Chapter I: Part 1

KNOTS

A study of Marlinespike Seamanship which
embraces Bends, Hitches, Ties, Fastenings
and Splices and their Practical Application.

With chapters on Cordage, Matting,
Hammock Making and Wire
Steel Work

Compiled and Edited by
A. F. ALDRIDGE

Dedicated to the Sailors
of the United States

THE RUDDER PUBLISHING COMPANY

9 MURRAY STREET, NEW YORK CITY

U. S. A.

_COPYRIGHT 1918_

BY
THE RUDDER PUBLISHING CO.
NEW YORK, U. S. A.

_All Rights Reserved_

PRESS OF
THOMSON & COMPANY
9 MURRAY STREET, NEW YORK

CONTENTS

Preface 7

History of Knots 9

Cordage 11

Rope and Its Care 15

Simple Knots and Loops 21

Knots for Uniting Ropes 31

Bends and Hitches 36

Knots Formed on Ropes by Their Own Strands 50

Shortenings 68

Ties 73

Purchases and Slings 79

Fastenings, Moorings and Ring Knots 88

Lashings and Seizings etc. 101

Splicing and Rope Work 112

Wire Rope Splicing 128

Matting 134

Hammock Making 146

Strength of Rope etc. 152

Index 157

PREFACE

The study of knots is always fascinating. To twist ropes so that they will hold and not break is an art that comes natural to the sailor and the amateur will watch him in wonder as he does his work. Knots are just as important in these days of steam vessels as they were in the days of the sailing vessel, and now when thousands of men are being trained to handle the fleets of vessels building tying knots is a part of their training.

At the Naval camps and the nautical schools the men are trained in squads and with a little practice they soon acquire the art. To aid those students this book has been published. It has been compiled from American and British Government records and from many other sources, so that it is as complete a collection of knots as it is possible to obtain.

It will be of great assistance to men of the U. S. Navy, U. S. Naval Reserve, U. S. Junior Naval Reserve, the U. S. Nautical Schools and the U. S. Power Squadrons who are working so loyally to aid their country in its time of need. To these men this book is dedicated in the hope that it may be of some help to them in their work.

HISTORY OF KNOTS

Knots, according to an ingenuous essayist, are probably as “old as human fingers” and their history is lost in antiquity. Doubtless when man was first placed on this earth he learned to make fastenings from the tendrils of climbing vines and trailing flowers which twist themselves into odd fastenings as they lift themselves from the earth. The first cords were probably twisted grasses and rushes. Since those early days knots, like Topsy, have “just growed” and man’s ingenuity has enabled him so to arrange ropes and cords that they will sustain weights, fasten various articles together and take up strains so that they will hold under ordinary conditions.

Seamen are credited with having devised the most knots. They have invented ties upon which depend the safety of their ships and the lives of those on board. Operatives in many trades such as building have borrowed from the seamen their knots and applied them to their work. In some instances the land operator has invented new knots or ties to suit conditions not found on shipboard.

To tie a knot properly or to be able to join ropes so that they will hold and withstand heavy strains is so important with seamen that careful attention is paid to the instruction of the men in this particular work. At the many naval training camps scattered about the country capable instructors show the recruits how to properly make knots, ties, hitches, bends and splices, and until the recruit knows how to handle ropes quickly and properly he is not much use at sea. In the nautical schools, too, and in the divisions of the U. S. Power Squadron much attention is paid to this part of the novice’s instruction.

The steamship is steadily driving the sailing vessel from the seas. Of course on a sailing ship, where every spar is stayed by rope and where all the sails, the propelling power, are handled by ropes, the ability to properly tie knots is more important than on a vessel driven by steam or oil engines, but on the powered vessel there are many occasions when it is necessary to have a knowledge of knots, particularly in handling cargoes, in making fast to piers or moorings, in towing, in handling boats, and in hundreds of other instances so that the steam engine is not making “marlinespike seamanship” a lost art.

CORDAGE

Rope is a word that is taken to mean almost every pliable material. Technically a rope is a cord one inch or more in diameter. It is generally made of hemp, manila, coir, cotton, steel, iron or copper wire. In studying the nature and uses of knots, particularly those which come under the designation of splices, some knowledge of the mode and of the principles on which ropes are made, is essentially necessary. The simplest and most effectual mode of obtaining the united strength of fibres composing the rope would be to lay them side by side and fasten them together at each end as in the selvagee, which is described on page 120. 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 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 is achieved by the modern processes of rope making.

First the fibres of hemp are loosely twisted together, right-handed, and form what is technically known as yarn. Two or three yarns twisted together form a strand; three strands form a rope and three ropes a cable. The diagram illustrates this clearly. =A= is a yarn teased out to show the original fibre; =B= shows the yarn forming the strand; the strands =C=, =H=, and =J= form the rope =D=; the ropes =D=, =F=, and =G= form the cable =E=.

