58 
 
VIU 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 XL 
 
 MOORINGS AND RING KNOTS 
 
 XII. 
 
 HITCHES AND BENDS 
 
 XIII. 
 
 FASTENINGS AND LASHINGS 
 
 XIV. 
 THE ENDS OF ROPES 
 
 XV. 
 
 KNOTS AND THEIR APPLICATION 
 
 XVI. 
 
 A KNOT ALPHABET 
 
 65 
 71 
 78 
 86 
 92 
 98 
 
KNOTS, TIES, AND SPLICES. 
 
 I. 
 
 THE USES OF KNOTS. 
 
 KNOTS? What? Knots? 
 There are love knots, matrimonial knots, Gor- 
 dian Knots. These are figurative. 
 
 There is the Stafford Knot, the Bouchier Knot, the 
 Lacy Knot, the Henage Knot, the Dacre Knot, the 
 Harrington Knot (which is not a knot at all), as well 
 as the Wake Knot. These are heraldic. 
 
 There is the Monkey Knot, the Wind Knot, the 
 Peruvian Knot, and conjurors' knots. These are fancy 
 knots. 
 
 There are weavers' knots, builders' knots, sailors' 
 knots, reef knots, fishermen's knots. These are real 
 and useful knots. 
 
 But they are only twisted cord. Cni bono? What 's 
 the use .' 
 
 Let a few personal examples suffice. 
 
 Thirty years ago a lad was standing in a garden 
 gazing at a surging mass of coloured silk, which heaved 
 to and fro over the heads of a dense crowd. The wind 
 
KNOTS, TIES, AND SPLICES. 
 
 was blowing in fitful gusts, and heavy masses of 
 vapour rolled overhead. The crowd had assembled to 
 witness a balloon ascent. Cautious bystanders wished 
 the exhibition to be postponed in consequence of the 
 state of the weather; but the crowd roared, and the 
 aeronaut took his seat in the car. The men who held 
 the ropes were nearly pulled off the ground by the 
 plunging balloon. At last, in sheer despair, the mad 
 and struggling thing was released, and away it went. 
 It rose above the surrounding buildings, but it was 
 obvious to all that the wind was too strong, and that 
 the life of the aerial navigator was in great danger. 
 The boy could see him gesticulating to the various 
 groups of people. He saw the grapnel thrown out. It 
 dragged the ground. There was a pause for a moment 
 in the progress of the balloon, but the bystanders 
 merely gaped. Again the balloon came on towards 
 the boy in the garden. At first he was paralysed, but 
 his companion said, " Let us catch the ropes and twist 
 them round a tree." The boy thought that such a 
 scheme was not only wild in conception, but useless in 
 practice. They waited for a few moments, until the 
 grapnel again touched the ground, and tore up the 
 surface of the adjoining pasture. The traveller above 
 called to "secure the guide-ropes when the grapnel 
 caught." 
 
 The boys were ready and excited, when the grap- 
 nel caught a stump in the hedge-bottom, and checked 
 the mad career of the balloon which fluttered and 
 struggled above them. They rushed forward, seized 
 
THE USES OF KNOTS. 
 
 a rope, and ran round the stump of a tree with it. 
 They were about to do the same with another rope, 
 when the grapnel gave way. 
 
 "Hold on, Jack," said the elder boy, "to this rope.' 
 And he took the other, and in a few seconds had 
 secured it round the post of the gate. The ropes 
 creaked — the tree was pulled like a young sapling. 
 The intrepid and daring aeronaut came out of the 
 car, held on by a rope for a moment, and dropped to 
 the earth. The balloon, released of his weight, tore 
 up the gate-post, snapped the cord which tied it to 
 the tree, and bounded into the air. 
 
 "Well done, boys," said the late Mr. Graham, 
 when he recovered his breath. " You did more than 
 those fools dare," pointing to the crowd which now 
 hurried up. "I owe my life to your knowing the 
 power of a twisted rope, and having the ability to 
 tie a simple knot." 
 
 That was my first lesson in the uses of knots and 
 ties. My second led to a more profound knowledge 
 of the art. 
 
 I was staying at Ennis, fishing in the Fergus, when 
 the salmon ran, and occasionally visiting the lakes of 
 Inchiqutn, Ballyalla, or Drumconora for trout, when 
 suddenly my rod snapped in the second joint. My 
 cast-line was torn. I was in the most deplorable 
 plight a young angler was ever in. There were fish 
 in plenty, but my cherished rod was spoilt, and days 
 must elapse ere it could be replaced. 
 
 " What could I do ? " I asked, in a tone of chagrin. 
 
KNOTS, TIES, AND SPLICES. 
 
 "Take it to old Jack,'' said an old fisherman. And 
 to " old Jack " I took it. 
 
 "Old Jack " was one of the kindest and most genial 
 old tars I ever met with. His name was, I believe, 
 McDonnell or O'Donnell, and his Christian name 
 was Donagh, Donald, or Dermod, or some Gaelicized 
 Bible name, which was supplanted by the universal 
 Jack. Though he had lost an arm in the " untoward 
 affair " at Navarino, he could " tie a fly " or make a 
 rod with any man in Munster. He was equally the 
 pet of the officers of the garrison and the boys of 
 the town. To one he sold his excellent rods, and he 
 mended the broken tackle of the other with equal 
 gusto. He was very poor, yet he maintained an infirm 
 sister and himself in respectability on a small pension 
 and the produce of his rod and fly making. His 
 well-balanced four-joint sixteen-feet salmon-rod was 
 a beauty — the lower joint of ash, the two middle ones 
 of hickory, and the top of greenhart. It made one's 
 blood tingle to feel the pliant, well-balanced switch, 
 and to know that the lordly salmon was almost within 
 reach. The accident to my favourite rod introduced 
 me at once to " old Jack," and initiated me in time 
 into the further mysteries of " knots, ties, and splices." 
 In the course of a few minutes he produced a small 
 bottle of liquid glue, with which he anointed the 
 broken rod, and " whipped " the splintered parts with 
 fine waxed cord. He did it so readily that I wondered 
 at the neatness, strength, and renewed symmetry of 
 my " equal -to -new" rod. A fev/ well-made knots 
 
THE USES OF KNOTS. 
 
 mended my line, and a new world opened up before 
 me. 
 
 If any one asks the utility of knots, let the sailor 
 answer. A little knowledge of them saved ten lives 
 when the Serrano was wrecked ; it enabled me to 
 reach the Gipsy when she left her moorings with two 
 boys on board ; it lengthened and firmly united the 
 bed-cords at a fire in Staple's Buildings, which enabled 
 two people to escape from the upper-floor windows. 
 At a hundred times and places the art — for it is an 
 art — is useful. We know that Napoleon ennobled the 
 inventor who could tie a knot in a piece of stretched 
 string. Our ships are a mass of knots ; and only last 
 month a number of lives were lost in a Staffordshire 
 colliery because the man who mended the rope did 
 not know how to splice properly. The wonderful 
 hero in "Foul Play" would have been much more 
 wonderful if he could have knotted, knitted, netted, 
 and spliced well; but the lady was the superior genius 
 here, and had to make the nets. 
 
 Some httle seafaring, some living in out-of-the-way 
 places and travelling in lonely localities, have shown 
 me the manifold uses of knots ; and I acquired the 
 knowledge of how to tie them sometimes from 
 necessity, though I have not had the advantage of 
 the boatswain's Saturday afternoon instruction with 
 a marlinespike. I have gathered from various sources, 
 as well as my own experience, these notes on " Knots, 
 Ties, and Splicing,'' for there are but few who can tie 
 a knot securely, though it is an operation that we 
 
KNOTS, TIES, AND SPLICES. 
 
 have to perform nearly every day of our lives. Not 
 only seamen, but nearly every trade and every variety 
 of labourer, has his or its special knot, which has been 
 handed down from father to son, and from master to 
 apprentice, for any number of years. It is an art, for 
 if a tyro attempts to join two pieces of string together, 
 in all probability it will be what is termed a false or 
 a " granny " knot, or simply connect the two ends by 
 an overhaul knot, which, if the easiest, is the clumsiest, 
 and which Alpine travellers know is fatal to the 
 strength of a rope. The sailor's, weaver's, or fisher- 
 man's knot would answer his purpose better. 
 
II. 
 
 THE HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF 
 KNOTS. 
 
 The history of knots is lost in the mist of antiquity. 
 An ingenious essayist has told us that they are pro- 
 bably as "old as human fingers," and, doubtless, in 
 Paradise the trailing flowers twisted themselves into 
 wreaths amongst the spreading branches, as they 
 formed a bower for mankind's first mother. Since 
 that time they have become interwoven with man's 
 life. Superstition has appropriated them, jugglers have 
 used them, lovers have symbolized them, and good 
 men have used them. They are a part of his occu- 
 pation. Eve could not have begun her proverbial 
 spinning in the days of general gentility without first 
 tying a knot ; and the first lady of the land ties a 
 perfect knot every time she moves her tatting shuttle. 
 
 Knots were common in the time of Homer, for in 
 the eighth book of the " Odyssey," Ulysses is repre • 
 sented securing the rich and costly robes, vases, gold, 
 and other valuable presents of Alcinoiis and his queen 
 by a cord of rope, fastened in a knot "closed with 
 Circean art." This knot of Ulysses became a proverb, 
 to express any unsolvable difficulty, SxoS OSwo-^ws Seir/tJs, 
 and a proof of the esteem in which the ancients held 
 
 7 
 
KNOTS, TIES, AND SPLICES. 
 
 this art, so necessary in the absence of locks, may be 
 adduced from the Gordian Knot ; and, in fact, Homer 
 describes the treasures and other valuable objects as 
 being kept in the citadel, secured merely by a cord 
 intricately knotted. 
 
 Probably we shall never know how the Gordian 
 Knot was tied. Every young gentleman, however, 
 knows the story of Gordius, the Phrygian husband- 
 man, who was promoted to a kingdom by the oracle 
 of Apollo, and how he hung up his plough-traces a? 
 a votive offering in the temple of Jupiter. He, how- 
 ever, tied one rope of these traces with so cunning a 
 knot, that it was foretold that whoever unloosed it 
 should be king of all Asia. We are told how baffling 
 the knot v/as, and how Alexander the Great, when 
 he found he could not untie it. cut it with his sword. 
 There are some who would gladl}' follow the grim 
 Macedonian's example, and cut the hymeneal knot 
 which binds them to an unsympathetic or uncongenial 
 partner. 
 
 The old sorcerers used knots, we are told, in their 
 incantations. The witches of Lapland sold " wind 
 knots" tied in a rope to their seafaring customers, 
 who, when they wanted a particular wind, instead of 
 whistling for it, untied the corresponding knot which 
 had been tied by enchantment. Indeed, in all ages 
 and in all climes knots, with their manifold uses and 
 advantages, seem to have been used by necromancers 
 as a means of mystification in furtherance of their 
 magic aits. The Davenport Brothers were not the first 
 
HISTORY AND PHlLOSuFHY OF KNOTS. 9 
 
 who showed their expertness with ropes and knots. 
 Men had been tied with cords and put into sacks or 
 boxes who emerged almost immediately free of all 
 bonds ; and there are scores of tricks published in 
 conjuring books showing some interesting tricks with 
 loops, slip-knots, false hitches, and other contrivances 
 familiar to those who use cordage. 
 
 There is one part of the history of knots which has 
 received but little attention, though it has not been 
 overlooked in the many treatises on armoury which 
 have been published from time to time ; and these are 
 known as — 
 
III. 
 
 HERALDIC KNOTS. 
 
