TI ES

S P L I C ES

A ND

HA N D

BO O K

FOR

ALLWH
OU SE CORDAGE

VELLERS
FA
RERS, TRA
SEA

W I TH

HI S TORI CA L,

HE RALl;

AND

P R AC 32614 5 NOTES
-

T!

BU RGESS

L O ND
G E O RGE

O N

R O U T LE D GE A ND SO NS
B RO AD WAY L U D G ATE HI LL E C
,

m mm

P AGE

kNors

THE U SE S O F

HI STO R Y

AND

P H LOS O P HY

HE RALD I C K NO TS
'

CO

RD

AGE A ND

S MP LE K

S HO

I TS VA

N OTS

AND

RI ET I E S

LO O P S

24

RTE N I N GS

33

VI I
KNO I S FOR U

N ITI NG

RO PES

39

VI I I

46

SP L CE S

OTHER MOD ES O F U NI I II NG
'

R OP ES

52

K NO TS T I E S A ND
,

S P LI C E S

THE U S E S O F K NO T S

NO TS

What ? K nots ?
There are love knots m atri monial knots Go r
d ian K nots These are gurati ve
There is the S ta fford K not the Bouchier K not the
L acy K not the He n a ge K not the D acre K not the
Ha rrington K not ( which is not a knot at all) as well
as the Wake K not These are heraldic
There is the Monkey K n ot the Wind K not the
Peruvian K not and conj urors knots These are fancy
knots

There are weavers knots builders knots sailors

knots reef knots sh erm

These are real
e n s knots
and useful knots

But they are only twisted cord Cm60220 ? What s

the use ?
L et a few personal exam ples s u i c e
Thirty years ago a lad was standing in a garden
gazing at a surging m ass of coloured silk which heaved
to and fro over the heads of a dense crowd The wind
P

'

'

S PL I CE S

K N O TS , TI E S , AND

was blowing i n t fu l gusts an d heavy m asses o f

vapour rolled overhead The crowd had assem bled to
witness a balloon ascent Cautious bystanders wished
the exhibition to be postponed i n consequence of the
state of the weather ; but the cro w d roared and the
a eronaut took his seat in the car The men who held
the ropes were nearly pulled o ff the ground by the
plunging balloon A t last in sheer despair the m ad
and struggling thing was released and away it went
I t rose above the surrounding buildings but i t was
obvious to all that the wind was too strong and that
the life of the a erial navigator was in great d ange r
The boy could see h imgesticulating to the various
groups of people He saw the grapnel thrown out I t
d ra gged the ground There was a pause for a mo ment
i n the progress of the balloon but the bystanders
merely gaped A gain the balloon cam e on to w ard s
the boy i n the garden A t rst he was paralysed but

his companion said L et us catch the ropes and twist

them round a tree
The boy thought that such a
scheme was not only wild in conception bu t useless in
practice
They waited for a few moments un til the
grapnel agai n touched the ground and tore u p the
surface of the adj oini n g 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 stu mp in the hedge botto m and checked
the mad career of the balloon which uttered and
struggled above them They rushed forw ard seized
,

THE

OF K N O TS

U S ES

a rope and ran roun d the stu m p of a tree with it

They w ere about to d o the sam e with another rope
when the grapnel gave way
!

Hold on J ack said the elder bo y t o this rope

A n d he took the other and in a fe w seconds had
secured it round the post of the gate
The ropes
creaked the tree was pulled like a young sap li ng
The i n trepid and d aring a eronaut came out o f the
car held on by a rope for a m oment and dropped to
the earth Th e balloon released of his weight tore
up the gate post snapped the cord which tied it to
the tre e and bounded into the air

Well done boys said the late M r G rah am

h
when he recovered is breath
You did more than
those fools dare poi nting to the crowd which n o w

I owe my li fe to your kn owi ng the

hurried up
power of a t w isted rope a nd havi n g the ability to
tie a si mple knot
That w a s my rst lesson in the uses of knots and
ties M y s e c o n d led to a more profo u nd knowle d ge
of the art
I was staying at E nnis shing in the Fergus when
the salmon ran and occasionally visiting the lakes of
or D ru m
I n chiq u in B a l
l
l
a
c o n o ra for trout when
ya l
suddenly my rod snapp e d in the second j oint My
cast lin e was torn
I was i n the most deplorable
pl ight a y o ung angler was ever in There were sh
in plenty but my cherished rod was spoilt and days
mus t elapse ere it could be replaced

Wha t could I d o ? I a sked in a to ne o f chagri n

.

S PLI CE S

K NOTS , TI E S , AND

Take it to old J ack said an old sherman A nd

to old Jack I took it

d J ack was on e of the kin d est and most genial

Ol
old tars I ever m et with His name was I believe
M c D o nnell or O D o nn ell and his C hristian n ame
was D on agh D onald or D erm
o d or som e G aelicized
B ible name which was supplanted by the universal

J ack Though he had lost an arm i n the un toward

affair at Navari no he could tie a y or m ake a

rod with any man in M unster He was equally the
pet of the o fcers of the garrison an d the boys of
the town To one he sold his excellent rods an d he
mended the broken tackle of the other with equ al
gusto He was very poor yet he m aintain ed an in rm
sister and himself in respectability on a small pension
and the produce of his rod an d y making His
well balanced four j oint sixteen feet sal mon rod was
a beauty the lower j oint of ash the two m iddle ones
of hickory and the top o f g reenh a rt I t m ade on e s
blood tin gle to feel the pliant wel l balanced switch
and to know that the lordly salmon was al most within
reach The accident to my favourite rod introduced

me at once to old J ack and in itiated m e in ti me

i nto the further mysteries of knots ties and splices
I n the course of a few minutes he produced a small
bottle of liqu id glue with which he anointed the
broke n rod and whipped the splintered parts with
ne waxed cord He d id it so readily that I w o n d ered
at the neatness strength and renewed sym met ry of

my equal to new rod A few well mad e knots

THE

U S ES

OF K NOTS

m ended my line and a ne w world opened up before

me
I f any one asks the utility of knots let the sailor
answer A little k nowledge of them saved ten lives
when the S erra no w a s wrecked ; it enabled m e to
reach the Gipsy when she left her moorings with two
boys on board ; it lengthened and rmly un ited th e

bed cords at a re i n S taple s Buildings which enabled

two people to escape fro m the upper o o r windows
A t a hund red ti mes an d places the art for it is an
art is useful We kno w that Napoleon ennobled the
inventor who could tie a knot in a piece of stretched
string O u r ships are a m ass of knots and only last
mon th a nu mber of lives were lost in a S ta ffordshire
colliery because the m an who mended the rope d id
not know how to splice properly Th e wonderful

hero in Foul Play would have been m uch m ore

wonderful i f he could have knotted knitted netted
and spliced well ; but the lady was the superior genius
here and had to make the nets
S ome little seafaring some living i n out o f the way
places and travelling i n lonely localities have shown
me the m anifold uses of knot s ; and I acqui red the
knowledge of how to tie them someti mes fro m
necessity though I have not had the advantage of

the boatswai n s S aturday afternoon instruction with

a m arlinespike I h ave gathered from various sou rces
as well as my own experience these notes on K nots

Ties and S plicing for there are but few who can tie
a knot secu rely though it is an operation that we
,

,
-

S PL I CE S

KN O TS , TI E S , AND

to perform nearly every d ay of our lives No t

only seamen but n e arly e ve ry trade and eve ry variety
of labourer has his or its special knot which h a s been
handed down from father to son and from m aster to
apprentice for any n umber of years I t is an art for
if a tyro atte mpts to j oin two pieces of string together
i n all probabi lity i t will be what is termed a false or
a gran ny knot or si mply connect the two e n ds by
an overhaul knot whic h if the easiest is the clu msiest
and which A lpi ne travellers know is fatal to the
Th e sailor s weaver s or s h e r
strength of a rope
man s knot would answer his purpose bette r

h ave

II

T HE

HI S T O R Y A ND

P HI L O S O P HY

K NO T S

OF

THE

history of knots is lost i n the mist of antiquity

A n ingenious essayist has told u s that they are pro

bably as old as hum an ngers and doubtless in

Parad ise the trailing owers twisted themselve s into
w reaths amongst the spread ing branches as they
formed a bowe r for mankin d s rst mother S ince
that ti m
e they have becom e interwoven with man s
li fe S uperst it ion has appropriated them j u ggle rs have
used t hem love rs have symbolized them and good
men have used them They are a part of his oce n
patio u
E ve could not have begun her proverbial
spinning i n the days of general gentility without rst
tying a knot ; and the rst lady of the land ties a
perfect k n ot every time she m oves her tatting shuttle
K nots were co m
m on in the ti me of Homer for in

the eighth book of the O dyssey U lysses is repre

sented secu ri ng the rich and costly robes vases gold
and other valuable presents of A lc in iis an d his queen
by a cord of rope fastened in a knot closed with
This knot of U lysses became a proverb
Circean art
to express any u nsolvable difculty 6x 6 O w w s
and a pro o f of the esteem i n which the ancients held

'

m
,

ea

s,

S PLI CE S

'
z
KNo s , Tw s , AND

this art so neces s ary i n the absence of locks m ay be

adduced from the G ordian K not ; and i n fact Homer
describes the treasu res and othe r valuable objects as
being kept i n the citadel secured merely by a cord
intricately knotted
Probably we shall never know how the G ordian
K not was tied
E very young gentlem an however
knows the story of G ord ius the Ph rygian husband
ma n who was promoted to a kin gdo m by the oracle
of A pollo and how he hung u p his plough traces a
a votive o ffering in the temple of J upiter He how
ever tied o ne rope of these traces with so cunning a
knot that it was foretold that whoever unloosed i t
should be king of all A sia We are told how ba ttling
the knot was and how A lexander the G reat when
he found he could not u ntie it cut i t with his sword
There are some who would gladly follow the gri m
Macedonian s exam ple and cut the hymeneal knot
which binds them to an unsympathetic or uncongen ial
partner
The old sorcere rs used knots we are told in their
incantations
The witches of L apland sold wind
knots tied i n a rope to thei r seafaring custome rs
who when they wanted a particular wind instead of
whistling fo r it un tied the corresponding knot which
had been tied by enchan tm en t I nd eed i n all a ges
and i n a ll climes knots with thei r m
ani fold uses and
advantages see m to have been u sed by necrom ancers
as a means of m
y s t i c a t io n in furtherance of thei r
m agic a rts The D avenport B rothers w ere not the rst
,

HI S TOR Y AND

P I I I LU S U P H Y 0 F K NO TS

who showed thei r expertness with ropes and knots

Men had been tied with cords and put i nto sacks or
boxes who emerged al most i m
mediately free of all
bonds ; and there are scores of tricks published i n
conj u ring books showing som e interesting tricks with
loops sli p knots false hitches and other contrivances
fam iliar to those who use cordage
There is on e part of the history of knots which has
received but little attention though it has not been
any treatises on arm oury which
o verlooked in the m
h ave been published from ti me to ti me and these are
k now n a s
.