A hawser rope is composed of three strands laid up generally right-handed--that is, the direction taken by the strands in forming the rope always runs from left to right.

A shroud-laid rope, also laid right-handed, consists of four strands with a heart in the center.

A cable-laid rope is composed of three right-handed hawser-laid ropes laid up together left-handed, so that it may be said to consist of nine strands, or it may be formed by three left-handed ropes laid up right-handed.

Spun yarn is a number of yarns twisted up right-handed. The number varies from two to eight.

Nettle stuff is made of two or three yarns laid together and is used for making clews of hammocks, harbor gaskets, etc.

Sennit is made of a number of yarns plaited up into square, round or flat sennit as required and used for various purposes.

Junk consists of lengths of condemned cordage 4 inches and above.

Oakum is old rope unlaid and the yarns picked into hemp for caulking the seams in ships’ decks or sides.

Boltrope is cordage tarred and white, made of Italian hemp from ½ inch to 6 inches. It is soft laid and well stretched and is used for roping sails and awnings.

Hammock lashings and lanyards are of white Italian hemp 1¼ inch.

Coir rope is three-stranded right-handed rope. The yarn is spun from the fibres of the cocoanut tree. It is one-third lighter than hemp but not nearly so durable. It soon rots after being wet, if not well dried before being stowed away. As it floats so light it is very useful for warps and is about a quarter the strength of hemp rope.

Twine is made from very fine hemp.

ROPE AND ITS CARE

Rope--and a sailor’s mind instantly pictures a ship. Ropes belong to a ship in his mind’s processes and since man launched his first boat on the water, rope has been in one form or another part of a boat’s equipment. Savages probably had ropes before they had boats, but with the development of the boat has come the development of rope into the product of today.

Did you ever stop to think why rope is so much used aboard ships? What are the qualities which make it such a necessary part of a ship’s gear? Ropes are primarily used to transmit power in a convenient way. If sailors could grasp the sail in their hands and clew it up no clew-lines would be necessary. But their arms are not long enough and the power would be spread over such a large area that it would become ineffective. A clew-line concentrates that power from that point of application to a convenient place for the sailor to apply it. An iron rod would do the same thing, you say. Yes, but an iron rod lacks two essential qualities--lightness and flexibility. Flexibility is the cardinal virtue of a rope. When not in use it can be coiled down to a very small space and it can follow the wake of the worst helmsman without fear of breaking its back. A chain is flexible, but its own weight is so great that it is only of value for certain kinds of work.

Ropes are made of organic material such as cotton, hemp, manila, grass, and of metals such as iron, steel, bronze and sometimes aluminum.

The class of organic materials is classified as to the material and the manner in which they are made up. Grass, manila and hemp are spun into rope, while cotton is spun, braided and knitted. Braided and knitted ropes have the distinctive quality of being able to transmit torsional stresses such as a flexible shaft and are used for this purpose in the patent log-line. They are also free from turns, which makes them valuable as signal halyards, though by the use of small swivels this bad feature on spun rope has been overcome for use as signal halyards. When you do use cotton, remember it has a great ability for shrinking. Therefore, do not haul your halyards taut in dry weather and wonder why they parted in the first rain-squall.

If spun rope has ruined so many dispositions by the diabolical turn which it can foul itself into--why use it? Because that very same twist--the cause of so much cursing--is the secret of its strength. Rope is subjected to a tension or pull along the line of its longest axis. The thread is made of little fibres which are twisted together. The threads are then twisted to make yarns or strands and the strands twisted or spun into rope or lines. Rope or lines are made up into hawsers.

Take a coil spring and pull out the ends. If you put power enough on the wire it straightens out. This is exactly what happens when you put a strain on a rope; the twists or turns try to straighten out, and lie in a straight line along the center. But there is yarn already in the center, and the coils are pressing in on all sides, squeezing it more and more as the load increases. Now the reason why the two first fibres clung together when they were twisted was that this same pressure made the friction between the fibres so great that they could not slide by each other. This applies to the many hundreds of fibres which make up the rope as a whole. So the harder the pull the harder the squeeze and the harder it is for them to slip by each other. The fact that some pieces of fibre are first on the outside and then on the inside makes all get an equal share of the squeeze. Why does this not go on indefinitely? Because up to a certain load the tendency to cling together is greater than the reaction from the center, which has to push them apart, but when this pressure or reaction becomes greater than the friction the little fibres begin to slide and the ropes part.

