BOURNE SPOONER
However, upon the death of Harrison this monopoly came to an end, and ropewalks began to multiply in Boston as well as in other parts of the country. In 1794 there were fourteen large ropewalks in Boston, the business having steadily increased with the development of the new country. The importance of this industry is shown by the report that in the federal procession in Boston in 1788, the rope-makers outnumbered any other class of mechanics.
In 1810 there were 173 ropewalks in the United States, scattered over the country from Maine to Kentucky.
In 1824 the infant Plymouth Cordage Company entered upon the scene and gradually but surely became an important factor in the trade, until today it stands at the head.
In the first half of the last century Manila hemp began to take its place as a cordage fiber. According to official records, 27,820 bales were imported to the United States in 1843. This figure looks small when compared with a recent high figure of approximately 830,000 bales in a single year. The first record of the importation of Sisal is in 1860, when the United States received 1,393 bales. This has increased to 1,000,000 bales.
PATENT AND COMMON-LAID
CORDAGE,
Manufactured by Water-Power.