III
HE RA LD

I C K NO T S

knots u ed i n herald ry are techn ically called

badges and have been probably in use from a very

early ti me when herald ry a s we understand it w a s a
thing of the future We nd both in Celtic structures
and i n t h ose attributed to the A nglo S axons many
curious orn a ments formed of interlaced cordage We
have given t wo small e xamples ( pp 38 an d 1 0 1 ) which
exem pli fy the method by which the twists and turns
of a piece of ro o e were m ade i nto a geo metric and
n o t un pleasi n g ornamen t
O f t h e heraldic knots that of S tafford is the si mplest
and is used as the badge of the shi re as well as of the
noble house w h o rst used it I t is an open sim ple
knot only ( Fig I )
Probably the oldest is the WA K E K NO T w hich is
used also by the O rmonde family and is kn own by
thei r j oi nt nam es I f this was the ba dge of Hereward
the Wake i t is the most i n teresting of all the herald ic
knots ( Fig
The n ext i n simplicity is the B O U C HI E R K NO T

I
t
is formed of two open gran ny knots
( Fig
and d ecorates the m antlings of a n oblem an of the
Bo u chier fam ily I n Westm inst e r A bbey on the tom b
T HE

IO

S PL I CE S

KNOTS , TI E S , AND

12

name of the French C hancellor at the tim e when

Pope Leo X h a d a
E lizabeth ruled over E ngl and
twisted knot and a band rou nd a yoke and the House

of S avoy took a Figu re o f 8 K not for their device

with the motto S tringe ma non constringe

it
bends but constrains not A s far back as 1 2 52 an
The
O rder of the K not was established at Naples
badge of silk gold and pearls was tied i n a knot
upon the arm and those who were i nvested with i t
mad e a vow to untie it at J erusalem
There is one other knot which i f not herald ic is at
least emblematic ; and m any a true lover is anxious
for that knot which if once tied by the tongue can not
be untied by the teeth O n the signet ring preserved
A von is en graved a
in the birthplace at S tratford o n

true lover s knot entwining the letters W S and this

i s said to have belonged to S hakespeare ( Fig
.

Fig

! uain t

1 1.

S ir Thomas

Brown su rmised that the true

l
o ve r
s knot had its or ig i n i n the Nodus Herc u la n eus
a very high and esteemed sacred k not o f Hercules
resemblin g the snaky complication i n the Caduceus
or rod of Hermes These ancient rods were probably
only met a phorical E re however we conclude o u r

HE R ALD

I C K NOTS

13

notices of these fanciful knots let us point ou t that

one of the forms of a crest wreath is that of a twisted

cat s paw ( Fig

I f however we can not trace distinctly the history
of knots through all its various transformations we
I t is an endless physical
can scientically dene it
lin e which cannot be d eformed into a circle A
physical line is exible and unextensible and cannot
be cut so that no lap o f it can be d rawn through

another
I t is altogether besid e our purpose here to
follow the theories of L is ting or the learned disserta
tions of P rofessor Tait ( Tra m R oy S oc E d in bu rg h
for though i nteresti n g in a mathem atical sense
they are hardly simple enou gh for a practical hand

book
,

IV

C O R D AGE

I N G E NE R A L

L O O K I NG

at the subj ect sim ply as a practical one

we must rst d irect atten tion to the material gen era llj
used for the m aking of knots M any boys have
d oubtless am used themselves by u ntwisting a piece
of whipcord which i n reality is a m iniature rope and
i n doing so m ust have noticed the use which has been
made of the original twist of the lam en ts of hem p or
ax to bin d the whole together into one con tinuous
line This is don e by twisting the yarn i n opposite
d irectio n s so that they bind together I f the strands
( as a nu mber of yarns are called ) were twisted one
way only they wou ld untwist themselves an d part at
the slightest strain ; but advantage is taken of this
tendency to un twist and the result is that a hard
rm cord bound together by the friction of its parts
is the result of laying strands together which have
been twisted i n opposite directions A ccord in g to the
n umber of strands and variety of twists the varieties
of twine cord marline ropes hawsers and cables are
made To j oin two ends of these together you m
ust
use either a knot a tie or a splice
aterial
K nots however are as various as the m
knotted The coarse bres thon gs o f hide, or twisted
,

14

U OR D AGE I N GE NE R AL

intestines o f savage nations have given place to cord

age of variou s sizes thicknesses and material A d
van tage is taken of the natu ral curve and tendency of
vegetable bre to secu re the greatest rmness stre n gth
a n d consequent securi ty
The m ost rigorous tests are
a p pl ied to know the exact strai n d i fferent substances
will bear ; but whatever the substan c e the principle of
m anufactu re rem ains t he sam e The process has been
modied a s m achinery has been brought into use i n
order to produce a exible and ten a c iou s cord which
shal l retain the collective strength of every bre of the
mate rial of which it is com posed O f these m aterials
hem p is the most co m mon and of all kind s o f hem p
that of Mani lla is the most servicea b le and generally
p referred
I n studying the nature an d uses of knots partie n
la rl
y those which come u nder the design a tion of
splices some k nowledge of the mode and of the pri n
e s on which ropes are made is essentially necessary
c ipl
The simplest an d most e ffectual m ode of obtainin g
the united strength of the bres com posi ng the rope
would be to lay them sid e by side and faste n them
together at each end as in the S eva gee ( Fig
This plan even i f the bres of hem p were of the
n ecessary len gth would be open to m any obj ections ;
hence it was necessary to devise some plan w hich
would give u nli m ited length to the rope and at the
s a me t im e p reserve its to rsion and portability This
has been achieved by the com pression an d twisting
of the bres i n di fferent d irections until they produc e
,

S PLI CE S

K NO TS , TI E S , AND

16

a compact hard and strong rope neither breaki n g

the bres on the one hand nor leaving them so loose
as to be easily d rawn out from the m ass on the other
either extreme would be eq u ally fatal i n its results
and inj urious to the stabili ty of the rope This happy
med iu m is achieved by the modern process of rope
making whether by hand or machinery
A t rst the bres of he mp are loosely twisted to
gether and form what is technically kno wn as y a m
When two or three yarns are twisted together they
form a s tra n d three strands for ma rope and three
ropes a ca ble I t will be borne in mind that each
portion of the cable is twisted i n an opposite d i rection
to the cable itself so that advantage may be taken of
the tendency to untwist to cou nteract the like ten
This will be
d e nc y in other portions of the c a bl e
better understood by a reference to the accompanying
d iagram of a cable
Thus A shows the bres of which a y a rn is com
posed ; B the yarns com prising a s tra nd ; C shows
which together fo rm
t he strands forming a rope D
the ca ble B These are in their turn subj ected to a
variety of processes in order to insure thei r bearing an
equal strain prior to their being combined into a cable
A s a broad general rule it should be borne in mind
that the loss of bearing power by twisting is al most
one third but the tighter twisted ropes gai n in d ura
ity what they lose in power
A twist of four ft hs
bil
of the length of the componen t yarns gives one third
m ore bearing power than if twi sted to two th irds o f
,

GOR D AGE I N GE NE R AL

17

Fig

12

Ana lys is o f C a bl
e

the length which is the ord inary twist of ropes in u se

The larger cables h ave even a greater twist than this
The various descriptions of lin e and rope w ith their
weights and lengths a r e as follows

K i nd s

Len gth

R ee n g

twin e
S ewing t w ine
M arl i ne
Lo g lines
S amson lines
-

24

W ei ght

skeins

8
8

24

to 9 lbs
to 9

I 2
25

fathoms

I to

30
9!

F is hing lines
-

25
n

S PLI CE S

K NO T8 , TI E S , AND

18

K i nd s

Len g th

25

Fishing lines
-

bro lines (
Ha m

6 th reads )

l
bs

fathoms

23

Hand lead lines

D eep sea lines
-

20

I 20

28

Weig ht

32
34

36

This is from the com putation of M r C hapm an the

m aster ropemaker of D eptford D ockyard I n further
explanatio n of the terms used it should be borne in
m ind t h at
A y a rn is several bres of hemp twisted together
lco rd is two twisted yarn s
al
Tw in e or s m
M a rlin e is three twisted yarns
A ha ze/yer is a rope form ed of three strands con
taining from fteen to twenty v e yarn s in each strand
A ca bl
e is a large hand twisted rope m ade from
three or fou r smaller ropes twisted rou nd a com mon
a x is
L a y ing a rope is the twisting of the strands i n a
ha w ser laid or shroud laid rope and of the componen t
ropes in a cable
S erv ing a rope is to cover it wi th smaller cord or
spun yarn to preserve it from rolling and from friction
To facilitate t h e operation the yarn is passed two or
three tim es ro u nd the rope and tightened by a species
.