The smaller sizes of spun ropes of this organic class are designated by the number of threads used to make up the rope, such as nine-thread or eighteen-thread line. The larger sizes are designated by the number of inches of circumference, such as one-inch, three-inch, etc. Hawsers are measured by the circumference in inches. Spun ropes are three-stranded or four-stranded. A three-stranded rope is more flexible than a four, but a four has greater surface area for the same strength and weight and therefore wears longer.

Hemp rope is harder and less flexible than manila and is used for standing rigging, while manila rope is used for running rigging.

Grass or coir ropes are used where the rope is submerged often, as they do not rot when damp and can be stowed wet. They are very elastic and are specially used for towing light weights, such as targets in the Navy.

Just a few hints about this general class of organic ropes:

Always dry these ropes before stowing them to prevent rotting.

Protect them from chafing by use of chafing gear or reversing end for end to bring the wear in different places.

Always coil down right-handed or with the sun.

The greater the surface the less the wear on any one strand, so use four-stranded for ropes whose particular wear is from chafing such as anchor warps, for small boats and boat-falls. A small size rope would often be strong enough but would chafe through quicker.

Metallic or wire ropes are generally either iron, steel, bronze or combinations of metal strands spun with hemp or manila strands.

Bronze rope is used for tiller ropes because it is non-magnetic and it will not rust. This is important, as tiller ropes are often in inaccessible places. If it does not pass near your compass and it is out where it can be easily examined and cared for to prevent rusting, a flexible steel tiller rope is cheaper and stronger for the same weight and also wears longer.

Galvanized iron wire is used for standing rigging, and the rusting in places where turns have broken the surface coating, such as around thimbles of an eye splice, should be carefully looked for. Most sailors think it wiser not to paint wire except for decorative purposes. If it is painted be sure to remove all grease and water from the surface.

Steel rope is used for running rigging because of its flexibility and lightness. It is not adapted, however, for small boats.

A combination of alternate strands of wire and hemp is made into rope known as durable rope, and is used particularly for cargo falls and it is more flexible and more easily handled.

SIMPLE KNOTS AND LOOPS

All knots are begun with loops or hitches. These may be single or double as required. The simple hitch is self-explanatory, as are the underhand and the overhand loops. The illustrations explain them clearly.

=The Simple Knot= begins with one of these loops by passing the loose end through the loop and then drawing it taut as shown in the diagram.

=The Figure of 8 Knot= is known as the perfect knot. It is formed by an overhand and an underhand loop overlapping each other and the loose end passed through the loop. When drawn tight it bears a close resemblance to the Arabic numeral 8, hence its name.

=The Double, Treble, Four-Fold, or Six-Fold Knots= may be called compound knots. They are used often when it is necessary to shorten a rope a few inches or to increase 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, three times, or as many times as may be necessary, through a loop as shown in the Simple Knot. The diagrams show a double knot loosely formed and when nipped or drawn taut, and a treble knot in its open formation and pulled taut.

=The Five and Six-Fold Knots= present handsome coils and are useful to travelers who do not wish to cut the precious cords of their baggage.

From Simple knots the student passes to loops, nooses and running knots. The Bight of a rope is the loop formed when a rope is bent back on itself. The Standing Part is the principal portion or longest part of the rope and the end is that part used in forming the knot or hitch.

=The Simple Running Knot= is made by passing a hitch instead of the end of a rope when making a simple knot. The variations of this knot are numerous. When the loose end is knotted with a simple perfect or double knot it forms one of the most useful and easily made loops.

=The Tomfool Knot= is a double loop through a simple knot. This knot is also known as the Single Pitcher Knot. It is said that this knot has baffled many experts who profess to be able to break any knot. It is made like the running knot. The firm end is then passed through the open, simple knot so as to form a double loop or bow. If the wrists are passed within the loops, the loops then drawn taut and the loose ends tied firmly around the central part a pair of very good handcuffs is furnished.

=The Loop Knot= is the ordinary useful loop of everyday life and it forms the foundation for many more elaborate knots and for shortenings. A more ornamental and even stronger loop, which is well adapted for large cordage, is made by the figure 8 knot. This loop, like the common loop knot, 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, which is a modification of the fisherman’s knot. A simple knot is tied over the running line as shown in the figure. After use it may be easily drawn apart, the loop slipped and the knot untied in very short time.

=The Bowline Knot= cannot slip and is therefore always used for slinging a man for the purpose of doing some particular piece of work; the workman sits in the sling. First take the part =Z= in the right hand with =Y= in the left hand, place =Z= on =Y=, and, turning the left hand over from you to the left, form a loop and reeve =C= as shown by the dotted line and haul taut.