 The knots u.-.ed in heraldry are technically called 
 " badges," and have been probably in use from a very 
 early time, when heraldry, as we understand it, was a 
 thing of the future. We find both in Celtic structures, 
 and in those attributed to the Anglo-Saxons, many 
 curious ornaments formed of interlaced cordage. We 
 have given two small examples (pp. 38 and lOi) which 
 exemplify the method by which the twists and turns 
 of a piece of rope were made into a geometric and 
 not unpleasing ornament. 
 
 Of the heraldic knots that of Stafford is the simplest, 
 and is used as the badge of the shire as well as of the 
 noble house who first used it. It is an open, simple 
 knot only (Fig. i). 
 
 Probably the oldest is the Wake KNOT, which is 
 used also by the Ormonde family, and is known by 
 their joint names. If this was the badge of Hereward 
 the Wake, it is the most interesting of all the heraldic 
 knots (Fig. 2). 
 
 The next in simplicity is the BOUCHIER KNOT 
 (F'g- 3)- It is formed of two open "granny" knots, 
 and decorates the mantlings of a nobleman of the 
 Bouchicr family. In Westminster Abbey, on the tomb 
 
 10 
 
HERALDIC KNOTS. 11 
 
 of another Bouchier, it is several times repeated. It 
 is sometimes shown as cordage, and at others as cord 
 and beaded belt combined. 
 
 The elegant interlaced knot (Fig. 4) is supposed 
 to represent a monogram. It is found embroidered 
 in the robe of the effigy of Anne of Bohemia in West- 
 minster Abbey. 
 
 The BOWEN Knot (Fig. 5) is simply a cross formed 
 by four loops with a circular rope, and may have been 
 a rebus like 
 
 The Lacy Knot (Fig. 6), which is finely sculptured 
 at Whalley Abbey, and simply means interlaced ; and 
 the same, judging from the motto, is 
 
 The Henage Knot (Fig. 7), which bears the 
 legend, " Fast, though untied." 
 
 The so-called knot of the Harringtons (Fig. 8) 
 appears to be only a bit of fretwork from one of the 
 charges. 
 
 The badge of the Dacres (Fig. 9) is formed by a 
 cord entwining an escalop-shell and the ragged staff 
 of Nevil, and is somewhat tastefully arranged. It is 
 thought to indicate the descent from the Bouchiers or 
 the union of their families, just as Edward, Lord 
 Hastings (Fig. 10), entwines the sickle of the Hunger- 
 fords with the garb of the Peverells. 
 
 There are many foreign examples of this device. 
 One of the family of Morvilliers shows the Pythago- 
 rean 7 (so called because the philosopher made it the 
 symbol of life), entwined with a hitch knot which is 
 attached to a harrow, which thus forms a rebus on the: 
 
 2 — 2 
 
12 KNOTS, TIES, AND SPLICES. 
 
 name of the French Chancellor at the time when 
 Elizabeth ruled over England. Pope Leo X. had a 
 twisted knot and a band round a yoke, and the House 
 of Savoy took a " Figure.of 8 Knot " for their device, 
 with the motto "Stringe ma non constringe," — it 
 bends, but constrains not. As far back as 1252 an 
 Order of the Knot was established at Naples. The 
 badge, of silk, gold, and pearls, was tied in a knot 
 upon the arm, and those who were invested with it 
 made a vow to untie it at Jerusalem. 
 
 There is one other knot which, if not heraldic, is at 
 least emblematic ; and many a true lover is anxious 
 for that knot, which, if once tied by the tongue, cannot 
 be untied by the teeth. On the signet ring preserved 
 in the birthplace at Stratford-on-Avon is engraved a 
 true lover's knot entwining the letters W. S., and this 
 is said to have belonged to Shakespeare (Fig. 1 1). 
 
 Quaint Sir Thomas Brown surmised that the true 
 >lover'S' knot had its origin in the N^odus Herculaneus, 
 a very high and esteemed sacred knot of Hercules, 
 resembling the snaky complication in the Caduceus 
 or rod of Hermes. These ancient rods were probably 
 only metaphorical. Ere, however, we conclude our 
 
HERALDIC KNOTS. 13 
 
 notices of these fanciful knots, let us point out that 
 one of the forms of a crest wreath is that of a twisted 
 " cat's paw " (Fig. 99). 
 
 If, however, we cannot trace distinctly the history 
 of knots through all its various transformations, we 
 can scientifically define it. "It is an endless physical 
 line, which cannot be deformed into a circle. A 
 physical line is flexible and unextensible, and cannot 
 be cut, so that no lap of it can be drawn through 
 another." It is altogether beside our purpose here to 
 follow the theories of Listing, or the learned disserta- 
 tions of Professor Tait {Trans. Roy. Soc. Edinburgh, 
 1876), for, though interesting in a mathematical sense, 
 they are hardly simple enough for a " practical hand- 
 book." 
 
 : . Bureau Nature Shfry- 
 
IV. 
 CORDAGE IN GENERAL. 
 
 Looking at the subject simply as a practical one, 
 we must first direct attention to the material generallj 
 used for the making of knots. Many boys have, 
 doubtless, amused themselves by untwisting a piece 
 of whipcord, which in reality is a miniature rope, and, 
 in doing so, must have noticed the use which has been 
 made of the original twist of the filaments of hemp or 
 flax to bind the whole together into one continuous 
 line. This is done by twisting the yarn in opposite 
 directions, so that they bind together. If the strands 
 (as a number of yarns are called) were twisted one 
 way only, they would untwist themselves and part at 
 the slightest strain ; but advantage is taken of this 
 tendency to untwist, and the result is that a hard, 
 firm cord, bound together by the friction of its parts, 
 is the result of laying strands together which have 
 been twisted in opposite directions. According to the 
 number of strands and variety of twists, the varieties 
 of twine, cord, marline, ropes, hawsers, and cables are 
 made. To join two ends of these together, j-ou must 
 use either a knot, a tie, or a splice. 
 
 Knots, however, are as various as the material 
 knotted. The coarse fibres, thongs of hide, or twisted 
 
 H 
 
CORDAGE IN GENERAL. 15 
 
 intestines of savage nations, have given place to cord- 
 age of various sizes, thicknesses, and material. Ad- 
 vantage is taken of the natural curve and tendency of 
 vegetable fibre to secure the greatest firmness, strength, 
 and consequent security. The most rigorous tests are 
 applied to know the exact strain different substances 
 will bear; but whatever the substance, the principle of 
 manufacture remains the same. The process has been 
 modified as machinery has been brought into use, in 
 order to produce a flexible and tena":ious cord which 
 shall retain the collective strength of every fibre of the 
 material of which it is composed. Of these materials 
 hemp is the most common, and, of all kinds of hemp, 
 that of Manilla is the most serviceable, and generally 
 preferred. 
 
 In studying the nature and uses of knots, particu- 
 larly those which come under the designation of 
 splices, some knowledge of the mode, and of the prin- 
 ciples on which ropes are made, is essentially necessary. 
 The simplest and most effectual mode of obtaining 
 the united strength of the fibres composing the rope 
 would be to lay them side by side, and fasten them 
 together at each end, as in the Sevagee (Fig. 98). 
 This plan, even if the fibres of hemp were of the 
 necessary length, would be open to many objections ; 
 hence it was necessary to devise some plan which 
 would give unlimited length to the rope, and at the 
 same time preserve its torsion and portability. This 
 has been achieved by the compression and twisting 
 of the fibres in. different directions, until they produce 
 
16 KNOTS, TIES, AND SPLIGES. 
 
 a compact, hard, and strong rope, neither breaking 
 the fibres on the one hand, nor leaving them so loose 
 as to be easily drawn out from the mass on the other, 
 — either extreme would be equally fatal in its results, 
 and injurious to the stability of the rope. This happy 
 medium is achieved by the modern process of rope- 
 making, whether by hand or machinery. 
 
 At first the fibres of hemp are loosely twisted to- 
 gether, and form what is technically known as yarn. 
 When two or three yarns are twisted together they 
 form a strand, three strands form a rope, and three 
 ropes a cable. It will be borne in mind that each 
 portion of the cable is twisted in an opposite direction 
 to the cable itself, so that advantage may be taken of 
 the tendency to untwist to counteract the like ten- 
 dency in other portions of the cable. This will be 
 better understood by a reference to the accompanying 
 diagram of a cable. 
 
 Thus A shows the fibres of which a yarn is com- 
 posed ; B, the yarns comprising a strand; c shows 
 the strands forming a rope D, which together form 
 the cab'.e E. These are, in their turn, subjected to a 
 variety of processes in order to insure their bearing an 
 equal strain prior to their being combined into a cable. 
 As a broad general rule it should be borne in mind 
 that the loss of bearing power by twisting is almost 
 one-third, but the tighter twisted ropes gain in dura- 
 bility what they lose in power. A twist of four-fifths 
 of the length of the component yarns gives one-third 
 more bearing power than if twisted to two thirds of 
 
CORDAGE IN GENERAL. 
 
 17 
 
 Fig. 12. — Analysis of Cable. 
 
 the length, which is the ordinary twist of ropes in use. 
 The larger cables have even a greater twist than this. 
 The various descriptions of line and rope, with their 
 weights and lengths, are as follows : — 
 
 Kinds. Length. 
 
 Reefing-twine 24 skeins 
 
 Sewing-twine 24 „ 
 
 Marline 12 „ 
 
 Log-lines 25 fathoms 
 
 Samson-lines 30 
 
 Fishing-lines 25 
 
 Weight. 
 8 to 9 lbs. 
 8 to 9 „ 
 
 4 .. 
 I to 3 „ 
 
 n » 
 
 I 
 
 I'. 
 
 
18 KNOTS, TIES, AND SPLICES. 
 
 Kinds. Length. Weight. 
 
 Fishing-lines 25 fathoms ... ^ lbs, 
 
 >' " » • •■ I iy 
 
 Hambro'-lines( 6 threads) 23 „ ... 1^/2,, 
 (9 .. ) „ ,, ... 2]^ „ 
 (12 „ ) „ „ ... 3 „ 
 
 Hand lead-lines 20 „ ... 4 „ 
 
 Deep-sea-lines 120 „ ... 28 ,. 
 
 » » » ••• 32 ), 
 
 " »> J) •■• 34 » 
 
 " » » ■•• 3^- >> 
 
 This is from the computation of Mr. Chapman, the 
 master ropemaker of Deptford Dockyard. In further 
 explanation of the terms used, it should be borne in 
 mind that — 
 
 Kyarn is several fibres of hemp twisted together. 
 
 Tivine, or small cord, is two twisted yarns, 
 
 Matline is three twisted yarns. 
 
 A hawser is a rope formed of three strands, con- 
 taining from fifteen to twenty-five yarns in each strand. 
 
 A cable is a large hand -twisted rope, made from 
 three or four smaller ropes twisted round a common 
 axis. 
 
 Laying a rope is the twisting of the strands in a 
 hawser-laid or shroud-laid rope, and of the component 
 ropes in a cable. 
 
 Serving a rope is to cover it with smaller cord or 
 spun yarn, to preserve it from rolling and from friction. 
 To facilitate the operation the yarn is passed two pr 
 three times round the rope, and tightened by a species 
 
CORDAGE IN GENERAL. 
 
 19 
 
 of mallet with a con- 
 cave groove on the 
 side opposite to the 
 handle,calledaserving 
 mallet. This enables 
 the yarn to be twisted 
 tightly and evenly 
 round the rope, in the 
 same manner as the 
 silver wire is twisted 
 round the fourth, or 
 silver, string of a 
 violin (Fig. 13). 
 
