Page 542 - The Ashley Book of Knots

PRAcnCAL J\lARLINGSPIKE SEAMANSHIP

the mousing. Stick the ends through the middle of the mousing

turns and tic an On:RIL\~D K~OT in each end.

3270. Nowadays hooks are often moused with wire. Frapping

turns are added and riding turns may he put on if desired hut arc

usually omitted. \Vithout frapping turns there would be no tension

on the. wire and consequently no support to the hook until it starts

to straighten.

To make: Double the wire and, without knotting, lead the ends

around the neck of the hook, lay them up together and take a num-

ber of turns around the neck and the bill, pulling each turn as taut

as possible. At the last turn lead the ends to the back of the hook

around opposite sides and twist them up together. Cut off the ends

and hammer them down and out of the way.

I have seen frapping turns of marline added to a wire mousing of

Nr.<:K
the sort just described.
~326S

3271. Sister hooks are used for a variety of purposes. They are ~ 13JL·L

often found on lightweight jib sheets. Ordinarily they are stopped (,;S "'OUTIl

with a number of round turns and a REEF KNOT. ~Or ~

2. 7

3272. If a shackle of the right size can be found it will prove

• stronger than a mousing but it should fit very snugly.

3273. A crowfoot, spread along the front rim of the fore and main

tops and leading to a tackle on the stay, was common in the days

of single topsails to prevent the foot of the sails fouling in the tops.

3274. The crowfoot nowadays is used to spread awnings and

canvas swimming pools on shipboard. In circuses it is indispensable

for spreading safety nets under trapeze performers. A euphroe block,

also called a centipede block, is used to dissipate the lines of the

crowfoot. 32 0

3275. The drawing shows a crowfoot at the head of a lateen

yard. From Furttenbach (1629). In this period blocks with shivs,

instead of euphroes, were used. <:)

32 13

3276. Before staysails came into use in the eighteenth century,

double mainstays were sometimes led to the forward shrouds and

secured with a crowfoot at either side. This left the space above the

main hatch dear.

3277. Cat harp ins stiffened the backstays by frapping them to the

tops, and were a variety of crowfoot. The ends were eye spliced and

seized similarly to ratlines (~34 38). Sometimes they had a euphroe

block, at other times they were merely lashed. Catharpins were still

to be seen occasionally at the turn of the present century.

32.75 3276