S PLI CE S

KNOTS , TI E S , AND

20

a roun d and full appearance prior to parcellin g o r

s e r ving
A knowledge of the strength of ropes and of thei r
breaking weight is essential i n all operations where
ropes are required We are indebted to the A lpine
Club for some valuable expe ri m ents on t he stre n gth
of ropes used i n A lpine excu rsions I n the course of
these experi ments the weakness of plaited ropes w a s
demo n strated with startlin g effect I ndeed the value
of a plaited rope does not lie i n its power to bear
heavy weights or sudden j erks but i n its wearing
properties when exposed to co n stant friction as i n
sash and clock lines The com m ittee of the A lpine
C lub found i n the course of nearly a hund red e x peri
ments with various kinds of rope only four bore the
strain of twelve stone falling v e feet an d all these
four ropes were m ade by M essrs Buckingham and
S ons of 3 3 Broad S treet Bloomsbury I n the further
experiments one of these ropes failed O f the three
ropes which remained they were so nearly equal that
it was d iic u lt to s a y which was to be pre ferred

E ach of these three ropes

( we quote fro m the
report) will bear twelve stone falling ten feet an d
fourteen stone falling eight feet and it m ay be usefu l
to say that the strain u pon a rope loaded with a
weight of fou rteen stone and suddenly checked after
a fall of eight feet is nearly equal to t hat which is
caused by a d ead weight of two tons None of these
ropes however will bear a weight of fou rteen stone
falling ten feet and the result of our experi ments is
.

GOR D A GE I N GE NE R AL

21

that no rope can be m ade w hether of hem p ax or

silk which is strong enough to bear that strain and
yet l ight enough to be portable We believe t h at
these ropes which weigh about three quarters of an
ounce to the foot are the heaviest which can be con
ven ien t l
We appen d a
y carried about in the A lps
statement of the respective merits of the three kinds
all of which were m ade by Me ssrs Bucki n gham ex
pressly for the C lub and m arked by a red w ors ted
t nrea d twisted i n the strands
No I M ANI LL A HE M P Weight of 20 yards 48
ounce s
A d va n ta g es I s softer and more pliable t h an 2 I s
more elastic than 2 and 3 When wet is far more
pleasant to h andle than 2 or 3
D is a d v a n tag es Ha s a tendency to wear an d fray
at a knot
No 2 I TALI AN HE MP Weight of 20 y ards 43
ounces
A d v a n tag es I s less bulky than I and 3 I s harder
and will probably wear best being least likely to cut
against rocks
D zsa d z/a n tag es I s m uch more sti ff and dif cult to
u ntie than I a nd 3 When wet is very disagreeable to
handle an d is apt to kink
No 3 FL AX Weight of 20 yards 44 ounces
A d va n ta g es Wh en d ry is soft m ore pliable and
easier to handle than I and 2 and wi ll probably wear
better than I
D is a d va n tag es When wet
becom es decidedly
,

'

KN O TS , TI ES , AND

22

SP LI CE S

som ewhat weaker and is nearly as disagreeable to

handle as 2
I t should be borne i n m ind that a knot weake ns a
rope at any ti me and particularly i f ill constructed
with a falling weight a knot l ike Fig 67 or a loop lik e
Fig 3 1 is especi ally to be avoided
The best knots recom mended by th e A lpi ne Co m
mittee are Fi g 68 to joi n two ropes Fig 29 and Fig
These are all the knots required on an
33 for loops
A lpine excu rsion
A go od formula for calcul ating the strength of
M u ltiply the ci rcu m
ropes is given by R obiso n :
ference of the rope i n inches by itself and the fth
part of the product will express the nu mber o f tons
the rope will carry For exam ple if the rope be 6
inches in circum ference 6 x 6 : 36 the fth o f w hich is
the nu mber of tons which such rope will sustain
%
7
The following simple rules for calculating the
weight O f cordage of all kind s will be fou nd service
able To nd the w eight of a hawser or shroud lai d
rope m u ltiply the circu mference in inches by itsel f
and multiply the product by the length o f the rope in
fathoms and divide by 420 the product will be t h e
weight i n hund redwei ghts E xample :To nd t h e
weight of a six inch hawser laid rope 1 20 fathom s
long ; 6 x 6: 36 x
which d ivided by
gives the weight of the rope t o c wt I qr 4 lbs
A gain :
To nd the weight of cable laid cordage
m ultiply its circu mference i n inches by i tsel f an d
divide by 4 The product will be the wei ght in hu n
,

IN

COR D A GE

d re d w e igh t s

GE NE R AL

23

o f a cable 1 20 fathom s lo n g fro m which

the weight of any other length m ay be readily de
d u c ed
E xam ple :
R equired the weight of a 1 2 inch
cable 1 20 fathoms long ; 1 2 x 1 2 = 1 44 d ivid e by 4
an d the product 36 is the weight i n hundred weights
Cotton silk a nd cocoa n u t bre are someti mes used
for cordage ; i ndeed t h e latter has m any advantages
one of the greatest of which is its lightness and re s ist
ance to the inuence of water I ron is now com m only
used for stand ing rigging of ships an d wire ropes have
a d eserved rep utation K nots however do n ot per
tain to i ron i n any shape unless an iron n odule form
the necessary an d i nevitable exception
.

'

S I MP L E

K NO T S AND

LO O P S

us begin at the beginni ng A plai n rope is

before u s We should reme mber that a rope to hold
tight when tied tight should always be well stretched
The power of tension i n a rope is considerable a n d
to those who are i n the habit of packing goods o r
even trunks this power of giving way is so meti mes a
source of considerable annoyance often aggravated by
ill tied knots slipping or becom ing loose I n the
nautical world cordage and cables are always stretched
and their strength tested before being u s ed in orde
to guard against any possible danger from this cause
L ET

S I MPLE KNOTS

LOOPS

AND

25

or u nderhand loop we have the si mplest of all knots,

as shown i n Fig 19 which w hen d rawn taut has the
appearance of Fig 20 The perfect knot is known as
the FI G UR E O F 8 K NO T ( Fi g
is formed b y an
u nd erhand and overhan d loop overlapping each other
and the loose end passed through the loop When
tight as shown i n Fig 2 2 i t bears a close resemblance
to the A rabic n umeral 8 hence i ts famili ar n ame
,

Fig

Fig

19.

Fig

20 .

Fig

2 1.

22 .

What may be called compou nd si mple knots are

known by the name of D ouble Treble Fo u r fold or
They are in constant use when it is
S ix fold K nots
necessary to shorten a rope a few i nches or to increase
-

Fig

23.

Fig

24.

Fig

Fig

2 5.

26.

the si ze or strength of a holding knot to preven t it

passing through an eye or a block These knots are
made by passing the end of a rope t wice thrice or as
many tim es as may be necessary through a loop (as

shown in the sim ple knot) previously to n ipping or

d rawing it taut by pulling both ends Fig 2 3 shows

a double knot loosely formed Fig 24 when n ipped

.

K NO TS , TI E S

26

S PLI CE S

AND

Fig 2 5 a treble knot n ipped and Fig 2 6 its open

formation I n Fig 2 7 we have a v e fold k not s hown
open an d in Fig 2 8 its appearance when n i pped
The Five and S ix fold K not 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 whe n
on a j ourney and to who m long loose ends are a
special abom inatio n I n the followi ng section some
shorten ings which are more easily u ndon e are ex
plai ned ; but for shor t lengths a couple or more of
six fold knots are useful an d handy
.

Fig

Fig

2 7.

2 8.

Fro m simple kn ots 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 Tom fool K not which proved a puzzle

knot for the D avenport spirits and also the Tyburn
Noose which has en d ed m any a trou bled life The
si mple R unni ng K not is made by passing a h itc h instead
of the end of the rope when m aking a sim ple knot ( see
Fig
The variations of this knot are very n u m erous
A successio n or chain of these ru nn in g knots form the
single plait or chain shorten ing to whic h we shall
h a ve again o cc a s io n t o r efer Wh en the loo s e end A
,

S PLI CE S

K NO TS , TI E S , AND

28

to the D avenport B rothers h ave been often asked for

i nstructio n how to tie it I t is a double loop through
a sim ple knot I t is made in the beginn ing like the
running knot
after which the rm end is passed
through the open si mple 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 d rawn tight
and the loose ends tied rm round the centre a pair
of handcu ffs is produced which the skill of the D ave n
ports could not untie The rm ness and security o f
the knot depends however on the rope being well
stretched otherwise a person with small hands would
n o t have m uch d i fculty i n releasing hi mself fro m
t h is or any other knot m ade on a rope
The com mon L O O P K NO T ( Fig 3 1 ) is tied similar to
the open HA ND K NO T ( Figs 62 and
and forms the
ordinary useful loop of every day life A more orna
mental and even stronger loop which is well ad apted
for large cordage is made by the gure 8 k not ( Fig
.

This loop l ike Fig 3 1 when once m ade and has

been subj ected to a le n gthened strain is v er y d iic u lt
to untie I n this case there is nothing better than a
running k not with a check knot E ( Fig
which is
a modication of the s herm
a n s knot
and will be
found eminently serviceable I n this knot the sim ple
knot E is tied over the runni ng line as sho w n A fter
use it may be easily d rawn apart the loop slipped and
the knot untied i n a com paratively brief space of ti m e
This is a very suspicious knot in all conj urin g pe r
,

'

S I M PLE K NO TS AND

L O OPS

29

fo r

as i t can be eas ily u nloosed by a slight

e ffo rt of the ankle or wrist ; w he n t he Ioop is carried
round a chai r it may be slackened or tightened in an
in stant
a nces ,

Fig

Fig

33.