 Parcelling a rope 
 (Fig. 14) is wrapping 
 narrow strips of canvas 
 about it, well tarred, 
 in order to secure it 
 from being injured by 
 rain-water lodging be- 
 tween the parts of the 
 service when worn. 
 The parcelling is put 
 on with the lay of the 
 rope, with the edges 
 overlapping. 
 
 Worming a rope 
 |Fig. 15) is filling up 
 the divisions between 
 the strands, to give it 
 
20 KNOTS, TIES, AND SPLICES. 
 
 a round and full appearance prior to parcelling or 
 serving. 
 
 A knowledge of the strength of ropes, and of their 
 breaking weight, is essential in all operations where 
 ropes are required. We are indebted to the Alpine 
 Club for some valuable experiments on the strength 
 of ropes used in Alpine excursions. In the course of 
 these experiments the weakness of plaited ropes was 
 demonstrated with startling effect. Indeed, the value 
 of a plaited rope does not lie in its power to bear 
 heavy weights or sudden jerks, but in its wearing 
 properties when exposed to constant friction, as in 
 sash and clock-lines. The committee of the Alpine 
 Club found, in the course of nearly a hundred experi- 
 ments with various kinds of rope, only four bore the 
 strain of twelve stone falling five feet, and all these 
 four ropes were made by Messrs. Buckingham and 
 Sons, of 33 Broad Street, Bloomsbury. In the further 
 experiments one of these ropes failed. Of the three 
 ropes which remained, they were so nearly equal that 
 it was difficult to say which was to be preferred. 
 
 " Each of these three ropes '' (we quote from the 
 report) "will bear twelve stone falling ten feet, and 
 fourteen stone falling eight feet ; and it may be useful 
 to say that the strain upon a rope loaded with a 
 weight of fourteen stone, and suddenly checked after 
 a fall of eight feet, is nearly equal to that which is 
 caused by a dead weight of two tons. None of these 
 ropes, however, will bear a weight of fourteen stone 
 falling ten feet ; and the result of our experiments is 
 
GOBDAGE IN GENERAL. 21 
 
 that no rope can be made, whether of hemp, flax, or 
 silk, which is strong enough to bear that strain, and 
 yet light enough to be portable. We believe that' 
 these ropes, which weigh about three-quarters of an 
 ounce to the foot, are the heaviest which can be con- 
 veniently carried about in the Alps. We append a 
 statement of the respective merits of the three kinds, 
 all of which were made by Messrs. Buckingham ex- 
 pressly for the Club, and marked by a red worsted 
 thread twisted in the strands : — 
 
 No. I. Manilla Hemp.— Weight of 20 yards, 48 
 ounces. 
 
 Advantages. — Is softer and more pliable than 2. Is 
 more elastic than 2 and 3. When wet, is far more 
 pleasant to handle than 2 or 3. 
 
 Disadvantages. — Has a tendency to wear and fray 
 at a knot. 
 
 No. 2. Italian Hemp. — Weight of 20 yards, 43 
 ounces. 
 
 Advantages. — Is less bulky than i and 3. Is harder, 
 and will probably wear best, being least likely to cut 
 against rocks. 
 
 Disadvantages. — Is much more stiff and difficult to 
 untie than i and 3. When wet, is very disagreeable to 
 handle, and is apt to kink. 
 
 No. 3. Flax. — Weight of 20 yards, 44 ounces. 
 
 Advantages. — When dry is soft, more pliable, and 
 easier to handle than i and 2, and will probably wear 
 better than i. 
 
 Disadvantages. — When wet, becomes decidedly 
 
22 KNOTS, TIES, AND SPLICES. 
 
 somewhat weaker, and is nearly as disagreeable to 
 handle as 2. 
 
 It should be borne in mind that a knot weakens a 
 rope at any time, and particularly if ill constructed : 
 with a falling weight a knot like Fig. 67, or a loop like 
 Fig. 31, is especially to be avoided. 
 
 The best knots recommended by the Alpine Com- 
 mittee are Fig. 68 to join two ropes, Fig. 29 and Fig. 
 33 for loops. These are all the knots required on an 
 Alpine excursion. 
 
 A good formula for calculating the strength of 
 ropes is given by Robison :— Multiply the circum- 
 ference of the rope in inches by itself, and the fifth 
 part of the product will express the number of tons 
 the rope will carry. For example, if the rope be 6 
 inches in circumference, 6x6 = 36, the fifth of which is 
 7i — the number of tons which such rope will sustain. 
 The following simple rules for calculating the 
 weight of cordage of all kinds will be found service- 
 able. To find the weight of a hawser, or shroud-laid 
 rope, multiply the circumference in inches by itself, 
 and multiply the product by the length of the rope in. 
 fathoms, and divide by 420, the product will be the 
 weight in hundredweights. Example: To find the- 
 weight of a six-inch hawser-laid rope 120 fathoms- 
 long; 6x6=36x120=4,320, which, divided by 42c,. 
 gives the weight of the rope, 10 cwt. i qr. 4 lbs. 
 
 Again : To find the weight of cable-laid cordage, 
 multiply its circumference in inches by itself, and, 
 divide by 4. The product will be the weight, in hun- 
 
CORDAGE IN GENERAL. 23 
 
 dredweights, of a cable 120 fathoms long, from which 
 the weight of any other length may be readily de- 
 duced. Example: Required the weight of a 12-inch 
 cable 120 fathoms long; 12 x 12=144, divide by 4, 
 and the product, 36, is the weight in hundredweights. 
 Cotton, silk, and cocoa-nut fibre are sometimes used 
 for cordage ; indeed, the latter has many advantages, 
 one of the greatest of which is its lightness and resist- 
 ance to the influence of water. Iron is now commonly 
 used for standing rigging of ships, and wire ropes have 
 a deserved reputation. Knots, however, do not per- 
 tain to iron in any shape, unless an iron nodule form 
 the necessary and inevitable exception. 
 
V. 
 
 SIMPLE KNOTS AND LOOPS. 
 
 Let us begin at the beginning. A plain rope is 
 before us. We should remember that a rope, to hold 
 tight when tied tight, should always be well stretched. 
 The power of tension in a rope is considerable, and 
 to those who are in the habit of packing goods, or 
 even trunks, this power of giving way is sometimes a 
 source of considerable annoyance, often aggravated by 
 ill-tied knots slipping or becoming loose. In the 
 nautical world, cordage and cables are always stretched 
 and their strength tested before being used, in ordci 
 to guard against any possible danger from this cause. 
 
 Fig. i6. Fig. 17. Fig. 18. 
 
 Taking the plain cord, it may be remarked that all 
 knots are begun by either "loops" or "hitches;" and 
 these may be single or double as required. 
 
 Thus, Fig. 16 is a Simple Hitch, Fig. 17 an Un- 
 derhand Loop, and Fig. 18 an Overhand Loop. 
 If we pass the loose end through either an overhand 
 
 24 
 
SIMPLE KNOTS AND LOOPS. 
 
 25 
 
 or underhand loop, we have the simplest of all knots, 
 as shown in Fig. 19, which when drawn taut has the 
 appearance of Fig. 20. The perfect knot is known as 
 the "Figure of 8 Knot" (Fig. 21), is formed oy an 
 underhand and overhand loop overlapping each other, 
 and the loose end passed through the loop. When 
 tight, as shown in Fig. 22, it bears a close resemblance 
 to the Arabic numeral 8 ; hence its familiar name. 
 
 Fig. 19. 
 
 Fig. 20. 
 
 Fig. 21. 
 
 Fig 22. 
 
 What may be called compound simple knots are 
 known by the name of Double, Treble, Four-fold, or 
 Six-fold Knots. They are in constant use when it is 
 necessary to shorten a rope a few inches, or to increase 
 
 Fig. 23. 
 
 Fig. 24. 
 
 Fig. 25. 
 
 Fig. 26. 
 
 the size or strength of a holding knot to prevent it 
 passing through an eye or a block. These knots are 
 made by passing the end of a rope twice, thrice, or as 
 many times as may be necessary, through a loop (as 
 shown in the simple knot) previously to "nipping," or 
 drawing it taut by pulling both ends. Fig. 23 shows 
 a double knot loosely formed, Fig. 24 when "nipped," 
 
KNOTS, TIES, AND SPLICES. 
 
 Fig. 25 a treble knot nipped, and Fig. 26 its open 
 formation. In Fig. 27 we have a five-fold knot, shown 
 open, and in Fig. 28 its appearance when nipped. 
 The Five and Six-fold Knot forms a coil of handsome 
 close folds, and is very useful to travellers who do not 
 wish to cut the precious cords of their baggage when 
 on a journey, and to whom long loose ends are a 
 special abomination. In the following section some 
 •• shortenings " which are more easily undone are ex- 
 plained ; but for short lengths, a couple or more of 
 six-fold knots are useful and handy. 
 
 Fig. 27. Fig. 28. 
 
 From simple knots the way is easy to loops, nooses, 
 and running knots, which are neither the least impor- 
 tant nor the least useful of the knots. To this class 
 belongs the " Tomfool Knot," which proved a puzzle 
 knot for the Davenport spirits, and also the Tyburn 
 Noose, which has ended many a troubled life. The 
 simple Running Knot is made by passing a hitch instead 
 of the end of the rope when making a simple knot (see 
 Fig. 29). The variations of this knot are very numerous. 
 A succession or chain of these running knots form the 
 single plait or chain shortening, to which we shall 
 have again occasion to refer. When the loose end A 
 
SIMPLE KNOTS AND LOOPS. 27 
 
 is knotted with a simple perfect or double knot, it 
 forms one of the most useful and easily made loops, 
 though its power of holding is not so great as either 
 Figs. 31, 52, or 33. When there is sufficient length of 
 rope to permit its being let down double, it forms a 
 
 Fig. 29. Fig. 31. 
 
 Fig. 30. 
 
 good loop for lifting inanimate objects, as the hitch 
 may be lengthened and then drawn taut, though Fig. 
 34 is more commonly used for this purpose, as the 
 pressure and weight of the object tends to tighten the 
 grasp of the knot. The best knot for this purpose is 
 the " Running Bowline" (Fig. 40). If the end a is 
 passed backwards through the loop B, it forms an 
 excellent shortening knot, but is not adapted to bear 
 a hard strain. 
 
 In its double shape, the running loop under the 
 name of the "TOMFOOL Knot" (Fig. 30), has achieved 
 greater renown than perhaps any knot of modern 
 times. The Liverpool gentlemen- who introduced it 
 
 3—2 
 
28 KNOTS, TIES, AND SPLICES. 
 
 to the Davenport Brothers have been often asked for 
 instruction how to tie it. It is a double loop through 
 a simple knot. It is made in the beginning like the 
 running knot (29), after which the firm end is passed 
 through the open simple knot, so as to form a double 
 loop or bow. Thus, if the wrists or hands are placed 
 within the open loops D c, and the latter drawn tight, 
 and the loose ends tied firm round the centre, a pair 
 of handcuffs is produced which the skill of the Daven- 
 ports could not untie. The firmness and security of 
 the knot depends, however, on the rope being well 
 stretched, otherwise a person with small hands would 
 not have much difficulty in releasing himself from 
 this or any other knot made on a rope. 
 
 The common I.OOP Knot (Fig. 31) is tied similar to 
 the open Hand Knot (Figs. 62 and 63), and forms the 
 ordinary useful loop of every-day life. A more orna- 
 mental and even stronger loop, which is well adapted 
 for large cordage, is made by the figure 8 knot (Fig. 
 32). 
 