=The Running Bowline= is used whenever a running noose is required. Form a loop with a long end =C= lying underneath the standing part as shown in Fig. 1. Now bring end =C= over part =Y= and with it form the bowline knot on part =Z= as in the previous case it was formed on its own part, when it will appear as in Fig. 2.

=The Bowline on the Bight= is used for lowering a man from aloft or slinging a man over the ship’s side. Using both parts of the rope together, commence as in making an ordinary bowline. To finish off, open out bight =C=, taking it in the direction indicated by the dotted line, pass the whole knot through it and haul taut when it will appear as in Fig. 2.

=A Simple Clinch= is formed by closing up the initial loop to form a small ring and securing, by a seizing, a small lashing at =D=.

=A Running= or =Inside Clinch= is formed by the end of a rope on its own standing part and is often used for securing buntlines to the foot of a sail.

=An Outside Clinch= is formed in a similar way but the end, =C=, is brought round on top; that is, away from the bight.

=The Standing Bowline 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.

=Slip Clinches= are very easily made. They are really open running knots seized instead of tied.

=The Running Noose= is one of the most common and useful of running knots used in commerce but it is only applicable to small cords. A simple knot is made on the end of the cord which is then simply knotted round.

=The Crossed Running Knot= is useful in packing heavy goods as well as a useful anchor fastening.

KNOTS FOR UNITING ROPES

The most common knots, those used in everyday life, are to unite the ends of two separate pieces of cord or rope.

=The Reef Knot= is the simplest of all knots and always used when a common tie is required. The two illustrations show how this knot is made. Having constructed the knot as far as Fig. 1, be sure part =A= is kept in front of part =B= as shown, and the end led in according to the direction of the dotted line.

If the cords be of unequal thickness the knot will slip, form a loop and part company, as shown in Fig. 1 above. If the ends are not parallel to the rope it becomes the False Knot or Granny Knot. Figs. 2 and 3 show the difference.

A better way to fasten two ropes of unequal size is to tie or seize the ends (Fig. 1 below) and when this is done as shown the square knot or reef can be made as usual.

=The Open-Hand Knot= is a good one for joining two ropes of unequal diameter. It is very quickly made and has the recommendation of never slipping or untying. If, however, a great strain is put on the rope it is apt to break at the knot. The illustrations above, one showing the open formation (Fig. 2), and the other its back view when drawn taut (Fig. 3), explain the process of making.

=The Weaver’s Knot= is very useful in joining small cord or twine and is the best for thread. The ends are crossed as in Fig. 1 and both cords are held between the thumb and forefinger of the left hand. The right 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. The knot (Fig. 3) 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 of the left hand while the knot is being drawn taut, as in Fig. 4 (below).

=The Fisherman’s= or =Englishman’s Knot= is of quite another character. It is formed by two simple knots (Fig. 7) slipped over each cord as in Fig. 5, and when drawn taut its front appearance is seen in Fig. 6. It is used by anglers, as it may be separated by taking the ends =A= and =B= in Fig. 6 so as to admit a third line.

=The Ordinary Knot= or =Tie= for uniting large ropes is shown in Fig. 8. It has all the advantages of the open-hand knot, with the additional recommendations that it is easy to make, very strong and does not strain the fibres of the rope. First make the simple knot (Fig. 7) and then interlace the other cord in the manner shown in Fig. 8. When drawn taut it has the appearance of Fig. 9. If the ends are whipped it is really a neat and handsome as well as useful knot.

=The Shortening Tie= is used when there is too much rope and where it is necessary to use a large knot for the purpose of preventing its running too far through the eye, ring or loop. It is formed by making the figure of 8 knot at the end of a rope, then interlacing it with another rope, and when drawn taut it has the appearance of the third diagram.

=A Rope Yarn Knot= is for joining two yarns together and is clearly shown in the diagram.

BENDS AND HITCHES

It is rather difficult to say where knots end and bends begin, because a tie made in a particular way and under certain circumstances may be called a knot, but differently constructed and under other conditions it is called a bend or a hitch. The result is the same in each case. A single hitch may be merely a loop formed in a rope.

=A Half Hitch= is used generally in conjunction with other hitches. Its formation is easily seen from the diagram.

=The Timber Hitch= is used to secure the end of a rope to a spar, also for bending a rope round light cases, bales, etc., when provisioning ships. It is formed by making a half hitch with rather a long end and expanding the end backwards round its own part. It is used also with a half hitch for towing spars, as shown in the diagram below.

=The Crabber’s Eye Knot= is not well known but is one that is not likely to part when strained. To make it bring the end back to form a loop, taking it first under and then over the standing part, up through the main loop, over the standing bight again and up through its own bight. Before the turns are hauled into their places, the knot will slip on the part =A=, as in an ordinary knot. If the part =B= is hauled upon the strand, =A=, which passes through the center knot, rises and the coil which goes round it jambs, making the knot secure so that it may be used as a running knot or otherwise, as desired.

