Page 6 - Knots, Splices and Rope Work: A Practical Treatise

rope in inches by itself and the fifth part of the product
will be the number of tons the rope will sustain. For
example, if the rope is 5 inches in circumference, 5 X 5 =
25, one-fifth of which is 5, the number of tons that can

safely be carried on a 5-inch rope. To ascertain the weight
of ordinary “right hand” rope, multiply the circumference
in inches by itself and multiply, the result by the length of
rope in fathoms and divide the product by 3.75. For
example, to find the weight of a 5-inch rope, 50 fathoms in
length: 5 X 5 = 25; 25 x 50 = 1,250; 1,250 ÷ 3.75 = 333-
1/3 lbs. These figures apply to Manila or hemp rope,

which is the kind commonly used, but jute, sisal-flax,
grass, and silk are also used considerably. Cotton rope is
seldom used save for small hand-lines, clothes-lines,
twine, etc., while wire rope is largely used nowadays for
rigging vessels, derricks, winches, etc., but as splicing wire

rope is different from the method employed in fibre rope,
and as knots have no place in wire rigging, we will not consider it.