There are but few knot s which will not give way i n
a new rope su f cien t for a man to release his han d s
and then the rest is easy S peaking as a ru l
e t he
more rope the easier the release When two p erson s
are con ned together the chances are l argely in
creased in favour of the exhibitors for if one c a n
struggle a han d through the embarrassing cord s h e
could rel ea se himsel f and help his fellow The ex peri
ments of Messrs M askelyne and Cooke prove t h at the
knots can be tied an d untied i rrespective of either ex
t ra neo u s o r spiritual agency for the knots we r e sealed
,

K N O TS , TI E S , AND

30

S PL I CE S

with wax yet the h ands were released and rebound

again in the course of a few seconds
O ne of the most com mon and useful of running
knots used i n com merce and only applicable to small
A si mple
cords is the R U NNI NG No o s e ( Fig
,

Fig

34

knot is m ade on the end of th e cord which is then

si mp ly knotted round The running noose known a s
t h e C R O S S E D R U NNI NG K NO T ( Fig
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 thei r vessels sus
pended b y a rope whilst they sat com fortably in a
B O WLI NE K NO T ( Fig
This knot is formed by
passing the loose end th rough the lower loop of a

t
gure 8 kno and seizing or tying the en d with
small cord or m arline
This can hardly be called the true bowl ine knot
Wh ich is shown at Fig 39 This is called a S TAND I NG
,

S I M PLE

Fig

Fig

39

L OOPS

K N O TS AND

Fig

37

40

31

1 ig 38

Fig

41

B O WLI NE K NO T i n contradistin ction to F ig 4o which

is called a ru n ni ng bowline knot and form s a n oose

.

S PLI CE S

K N O TS , TI E S , AND

32

to put over anything Here the loop or eye at B runs

upon the standing part of the rope A A forming a n
other loop a t C A bowli ne knot on a bight of a rope
seems a very d i f cult matter bu t i t is n ot so i n reality
I t is shown i n Fig 41 and is easily m ade ; its great
use is i n lowering a m an from a height such as the
rigging of a vessel or i n case of re from a window
Fig 42 is not calculated to bear the same strain an d
is principally used to m ake fast the sheets of small

boat sails I t is kno w n as the M idshipm an s Hitch

and its construction is obvious Figs 37 and 38 re
present t wo slip clin ches o r open running knots

seized instead of tied Fig 38 is used to clinch a

sailor s knot T h ese knots and loops are closely con
n ec t ed with the hitches and bends i n shape
.

Fig

42

VI

S HO R T E NI NGS

THE

m ost handsom e k nots of any practical value

and which approach nearest to the fancy knots of
history are S hortening K n ots k nots that hold the
surplus cord tight an d rm w ithout any loose ends
The most si mple shortening for all descriptions of
sm al lcords is that known to boys as the S ingle Plait
but which seamen know as the C hain K not I t is so
easily m ade as to be popular with most young people
The rst movement is to make the running loop ( Fig
the n to d raw the loose en d through the loop as
shown i n Fig 43 and repeat the movement until the
requ isite length of cord has been taken u p and
shortened the end m ay then be secu red by passing a
belaying pin or a piece of wood through the loop ( see
Fig
or by bringing the end of the rope through
the last loop as shown in Fig 44
The Twist K not is by no means so generally known
th ough it is a very useful shortening and ad m irably
adapted for other purposes D issected it is an ordi

nary three plait though formed of one piece I t

is m ore useful than when formed of three separate
pieces of stri ng for the ends are fastened and i t cannot
c ome undone
The mode of co m mencing this knot is
,

33

S PL I CE S

K NO TS , TI E S , AND

34

Fig

Fig

43

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 plai t is continu ed until the end of the
loop is reached when the loose e nd is passed throu gh
the bight and the knot is fastened and co m pleted as
shown i n Fig 46 I f well done it form s a hard tight
and compact lo n g knot
C losely allied to these knots is the D ouble Chai n
K not ( Fig
which is really a pretty for mof open
knot easily m ade if the rst loop is m ade secu re by
a twist in the rope as shown in the d iagram and the n
pass the l oose end through the p reced ing loop right
and le ft u ntil the knot is nished This knot ad m its
of any length of rope being used whilst the maj ori t y
of the other shortenings are on ly applicable to li mited
lengths
.

S PL I CE S

NO TS , TI E S , AND

II

36

The S i mple L oop or Bend S horten ing ( Fig 48) is a

plain useful expedien t for stout rope and has the
me rit of not inj uring the rope by any u n necessary
strain or crossing the bres of the he m
p I ts con
struction is evident
I n Fig 49 we have a quickly made shortening
generally kno w n as the K not S hortening I t is si m ply
an ord inary kno t in the m idd le of a rope i n which a
d ouble bend has previously been m ade I t is not
adapted to stan d a heavy strain but fro mits security
m ust be of vast use to travellers in cases where the
strain is not d irect on the knot which is the case in
the lashing of waggons an d i n the tying of packages ;
this u nlike Fig 48 can only be m ade when both end s
of the rope are free For thick ropes i t is not adapted
When both ends of the rope are fast the S HE E P
or as it is someti mes called the D O G S HA NK
S H ANK
shortening is used The best and most secure for mis
that shown by Fig 50 A simple running knot ( Fig
2 9) is rst m ade in the rope
a bend is pushed through
the running loop which is the n d rawn taut the other
end of the bend is fastened in a si milar manner and
forms whe n complete Fig 50
A m uch more si mple d o g h a n k is th at shown in
Fig 51 I n this a si mple loop is m ade i n the rope and
the hitch or bend placed through it I t is easily m ade
but is hardly to be d epended on without being tied or
sei zed as Fig 48 I f there is ti me to d o this i t forms
a safe and excellent shorten ing
I n Fi gs 52 53 and 54 are shown three loop shor
.

S HOR TE NI N GS

Fig 50
.

Fig

51

Fig

52

Fig

53

37

Fig

54.

K NO TS , I I E S , AND

38

S PLI CE S

which can only be made when one end of the

rope is free To make Fig 52 we ought to forma
simple knot and whilst open p a ss the loose end o f the
rope through the loop and the s hortening can then be
m ade of the desired length an d fastened at the en d
of the hitch by a si milar simple knot Fig 53 is a n
i mprovement inasmuch as t h e strain is m ore equally
borne by the various parts of the rope I t is formed
by placing the rope i n the position of Fig 45 then
turni n g the loose end rst round the upper end of the
hitc h an d then the lower and fasten by bringing the
end through the loop w hich remains The advantage
of Fig 54 consists i n the fact that it can be loosened
at will by taking out the marlinespike or wood pin
t e n ings ,

AN O R NAM ENT/X L S HO R T E NI NG FR O M THE

CR OS S O F TE R MO NFE CH I N
.

VI I

K NO T S FO R U NI T I NG RO P E S

knots most com mon those i n use in everyday

life are those which are u sed i n uniting two separated
ends of ropes are not those used as stoppers o r

shortenings on a si n gle line but are used for unitin g

the ends of two separate pieces of rope
T HE

Fig

Fig

55

Fig

56

57

When two 5 1m
ple loops or hitches ( Fig 1 6) a re crossed
togethe r ( Fig
they form the com mencemen t of
the famous S ailor s K not a vari ation of the R E EF
which is loosely formed i n Fig 56
K NO T ( Fig
I n this k no t the two end s lie close together and when
the ropes are of equal thickn ess it form s one of the
si mplest and best knots for uniting two pieces of rope
or cord and can be easily untied ; and hence its use
as a reef k not I f howeve r the cords be of unequal
thicknesses the knot will slip and form a loop as i n
Fig 58 and pa r t company I f the end s are not laid
.

'

39

S PL I CE S

K NOTS , TI E S , A ND

40

parallel to the rope as in Fig 59 it becomes the FA L S E

ot G R ANNY K NO T
O n a comparison of Figs 60 and
57 where the two knots are shown dra w n taut the di f
ference i n neatness and compactness will be at once
apparent The reef k no t m ay be m ade either u nd er
hand or overhand as m ay be most convenient I f it
is necessary to use ropes of di fferent thickn esses then
the ends of the sailor s knot must be wrapped or tied
to the cord a s shown in Fig 61 which shows a very
useful and neat method of j oin ing two ropes i f ti me is
not an object O n the other hand the O P E N HAN D
K NO T is one of the quickest m ade ; i t has also the
recom mend ation of never slipping or un tyi n g it
remains rm but i f a great strai n is put on the rope
it is more apt to brea k at the knot than m any of the
other knots B esides it is thick heavy and clu m
sy
whether tied to the right or left Fig 62 shows its
open formation from the front an d Fig 63 its back
vie w when d rawn tau t
For smal lcord or twine the W E AVE R S K NO T is per
haps the best ; for thread it is inco mparably the best
knot and easiest m ade The two ends are taken and
crossed as Fig 64 and both cords are held between
the thumb and fore nger of the left hand The right
end (A) is then looped back over the left end and
brought u nder the thum b where it is held fast w hile
the right hand end (B) is slipped through the loop at C ;
the knot ( Fig 66) is then form ed by tighteni n g the
right hand cord I f cord thicker tha n thre a d is used
the end B m ust be held betwee n the thum b and nge r
.

'

K N O TS F OR

U NI TI N G R OPE S

of the le ft hand whilst th e knot is being d rawn taut

as in Fi g 67
.

6
6

g
.