=A Buntline Hitch= is commenced as in making an outside clinch but instead of putting on a seizing, the end is passed over and through the bight, as clearly shown in the diagram.

=The Clove Hitch= is really a jamming of two half hitches and is generally used when a small rope has to be secured to a larger one and the end kept free for use for further purposes, as in securing ratlines to the shrouds, and used also for securing the end of butt slings. Its formation can be followed very easily in the diagrams.

=The Roband Hitch= is very useful when a tackle, hook, ring or another rope is to be fastened to a beam or spar. This is another simple hitch, clearly illustrated in the diagram.

=The Slippery Hitch= is valuable because of the ease with which it can be cast off in an emergency. It will hold securely while there is a strain on the rope.

=The Rolling Hitch= is commenced and finished like a clove hitch, but, as can be seen from the figures, there is an intermediate round turn between the first and last hitches. It will be seen that the round turn in Fig. 2 is taken around both the standing part, =A=, and the larger rope =B=. The great value of this hitch is that it does not slip, and this can be rendered doubly sure by backing the end, =C=, round the part, =D=, and securing the end with a strop. It is used for bending a small rope to a larger one, for putting a tail jigger on a rope, and for securing hammocks to gantlines.

=The Double Blackwall Hitch= is made by taking the bight of the rope and placing it across the neck of the strop of the block, crossing it behind, then placing the under part over the hook and crossing the upper part on top of it. It holds better than the two preceding hitches.

=The Marling Hitch= is for lashing up hammocks or putting temporary seizing on two ropes or spars. It is also used when making swabs.

=The Midshipman’s Hitch= is used at times instead of a Blackwall Hitch and it will hold better if the rope is at all greasy. It is made by first forming a Blackwall hitch and then taking the underneath part and placing it over the bill of the hook.

=The Killick Hitch= is a modification of the timber hitch. After making a timber hitch and hauling it taut, a single hitch is made and slipped over the end of a stone. This makes a secure anchor on fishing grounds on rocky coasts where an anchor will not hold.

=The Magnus Hitch= is a method of securing a rope to a spar. Take the end of the rope twice round a spar in front of the standing part, round the spar again and then pass it through the last bight.

=The Round Turn with Two Half Hitches= is used to secure a hawser to the ring of a buoy and the rope in this case should be parcelled as shown in the diagram.

=The Marlinespike Hitch= is used for heaving the turns of a seizing taut with a marlinespike or hooking the hook of tackle to any rope where a small pull is required. It is formed by the standing part being picked through a loop laid over it, so that the spike lays under the standing part and over the sides of the loop. Its advantage is that it never jams.

MARLINESPIKE HITCH

BLACKWALL HITCH]

=The Blackwall Hitch= is used for hooking a tackle to a rope and bringing the fall of one jigger to the double block of another. It consists of a half hitch, and as soon as any strain comes on it the standing part, =A=, jambs the end part, =C=. By taking another round turn at =B=, before passing =C= under =A=, it will hold more securely.

=A Stun’sail Halyard Bend= is simply a Fisherman’s bend with the end backed again over the last round and under the first.

=The Topsail Halyard Bend= is made by bringing the rope twice round the spar, back over the standing part, under all turns, over two turns and under the last. Then jamb all the coils close and haul taut.

=The Sheet Bend=, as its name implies, is the method of attaching the sheet to the clew of the sail. It is also used for securing boats’ lazy painters to the Jacob’s ladders of the lower booms. In making a bend the ends of the two ropes are not used simultaneously as in forming reef knots, but an eye or loop is first formed in the end of one of the ropes as seen in the first diagram and the other rope’s end is then rove through it in the various ways required. To form a Sheet Bend pass the second rope’s end underneath the eye at point =A= and bring up through the loop, then form with it a half hitch round =C= and =B=. It will hold still better and is less likely to jamb, if the end is passed round again as in the third diagram. This is called a Double Sheet Bend.

=The Fisherman’s Bend= is formed by taking two round turns around the object to which the rope is to be secured and then backing the end round in the form of a half hitch under both the standing part and the second round turn. The end may be further secured by taking a half hitch around its own part or by stopping it to it. The dotted line in the first diagram shows the direction the end =C= must take. This bend is used for bending a hawser to the ring of an anchor or a rope’s end to a bucket.

=The Hawser Bend= is so easy as to be constantly used when only a temporary purpose has to be served.

=The Bowline Bend= is the strongest of all knotted hawsers. It is formed of two Bowline knots, one crossing the loop of the other as shown in the diagram.

