Not P but Moby-Dick (71)

[Mark Kohut]

Historically nautical cordage seems not to have been measured by circumference. 

Sent from my iPad

> On Feb 16, 2024, at 3:33 PM, Mike Jing <gravitys.rainbow.cn at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> A rope of nine inch diameter seems unlikely to me, so I'm leaning towards
> the girth or circumference, but I know nothing about nautical cordage.
> 
> 
>> On Fri, Feb 16, 2024 at 11:14 AM Ian Livingston <igrlivingston at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>> 
>> Rope, including wire rope (which was not yet used in nautical applications
>> in Melville's maritime days) is generally referred to by its diameter. A
>> nine-inch long rope of half inch, or nine inch, diameter might be used as
>> an item in an art installation, but otherwise occupy space in a landfill
>> somewhere.
>> 
>> On Thu, Feb 15, 2024 at 9:32 PM Mike Jing <gravitys.rainbow.cn at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>> 
>>> So does the "nine-inch" refer to the circumference or the diameter, or is
>>> it something else? I searched around and found a lot of mention of
>>> "nine-inch cable" in books, but could not find such information.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>>> On Thu, Feb 15, 2024 at 6:34 AM Mark Kohut <mark.kohut at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Standard rope gauges were determined by the number of folds made in the
>>>> rope walk. Standard sailing ship rigging usually varied from 1–1/4 inch
>>> dia
>>>> to 10 inches in diameter, the latter used for towing another ship, tie
>>> up
>>>> to docks, and far less often for anchors, chain being preferred for
>>> anchors.
>>>> 2
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> On Thu, Feb 15, 2024 at 3:31 AM Mike Jing <
>>> gravitys.rainbow.cn at gmail.com>
>>>> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>>> From Chapter 89:
>>>>> 
>>>>> First: What is a Fast-Fish? Alive or dead a fish is technically fast,
>>> when
>>>>> it is connected with an occupied ship or boat, by any medium at all
>>>>> controllable by the occupant or occupants,—a mast, an oar, a nine-inch
>>>>> cable, a telegraph wire, or a strand of cobweb, it is all the same.
>>>>> 
>>>>> Here, the "nine-inch" refers to the girth of the rope, is that correct?
>>>>> 
>>>>> Previous translations interpreted it as the length, which seems
>>> obviously
>>>>> wrong to me.
>>>>> --
>>>>> Pynchon-L: https://waste.org/mailman/listinfo/pynchon-l
>>>>> 
>>>> 
>>> --
>>> Pynchon-L: https://waste.org/mailman/listinfo/pynchon-l
>>> 
>> 
> --
> Pynchon-L: https://waste.org/mailman/listinfo/pynchon-l