The
or as it is someti mes called
the E NGLI S HM AN s K NO T is of quite another cha
,

42

S PL I CE S

KN O TS , TI E S , AN D

is formed of two si mple k nots ( see Fig 7 0)

slipped over each cord as in Fig 68 When d rawn taut
its front appearance is shown at Fig 69 I t is a very
useful knot To anglers it is invaluable as it m
a y be
separated by taking hold of the ends A B so as to

ad m it a third line between the mas a d ropper in

y s h ing
I n j oi ning gut lines the same knot left a
little apart and the intermed iate opening wrapped or
whipped with silk forms o ne of the strongest and most
r eliable fastenings known M r C hol mondeley Pen nell
who subj ected this knot to a series of experiments
found that the line snapped sooner at any other part
than at this knot I t is also very useful to j oin ropes
fo r tem porary pu rposes only as it is rm and may be
easily u ntied
The O R D I NAR Y K NO T or TI E for uniting large
ropes is shown i n Fig 7 1 I t has all the advantages
of the open hand knot with the additional reco m
men
dations that it is easy to m ake very strong and does
not strain the bres of the rope I t is form ed by rst
making a simple knot ( Fig
and then interlacing
the other cord i n the m an ner shown at Fig 7 1 !Vhen
d rawn taut it h a s the appearance of Fig 7 2 However
great the strai n it does not i nj ure the rope which
keeps also i n a straight line which it will n ot do with
the open hand k not Figs 62 and 63 I f the ends are
whipped with twine as shown i n Fig 6 1 it is rea lly a
neat and han dsome as well as a useful kn ot
A nother k not which m ay be termed a S horten in
g
Tie is shown at Fig 7 4 I t is a h a ndsom e knot a nd
ra c t e r

It

K N O TS , TI E S , A ND

44

S P L I CE S

and then i n terlacin g the other rope through it as in

When d rawn tau t it has the appearance of
F ig 2 6
,

Fig 7 5
I t is

someti mes necessary to j oi n hawsers as well

as ropes for some tem porary or perm anent pu rpose
a nd
for this som e special contrivances have to be
m ade The sim pl e HAW S E R B E ND ( Fig 7 6) is so easy
,

Fig

76

as to be constan tly adopted when only a tem porary

purpose has to be ser ved I t is a si m ple hitch within
a loop The GA RRI C K B E ND is stronger and more
W hat is known as the B O W LI NE
r e liable ( Fig
.

Fig

B E ND ( Fig 7 7 ) is perhaps the stron gest of al l the

knotted hawser bends I t is formed of two B O W LI N E
K NO TS one c rossing the loop of the other
Th e
d iagram gives a good idea of th is ben d
.

K N OTS F OR

U NI TI NG R OPE S

Fig

45

77.

The HA L F HI TC H and S E I ! I NG B E ND ( Fig

takes m ore tim e and is used on h awsers which
requi re to be j oi ned for a long period ; its formation
is evi d ent
-

Fig

77

These are all the k nots p roper

ly so called used for
the purpose of uniting two pieces o f rope which have
si mple ends The knots are very di fferen t when one
rope has a tem porary or permanent loop ; some of
these are elsewhere given
,

A K NO T T R I CK .

VI I I

S P L I CE S

HAW S E R S cables and even ropes sometimes

,

re

quire uniting i n such a manner that there should be no

obvious di fference in their d iameter and no s u bs t a n
tial weakening of thei r strength * This can only be

accom plished by means of S plicing that is putting

the ends of ropes together by op e n in g the strands
and placing the min to one another ; or if equal dia
meter i s not essential by putting the strands of the
end of a rope betwee n those of a bight
A S H O R T S P LI C E ( Fig 8 2 ) is no t di f cult and is
only used where there is not m uch strength required
and ti me does not perm it of m aking the long splice
which is far the best O pen the ends for a short dis
tance ( Figs 7 8
and place them together as shown
i n the diagram ( Fig 80 ) grease the ends of t he
strand well and lay the m one within the other d raw
ing the m as hard as possi ble to each other Hold
the end of one rope and the three strands which come
from the opposite rope fast i n the left han d or i f the
rope be large stop them down to it with rope yarn ;
then w ith a marlinespike ( Fig 8 1 ) open the strand and
,

*
A sp ice wea kens a

ro pe a bo ut
46

o ne e

ig hth

S PLI CE S

FIG 7 8

47

push down the m iddle strand of the other end and by

raisi n g alternate stran ds on both ends a n d worki n g i n
the strands as shown it assu mes the appearance of
Fig 8 2 I t must not be forgotten that the rst strand
must be passed over the strand w hich is rst next to
it and through u nd er the second and out between
the second and third next to it I n the subsequent
operation the strands must be passed over the third
fro m it and under the fourth and through O nly one
h alf the strand need be passed the second tim e and
the other cu t o ff to taper the splice
To kno w how to m ake a L O NG S P LI CE is most
useful in e v ery co n dition of life i n which cordage is
used as a long spliced rope will reeve and run through
any block j ust the same as a new rope and com para
t iv e l
You unlay the e n ds of two ropes to
y as strong
a d istance three or four tim es the le ngth used in a
,

48

S PL I CE S

K N O TS , TI E S , AND

short splice a nd splice them

within one another i n the same
manner U nlay one strand for
a considerable d istance and ll
up the interval which it leaves
with the opposite strand from
the other rope and twist the
ends of t h ese two ropes together
Then d o the same with two
m ore strands The t wo remain
ing strands are twisted together
in the pl a ce where they rst
crossed The general appearance
of the splice is shown i n Fig 8 3
The ends in prog res s which are
here shown short are cut and
passed through as i n the sho rt
splice B efore cutting the rope
should be got well on the stretch
A chafed strand is not only
unsightly but weakens a rope
w hi lst the two rem aining strands
ma y be perfe ctly sound I t is
sometimes desirable to put a new
strand in a nd this i s done by
cutting o ff the cha fed strand for
some d istance and then taking
a strand from a n e w rope and
laying i t in t o the score i n which
t h e d amaged
o ne
lay before
,

S P LI CE S

49

it u p j ust as i n a long splice cut half and stick the

half strands and the r e pair is accom plishe d When
the S plice is left thicker than the ord inary rope it is
termed a Pudding S plice and i s used on emergencies
A C U T S P LI C E ( Fig 84) is frequently usefu l to
make a loop in a rope To form it the ro pe is cut in
La y

Fig

Fig

85

84

two an d the end s are unl aid as fo r a short splice

Place the ends of each rope against the standing part
of the other form ing an oblong eye of the size you
wish ( as in Fig
then pass the end s through the
stran ds of the standing parts in the same m anner as
i n the short splice and the operation is complete
A n E YE S P LI CE ( Fig 8 5) is used by seafarers to
splice round a block deadeye o r thi mble and is
formed by u n laying the end o f a rope for a s h ort
.

S PL I CE S

K N O TS , TI E S , AND

5O

d istance an d layin g three strands upon the standing

part so as to form an eye Put one end i n the stran d
next to it in the same m
anner as the short s plic e put
the next end over that stran d and through the second
and put the rem aini ng end through the third strand
on the other side of the rope taper them di vide the
strands an d put them in again
,

'

Fig

Fig

86

A S H RO U D

K NO T

87

( Fig 86) is another m ethod of

j oin ing two ropes
You open up the ends of the
ropes as i n a short spl ice an d pl a c e the strands one

w ithin the other ; then single

wall the strands of
one rope ( see Figs 1 7 2 1 7 4) round the stand ing part
of the other against the lay ; taper the ends o ff and
serve over
The best method of making a FR E NC H S H R O U D
w hich is h ea t er m ay be thus described :
The strands a re placed as in a shor t splice ; they
.

O T HE R M O D E S O F U NI T I NG R O P E

O CCA S I O NS

constantly occur both on sea an d land

i n fair weather and foul to u nite ropes on the bight
or that are tted with eyes or other loops I n Fig 90
we show the simplest of all these knots a running
k not fastened in the eye of a rope There are many
,

Fig

other modes of fasteni n g a sim ple end to a ring loop

or ey e an d these will be found fully i llustrated in
S ectio n X I devoted to moorings and a nchor fasten
in gs

The WED D I NG K NO T ( Fig

or R ose L ashing
is one to j oin two rope ends both having eye s The
lashi n g is passed successively throu gh both ey e s and
then tied in the centre
,

52

O THE R M OD E S

Fig

91 .

Fig 92 .
.

01

U NI TI NG R O PE S

Fig

93

Fig

53

94

E N O I S , TI E S , AND

54

'

S PL I CE S

Fig 92 is a joi nt by a spherical shell each loop

bein g made as i n gures and surrounding the bal l of
wood technically called a shell
The D EAD E Y E L AS H I NG ( Fig 93) is one of fre
quent use i n various forms on board full rigged ships ;
it ad mits of easy adj ustm ent to the strain of the ropes
The ram blocks are fastened in the eyes which are
here m ade by simple las hings and tightened by the
l
anyards ( A A ) which pass through holes i n the
deadeye so as to tighten or slacke n 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
I n Fig 94 are shown three methods of j oin ing cord
age A is what is termed a B E L AY I NG P I N S P LI CE
The belayi n g 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 j unction is complete and has the a d v a n
tage of being separated in an instan t
L oops and eyes in ropes are in con stan t use for a
I n the previous section the
variety of purposes

mode of mak ing an eye i n the centre of a rope

is shown ( Fig
as wel l as the eye and splice
The latter ho wever is n o t so strong or
( Fig
durable as
A n A R TI F I CI AL E YE ( Fig
which is made more i n
.

O THE R

M OD E S

U NI TI N G R OPE S

OF

55

the m an ner of a long splice Take the end o f a rope

and u nlay 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
i n the inter vals rou nd the eye
until it returns down the standing
part and lies under the eye wi th
the strands ; then divide the strands
taper the m down and serve the m
over with spun yarn
This is the
ig 95
F
eye or loop shown at Figs 90
91 94 served over
A FL E M I S H E Y E ( Fig 96) is thus formed The
rope is at rst whipped and the strands u nlaid to the
.