=The Half Hitch and Seizing Bend= is used on hawsers which are to be joined for a long period. Its formation is shown in the illustration clearly.

=The Carrick Bend= is for bending two hawsers together when required to go around a capstan. First form with hawser No. 1 a loop as in the upper diagram. Pass the second hawser under the first at =A=, bring up through the eye =B=, back it over the cross at =C= and bring up again towards you through the eye =B=, and then stop the ends of each hawser to their own respective parts as shown in the lower diagram.

=A Double Carrick Bend= is formed in precisely the same way, but a complete round turn is taken around the cross of the first hawser and then led up again through the eye and finished off.

=The Chain Hitch= is used to attach a small rope to aid in pulling a larger. When it is necessary to use a lever as a handspike the fastening in the lower diagram is used. First a clove hitch is formed to the spar and as many single hitches as required are then made. It may be finished off with any secure knot.

KNOTS FORMED ON ROPES BY THEIR OWN STRANDS

If ropes, hawsers or cables are left with their ends unguarded, they are sure to become untwisted or otherwise 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. While some of these knots for guarding the rope ends may seem fanciful they are by no means merely ornamental and many of them play important parts in the standing rigging of a ship.

At first glance some of these knots may appear to be very intricate and difficult to make. They are not as difficult as their pictures would seem to indicate and a little thoughtful study, carefully following the explanatory diagrams, will smooth away all troubles.

=To Whip a Rope= first lay the end of a length of twine along the end of the rope, and then, commencing at the part furthest from the rope’s end take a half dozen or more turns around both the rope and the twine, as shown in the first diagram. Then lay the twine in the form of a loop along the rope and over the turns already taken as seen in the second diagram. To finish off take that portion of the loop designated =A=, and continue taking turns tightly round the rope and part =B= of the twine until the loop is all used up. Pull through the remainder snugly by part =C= and cut off short when no end of twine will be visible as in the third diagram.

=A Palm and Needle Whipping= is a permanent way of securing a rope’s end from fraying and better than the whipping put on by hand. First place the needle under one of the strands and draw nearly the whole length of twine through. Take a number of turns round the rope with the twine, drawing each well taut in turn, and finish up by following round with the needle between each strand, forming a series of wrappings, and cut off the end of the twine.

=To point a rope= first put on a stop at two and one-half times the circumference of the rope from the end, which will leave about the length for pointing. Unlay the rope to the stop, then unlay the strands, split a number of the outside yarns and make a nettle out of each yarn. A nettle is made by laying up the yarns with the finger and thumb left-handed. When the nettles are made up stop them back on the standing part of the rope. Then with the rest of the yarns, form the point by scraping them down to a proper size with a knife and marl them down together with twine. Divide the nettles, taking every other one up and every other one down. Pass three turns with a piece of twine which is called the warp very taut round the part where the nettles separate taking a hitch with the last turn. Repeat this process by placing every alternate nettle up or down, passing the warp or filling, taking a hitch each time until the point is to its required length. You may either form a bight with the last lay by passing the warp through the bights, haul them taut, and cut them off, or, work a becket in the end by taking a small piece of rope one-fourth the size of the rope, form a bight, unlay the ends, and twist the six strands up again by two taking some of the inside yarns and lay them up as the rope, then short splice that and the becket together and marl it down.

=The Wall Knot= is used for finishing off seizings forming a shroud knot. It is also used on the end of a rope to prevent it unreeving. To form a wall knot first unlay the rope so that the strands appear as in the first diagram below.

Holding the rope with the left hand, with the right lead strand =A= in the direction indicated, viz., under strand =B= and up between strands =B= and =C= as in the second diagram.

Then with strand =B= form a similar loop, enclosing strands =A= and =C= and bringing the end of strand =B= up between =A= and =D= as in the first diagram above.

Now with strand =C= form a similar loop enclosing strands =B= and =A= by leading the end of strand =C= up through the loop =E= in strand =A= as in the second diagram. Finally work all parts well taut, whip the ends of the strands together and cut off short, at the bottom diagram.

=A Double Wall Knot= is formed by making the single wall knot first and not hauling it taut. 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. Do the same with the other strands, pushing them up and through two bights. If made this way it will have a double and a single crown. A double wall double crowned is a continuation of the double wall. The strands are laid by the side of those of the single crown and pushed through the same bight in the single crown and down through the double walling as shown in the illustration. The middle figure shows one method of finishing a single wall by cutting off the strands and tying them with twine. The double crowned wall knot may be finished by a Lark’s Nest by interlacing the loose strands one within another by a requisite number of turns over the pudding. This forms a knot at the end of the rope.

