Word: roped
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Dates: during 1940-1940
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...good tug of war team of the '80s, whether in school or college," wrote onetime Tugger Gordon, "compared favorably with a well-trained crew in technique, precision and rhythm. . . . There were five men to a team. . . . The rope was about seventy-five feet long. . . . Exactly in the middle of the platform there was a red line one inch wide over which was the lever which held the rope preparatory to the 'drop' or start...
...teams take their position [see top cut], the rope, which is taut, is held down by the lever on which the referee stands. At the word 'heave,' he jumps off the lever and so releases the rope. The men drop into position [see lower cut]. Having fallen on the right side, each man instantly throws his left foot over the rope to the cleat and in that position he continues to pull for five minutes...
...eyes of the rope-men must be constantly kept on their anchorman, for he signals for all maneuvers. . . . There are various sorts of heaves, some long and steady, some short and jerky, some with irregular intervals. All these required much study and practice...
Because Englishmen in the 17th Century first exploited Southern pine forests for pine tar & pitch (for calking ships' hulls, tarring rope), pine products are called naval stores. Three hundred years later the same timberlands (from North Carolina to Texas) yielded 80% of the world's turpentine (for thinning paint) and rosin (for soap, paper making, varnishes), still called naval stores. By 1900 this industry was turning out annually 600,000 bbl. of turpentine, 2,000,000 bbl. of rosin, hit $63,500,000 in 1921. Of that lush business, some 60% was in exports. In all those years...
...Great Mei Fu, who, foot-over-foot, walks up an inclined rope to the top gallery, then whizzes down it backwards...