 This loop, like Fig. 31, when once made and has 
 been subjected to a lengthened strain, is very difficult 
 to untie. In this case there is nothing better than a 
 running knot with a check knot, E (Fig. 33), which is 
 a modification of the fisherman's knot, and will be 
 found eminently serviceable. In this knot, the simple 
 knot E is tied over the running line, as shown. After 
 use it may be easily drawn apart, the loop slipped, and 
 the knot untied in a comparatively brief space of time. 
 This is a very suspicious knot in all conjuring per- 
 
SIMPLE KNOTS AND LOOPS. 
 
 29 
 
 formances, as it can be easily unloosed by a slight 
 effort of the ankle or wrist ; when the loop is carried 
 round a chair it may be slackened or tightened in an 
 instant. 
 
 Fig- 32. 
 
 Fig. 33' 
 
 There are but few knots which will not give way in 
 a new rope sufficient for a man to release his hands, 
 and then the rest is easy. Speaking as a rule, the 
 more rope, the easier the release. When two persons 
 are confined together, the chances are largely in- 
 creased in favour of the exhibitors, for if one can 
 struggle a hand through the embarrassing cords he 
 could release himself and help his fellow. The experi- 
 ments of Messrs. Maskelyne and Cooke prove that the 
 knots can be tied and untied irrespective of either ex- 
 traneous or spiritual agency, for the knots were sealed 
 
30 
 
 KNOTS, TIES, AND SPLICES. 
 
 with wax, yet the hands were released and rebound 
 again in the course of a few seconds. 
 
 One of the most common and useful of running 
 knots used in commerce, and only applicable to small 
 cords, is the RUNNING NooSE (Fig. 34). A simple 
 
 Fig. 34- 
 
 Fig. 35- 
 
 knot is made on the end of the cord, which is then 
 simply knotted round. The running noose known as 
 the Crossed Running Knot (Fig. 35), is a useful 
 knot in packing heavy goods, as well as a useful anchor 
 fastening. Many visitors to a seaport have watched 
 the tars at work on the outside of their vessels, sus- 
 pended by a rope whilst they sat comfortably in a 
 Bowline Knot (Fig. 36). This knot is formed by 
 passing the loose end through the lower loop of a 
 figure 8 knot, and "seizing" or tying the end with 
 small cord or marline. 
 
 This can hardly be called the true " bowline " knot, 
 which is shown at Fig. 39. This is called a Standing 
 
SIMPLE KNOTS AND LOOPS. 
 
 31 
 
 Fig- 39. 
 
 Fig. 40. 
 
 Fig. 41. 
 
 Bowline Knot in contradistinction to Fig.40, which 
 is called a " running" bowline knot, and forms a noose 
 
32 KNOTS, TIES, AND SPLICES. 
 
 to put over anything. Here the loop or eye at B runs 
 upon the standing part of the rope A A, forming an- 
 other loop at c. A bowline knot on a bight of a rope 
 seems a very difficult matter, but it is not so in reality. 
 It is shown in Fig. 41, and is easily made ; its great 
 use is in lowering a man from a height, such as the 
 rigging of a vessel, or, in case of fire, from a window. 
 Fig. 42 is not calculated to bear the same strain, and 
 is principally used to make fast the sheets of small 
 boat sails. It is known as the " Midshipman's Hitch," 
 and its construction is obvious. Figs. 37 and 38 re- 
 present two slip clinches, or open running knots, 
 " seized " instead of tied. Fig. 38 is used to clinch a 
 sailor's knot. These knots and loops are closely con- 
 nected with the hitches and bends in shape. 
 
 Fig. 42. 
 
VI. 
 
 SHORTENINGS. 
 
 The most handsome knots of any practical value, 
 and which approach nearest to the fancy knots of 
 history, are Shortening Knots — knots that hold the 
 surplus cord tight and firm without any loose ends. 
 The most simple shortening for all descriptions of 
 small cords is that known to boys as the Single Plait, 
 but which seamen know as the Chain Knot. It is so 
 easily made as to be popular with most young people. 
 The first movement is to make the running loop (Fig. 
 29), then to draw the loose end through the loop as 
 shown in Fig. 43, and repeat the movement until the 
 requisite length of cord has been taken up and 
 shortened ; the end may then be secured by passing a 
 belaying pin or a piece of wood through the loop (see 
 Fig. 43), or by bringing the end of the rope through 
 the last loop, as shown in Fig. 44. 
 
 The Twist Knot is by no means so generally known, 
 though it is a very useful shortening, and admirably 
 adapted for other purposes. Dissected, it is an ordi- 
 nary " three plait," though formed of one piece. It 
 is more useful than when formed of three separate 
 pieces of string, for the ends are fastened and it cannot 
 come undone. The mode of commencing this knot is 
 
 33 
 
34 KNOTS, TIES, AND SPLICES. 
 
 Fig- 43- 
 
 Fig. 44. 
 
 shown in Fig. 45. The double loop is held in the left 
 hand ; the side A is then brought over to B, with a 
 half-turn B is crossed over to A, and the process of an 
 ordinary three plait is continued until the end of the 
 loop is reached, when the loose end is passed through 
 the bight and the knot is fastened and completed as 
 shown in Fig. 46. If well done, it forms a hard, tight, 
 and compact long knot. 
 
 Closely allied to these knots is the Double Chain 
 Knot (Fig. 47), which is really a pretty form of open 
 knot, easily made, if the first loop is made secure by 
 a twist in the rope, as shown in the diagram, and then 
 pass the loose end through the preceding loop right 
 and left until the knot is finished. This knot admits 
 of any length of rope being used, whilst the majority 
 of the other shortenings are only applicable to limited 
 lengths. 
 
SHOR'lENINGS. 
 
 35 
 
 Fig. 46. 
 
 Fig. 47- 
 
 p332S2SS 
 
 
 Fig. 48. 
 
 Fig. 49, 
 
36 KNOTS, TIES, AND SPLICES. 
 
 The Simple Loop or Bend Shortening (Fig. 48) is a 
 plain, useful expedient for stout rope, and has the 
 merit of not injuring the rope by any unnecessary 
 strain, or crossing the fibres of the hemp. Its con- 
 struction is evident. 
 
 In Fig. 49 we have a quickly made shortening, 
 generally known as the Knot Shortening. It is simply 
 an ordinary knot in the middle of a rope in which a 
 double bend has previously been made. It is not 
 adapted to stand a heavy strain, but from its security 
 must be of vast use to travellers in cases where the 
 strain is not direct on the knot, which is the case in 
 the lashing of waggons and in the tying of packages ; 
 this, unlike Fig. 48, can only be made when both ends 
 of the rope are free. For thick ropes it is not adapted. 
 
 When both ends of the rope are fast, the "SHEEP- 
 SHANK," or, as it is sometimes called, the "Dogshank" 
 shortening is used. The best and most secure form is 
 that shown by Fig. 50. A simple running knot (Fig. 
 29) is first made in the rope ; a bend is pushed through 
 the running loop, which is then drawn taut ; the other 
 end of the bend is fastened in a similar manner, and 
 forms, when complete. Fig. 50. 
 
 A much more simple "dogshank" is that shown in 
 Fig. 51. In this a simple loop is made in the rope, and 
 the hitch or bend placed through it. It is easily made, 
 but is hardly to be depended on without being tied or 
 seized as Fig. 48. If there is time to do this, it forms 
 a safe and excellent shortening. 
 
 In Figs. 52, S3, and 54 are shown three loop shor- 
 
SHORTENINGS. 
 
 37 
 
38 KNOTS, 11E8, AND SPLICES. 
 
 tenings, which can only be made when one end of the 
 rope is free. To make Fig. 52 we ought to form a 
 simple knot, and whilst open pass the loose end of the 
 rope through the loop, and the shortening can then be 
 made of the desired length, and fastened at the end 
 of the hitch by a similar simple knot. Fig. 53 is an 
 improvement, inasmuch as the strain is more equally 
 borne by the various parts of the rope. It is formed 
 by placing the rope in the position of Fig. 45, then 
 turning the loose end first round the upper end of the 
 hitch, and then the lower, and fasten by bringing the 
 end through the loop which remains. The advantage 
 of Fig. 54 consists in the fact that it can be loosened 
 at will, by taking out the marlinespike or wood pin. 
 
 AN ORNAMKMTAL SHORTENING FROM THE 
 CROSS OF TF.RMONFECHIN. 
 
VII. 
 KNOTS FOR UNITING ROPES. 
 
 The knots most common — those in use in everyday 
 life are those which are used in uniting two separated 
 ends of ropes — are not those used as stoppers or 
 " shortenings " on a single line, but are used for uniting 
 the ends of two separate pieces of rope. 
 
 Fig- 55- 
 
 Fig. 56. 
 
 Fig- 57 
 
 When two simple loops or hitches (Fig. 16) are crossed 
 together (Fig. 55), they form the commencement of 
 the famous Sailor's Knot, a variation of the Reef 
 Knot (Fig. 57), which is loosely formed in Fig. 56. 
 In this knot the two ends lie close together, and when 
 the ropes are of equal thickness it forms one of the 
 simplest and best knots for uniting two pieces of rope 
 or cord, and can be easily untied ; and hence its use 
 as a reef knot. If, however, the cords be of unequal 
 thicknesses, the knot will slip and form a loop as in 
 Fig. 58, and part company. If the ends are not laid 
 
 39 
 
40 KNOTS, TIES, AND SPLICES. 
 
 parallel to the rope, as in Fig. 59, it becomes the False 
 di Granny Knot. On a comparison of Figs. 60 and 
 57, where the two knots are shown drawn taut, the dif- 
 ference in neatness and compactness will be at once 
 apparent. The reef knot may be made either under 
 hand or overhand, as may be most convenient. If it 
 is necessary to use ropes of different thicknesses, then 
 the ends of the sailor's knot must be wrapped or tied 
 to the cord, as shown in Fig. 61, which shows a very 
 useful and neat method of joining two ropes, if time is 
 not an object. On the other hand, the " Open -HAND " 
 Knot is one of the quickest made ; it has also the 
 recommendation of never slipping or untying — it 
 remains firm ; but if a great strain is put on the rope, 
 it is more apt to break at the knot than many of the 
 other knots. Besides, it is thick, heavy, and clumsy, 
 whether tied to the right or left. Fig. 62 shows its 
 open formation from the front, and Fig. S^i its back 
 view when drawn taut. 
 
 For small cord or twine the Weaver's Knot is per- 
 haps the best ; for thread it is incomparably the best 
 knot, and easiest made. The two ends are taken and 
 crossed, as Fig. 64, and both cords are held between 
 the thumb and forefinger of the left hand. The rfght 
 end (a) is then looped back over the left end and 
 brought under the thumb, where it is held fast, while 
 the right-hand end (b) is slipped through the loop at c ; 
 the knot (Fig. 66) is then formed by tightening the 
 right-hand cord. If cord thicker than thread is used, 
 the end B must be held between the thumb and finger 
 
KNOTS FOE UNITING ROPES. 
 
 41 
 
 of the left hand whilst the knot is being drawn taut, 
 as in Fig. 67. 
 
 The " Fisherman's." or, as it is sometimes called, 
 the "Englishman's" Knot, is of quite another cha- 
 
 4 
 
42 KNOTS, TIES, AND SPLICES. 
 
 racter. It is formed of two simple knots (see Fig. 70) 
 slipped over each cord, as in Fig. 68. When drawn taut 
 its front appearance is shown at Fig. 69. It is a very 
 useful knot. To anglers it is invaluable, as it may be 
 separated by taking hold of the ends A, B, so as to 
 admit a third line between them as a " dropper," in 
 fly-fishing. In joining gut-lines the same knot, left a 
 little apart and the intermediate opening wrapped or 
 whipped with silk, forms one of the strongest and most 
 reliable fastenings known. Mr. Cholmondeley Pennell, 
 who subjected this knot to a series of experiments, 
 found that the line snapped sooner at any other part 
 than at this knot. It is also very useful to join ropes 
 for temporary purposes only, as it is firm and may be 
 easily untied. 
 