=The Crown Knot= or crowning forms the basis of other knots. To make a crown pass the bights of the first and second strands over the second and third strands respectively, dip the end of the third down through the bight of the first and work the knot into shape. Its construction can be followed very easily in the diagram. Double crowning is done by following round each strand again alongside the first lead.

=The Manrope Knot= is used for securing the upper ends of the gangway manropes. It is made by first forming a wall and then crowning it as in the first diagram. Then follow round the wall again and lastly follow round the crown, when the finished knot will appear as in the second diagram.

=The Stopper Knot= is used in the ends of stoppers and is made by forming a wall and half a wall, putting on a good whipping about two or three inches from the knot and cut off the ends.

=The Turk’s Head Knot= is worked upon a rope with a piece of small line. 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, through the bight which is underneath. 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.

=Single Matthew Walker Knot= is used for securing the standing part of a rope or making beckets for buckets, etc. To make this knot begin as for the wall knot but pass the first strand =A= under both =B= and =C= as shown in the first diagram. Then pass =B= under both strands =C= and =A=, and bring up through the first loop formed by =A=, shown in the second diagram.

Similarly pass =C= under =A= and =B= and bring up through the loops first formed by =A= and =B= as seen in the third diagram.

=The Double Matthew Walker= is easily made when one notices the difference between a single Matthew Walker and a wall knot. In the wall knot each strand is simply interlaced with the strand immediately on its right coming up through the loop formed by the second strand. In the single Matthew Walker each strand interlaces the two strands to its right coming up through the loop of the third strand. Another evolution in the same order gives the double Matthew Walker. It is formed as will be seen in the diagram by making each strand contain its own loop, the other two strands and its own end, that is, each strand leads up through its own bight after interlacing the other two.

=The Single Diamond Knot= is made some distance from the end of a rope. It is therefore necessary to unlay the rope considerably more than is required in the preceding knots and as the strands will have to be laid up again, try to preserve the original lay in the strands as much as possible. Now bring each of the three strands down alongside the standing part of the rope, thus forming three bights, and hold them thus with the left hand. Take the first strand =A= as shown in the diagram and putting it over the next, =B=, bring it up through the bight of the third strand, =C=.

Take the end of the second strand over the third and up through the bight of the first. The last strand is brought over the first and up through the bight of the second. Haul taut and lay the rope up again. The first diagram above shows the loops in their places with the ends through them before they are hauled taut and the second diagram shows the completed knot.

=The Double Diamond Knot= is made first like the single diamond and then the ends are made to follow the lead of the single knot through two single bights, the ends coming out on top of the knot. The last strand passes through two double bights. The ends are then hauled taut and laid up as for the manrope knot.

=The Shroud Knot= is of use in joining two ropes together, particularly in joining a stay or shroud that has been carried away. Each rope is unlaid the necessary length and they are then brought close together. A wall knot is formed on each rope with the strands of the other as seen in the first diagram. The completed knot is seen in the second diagram but to make a neat job the ends should be marled and served as in the third diagram.

=Snaking= or =Seizing= is done by taking the end under and over the outer turns of the seizing alternately, passing over the whole. The whole may be whipped also with small twine. The ends of a four-stranded rope may be thus secured. The end is first whipped as shown at =A= in the diagram. The four strands are then opened out. They are then brought down over the end in loops and the strands tied together, as in the second diagram, or they may be simply brought down and bound to the cable with twine, as shown in the third diagram.

=A Spritsail Sheet Knot= is made by unlaying both ends of a rope and bringing the two standing parts together as in the first diagram. Grasp both parts of the rope at =A=, with the six strands form a wall knot, that is, by passing 1 under 2, 2 under 3, 3 under 4, 4 under 5, 5 under 6 and 6 under the loop formed by 1. Now lay any opposite two of the strands across the top in an opposite direction and crown by passing the other four, each in turn, alternately over and under these two. Each of the six strands will then come out leading in a downward direction alongside the strands forming the first walling. Now follow round the walling again, when the strands will come through in an upward direction, each alongside a strand of the first crowning. Follow through the crowning once more and cut off the short ends, when a handsome and useful stopper knot will result as in the second diagram.

SHORTENINGS

Shortenings are, as the term implies, knots that take up the surplus cord and keep the ends from being in the way. A piece of rope or cord is often too long and to cut it would be waste, so a shortening knot is used. Sometimes the tie, four, five or six-fold knots are used for this purpose.

=The Single Plait=, or as the sailor terms it, the Chain Knot, is the commonest of all these knots. First make a running loop and then draw the loose end through the loop and repeat this operation until all excess of cord has been taken up. The end may be secured by bringing the end of the rope through the loop or by passing a belaying pin through the loop. These two methods are illustrated in the diagram.