'

Fig

96

whippi ng and opened out separating each rope yarn

Take a piece of wood the size of the intended eye (a )
between and alo n g it lay three or more stops (5 5 b b) 5
,

S PLI CES

K N O TS , TI E S , AND

56

hitch over the yarns an d tie with overhand knot ( as o)

crossing them somewhat ; seize the ends and worm
them between the strands at the shoulder ; then marl
al
ldo w n parcel an d serve the en d s
The THR O AT S E I ! I NG ( Fig 97 ) is more rapidly
made The end is only partially opened a n d lashed
with yarn in the manner shown
,

Fig

97

Fig

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
A nother ring is formed by lashing the t wo en ds o f a
short piece of rope to the side o f a long one giving
the requisite loop
A G R O M M E T ( Fig 98) is a splic ed ring so usefu l
t h at 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 pu rposes at
sea but are bu t little known on shore I t is formed
.

O THE R

I OD
Il

ES

U NI TI N G R OPE S

OF

57

o f a sin gle stran d of rope which after you have

formed you r ring of the size you may require is laid
i n its turns twice round the rin g i n the crevices fol
lowing the lay until the ring is co m plete Fi n ish with
an overhand knot ( Fig 5 divide the yarns and stick
them in as in a long splice
,

Fig 98
.

Fig 99

A S E VAG EE is a ring of rope yarns lai d round and

oun d a bight an d marled do wn i n a similar manner

to the Flemish E y e
They are strong exceedingly
useful an d are used like the grom met for block
straps an d as straps to go round a spar for a tackle
to be hooked i nto for h oisting
O n e of the readiest m ade of th ese loops to be used

for hoistin g is the CAT S P AW ( Fig

where by
twisting the rope agai nst the ru n it forms a twist o n
either side which is su fciently strong to hold hooks
or tac k le to carry considerable weight

TI ES

TI ES are the popular em bodi ment of knots in

general
The old sayin g of being tied to yo u r

mother s apron stri ng has a broader m eaning attach ed

to it than the mere technical idea of a tie Then ties
are so various There are home ties ties of the a ffec
tions The cricketers tied when they were so equally
m atched that neither won The you ng wooer wishes
to be tied ; and to facilitate that desirable event he
puts a handsome tie about his neck an d the parson
when about to tie the nuptial knot is very par t icular
too about his spotless tie The surgeons also use
ties for arteries in am pu tation ( Fi g
and for re
for i t holds rm and
d u c ing d islocation s ( Fig
does not tighten when pulled S hopkeepers are adepts
at tying for they have to tie up in nu merable parcels
in the course of a year Their idea of tyin g is reall y
a combination of particular knots though the nal
fastening is the only technical tie properly so called
The model tie of tradesmen is the

S TA T I O NE R S K NO T ( Fig
which m ay be ti ed
either right or left handed I t always remains rm
and can be instantly u n tied by pulling the loose end
To tie it a running loop or noose is tied at the end
of the string a n d i t crosses the parcel i n a vertical
d irec t ion ; the cord is then carried crossways round
.

58

K N OTS , TI E S , AND

60

Fig

10 1 .

S PL I CE S

the knot which is in

reality a reef knot
is shown nished
at Fig 1 0 2
Th e T I M B E R
HI TC H ( Fig 1 0 3)
is on e O f a series o f
knots which depen d
for their rm ness
upon the friction of
I t is
the parts
so rm that the
greater the strain
the tighter it b e
co m e s
Cl o s ely
Fig 1 0 3
,

Fig

102.

allied to i t is the
C L O VF HI TC H or
B UI LD E R S K NO T
This
( Fig
knot is used by
builders to secure
their scaffoldi ng
and is in constant
use on shipboard
The frictio n is s u f
cient to hold the
rope rm on a per
fec t l
y smooth pole
against a heavy
lateral
pressure
.

Fig

1 0 4.

TI E S

61

Fig

The clove h itch is

used by surgeons
in cases of d isloca
tio n of the thum b
to assist the opera
tion
When the
ends are knotted

the builder s knot

becomes the G u n
ner s K not
The

Builder s
D ouble
K not is shown at

10 5.

'

Fig

10 5

ever
u sed

I t is, h o w

but seldo m
The value of
Fig

10 7

Fig

106.
0

these knots is
so great that
a l ittle tim e
spent i n prae
t i s i n g the
loops nec es
sary to use it
inst ant ane
,

o u sl
y ona

or post will be
am ply repaid
i n the course
o f a year
.

Fig

pier

1 0 8.

K NOTS

62

Fig

TI E S , AND

1 09

S PL I CE S

The D O U B L E Bo w
an d S I NG LE Bo w
K NO TS are the m ost
co m m o n and most
useful of all kn ots
They are both com
me nc ed as Fig 1 0 1
and the s ingle bow
( Fig 1 0 6) is m ade by
doubling one of the
loose ends when for
ming Fig 1 0 2 ; it thus
is easy to u n tie Care
.

Fig

1 10

must be taken
i n this as i n the
d ouble bow ( Fig
10 7 )
or rosette
knot to keep the
simple knot taut
u nti l the knot is
complete
The
ends m ust lie
straight as in
the reef knot or
otherwise i t will
becom e the false
knot known as

the
gra nny

Fig

1 1 1.

Fig

1 12.

TI E S

63

which should always be avoided

I n sm al l cord s
where considerable tightn ess is required a twist knot
m ay be used either in connection with the bow knots
or as i n larger cordage in a D ouble twist K not ( Fig
The com mencement is shown at Fig 1 0 8 I n
,

Fig

Fig

1 1 3.

1 1 4.

mll cords

this knot may be n ished as in the com

mon knot ( Fig 1 0 2) when extra tautness is required
and no assistance i s near to hold the rst knot unti l
the second is com pleted ( The d iagrams a re purposel y
d rawn loose so that thei r construction m ay be more
easily seen )
The knot shown at Fig 1 1 0 is one that can be
s

S PLI CE S

K NO TS , TI E S , AND

64

recom mended to all who have to occupy tents or to

travel m uch I t is a simple loop m ad e by j oining the
two ends of the rope with a s h erm
a n s knot ( Fig 68
)
This ad mits a short cross bar or wood en pin an d i t
will enable the traveller to suspend clothes or any
articles round a ten t pole
The cord may also be

used for a toggle when t wo pieces of wood have to

be j oi ned together
A com mon form of runn ing knot w ith two ends is
shown i n Fig 1 1 1 I t is used when it is i nconvenien t
to divide the rope U nless the ends are at liberty it
could not be used rou nd a mast ; but it can be easily
slipped round a pier I t is frequently checked by a
bow as at Fig 1 1 2 or by the FL E M I S H K NO T ( Fig
or the C H ECK K NO T ( Fig
The two last
knots cannot be tied unless the ends are loose ; an d
they cannot be untied without assistance from a
e s imilar contrivance
marlinespike or so m
.

XI

M O O R I NG S R I NG K NO T S A ND
,

F A S T E N I NGS

TH E R E is a popular fallacy about sailors knots A

reef knot i s a true sai l
or s k not We know h o w de ftly
J ack when ashore ties his black s ilk necke rchief with
a running hitch ; but this is but half a sailor s k not
What is called a true sa ilo r s knot has t wo o r more
hitches which m ay be reversed
I n Figs 1 1 5 and

1 1 6 we have two varieties o f sailors knots showing

one l ine straight whilst the end is sim ply twisted
rou nd i n two hitches These a re good mooring knots
fo r the painter of a W herry or other sm all boat
A n excellent temporary fastening of the end of a
rope an d one that can be cast o ff i n a moment is
shown at Fig 1 1 7 ; and in this respect it is the reverse
of the more perm anent stoppe red loop at Fig 1 1 8
o Orin g Fig 1 1 9 has by far the
For rapid ity of u n m
advantage I t is a si m ple boat knot with only one
tu rn i n the ring ; the loose en d is left longer than shown
in the engraving This boat knot sometim es catches
the ring an d sailors pre fer
The L A R K BO AT K NO T ( Fig
which is fastened
by a wooden pin This kn ot ad m its of the instant
release of the boat
.

'

'

'

55

66

0
2
.

g
i

g
i

g
i

g
i

g
i

K N O TS , TI E S , AND

S PL I CE S

K N O TS , TI E S , AND

68

S PL I CE S

A nother

si mple but useful knot for securin g any

obj ect on a sudden emergency is the boat knot shown
at Fig 1 2 1 which is an incipient runn ing knot so to
speak I nstead of the line run nin g through the loop
a sm all piece of wood or other object is passed between
it and the loop and i s so held fast
S im ple and crossed run ning knots are shown at
Figs 1 2 2 and 1 2 3 The sim ple running fasten ing
( Fig 1 22) is not so secure but chafes less than the
crossed run ning knot ( Fig
E ven this gives
place to the more elaborate
w hich is a species o f
C A P S TAN K NO T ( Fig
gu re of 8 faste n ing
The L A R K S HE AD K NO TS are far more secu re and
are m ore generally used for anchor fastenings Fig 1 2 5
shows the ordinary form of this useful knot Fig 1 2 6
is the same form of knot stoppered and Fig 1 2 7 when
i t is simply crossed The dou ble looped lark s head
is shown at Fig 1 2 8 an d the treble lark s head at
Fig 1 2 9 The tying of these k nots is s u i c ien tly
obvious and thei r variety would see mto meet C aptai n

Ga l
t o n s suggestion in his
A rt of Travel that they
adm it o f s u i c ien t variety to for ma constant guard
against the pilfering of the rations and luggage
waggon s when on a j ourney ( see S ection X VI ) The
various forms of ring knots are still further extended
by the
B ACK H AND E D S AI LO R S K NO TS shown at Figs 1 30
and I 3 1
S LI P K NO TS stoppered are shown by Figs 1 32 I 33
.