 The " Ordinary " Knot or Tie, for uniting large 
 ropes, is shown in Fig. 71. It has all the advantages 
 of the open-hand knot, with the additional recommen- 
 dations that it is easy to make, very strong, and does 
 not strain the fibres of the rope. It is formed by first 
 making a simple knot (Fig. 70), and then interlacing 
 the other cord in the manner shown at Fig. 71. When 
 drawn taut it has the appearance of Fig. y2. However 
 great the strain, it does not injure the rope, which 
 keeps also in a straight line, which it will not do with 
 the open-hand knot. Figs. 62 and 63. If the ends are 
 whipped with twine, as shown in Fig. 61, it is really a 
 neat and handsome as well as a useful knot 
 
 Another knot, which may be termed a Shortening 
 Tie, is shown at Fig. 74. It is a handsome knot, and 
 
KNOTS FOR UNITING ROPES. 
 
 43 
 
 is used when there is too much rope, and where it is 
 necessary to use a large knot for the purpose of pre- 
 
 E 
 
 bo 
 
 venting its running too far through an eye, ring, or 
 loop. It is formed by making the figure of 8 knot 
 at the end of a rope (Fig. 73), which is a double knot 
 
 4—2 
 
44 KNOTS, TIES, AND SPLICES. 
 
 and then interlacincj the other rope through it, as in 
 Fig. 26. When drawn taut it has the appearance of 
 Fig. 7?- 
 
 It is sometimes necessary to join hawsers, as well 
 as ropes, for some temporary or permanent purpose, 
 and for this some special contrivances have to be 
 made. The simple Hawsf.R Bend (Fig. 76) is so easy 
 
 Fig. 76. 
 
 as to be constantly adopted when only a temporary 
 purpose has to be served. It is a simple hitch within 
 a loop. The Garrick Bend is stronger and more 
 reliable (Fig. 76=^). What is known as the BOWLINE 
 
 Fig. 76.* 
 
 Bend (Fig. 77) is perhaps the strongest of all the 
 knotted hawser bends. It is formed of two Bowline 
 Knots, one crossing the loop of , the other. The 
 diagram gives a good idea of this bend. 
 
KNOTS FOR UNITING ROPES. 
 
 45 
 
 Fig. 77. 
 
 The Half-Hitch and Seizing Bend (Fig. yy*) 
 takes more time, and is used on hawsers which 
 require to be joined for a long period ; its formation 
 is evident 
 
 Fig. 77*. 
 
 These are all the knots, properly so called, used for 
 the purpose of uniting two pieces of rope which have 
 simple ends. The knots are very different when one 
 rope has a temporary or permanent loop ; some of 
 these are elsewhere given, 
 
 A KNOT TRICK. 
 
VIII. 
 SPLICES. 
 
 Hawsers, cables, and even ropes sometimes re- 
 quire uniting in such a manner that there should be no 
 obvious difference in their diameter, and no substan- 
 tial weakening of their strength.* This can only be 
 accomplished by means of "Splicing," — that is, putting 
 the ends of ropes together by opening the strands 
 and placing them into one another; or, if equal dia- 
 meter is not essential, by putting the strands of the 
 end of a rope between those of a bight. 
 
 A Short Splice (Fig. 82) is not difficult, and is 
 only used where there is not much strength required, 
 and time does not permit of making the long splice, 
 which is far the best. Open the ends for a short dis- 
 tance (Figs. 78, 79), and place them together as shown 
 in the diagram (Fig. 80) ; grease the ends of the 
 strand well, and lay them one within the other, draw- 
 ing them as hard as possible to each other. Hold 
 the end of one rope and the three strands which come 
 from the opposite rope fast in the left hand, or, if the 
 rope be large, stop them down to it with rope yarn ; 
 then with a marlinespike (Fig. 81) open the strand, and 
 
 * A splice weakens a rope about one eighth. 
 46 
 
SPLICES. 
 
 47 
 
 push down the middle strand of the other end, and by 
 raising alternate strands on both ends, and working in 
 the strands as shown, it assumes the appearance of 
 Fig. 82. It must not be forgotten that the first strand 
 must be passed over the strand which is first next to 
 it, and through under the second, and out between 
 the second and third next to it. In the subsequent 
 operation, the strands must be passed over the third 
 from it, and under the fourth and through. Only one- 
 half the strand need be passed the second time, and 
 the other cut off to taper the splice. 
 
 To know how to make a Long Splice is most 
 useful in every condition of hfe in which cordage is 
 used, as a long-spliced rope will reeve and run through 
 any block, just the same as a new rope, and compara- 
 tively as strong. You unlay the ends of two ropes to 
 a distance three or four times the length used in a 
 
KNOTS, TIES, AND SPLICES. 
 
 short splice, and splice them 
 within one another in the same 
 manner. Unlay one strand for 
 a considerable distance, and fill 
 up the interval which it leaves 
 with the opposite strand from 
 the other rope, and twist the 
 ends of these two ropes together. 
 Then do the same with two 
 more strands. The two remain- 
 ing strands are twisted together 
 in the place where they first 
 crossed. The general appearance 
 of the splice is shown in Fig. 83. 
 „' The ends in progress, which are 
 o here shown short, are cut and 
 passed through as in the short 
 splice. Before cutting, the rope 
 should be got well on the stretch. 
 A chafed strand is not only 
 unsightly but weakens a rope, 
 whilst the two remaining strands 
 may be perfectl}- sound. It is 
 sometimes desirable to put a new 
 strand in, and this is done by 
 cutting off the chafed strand for 
 some distance, and then taking 
 a strand from a new rope and 
 laying it into the score in which 
 the damaged one lay before. 
 
SPLICES. 
 
 49 
 
 Lay it up just as in a long splice, cut half, and stick the 
 half-strands, and the repair is accomplished. When 
 the splice is left thicker than the ordinary rope, it is 
 termed a Pudding Splice, and is used on emergencies. 
 A Cut Splice (Fig. 84) is frequently useful to 
 make a loop in a rope. To form it the rope is cut in 
 
 Fig. 8s 
 
 Fig 84. 
 
 two, and the ends are unlaid as for a short splice. 
 Place the ends of each rope against the standing part 
 of the other, forming an oblong eye of the size you 
 wish (as in Fig. 84), then pass the ends through the 
 strands of the standing parts in the same manner as 
 in the short splice, and the operation is complete. 
 
 An Eye Splice (Fig. 85) is used by seafarers to 
 splice round a block, deadeye, or thimble, and is 
 formed by unlaying the end of a rope for a short 
 
50 
 
 KNOTS, TIES, AND SPLICES. 
 
 distance, and laying three strands upon the standing 
 part, so as to form an eye. Put one end in the strand 
 next to it in the same manner as the short splice, put 
 the next end over that strand and through the second, 
 and put the remaining end through the third strand 
 on the other side of the rope ; taper them, divide the 
 strands, and put them in again. 
 
 Fig. 86. 
 
 Fig. 87. 
 
 A Shroud Knot (Fig. S6) is another method of 
 joining two ropes. You open up the ends of the 
 ropes, as in a short splice, and place the strands one 
 within the other ; then single " wall " the strands of 
 one rope (see Figs. 172, 174) round the standing part 
 of the other against the lay ; taper the ends off, and 
 serve over. 
 
 The best method of making a French Shroud 
 KNOT(Fig.89), which is neater, may be thus described : 
 — The strands are placed as in a short splice ; they 
 
SPLICES. 
 
 51 
 
 are placed closely, as in Fig. 87. Make a loop of the 
 strand A ; pass the end of strand B through the bight 
 of A, as C ; make a loop of strand D, and pass the end 
 of strand A through it, as at D ; then pass the end of 
 strand D through the bight of strand B, and one side 
 is complete. Care should be taken that all the ends 
 should be passed through the loops or bights, for this 
 is "walling." Follow the same plan with the three 
 strands on the other side, and then draw all ends 
 taut, when the knot will be shown as in Fig. 88. The 
 ends of the strands must then be tapered on each 
 side, marled, and served over, and when complete will 
 look as Fig. 89. 
 
 Fig. 88, 
 
 Fig. 89. 
 
IX. 
 
 OTHER MODES OF UNITING ROPE. 
 
 Occasions constantly occur both on sea and land, 
 in fair weather and foul, to unite ropes on the bight, 
 or that are fitted with eyes or other loops. In Fig. 90 
 we show the simplest of all these knots, a running 
 knot fastened in the eye of a rope. There are many 
 
 Fig. 90. 
 
 Other modes of fastening a simple end to a ring, loop, 
 or eye, and these will be found fully illustrated in 
 Section XI , devoted to moorings and anchor fasten- 
 ings. 
 
 The Wedding Knot (Fig. 91), or "Rose Lashing," 
 is one to join two rope-ends, both having eyes. The 
 lashing is passed successively through both eyes, and 
 then tied in the centre. 
 
 52 
 
OTHER MODES OE UNITING ROPES. 53 
 
 «* 
 
 Fig. 91, Fig. 92. 
 
 Fig. 93- 
 
 Fig. 94. 
 
54 KNOVS, TIES, AND SPLICES. 
 
 Fig. 92 is a joint by a spherical shell, each loop 
 being made as in figures, and surrounding the ball of 
 wood technically called a shell. 
 
 The Deadeye Lashing (Fig. 93) is one of fre- 
 quent use in various forms on board full-rigged ships; 
 it admits of easy adjustment to the strain of the ropes. 
 The ram blocks are fastened in the eyes, which are 
 here made by simple lashings, and tightened by the 
 lanyards (A A), which pass through holes in the 
 deadeye, so as to tighten or slacken the rope at will. 
 The ends of the lanyard are fastened to the main 
 rope. These deadeyes are frequently seen fastened 
 to the point wherever it is necessary to strain the 
 cordage. 
 
 In Fig. 94 are shown three methods of joining cord- 
 age — A is what is termed a Belaying-Fin Splice. 
 The belaying-pin, which is here shown stopped on the 
 end of the rope, and served with yarn, is passed 
 through the eye of the rope, and at the other end a 
 loop is formed. Through this loop or bend a " button,'' 
 secured to the rope (b) by a single knot, is passed, and 
 the double junction is complete, and has the advan- 
 tage of being separated in an instant. 
 
 Loops and eyes in ropes are in constant use for a 
 variety of purposes. In the previous section, the 
 mode of making an "eye'' in the centre of a rope 
 is shown (Fig. 84), as well as the "eye and splice" 
 (Fig. 85). The latter, however, is not so strong or 
 durable as 
 
 An Artificial Eye (Fig. 95), which is made more in 
 
OTHER MODES OF UNITING ROPES. 55 
 
 the manner of a long splice. Take the end of a rope 
 
 and unlay one strand ; lay the two 
 
 strands back to the standing part 
 
 of the rope ; pass the strand which 
 
 has been unlaid over the end and 
 
 in the intervals round the eye, 
 
 until it returns down the standing 
 
 part, and lies under the eye with 
 
 the strands ; then divide the strands, 
 
 taper them down, and serve them 
 
 over with spun yarn. This is the 
 
 " eye," or loop, shown at Figs. 90, 
 
 91, 94, served over. 
 
