Knots, Splices and Rope Work--A Practical Treatise by A. Hyatt Verrill.pdf

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KNOTS, SPLICES and ROPE WORK
A PRACTICAL TREATISE
Giving Complete and Simple Directions for Making All the Most Useful and Ornamental
Knots in Common Use, with Chapters on Splicing, Pointing, Seizing, Serving, etc.
Adapted for the Use of Travellers, Campers, Yachtsmen, Boy Scouts, and All Others
Having to Use or Handle Ropes for Any Purpose.
By
A. HYATT VERRILL
Editor Popular Science Dept., “American Boy Magazine.”
SECOND REVISED EDITION
Illustrated with 156 Original Cuts Showing How
Each Knot, Tie or Splice is Formed and Its
Appearance When Complete.
INTRODUCTION
The history of ropes and knots is so dim and ancient that really little is known of their
origin. That earliest man used cordage of some kind and by his ingenuity succeeded in
tying the material together, is indisputable, for the most ancient carvings and decorations
of prehistoric man show knots in several forms. Doubtless the trailing vines and plants
first suggested ropes to human beings; and it is quite probable that these same vines, in
their various twistings and twinings, gave man his first idea of knots.
Since the earliest times knots have been everywhere interwoven with human affairs;
jugglers have used them in their tricks; they have become almost a part of many
occupations and trades, while in song and story they have become the symbol of
steadfastness and strength.
Few realize the importance that knots and cordage have played in the world’s history, but
if it had not been for these simple and every-day things, which as a rule are given far too
little consideration, the human race could never have developed beyond savages. Indeed, I
am not sure but it would be safe to state that the real difference between civilized and
savage man consists largely in the knowledge of knots and rope work. No cloth could be
woven, no net or seine knitted, no bow strung and no craft sailed on lake or sea without
numerous knots and proper lines or ropes; and Columbus himself would have been far
more handicapped without knots than without a compass.
History abounds with mention of knots, and in the eighth book of “Odyssey” Ulysses is
represented as securing various articles of raiment by a rope fastened in a “knot closed
with Circean art”; and as further proof of the prominence the ancients gave to knots the
famous Gordian Knot may be mentioned. Probably no one will ever learn just how this
fabulous knot was tied, and like many modern knots it was doubtless far easier for
Alexander to cut it than to untie it.
The old sorcerers used knots in various ways, and the witches of Lapland sold sailors so-
called “Wind Knots,” which were untied by the sailors when they desired a particular
wind. Even modern conjurors and wizards use knots extensively in their exhibitions and
upon the accuracy and manner in which their knots are tied depends the success of their
tricks.
In heraldry many knots have been used as symbols and badges and many old Coats of
Arms bear intricate and handsome knots, or entwined ropes, emblazoned upon them.
As to the utility of knots and rope work there can be no question. A little knowledge of
knots has saved many a life in storm and wreck, and if every one knew how to quickly and
securely tie a knot there would be far fewer casualties in hotel and similar fires. In a
thousand ways and times a knowledge of rope and knots is useful and many times
necessary. Many an accident has occurred through a knot or splice being improperly
formed, and even in tying an ordinary bundle or “roping” a trunk or box few people tie a
knot that is secure and yet readily undone and quickly made. In a life of travel and
adventure in out-of-the-way places, in yachting or boating, in hunting or fishing, and even
in motoring, to command a number of good knots and splices is to make life safer, easier,
and more enjoyable, aside from the real pleasure one may find in learning the interesting
art of knot-tying.
Through countless ages the various forms of knots and fastenings for rope, cable, or cord
have been developed; the best kinds being steadily improved and handed down from
generation to generation, while the poor or inferior fastenings have been discarded by
those whose callings required the use of cordage.
Gradually, too, each profession or trade has adopted the knots best suited to its
requirements, and thus we find the Sailor’s Knot; the Weaver’s Knot; Fishermen’s knots;
Builders’ knots; Butchers’ knots; and many others which have taken their names from the
use to which they are especially adapted.
In addition to these useful knots, there are many kinds of ornamental or fancy knots used
in ornamenting the ends of ropes, decorating shrouds of vessels, railings, and similar
objects; while certain braids or plaits, formed by a series of knots, are widely used aboard
ship and on land.
In many cases ropes or cable must be joined in such a way that they present a smooth and
even surface and for such purposes splices are used, while knots used merely as temporary
fastenings and which must be readily and quickly tied and untied are commonly known as
“bends” or “hitches.” Oddly enough, it is far easier to tie a poor knot than a good one, and
in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred the tyro, when attempting to join two ropes together,
will tie either a “slippery” or a “jamming” knot and will seldom succeed in making a
recognized and “ship-shape” knot of any sort.
The number of knots, ties, bends, hitches, splices, and shortenings in use is almost
unlimited and they are most confusing and bewildering to the uninitiated. The most useful
and ornamental, as well as the most reliable, are comparatively few in number, and in
reality each knot learned leads readily to another; in the following pages I have
endeavored to describe them in such a manner that their construction may be readily
understood and mastered.
THE AUTHOR.
JANUARY, 1917.
CHAPTER I
CORDAGE
Before taking up the matter of knots and splices in detail it may be well to give attention
to cordage in general. Cordage, in its broadest sense, includes all forms and kinds of rope,
string, twine, cable, etc., formed of braided or twisted strands.
In making a rope or
line the fibres (A, Fig.
1) of hemp, jute,
cotton, or other
material are loosely
twisted together to
form
what
is
technically known as
a “yarn” (B, Fig. 1).
When two or more
yarns are twisted
together they form a
“strand” (C, Fig. 1).
Three or more strands
form a rope (D, Fig.
1), and three ropes form a cable (E, Fig. 1). To form a strand the yarns are twisted together
in the opposite direction from that in which the original fibres were twisted; to form a rope
the strands are twisted in the opposite direction from the yarns of the strands, and to form
a cable each rope is twisted opposite from the twist of the strands. In this way the natural
tendency for each yarn, strand, or rope to untwist serves to bind or hold the whole firmly
together (Fig. 1).
Rope is usually three-stranded and the strands turn from left to right or “with the sun,”
while cable is left-handed or twisted “against the sun” (E, Fig. 1). Certain ropes, such as
“bolt-rope” and most cables, are laid around a “core” (F, Fig. 2) or central strand and in
many cases are four-stranded (Fig. 2).
The strength of a rope depends largely upon the strength and length of the fibres from
which it is made, but the amount each yarn and strand is twisted, as well as the method
used in bleaching or preparing the fibres, has much to do with the strength of the finished
line.
Roughly, the strength of ropes may be calculated by multiplying the circumference of the

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