'

K No TS , TI E S , AND

7 0>

S PL I CE S

Fig 1 34 shows
Fig 1 35 secured
by a slip clinch
This part of the
subj ect m
ay
be
appropriately con
cluded by a check
knot
con necting
two rings together
I t is called by gun
ners a D el ay K not
an d it is on e o f
those knots w h ich
are orn a m
en t al as
well as use ful
.

Fig

1 33

Fig

1 34

1 3s.

XII

I I I TC HE S A ND

B E ND S

IN

the foregoing chapters a great n u mber of hitches

have been shown i n connection with t he various knots
and fasten ings Those included i n this chapter are
of the greatest practical value in the every day life of
the builder ti mber hauler and warehousem an as well
as to those engaged i n the d ocks and seafaring life
.

Fig

1 36

What is known as the BLACK WA LL HI TC H ( Fig 1 36)

is the si mplest I ts strength is derived from the fric
tion of one rope cross ing the other
.

71

K N O TS , TI E S , AND

72

Fig

S PLI CE S

1 37 .

The TI M B E R HI TC H ( Fig 1 37 ) is used for towing

or hauling tim ber I t consists of the si mple ti m ber
hitch ( Fig
with an additional hitch higher up to
give additional purchase to the rope
.

Fig

1 38 .

The C LO VE HI TC H so universal is also u se d fo r

the purpose of hauling i n heavy cables or chains by
en ( Fig
ore m
t wo or m
,

HI TOHE S AND

B E ND S

73

The C H A I N HI TCH ( Fig 1 39) is another a n d m ore

po w erfu l method of attaching a small rope to aid in
.

Fig

Fig

1 39.

1 40

pulling in a larger or of haulin g a vessel by a warp to

the shore When it is necessary to use a lever as a
h and spike the fasten ing 1 40 is d i ed I t is obvious
that occasions wil l arise when room cannot be found
,

K N O TS , TI E S , AND

74

S P L I CE S

for th e ord inary hauling ; then this mode of fastening

is necessary
The R O LLI NG HI TC H ( Fig 1 41 ) is used principally
for attaching a rope to an upright stay spar or

sca ff old pole I t is a mod ication of the builder s

d o uble knot ( Fig
.

Fig
Fig

142 .

1 41 .

The M AGNU S HI TC H ( Fig 1 43) shows one of the

numerous hitches for holding spars and the S TU D D I NG
S AI L B E ND ( Fig 1 42) another
Frequently anot her
bit c h is taken round the spar for greate r secu r ity
When i t is necessary to hold another tackle by the
same rope to a spar the RO BAND HI TCH ( Fig 1 44)
is useful The en d is secured on t he o t her side as
in Fig 1 42
A mongst the m ost u seful m ethods of using co rd age
that of S lings is the most general M ille r s sailors
.

K N OTS , TI E S , AND

76

S PLI CE S

Fig 1 46 shows another mode of slin ging cask s with

a piece of rope with the hea d closed
A running
.

ig

1 46.

noose is placed round one end and the rope is passed

along the top of the cask and then slipped round the
,

Fig

1 47 .

other end o f the cask and fastened wit h revers e

hitches as shown i n Fig 1 1 6 This is not so ra pid
but is used when a sling is not at hand When the

HI

I OHE S

AND

B E ND S

77

head of the cask is open i t is slung as i n Fig 1 47 a

ready m ode of raisi ng an inju red man from a well or
m ine when other appliances are not at hand The
bight of the rope or whip is fastened best by a
bowl i ne k not and frequently another hitch is put
round the cask nearer the head
S o meti mes i t is n ecessary to put a stopper on a
rope to preven t another slippin g or for other pu r
poses Th is is best accomplished by
.

Fig

1 48

Fig

A Tu R K s HEAD

Fig

1 49.

1 50 .

which is worked upon a

rope w ith a piece of s mall l ine ( Figs I 4S 1 49
Ta ke a clove hitch slack w ith 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
u nder and up and through the bight which is under
neath ; then cross the bights again and put the end
round agai n under an d up through the bight w hich
is underneath A fter this follow the lead and i t will
m ake a tu rba n o f three p a rts to each cross
K NO T,

XI I I

F A S T E NI NGS

NO THI NG is so astonishing to the eyes of a lands

m an on his rst voyage as the facility with which t h e

large steamer is warped ou t o f clock from am id st a
crowd of other vessels and t h e ease with which i t is
,

Fig

Fig

1 54.

1 51 .

m oved to the pier by t h e simple twisting of the cable

round a post or the huge cleats which are fastened
into the sides of the vessel s or on the pier head
Th e sim ple stopp er e d loop ( Fig 1 51 ) is fam iliar to
l a n d when the en d of the rope can be constantly
al
u s ed no other fastening is required I t happens fre
-

78

F AS TE NI N GS

79

quently that either the en d of the rope is not stoppered

or the m idd le of t h e rope m ust be used then the
,

Fig

Fig

1 52 .

1 55.

WATE R M ANS K NO T ( Fig I 52) m

a y be us e d
This
i s similar to the clove hitch an d it can be m
ade in a
momen t by placi ng t wo loops on the rope as shown
.

in

Fig

1 53

Fig

1 53

S PLI CE S

K N O TS , TI E S , AND

80

lark s head can be easily m ad e over a post when

there is a running n oose or knot as at Fig 1 54
The bend at Fig 1 55 is an exam ple of the holding
power of a twisted rope which is m entioned in con
n ec t io n with the stopping of the balloon i n the intro
d uction to these sections
The C H AI N FAS TE NI NG ( Fig 1 56) is of a m ore
.

Fig :
56
.

permanent character and is used when the vessel is

likely to remain some time I t is also useful i n agri
cultural work when the end o f the rope would be i n
the way of the waggon m
achinery or men
,

O ccasionally

square m oorings or sheaves are used

for the mooring of vessels I n these cases the fasten
i ngs vary
.

Fig

1 57

is a double chai n fastening to sheaves

FAS TE NI NGS

In

81

Fig 1 58 is a loop fastening to sheaves which

m ay be tied o r untied without untying the loop itsel f
.

Fig

1 57 .

This k not holds itsel f I t is made by p a ssi n g the

loops A, B C D E as shown and then placing the
.

Fig

1 58.

loop
ove r t he head of the right hand post of the
sheaves When slackened the loop of the cable F
will again slip ove r the head of the post and the turns
are then reversed There is a more si mple fastening
by wrapping the cable round the a ngle of the sheaves
-

KN O TS , TI E S , AND

82

In

Figs

1 59

an d

1 60

S PLI CE S

there are two e x am ples o f a

Fig

1 59.

crossed and squ a re fastening which su f ciently ex

.

Fig

plain themselves

1 60 .

The ends are secured by being

stoppered to the cab le

K N O I S , TI E S , A ND

84

S PLI CE S

A u seful band is shown at Fig

1 64

The second
end ( B) is drawn through by a turn a ve ry useful
method of securing the ligatu re of a fractured s h ing
rod Perhaps a better plan but not always pra c t i
.

Fig

1 64.

cable is to lay the rst end with a S i m ple loop the

length of the band then tightly wrap the cord or
string over the space necessary an d then the loose
,

end m ay be threaded through the loop le ft by the

Fig

1 65.

tu rn and drawn i nwards This form s a very n eat

band and it is easily made
.

These bands o r ligatures va ry with the mode o f

S ometi mes the t wo ends are
fastening the ends
,

F AS TE NI N GS

85

fastened by a reef knot on the surface and at others

the ends are hitched through each other an d d rawn
back and not le ft straight as i n Fig 1 64
The P O R TU GU ES E K NO T used as a lashing for sheave
legs This k not is rst a plain band round the legs
when placed close together the legs a r e then opened
and the ends secu red between them as shown in
Fig 1 63
PAC K I NG K NO TS are used for binding ti mbers
together I n Fig 1 65 the knot is shown com menced
at A and B the knot complete I t is tightened by
means O f a packing stick C which is twisted under
the knot and then twined round and secured as
sho w n
A qu icker pla n is two toggles sim ilar to
the on e shown i n Fig 1 66 and after twisting the
sticks round tie the two ends of the sticks together
,

1 66

XI V

T HE E ND S

O F R O PE S

ropes hawsers or cables are left with thei r ends

u nguarded t h ey are sure to becom e u ntwisted or other
wise unmanageable
The s am e is true in a lesser
degree of lanyards and smaller ropes
These ca n
easily be secured with a ne whipping an d the s m aller
yarns and thre ads by a single overhand or other knot
The ends of ropes at sea are variously treated ; in some
i nstances they are nely tapered to a point to pass
easily through a block or ring
The usual method of pointing a rope is rst to stop
it with a whipping ( see Fig
and then unlay the
end of it Take out as many yarns as are necessary
and twist each yarn i n two Take two pa rts of di fferent
yarns and twist them tight into nettles three or
IF

fou r yarns twisted together if the rope is not very

small The rest of the yarns m ay be co mbed down
with a kni fe and the rest put back upon the rope
Pass three tu r ns of twi ne like a ti mber hitch taut
.

A nettl
e
is

nger

md

mb k

a nd t h u

e o f t wo o r t hre e

a y o n the
eep ng th e l

st uff.

86

a id u p w it h th e
ya rns l
e ft h a nd ed
ya rn, a nd is l
-

THE E ND S

OF R OPE S

87

round the part where the nett les sep a rate and hitch
the twine which is called the warp L a y the nettles
back w ards and for wards each ti me The ends m ay be
whipped and snaked w ith twin e or the nettles hitch ed
over t h e w arp and hauled tight The upper seizing
,

Fig

1 67 .