 A Flemish Eye (Fig. 96) is thus formed : — The 
 rope is at first whipped, and the strands unlaid to the 
 
 Fig. 95- 
 
 s 
 
 ^TTy 
 
 ft 
 
 J\a 
 
 ,> 
 
 1 
 
 Fig. 96. 
 
 whipping and opened out, separating each rope yarn. 
 Take a piece of wood the size of the intended eye {a) 
 between, and along it lay three or more stops (bbbb); 
 
56 KNOTS, TIES, AND SPLICES 
 
 hitch over the yarns, and tie with overhand knot (as c), 
 crossing tliem somewhat ; seize the ends, and worm 
 them between the strands at the shoulder ; then marl 
 all down, parcel, and serve the ends. 
 
 The Throat Seizing (Fig. 97) is more rapidly- 
 made. The end is only partially opened, and lashed 
 with yarn in the manner shown. 
 
 Fig. 97. Fig. 97*. 
 
 Fig. 97* shows one of a variety of rings now but 
 seldom used, but still useful to pass other ropes 
 through in the rigging, and occasionally on land. 
 Another ring is formed by lashing the two ends of a 
 short piece of rope to the side -of a long one, giving 
 the requisite loop. 
 
 A Grommet (Fig. 98) is a spliced ring so useful 
 that no boat or vessel should be without them. They 
 are used to lengthen ropes, to play at quoits on board 
 foreign ships and steamers. They are made to furnish 
 handles to chests, and a variety of other purposes at 
 sea ; but are but little known on shore. It is formed 
 
OTHER MODES OF UNITING ROPES. 57 
 
 of a single strand of rope, which, after you have 
 formed your ring of the size you may require, is laid, 
 in its turns, twice round the ring in the crevices, fol- 
 lowing the lay until the ring is complete. Finish with 
 an overhand knot (Fig. 55), divide the yarns, and stick 
 them in, as in a long splice. 
 
 Fig. 98. 
 
 Fig. 99. 
 
 A SevageE is a ring of rope yarns laid round and 
 round a bight, and marled down in a similar manner 
 to the " Flemish Eye." They are strong, exceedingly 
 useful, and are used, like the grommet, for block- 
 straps, and as straps to go round a spar, for a tackle 
 to be hooked into for hoisting. 
 
 One of the readiest made of these loops, to be used 
 for hoisting, is the Cat's Paw (Fig. 99), where, by 
 twisting the rope against the run, it forms a twist on 
 either side, which is sufficiently strong to hold hooks 
 or tackle to carry considerable weight. 
 
 S 
 
X. 
 
 TIES. 
 
 Ties are the popular embodiment of knots in 
 general. The old saying of "being tied to your 
 mother's apron-string," has a broader meaning attached 
 to it than the mere technical idea of a tie. Then ties 
 are so various. There are home ties, ties of the affec- 
 tions. The cricketers tied when they were so equally 
 matched that neither won. The young wooer wishes 
 to be tied ; and, to facilitate that desirable event, he 
 puts a handsome tie about his neck ; and the parson, 
 when about to tie the nuptial knot, is very particular, 
 too, about his spotless tie. The surgeons, also, use 
 ties for arteries in amputation (Fig. 102), and for re- 
 ducing dislocations (Fig. 104), for it holds firm, and 
 does not tighten when pulled. Shopkeepers are adepts 
 at tying, for they have to tie up innumerable parcels 
 in the course of a year. Their idea of tying is really 
 a combination of particular knots, though the final 
 fastening is the only technical tie properly so called- 
 The model tie of tradesmen is the 
 
 Stationer's Knot (Fig. 100), which may be tieu 
 either right or left-handed. It always remains firm, 
 and can be instantly untied by pulling the loose end. 
 To tie it, a running loop or noose is tied at the end 
 of the string, and it crosses the parcel in a vertical 
 direction; the cord is then carried crossways round 
 
 58 
 
TIES. 
 
 59 
 
 the package, and fastened as seen in the sketch. The 
 knot can be made by three movements of the fingers, 
 so mechanically as to appear to be tied without an 
 
 Fig. 100. 
 
 efifort. This tie is only adapted for small cordage and 
 parcels, but is one of the most useful of its class, and 
 is inserted here for its general utility. 
 
 Ties vary in form according as the object to be 
 fastened is loose, tall, or short. Thus the ties used to 
 secure timber vary from the ties which secure a boat 
 or a ship to a pier or a post (Section XL), and these 
 again vary from those which are useful to secure the 
 rope round a mast, or pole, or tree. 
 
 The commencement of a simple knot round a tree, 
 mast, or other solid substance, is shown at Fig. loi; 
 
 5-2 
 
60 
 
 KNOTS, TIES, AND SPLICES. 
 
 Fig. loi. 
 
 Fig 102 
 
 allied to it is the 
 Clove Hitch, or 
 Builder's Knot 
 (Fig. 104). This 
 knot is used by 
 builders to secure 
 their scaffolding, 
 and is in constant 
 use on shipboard. 
 The friction is suffi- 
 cient to hold the 
 rope firm on a per- 
 fectly smooth pole 
 against a heavy 
 lateral pressure. 
 
 the knot, which is in 
 reality a reef knot, 
 is shown finished 
 at Fig. 102. 
 
 The Timber 
 Hitch (Fig. 103) 
 is one of a series of 
 knots which depend 
 for their firmness 
 upon the friction of 
 the parts. It is 
 so firm, that the 
 greater the strain 
 the tighter it be- 
 comes. Closely 
 Fig. 103. 
 
 Fig 104. 
 
TIES. 
 
 61 
 
 The clove hitch is 
 used by surgeons 
 in cases of disloca- 
 tion of the thumb, 
 to assist the opera- 
 tion. When the 
 ends are knotted, 
 the builder's knot 
 becomes the Gun- 
 ner's Knot. The 
 Double Builder's 
 Knot is shown at 
 Fig. 105. Itis,how- 
 ever, but seldom 
 used. The value of 
 
 Fig 107 
 
 Fig. 105. 
 
 Fig. 108. 
 
 these knots is 
 so great, that 
 a little time 
 spent in prac- 
 tising the 
 loops neces- 
 sary to use it 
 instantane- 
 ously onapier 
 or post will be 
 amply repaid 
 in the course 
 of a year. 
 
KNOTS, TIES, AND SPLICES. 
 
 Fig 109. 
 
 Fig no 
 
 must be taken 
 in this, as in the 
 double bow (Fig. 
 107) or rosette 
 knot, to keep the 
 simple knot taut 
 until the knot is 
 complete. The 
 ends must lie 
 straight, as in 
 the reef knot, or 
 otherwise it will 
 become the false 
 knot known as 
 the "granny," 
 
 The Double Bow 
 and Single Bow 
 Knots are the most 
 common and most 
 useful of all knots. 
 They are both com- 
 menced as Fig. loi, 
 and the single bow 
 (Fig. 106) is made by 
 doubling one of the 
 loose ends when for- 
 ming Fig. 102; it thus 
 is easy to untie. Care 
 
 Fig. III. 
 
 Fig 112. 
 
TIES. 
 
 63 
 
 which should always be avoided. In small cords, 
 where considerable tightness is required, a twist knot 
 may be used, either in connection with the bow knots, 
 or, as in larger cordage, in a Double-twist Knot (Fig. 
 109). The commencement is shown at Fig. 108. In 
 
 Fig. 113. 
 
 small cords this knot may be finished as in the com- 
 mon knot (Fig. 102) when extra tautness is required, 
 and no assistance is near to hold the first knot until 
 the second is completed. (The diagrams are purposely 
 drawn loose, so that their construction may be more 
 easily seen.) 
 
 The knot shown at Fig. no is one that can be 
 
64 KNOTS, TIES, AND SPLICES. 
 
 recommended to all who have to occupy tents or to 
 travel much. It is a simple loop made by joining the 
 two ends of the rope with a fisherman's knot (Fig. 68)- 
 This admits a short cross-bar or wooden pin, and it 
 will enable the traveller to suspend clothes, or any 
 articles, round a tent-pole. The cord may also be 
 used for a " toggle " when two pieces of wood have to 
 be joined together. 
 
 A common form of running knot, with two ends, is 
 shown in Fig. in. It is used when it is inconvenient 
 to divide the rope. Unless the ends are at liberty, it 
 could not be used round a mast ; but it can be easily 
 slipped round a pier. It is frequently checked by a 
 bow, as at Fig. 112, or by the Flemish Knot (Fig. 
 113), or the Check Knot (Fig. 114). The two last 
 knots cannot be tied unless the ends are loose ; and 
 they cannot be untied without assistance from a 
 marlinespike or somf, similar contrivance. 
 
XL 
 
 MOORINGS, RING KNOTS, AND 
 FASTENINGS. 
 
 There is a popular fallacy about sailors' knots. A 
 reef knot is a true saijor's knot. We know how deftly 
 Jack, when ashore, ties his black silk neckerchief with 
 a running hitch ; but this is but half a sailor's knot. 
 What is called a true sailor's knot has two or more 
 hitches, which may be reversed. In Figs. 115 and 
 116 we have two varieties of sailors' knots, showing 
 one line straight whilst the end is simply twisted 
 round in two hitches. These are good mooring knots 
 for the painter of a wherry or other small boat. 
 
 An excellent temporary fastening of the end of a 
 rope, and one that can be cast off in a moment, is 
 shown at Fig. 117; and in this respect it is the reverse 
 of the more permanent stoppered loop at Fig. 118, 
 For rapidity of unmooring, Fig. 119 has by far the 
 advantage. It is a simple boat knot, with only one 
 turn in the ring; the loose end is left longer than shown 
 in the engraving. This boat knot sometimes catches 
 the ring, and sailors prefer 
 
 The Lark Boat Knot (Fig. 120), which is fastened 
 by a wooden pin. This knot admits of the instant 
 release of the boat. 
 
 65 
 
66 
 
 KNOTS, TIES, AND SPLICES. 
 
 gs»ja>a3sa .' '■^^^^'vV"^'^C 
 
MOORINGS, RING KNOTS, FASTENINGS. 67 
 
 ESESSSS^ 
 
68 KNOTS, TIES, AND SPLICES. 
 
 Another simple but useful knot for securing any 
 object on a sudden emergency is the boat knot shown 
 at Fig. 121, which is an incipient running knot, so to 
 speak. Instead of the line running through the loop, 
 a small piece of wood or other object is passed between 
 it and the loop, and is so held fast. 
 
 Simple and crossed running knots are shown at 
 Figs. 122 and 123. The simple running fastening 
 (Fig. 122) is not so secure, but chafes less than the 
 crossed running knot (Fig. 123). Even this gives 
 place to the more elaborate 
 
 Capstan Knot (Fig. 124), which is a species of 
 figure of 8 fastening. 
 
 The Lark's Head Knots are far more secure, and 
 are more generally used for anchor fastenings. Fig. 125 
 shows the ordinary form of this useful knot. Fig. 126 
 is the same form of knot stoppered, and Fig. 1 27 when 
 it is simply crossed. The double-looped lark's head 
 is shown at Fig. 128, and the treble lark's head at 
 Fig. 129. The tying of these knots is sufficiently 
 obvious, and their variety would seem to meet Captair 
 Galton's suggestion in his " Art of Travel," that they 
 admit of sufficient variety to form a constant guard 
 against the pilfering of the rations and luggage 
 waggons when on a journey (see Section XVI.) The 
 various forms of ring knots are still further extended 
 by the 
 
 Backhanded Sailor's Knots, shown at Figs. 130 
 and 131. 
 
 Slip Knots, stoppered, are shown by Figs. 132, 133. 
 
MOORINGS, RING KNOTS, FASTENINGS. 69 
 
70) 
 
 KNOTS, TIES, AND SPLICES. 
 