=The Twist Knot= is an ordinary three plait, although it is formed with one piece of rope. It is more useful than when formed of three separate pieces, for the ends are fastened and it cannot come undone. To make this twist hold the double loop 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 rope is reached, when the loose end is passed through the bight and the knot is fastened and completed.

=The Double Chain Knot= is very 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.

=The Sheep Shank=, or =Dog Shank= as it is sometimes called, is an old-fashioned method of shortening a rope and can be used on any sized cordage. It is used for shortening a rope which requires lengthening again. Gather up the amount to be shortened in the form of the upper illustration. Then with parts =A= and =B= form a half hitch round the two parts of the bight as in the second figure.

To render it still more dependable the bights =A= and =B= may be seized or toggled to the standing parts as in the third and fourth figures.

=Bend Shortening= or =Simple Loop= is a plain, useful expedient for stout rope and has the merit of not injuring the ropes by an unnecessary strain, or crossing the fibres of the hemp. It will not, however, stand any great strain.

=The Bow= or =Knot Shortening= is very quickly made. 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 heavy ropes nor will it stand a heavy strain.

=The Catspaw= is one of the easiest made loops to be used for hooking on the block of a tackle or shortening up a bale sling stop. First throw back a bight as shown in the first diagram. Then taking hold of =A= and =B=, one in each hand, twist them up as in the second diagram. Bring the two eyes =A= and =B= together and hook in the tackle.

TIES

When the many varieties of knots and ties are analyzed it will be found that ties used in trades are all taken first from the mariner. The sailor learned to fasten ropes so that they were able to take up all strains evenly and to hold without chafing or without any undue strain being put on any one part of the rope. Consequently when builders erect scaffolding they use the ties and knots long known at sea. The Clove Hitch is also known as the Builder’s Knot because it is used to hold the scaffolding. The Clove Hitch is used by surgeons in cases of dislocation. The Reef Knot is also used by surgeons to tie arteries when performing operations. So it is with many other knots and because of their uses for other than nautical work they have often received other names.

=The Simple Knot= is the foundation for many ties. In the illustration this knot is seen made around a mast or other solid substance. This simple knot can at once become a clove hitch or the builder’s knot which is illustrated on page 39.

DOUBLE BUILDER’S KNOT SINGLE BOW KNOT

DOUBLE BOW KNOT SINGLE TWIST KNOT]

=The Double Builder’s Knot= is shown in the diagram above, upper left. It is made in the same way as the clove hitch or builder’s knot except that the end goes around again as before and underneath its own part so making it much stronger.

=The Single Bow Knot= is one of the most common of the knots in general use. It is commenced with the simple knot and made by doubling one of the loose ends as shown in the diagram.

=The Double Bow Knot= or rosette knot is begun in the same way. Care must be taken to keep the simple knot taut until the bow knot is completed. The ends must lie straight as in the reef knot or it will become the false knot.

=The Double Twist Knot= is useful when small cords are used and tightness is required. The diagram below, upper left, shows how it is made.

=The Tent Pole Knot=, below, lower left, is one that can be used to advantage by all who have to occupy tents or to travel much. It is a simple loop made by joining the two ends of a rope with a fisherman’s knot. This admits a short cross-bar or wooden pin and it will enable the traveler to suspend clothes or other articles around a tent pole. The cord may also be used for a toggle when two pieces of wood have to be joined together.

RUNNING KNOT RUNNING KNOT CHECKED]

=A Running Knot= with two ends 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.

This knot is frequently checked by a bow as shown in the diagram above, lower right.

It is sometimes checked by a Flemish Knot or by a Check Knot. These two knots cannot be tied unless the ends are loose. They cannot be untied without assistance from a marlinespike or some similar contrivance.

=The Stationer’s Knot= is handy for tying a parcel as it can be made rapidly and undone with ease. Make a running noose at the end of a piece of twine and bring it to the center of the parcel. Take the twine round the parcel at right angles, round the noose and making a bight slip it under as illustrated. A pull at the end releases the knot instantly.

PURCHASES AND SLINGS

=Single Whip=--rope rove through a single block fixed in any position. It is used for light work. No power is gained.

=Double Whip=--rope rove through two single blocks--upper block a tail block, lower one movable hook block. The standing part of the fall is secured close to the tail block. The power gained is double.

=Runner=--a piece of rope rove through a single block with a standing eye in one end and pointed at the other. The power gained is double.

=Gun Tackle=--two single blocks. Power gained--twice or three times according to which is the movable block.

HANDY BILLY OR JIGGER

WATCH OR LUFF TACKLE

DOUBLE LUFF

THREE-FOLD PURCHASE]