Fig

must be snaked

1 68 .

piece of stick is put in if the

u pper part is too weak for pointing an d frequently

the end is term in ated by a small eye as in Fig 1 68
,

called an eye splice

S NAK I NG A S E I ! I NG is

do n e

by taki n g

th e

end

S PLI CE S

K NO TS , TI ES , AND

88

under and over the outer turns o f the seiz ing alter
a y be
The w hole m
h ately passing over the whole
.

whipped also with small twin e

Fig

1 69.

The ends of a four stranded rope may be t hu s

The en d is rst whipped as at A Fig 1 69
s ecured
They a re then
a n d the fou r strands are opened out
brought down over the en d i n loops and the strand s
tied together ( Fig 1 7 0) or t hey may be sim ply
brought down as in Fig 1 7 1 and boun d to the cable
with twine
A three stranded cable m ay be n ished by the
which shows t he
S I M P L E WALL K NO T ( Fig
i nterlacing of the strands on e within the other Whe n
these are d r awn taut th e knot is n ished When a
-

THE

l is
wal

s in gl
e

OF R OPE S

E ND S

89

crowned as it is ter ed one end is

laid over the top of the knot ; the second end is laid

Fig

Fig

1 70 .

Fig

17 1.

1 7 2.

over the rst the third over the seco n d an d through

t he bigh t of the rst ( Fig
,

Fig

Fig

1 7 3.

1 7 4.

WALL K NO T ( Fig 1 7 4) is form ed by

making the single wall r st and not hauling i t taut
A D

O U B LE

K NOTS , TI E S , AND

90

S P LI CE S

Then take one end a nd bring it u nderneath the par t

of the rst walling n ext to it an d push i t u p through
D o the same with the
the same bight ( Fig
other strands pushing the m up through two bights
I f m ade thus it will have a dou ble wall and a single
,

C YO W D

Fig

1 7 5.

Fig

1 7 6.

Fig

177

double wall d ouble c rowned is Fig 1 7 4 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 d own through the double w alling
and the knot is completed ( Fig 1 7
Fig 1 7 6 shows
.

one method of nishing a single wall by cutting 0 3 the

strands and tying them wi th twine ; an d the double
crowned wall knot m ay by nished by a LA R K S NES T
by interlacing the loose strands on e within
( Fig
another by a requ isite nu mber of tu rn s over the
padding This forms a knot at the end of the rope

XV

K NO TS A ND
I N S ection I

T HE I R A P P L I C A T I O N

we sketched some of the various

uses to which a knowledge of knots may be put in
every day life I t is not every one that goes to sea
or l ives even upon t h e sea shore but there are m any
who travel many who live i n out o f the worl d
localities where a rt iz a ns are scarce but where rope or
-

Fig

1 80 .

twi ne or som e substitute for it m ay be found I n

civilized life as i n prim itive regions a piece of stri ng

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 dream t of i n the philo
S ophy of com mon men
Who has not seen a poor
fello w wearyi ng along with his pack slu ng over a
stick or i n his hands when a couple of slings shown
.

'

92

'

APPLI CATI ON

THE I R

KN OTS AND

93

in Fig 1 45 would en able him if he shortened it

to the proper length to pu t his arms through the
loops and c arry it as a knapsack easily and wi t hout
u nn ecessary fatigue ? I f a buckle is wanted what is
more easy than to make a two grom met or rings of
.

Fig

181

rope as i n Fig 1 80 ? and by inserti ng a piece of wood

between them an extempore buckle is produced I n
the sam e m anner a swivel is frequently wanted i n the
.

cou ntry The blacksmith m ay be a w ay fro m home

or we m ay be far away fro m such an in dividual with
.

Fig

1 82

a chance of being benighted A lucky thought strikes

the kn ot tyer and by the aid of a little bit of
wood he p roduces the swivel ( Fig
strong and
A nother m ode of producing
u se ful i f not ornam en tal
a useful swivel in a rough and ready m an ner is shown
.

at

Fig

1 8 2.

S PL I CE S

K N O TS , TI ES , AND

94

These simple contrivances which have been culled

fro mbooks of travels wi ll S ho w how much a know
ledge o f the uses to w hich ropes may be pu t an d k nots
tied is useful to m a n ki n d A n A lpine clim ber or a
n gatherer on t h e northern cli ffs without a know
u
f
p
ledge o f a bo w line knot would be a lost m an and if
lost the bo wline in a bight would enable h imto seat
hi m
sel f if alive and be lifted u p by strong hand s
,

Fig

1 83.

above ; or if dead the run n ing bowline or some o f

the running loops be fore described w ould e n able his
friends to raise his body The m odes in w hich ropes
are m ade to bind bam boos together i n the E ast is
s u ggestive o f w h a t m
ight be done nearer hom e There
is a hi tch which C aptai n G a lt o n in his A rt of Trave l
calls the M A L AY HI TCH for wa n t of a better term
He shows how easily by it w h en planks or boards
are at hand a shelter can be m ade w i t hout nails or
i njurin g the boards and so quickly that a party c ould
,

S PL I CE S

K NO TS , TI E S , AND

96

ground parallel to A B at equal distan ces apart the

distance should not exceed 6 inches Two sets of
strings are then tied to the stake A B O ne set is
tied to the stick or sta ff D E an d the others have thei r
loose ends o la ced i nto clefts or notches on the pegs
at C I f there are a dozen strings then the od d
n umbers I 3 5 7 9 1 1 m ust be attached to the
staff D E ; and the even nu mbers 2 4 6 8 10 1 2 to
the cross sta ff A B By altern ately raising and dep ress
ing D E and placing a hand ful of straw or r ushes
between the strings at each m ovement and m aking
them lie close by pulling them with a stick a good
mat is made by this rough and si mple m ode of w ea v
ing easily and rapidly a nd when i t has se rved its
purpose the string if necessary m
a y be recovered
The mats m ay be trim med and j oined together if

thick and clu msy by what is known as the cobbler s

stitch or by tying the string ends together
The art of plaiti n g or as it is called at sea senni t
I n the section on
making should be cultivated
S hortenings we have given some illustrations of plait

ing on one cord The loose and tight d ru m mer s plait

is given and i n C aptain A lston s S eaman ship 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 m ay be put from the
m akin g of hats to the m aking of baskets These are
only a few of the many uses to which this knowledge
,

THE I R

K N O TS AND

my

A P PL I CA TI ON

97

be put in every day life Th e examples m ight

be m ultiplied a d
S till the uses of com mon
things are too apt to be forgotten or overlooked i n
these busy days Those curious i n the m any uses
found for knots will be interested i n the next section
a

A N HE R ALD I C K NO T

X VI

A N A L P HA B E T O F K NO T S

is scarcely a traveller or explorer who has

not felt the want of some simple and ready mean s o f
com municating a message apart from the usual pen
and i nk M any persons have suggested a series of
knots for this purpose apparently i n ignorance that
such a scheme of knot writing was i ntroduced for the
use of the blind many years ago by a teacher n amed
D avid M acheath of the E dinburgh B li nd A s y lum
and a scholar named R obert My lne 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 m ay be qualied by
thei r shape si ze and situation for signifyi n g the
elements of language The letters of this al phabet
are distributed into seven classes which are d istin
E ach class
g u is h e d by certai n k nots or other marks
comprehends four letters except the l ast which co m
prehends but t wo The rst or A class i s distin
gu is h ed by a large round or treble knot ( Fig
The second or E class by a knot proj ecting fro m the
line ; the thi rd or I class by the series of links known
THE R E

98

K N O 1 s , TI E S , AND

100

S PLI CE S

The rst letter of each class is d istinguished by the

si mple characteristic of i ts respective class the second
by the characteristic and a co m mon knot close to it
the third by the characteristic and a com m on knot
half an inch from it an d the fourth b v the charac
t eris t ic and a com mon knot an inch from it
Thus A
is simply a large round knot ; B is a large round knot
with a com mon knot close to it ; C is a large round
knot with a com mon knot half an i nch fro m i t ; and
D is a large rou nd knot with a co m mon knot an i nch
from it ; and so on The knotted string is woun d
rou nd a vertical frame which revolves and passes from
the reader as he proceeds
O f the general character of the string alphabet the
I t must readily occur to every on e
inventors say
that the employmen t of an alphabet com posed in the
m anner which has been explained will ever be n ec es
s a ril
y tedious ; but it should be borne i n mi nd that
there is no supposable system of tangi ble gures
signicant of thought that is not more or less liable to
,

the same obj ection

Th ere can scarcely be
any system o f tangible signs which it would be less
d i f cult either to learn or to rem ember since a person
of ordi n ary intellec t m ay easily acquire a thorou gh
knowledge of the string alphabet in an hour an d retain
it for ever Yet the inventors can assure their readers
that i t is i mpossible for the pen or the press to convey
ideas with greater precision Besides the hi g hly i m por
.

AN ALPHAB E T I N KNO TS

101

tant properties of si mplicity and accuracy w hich thei r

scheme unites and in which it has not been surpassed
it possesses various m inor nor yet inconsiderable
advantages in which it is presu med it cannot be
equalled by anything of its kind

For example its tactile representations of a rt ic u

late sou nds are easily portable
The m aterials o f
which they are constructed m ay always be procured
at a triing expense and the apparatus necessary for
their construction is extremely si mple I n addition to
the letters of the alphabet there have been contrived
arithmetical gures which it is hoped will be of great
utility as the re membrance of numbers is often found
peculiarly di fcu lt Palpable com mas semicolons & c
have like w ise been provi ded to be used when j udged

requisite
e o necessary to give i n
These it has not been d ee m
consequence of thei r uselessness in the o n ly practical
manner i n which these knots might be of service
that of conveyi ng a message i n a strange country
where pens ink or pencil were not at hand
,