 F'g- 1 34 shows 
 Fig- 13s secured 
 by a slip clincli. 
 This part of the 
 subject may be 
 appropriately con- 
 cluded by a check 
 knot, connecting 
 two rings together. 
 It is called by gun- 
 ners a Delay Knot, 
 and it is one of 
 those knots which 
 are ornamental as 
 well as useful. 
 
 Fig. 133- 
 
 Fig. 134 
 
 Fig I3S. 
 
XII. 
 HITCHES AND BENDS. 
 
 In the foregoing chapters a great number of hitches 
 have been shown in connection with the various knots 
 and fastenings. Those included in this chapter are 
 of the greatest practical value in the every-day life of 
 the builder, timber hauler, and warehouseman, as well 
 as to those engaged in the docks and seafaring life. 
 
 Fig. 136. 
 
 What is known as the Blackwall Hitch (Fig. 136) 
 is the simplest. Its strength is derived from the fric- 
 tion of one rope crossing the other. 
 
 71 
 
72 KNOTS, TIES, AND SPLICES. 
 
 Fig. 137. 
 
 The Timber Hitch (Fig. 137) is used for towing 
 or hauling timber. It consists of the simple timber 
 hitch (Fig. 103), with an additional hitch higher up to 
 give additional purchase to the rope. 
 
 Fig. 138. 
 
 The Clove Hitch, so universal, is also used for 
 the purpose of hauling in heavy cables or chains by 
 two or more men (Fig. 138). 
 
HITCHES AND BENDS. 
 
 73 
 
 The Chain Hitch (Fig. 139) is another and more 
 powerful method of attaching a small rope to aid in 
 
 
 Fig- 139- 
 
 Fig. 140 
 
 pulling in a larger, or of hauling a vessel by a warp to 
 the shore. When it is necessary to use a lever as a 
 handspike, the fastening 140 is uSed. It is obvious 
 that occasions will arise when room cannot be found 
 
 6 
 
n 
 
 KNOTS, TIES, AND SPLICES 
 
 for the ordinary hauling ; then this mode of fastening 
 is necessary. 
 
 The Rolling Hitch (Fig. 141) is used principally 
 for attaching a rope to an upright stay, spar, or 
 scaffold-pole. It is a modification of the builder's 
 double knot (Fig. 105). 
 
 Fig. 142. 
 
 Fig. 141. 
 
 The Magnus Hitch (Fig. 143) shows one of the 
 numerous hitches for holding spars, and the STUDDING 
 Sail Bend (Fig. 142) another. Frequently another 
 hitch is taken round the spar for greater security. 
 When it is necessary to hold another tackle by the 
 same rope to a spar, the ROBAND HiTCH (Fig. 144) 
 is useful. The end is secured on the other side, as 
 in Fig. 142. 
 
 Amongst the most useful methods of using cordage, 
 that of Slings is the most general. Millers, sailors, 
 
HITCHES AND BENDS. 
 
 75 
 
 and stevedores are well acquainted with their use. A 
 simple sling is merely an extension of a sevagee, 
 
 Fig. 143- 
 
 described on page 57, or it is an endless piece of rope, 
 which is quickly passed round a ca.sk, sack, or box 
 
 Fig. 145. 
 
 Fig. 144. 
 
 (Fig. 145) and hoisted aloft, or let down into the hold 
 or waggon. The hook is slipped from one loop to the 
 other, and the rising tackle carries the sling with it. 
 
 6—2 
 
76 KNOTS, TIES, AND SPLICES. 
 
 Fig. 146 shows another mode of slinging casks with 
 a piece of rope, with the head closed. A running 
 
 Fig. 146. 
 
 noose is placed round one end, and the rope is passed 
 along the top of the cask, and then slipped round the 
 
 Fig. 147. 
 
 other end of the cask and fastened with reverse^ 
 hitches, as shown in Fig. 116. This is not so rapid, 
 but is used when a sling is not at hand. When the 
 
HFICHES AND BENDS. 
 
 77 
 
 head of the cask is open, it is slung as in Fig. 147 — a 
 ready mode of raising an injured man from a well or 
 mine when other appliances are not at hand. The 
 bight of the rope, or "whip," is fastened best by a 
 bowline knot, and frequently another hitch is put 
 round the cask nearer the head. 
 
 Sometimes it is necessary to put a stopper on a 
 rope to prevent another slipping, or for other pur- 
 poses. This is best accomplished by 
 
 
 Fig. 150. 
 
 A Turk's Head Knot, which is worked upon a 
 rope with a piece of small line (Figs. 148, 149, 150). 
 Take a clove hitch slack with the rope, with the line 
 round the rope ; then take one of the bights formed by 
 the clove hitch and put it over the other, pass the end 
 under, and up, and through the bight which is under- 
 neath ; then cross the bights again, and put the end 
 round again, under, and up through the bight which 
 is underneath. After this follow the lead, and it will 
 make a turban of three parts to each cross. 
 
XIII. 
 
 FASTENINGS. 
 
 Nothing is so astonishing to the eyes of a lands- 
 man on his first voyage as the facility with which the 
 large steamer is warped out of dock from amidst a 
 crowd of other vessels, and the ease with which it is 
 
 Fig. 154 
 
 moved to the pier by the simple twisting of the cable 
 round a post or the huge cleats which are fastened 
 into the sides of the vessels or on the pier-head. 
 
 The simple stoppered loop (Fig. 151) is familiar to 
 all, and when the end of the rope can be constantly 
 used no other fastening is required. It happens fre- 
 
 78 
 
FASTENINGS. 
 
 79 
 
 quently that either the end of the rope is not stoppered 
 or the middle of the rope must be used, then the 
 
 Fig. 152. 
 
 Fig. I55. 
 
 Waterman's Knot (Fig. 152) may be used. This 
 is similar to the clove hitch, and it can be made in a 
 moment by placing two loops on the rope, as shown 
 in Fig. 153. 
 
 Fig- I S3 
 
80 
 
 KNOTS, TIES, AND SPLICES. 
 
 A lark's head can be easily made over a post when 
 there is a running noose or knot, as at Fig. 1 54. 
 
 The bend at Fig. 155 is an example of the holding 
 power of a twisted rope, which is mentioned in con- 
 nection with the stopping of the balloon in the intro- 
 duction to these sections. 
 
 The Chain Fastening (Fig. 156) is of a more 
 
 Fig. 156. 
 
 permanent character, and is used when the vessel is 
 likely to remain some time. It is also useful in agri- 
 cultural work when the end of the rope would be in 
 the way of the waggon, machinery, or men. 
 
 Occasionally square moorings or sheaves are used 
 for the mooring of vessels. In these cases the fasten- 
 ings vary. 
 
 Fig. 157 is a double chain fastening to sheaves. 
 
FASTENINGS. 
 
 81 
 
 In Fig. 158 is a loop fastening to sheaves, which 
 may be tied or untied without untying the loop itself. 
 
 Fig 157. 
 
 This knot holds itself. It is made by passing the 
 loops A, B, C, D, E, as shown, and then placing the 
 
 Fig. 158. 
 
 loop F over the head of the right-hand post of the 
 sheaves. When slackened, the loop of the cable F 
 will again slip over the head of the post, and the turns 
 are then reversed. There is a more simple fastening 
 by wrapping the cable round the angle of the sheaves. 
 
82 
 
 KNOTS, TIES, AND SPLICES. 
 
 Ii? Figs. 159 and 160 there are two examples of a 
 
 Fig 159. 
 crossed and square fastening, which sufficiently ex- 
 
 Fig. 160. 
 
 plain themselves. The ends are secured by being 
 stoppered to the cable. 
 
FASTENINGS. 
 
 83 
 
 The ends of small ropes are secured round a belay- 
 ing-pin, as in Fig. i6i, or on a cleat (Fig. 162), the 
 crossing several times repeated. 
 
 Fig. 161. 
 
 Fig. 162. 
 
 The holding together of ropes or hawsers by bands, 
 ligatures, or ties, has been before alluded to. What is 
 termed the NECKLACE TiE (Fig. 163) is an example 
 
 Fig. 163. 
 
 where the ends of the yarn are secured by a reef knot, 
 after being passed over the band. It is a safe knot, 
 and the greater the strain the tighter the knot be- 
 comes. 
 
KN0I8, TIES, AND SPLICES. 
 
 A useful band is shown at Fig. 164. The second 
 end (b) is drawn through by a turn — a very useful 
 method of securing the ligature of a fractured fishing- 
 rod. Perhaps a better plan, but not always practi- 
 
 
 i:s?IM{^ 
 
 ^x 
 
 
 11 
 
 B 
 
 Fig. 164. 
 
 cable, is to lay the first end with a simple loop the 
 length of the band, then tightly wrap the cord or 
 string over the space necessary, and then the loose 
 end may be threaded through the loop left by the 
 
 Fig, 165. 
 
 turn, and drawn inwards. This forms a very neat 
 band, and it is easily made. 
 
 These bands, or ligatures, vary with the mode of 
 fastening the ends. Sometimes the two ends are 
 
FASTENINGS. 
 
 85 
 
 fastened by a reef knot on the surface, and at others 
 the ends are hitched through each other and drawn 
 back, and not left straight as in Fig. 164. 
 
 The Portuguese Knot, used as a lashing for sheave 
 legs. This knot is first a plain band round the legs 
 when placed close together ; the legs are then opened 
 and the ends secured between them, as shown in 
 Fig. 163. 
 
 Packing Knots are used for binding timbers 
 together. In Fig. 165, the knot is shown commenced 
 at A, and B the knot complete. It is tightened by 
 means of a packing-stick, c, which is twisted under 
 the knot, and then twined round and secured as 
 shown. A quicker plan is two toggles, similar to 
 the one shown in Fig. 166, and after twisting the 
 sticks round, tie the two ends of the sticks together. 
 
 Fig. 166. 
 
XIV. 
 THE ENDS OF ROPES. 
 
 If ropes, hawsers, or cables are left with their ends 
 unguarded, they are sure to become untwisted or other- 
 wise unmanageable. The same is true, in a lesser 
 degree, of lanyards and smaller ropes. These can 
 easily be secured with a fine whipping, and the smaller 
 yarns and threads by a single overhand or other knot. 
 The ends of ropes at sea are variously treated ; in some 
 instances they are finely tapered to a point, to pass 
 easily through a block or ring. 
 
 The usual method of pointing a rope is first to stop 
 it with a whipping (see Fig. 167), and then unlay the 
 end of it. Take out as many yarns as are necessary, 
 and twist each yarn in two. Take two parts of different 
 yarns, and twist them tight into " nettles " * — three or 
 four yarns twisted together — if the rope is not very 
 small. The rest of the yarns may be combed down 
 with a knife, and the rest put back upon the rope. 
 Pass three turns of twine like a timber hitch taut 
 
 * A " nettle " is made of two or three yams laid up with the 
 finger and thumb, keeping the lay on the yarn, and is left-handed 
 stuff. 
 
 86 
 
THE ENDS OF ROPES. 
 
 87 
 
 round the part where the nettles separate, and hitch 
 the twine, which is called the warp. Lay the nettles 
 backwards and forwards each time. The ends may be 
 whipped and snaked with twine, or the nettles hitched 
 over the warp and hauled tight. The upper seizing 
 
 Fig. 167. 
 
 Fig. 168. 
 
 must be snaked. A piece of stick is put in if the 
 upper part is too weak for pointing, and frequently 
 the end is terminated by a small eye, as in Fig. 168, 
 called an eye splice. 
 
 Snaking a Seizing is done by taking the end 
 
KNOTS., TIES, AND SPLICES. 
 
 under and over the outer turns of the seizing alter- 
 nately, passing over the whole. The whole may be 
 whipped also with small twine. 
 
 Fig. 169. 
 
