The Local Rope Walk.

Manawatu Herald, 29 July 1899, Page 2

The Local Rope Walk.

We paid a visit the other day to the Rope walk, run by Mr O'Connell. We found him and his assistant hard at work making ropes, and found by the side of the walk strands of twine, as well as plough reins waiting their turn for the finishing touches to be given before going into store. Mr O'Connell has had many years experience in ropetnaking, and the article he produces proves he understands his work. He informs us that he has all he can do to meet the demand, and the articles he manufactures are numerous, being twine in various thicknesses for the store, binder twine, rope, very small, and others for tethering, up to a large size which has been ordered by Mr George Coley. We, however, travelled to the walk more especially to investigate an ingenious plan Mr O'Connell has adopted to save labour. We suppose it is generally known that rope is made from strands, and it was, till lately, the custom to employ a boy to turn a wheel at the end of the walk to secure the twist being given the yarn, the employment of the boy meant the expenditure of so much a week for his wages. One day Mr O'Connell became aware that the boy's work might be done by the spinner himself, and he has fixed up an old hollow rimmed cycle wheel on bearings at the end of the walk and by means of an endless rope running the whole length of the walk he has a contrivance to hitch this to a belt round his body 'so that the action of his walking backwards spinning supplies the power to turn the action by which the fibre is twisted. It works splendidly and has thus saved a lot of money. The idea is simplicity itself, and anybody could have suggested it — after they had seen the one at work. For ropes the old fashioned plan has still to be adhered to. We recommend those who admire ingenuity to pay Mr O'Connell a visit.