Page 49 - The Ashley Book of Knots

THE ASHLEY BOOK OF KNOTS

The Circus Man

The following series of knots is from Ringling Brothers' Circus.

204 The knot tiers were "Mickey" Gray, "Frenchy" Haley, and William

James O'Brien, who respectively represented the performers, the

canvas, and the animals.

, Latchings or latchets originally provided a method of adding tem-

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porarily to the area of a sail. They became obsolete for this purpose,

but the circus today finds them invaluable. The top of a large tent

consists of a number of separate rectangular mid-sections (one less

than the number of center posts) and two semicircular ends. The

several parts are laced together by a series of loops in one section

206 called latchings which are rove through eyelet holes in the opposite

section. They are illustrated in Chapter 27, "Occasional Knots," as

'# 2064.

204. The DRY WEATHER HITCH. Here again appears that most uni-

versal general utility hitch, the CLOVE HITCH ('# 1178), which will

be discussed at length in Chapters 23 and 33. It is quickly formed and

easily adjusted, but tends to jam if wet.

205. The WET WEATHER or TAKE-UP HITCH. A SINGLE HITCH is

dropped over the stake, the end is backed, and a SLIPPED HALF HITCH

taken around the standing part. It is easily adjustable even when wet

and never jams.

JOT 206. The CROSSING KNOT is used in staking out, one of its purposes

being to define the straight and narrow pathway along which the

circus patrons are herded. The circus way of making it is quite

different from the way it is tied when making up bundles ('# 2077

and '#2078). A bight is twisted a full turn and dropped over a stake.

207. The euphroe block and the CRow's-FOOT stretch the edges of

a safety net for the aerialists. They are old sea practices now fallen

into disuse on shipboard. Originally they stretched catharpins, awn-

ings, and the standing ends of running rigging. Old practices are

continually being revived for new purposes. For that reason many

obsolete and obsolescent knots are shown with confidence in the

belief that sometime, somewhere, they will be used again.

208. The ONE-LENGTH HITCH is used on a side-wall pole. A number

of men haul down on the standing part, a SINGLE HITCH is taken

o around the base of the pole, and the end is brought around back of

the pole and eventually is slip hitched to the standing part.

209. The WRAP HITCH is also for the side-wall pole, but is a more

temporary fastening than the foregoing.

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210. A QUARTER-POLE TWIST is a tempor hitch for the big top,

but as there is more weight on the quarter po e than on the side-wall

poles the rope passes around the pole a second time before being

made fast.

211. A QUARTER-POLE HITCH that is more secure than the last one.

212. A HARNESS-CHAIN ANCHOR is to secure the end of a chain

in the horse tent, over which harness is thrown. The stakes often are

of iron; the chain passes shoulder-high down the center poles, se-

cured to each with a CROSSING KNOT ('#206) or a CLOVE HITCH

('# 204). A tackle between the anchor and the first pole makes all taut.