 The ends of a four-stranded rope may be thus 
 secured. The end is first whipped as at A, Fig. 169, 
 and the four strands are opened out. They are then 
 brought down over the end in loops, and the strands 
 tied together (Fig. 170); or they may be simply 
 brought down as in Fig. 171, and bound to the cable 
 with twine, 
 
 A three -stranded cable may be finished by the 
 Simple Wall Knot (Fig. 172), which shows the 
 interlacing of the strands one within the other. When 
 these are drawn taut the knot is finished. When a 
 
THE ENDS OF ROPES. 89 
 
 ,^'— 
 
 single. wall is "crowned," as it is termed, one end is 
 laid over the top of the knot ; the second end is laid 
 
 Fig. 170. Fig. 171. Fig. 172. 
 
 over the first, the third over the second and through 
 the bight of the first (Fig. 173). 
 
 Fig. 173- Fig- 174. 
 
 A Double Wall Knot (Fig. 174) is formed by 
 making the single wall first,, and not hauling it taut. 
 
 7 
 
90 
 
 KNOTS, TIES, AND SPLICES. 
 
 Then take one end and bring it underneath the part 
 of the first walling next to it, and push it up through 
 the same bight (Fig. 174). Do the same with the 
 other strands, pushing them up through two bights. 
 If made thus it will have a double wall and a single 
 crown. 
 
 Fig. 175. 
 
 Fig. 176. 
 
 Fig. 177. 
 
 A double wall double crowned is Fig. 174 continued. 
 The strands are laid by the sides of those of the single 
 crown, pushing them through the same bight in the 
 single crown and down through the double walling, 
 and the knot is completed (Fig. 175). Fig. 176 shows 
 one method of finishing a single wall by cutting off the 
 strands and tying them with twine ; and the double 
 crowned wall knot may by finished by a Lark's Nest 
 (Fig. 177), by interlacing the loose strands one within 
 another by a requisite number of turns over the 
 padding. This forms a knot at the end of the rope. 
 
THE ENDS OF ROPES. 91 
 
 The knot known as the Matthew Walker is 
 formed as at Fig. 178. The whipping is first put on ; 
 the strands are opened ; one strand is taken round 
 
 Fig. 178. Fig. 179. 
 
 the rope ana through its own bight, then the next 
 strand underneath through the bight of the first and 
 through its own bight, and the third strand under- 
 neath. When taut it has the appearance of Fig. 179. 
 
XV. 
 
 KNOTS AND THEIR APPLICATION. 
 
 In Section I. we sketched some of the various 
 uses to which a knowledge of knots may be put in 
 every-day life. It is not every one that goes to sea, 
 or lives even upon the sea-shore, but there are many 
 who travel, many who live in "out-of-the-world" 
 localities where artizans are scarce, but where rope or 
 
 Fig. i8o. 
 
 twine, or some substitute for it, may be found. In 
 civilized life, as in primitive regions, a piece of string 
 or rope is a carpenter's chest of tools, a saddler's shop' 
 a ladder, straps, buckles, and half a hundred other 
 things besides, which are not dreamt of in the philo- 
 sophy of common men. Who has not seen a poor 
 fellow wearying along with his pack sluiig over a 
 stick, or in his hands, when a couple of slings shown 
 
 92 
 
KNOTS AND THEIR APPLICATION. 93 
 
 in Fig. 145 would enable him, if he shortened it 
 to the proper length, to put his arms through the 
 loops and carry it as a knapsack, easily and without 
 unnecessary fatigue ? If a buckle is wanted, what is 
 more easy than to make a two-grommet, or rings of 
 
 Fig, 181. 
 
 rope, as in Fig. 1 80 .'' and by inserting a piece of wood 
 between them an extempore buckle is produced. In 
 the same manner a swivel is frequently wanted in the 
 country. The blacksmith may be away from home, 
 or we may be far away from such an individual, with 
 
 Fig. 182. 
 
 a chance of being benighted. A lucky thought strikes 
 the " knot-tyer,'' and by the aid of a little bit of 
 wood he produces the swivel (Fig. 181), strong and 
 useful, if not ornamental. Another mode of producing 
 a useful swivel, in a rough and ready manner, is shown 
 at Fig. 182. 
 
94 
 
 KNOTS, TIES, AND SPLICES. 
 
 These simple contrivances, which have been culled 
 from books of travels, will show how much a know- 
 ledge of the uses to which ropes may be put and knots 
 tied is useful to mankind. An Alpine climber, or a 
 puffin gatherer on the northern cliffs, without a know- 
 ledge of a bowline knot would be a lost man ; and, if 
 lost, the bowHne in a bight would enable him to seat 
 himself, if alive, and be lifted up by strong hands 
 
 Fig. 183. 
 
 above ; or, if dead, the running bowline, or some of 
 the running loops before described, would enable his 
 friends to raise his body. The modes in which ropes 
 are made to bind bamboos together in the East is 
 suggestive of what might be done nearer home. There 
 is a hitch which Captain Galton,in his "Art of Travel,'' 
 calls the Malay Hitch, for want of a better term. 
 He shows how easily by it, when planks or boards 
 are at hand, a shelter can be made without nails or 
 injuring the boards, and so quickly that a part}' could 
 
KNOTS AND THEIR APPLICATION. 
 
 95 
 
 be housed in a few minutes. Yet by a glance at 
 Fig. 183 it will be seen how simply it may be done : 
 the cord is only twisted once as each board is inserted 
 between them, and they are held together sufficiently 
 tight for any temporary purpose. 
 
 Fig. 184. 
 
 Take, again, the rude weaving apparatus shown in 
 Fig. 184. A knowledge of such a mode of weaving 
 was common in every farmhouse half a century ago. 
 Yet in wet summers at home, now that coir twine is 
 cheap and plentiful, it might be used with advantage 
 on many a farm. The mode of its construction and 
 use is thus given : — 
 
 Take two pegs, A and B, about 15 or 18 inches long, 
 and drive them into the ground so as to be firm, and 
 standing about a foot out of it. Then take a stick or 
 piece of wood and lash it across the upright stakes at 
 A B. A row of pegs at C may now be driven into the 
 
96 KNOTS, TIES, AND SPLICES. 
 
 ground parallel to A B, at equal distances apart — the 
 distance should not exceed 6 inches. Two sets of 
 strings are then tied to the stake A B. One set is 
 tied to the stick or staff D E, and the others have their 
 loose ends placed into clefts or notches on the pegs, 
 at C. If there are a dozen strings, then the odd 
 numbers, i, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, must be attached to the 
 staff D E ; and the even numbers, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, to 
 the cross staff A B. By alternately raising and depress- 
 ing D E, and placing a handful of straw or rushes 
 between the strings at each movement, and making 
 them lie close by pulling them with a stick, a good 
 mat is made by this rough and simple mode of weav- 
 ing, easily and rapidly, and when it has served its 
 purpose, the string, if necessary, may be recovered. 
 The mats may be trimmed and joined together, if 
 thick and clumsy, by what is known as the cobbler's 
 stitch, or by tying the string ends together. 
 
 The art of plaiting, or, as it is called at sea, " sennit" 
 making, should be cultivated. In the section on 
 Shortenings, we have given some illustrations of plait- 
 ing on one cord. The loose and tight drummer's plait 
 is given ; and in Captain Alston's " Seamanship," the 
 necessity of cultivating the making of straw sennit, or 
 straw plait, is inculcated, in consequence of the variety 
 of purposes to which the art may be put, from the 
 making of hats to the making of baskets. These are 
 only a few of the many uses to which this knowledge 
 
KNOTS AND THEIR APPLICATION. 97 
 
 may be put in every-day life. The examples might 
 be multiplied ad infinitum. Still, the uses of common 
 things are too apt to be forgotten or overlooked in 
 these busy days. Those curious in the many uses 
 found for knots will be interested in the next section. 
 
 AN HERALDIC KNOT. 
 
XVI. 
 AN ALPHABET OF KNOTS. 
 
 There is scarcely a traveller or explorer who has 
 not felt the want of some simple and ready means of 
 communicating a message apart from the usual pen 
 and ink. Many persons have suggested a series of 
 knots for this purpose, apparently in ignorance that 
 such a scheme of knot writing was introduced for the 
 use of the blind many years ago, by a teacher named 
 David Macheath, of the Edinburgh Blind Asylum, 
 and a scholar named Robert Mylne. They describe 
 their " string alphabet," as they term it, thus : — The 
 string alphabet is formed by so knotting a cord that 
 the protuberances made upon it may be qualified by 
 their shape, size, and situation for signifying the 
 elements of language. The letters of this alphabet 
 are distributed into seven classes, which are distin- 
 guished by certain knots or other marks. Each class 
 comprehends four letters, except the last, which com- 
 prehends but two. The first, or A class, is distin- 
 guished by a large round or treble knot (Fig. 185). 
 The second, or E class, by a knot projecting from the 
 line; the third, or I class, by the series of links known 
 
 98 
 
AN ALPHAS KT IN KNOTS. 
 
 99 
 
 as the " drummer's plait." The fourth, or M class, by 
 a simple noose; the fifth, or Q class, by a noose witli 
 
 bli 
 
 a line drawn through it; the sixth, or U class, by a 
 noose with a net knot cast on it; and the seventh, or 
 Y class, by a twined noose. 
 
100 KNOTS, TIES, AND SPLICES. 
 
 The first letter of each class is distinguished by the 
 simple characteristic of its respective class, the second 
 by the characteristic and a common knot close to it, 
 the third by the characteristic and a common knot 
 half an inch from it, and the fourth by the charac- 
 teristic and a common knot an inch from it. Thus A 
 is simply a large round knot ; B is a large round knot 
 with a common knot close to it ; C is a large round 
 knot with a common knot half an inch from it ; and 
 D is a large round knot with a common knot an inch 
 from it ; and so on. The knotted string is wound 
 round a vertical frame, which revolves and passes from 
 the reader as he proceeds. 
 
 Of the general character of the string alphabet the 
 inventors say : — " It must readily occur to every one 
 that the employment of an alphabet composed in the 
 manner which has been explained will ever be neces- 
 sarily tedious ; but it should be borne in mind that 
 there is no supposable system of tangible figures 
 significant of thought that is not more or less liable to 
 the same objection. . . . There can scarcely be 
 any system of tangible signs which it would be less 
 difficult either to learn or to remember, since a person 
 of ordinary intellect may easily acquire a thorough 
 knowledge of the string alphabet in an hour and retain 
 it for ever. Yet the inventors can assure their readers 
 that it is impossible for the pen or the press to convey 
 ideas with greater precision. Besides the highly impor- 
 
AN ALPHABET IN KNOTS. 101 
 
 tant properties of simplicity and accuracy which their 
 scheme unites, and in which it has not been surpassed, 
 it possesses various minor, nor yet inconsiderable 
 advantages, in which it is presumed it cannot be 
 equalled by anything of its kind. 
 
 " For example, its tactile representations of articu- 
 late sounds are easily portable. The materials of 
 which they are constructed may always be procured 
 at a trifling expense, and the apparatus necessary for 
 their construction is extremely simple. In addition to 
 the letters of the alphabet, there have been contrived 
 arithmetical figures, which it is hoped will be of great 
 utility, as the remembrance of numbers is often found 
 peculiarly difficult. Palpable commas, semicolons, &c., 
 have likewise been provided, to be used when judged 
 requisite." 
 
 These it has not been deemea necessary to give, in 
 consequence of their uselessness in the only practical 
 manner in which these knots might be of service — 
 that of conveying a message in a strange countryi 
 where pens, ink, or pencil were not at hand. 
 
nilNTED BY 
 WOODFALL AlSXt KINDER, LONG ACI4E