man-ropes

• “Halting for an instant at the foot of the ladder, and with both hands grasping the ornamental knobs of the man-ropes, Father Mapple cast a look upwards, and then with a truly sailor-like but still reverential dexterity, hand over hand, mounted the steps as if ascending the main-top of his vessel.”

  Moby Dick; or the Whale

• “And in the present instance, all this was heightened by the sight of the two officers of the strange ship, leaning over the side, by the perpendicular ladder of nailed cleets there, and swinging towards him a pair of tastefully-ornamented man-ropes; for at first they did not seem to bethink them that a one-legged man must be too much of a cripple to use their sea bannisters.”

  Moby Dick; or the Whale

• “The wife of a whaling captain had provided the chapel with a handsome pair of red worsted man-ropes for this ladder, which, being itself nicely headed, and stained with a mahogany color, the whole contrivance, considering what manner of chapel it was, seemed by no means in bad taste.”

  Moby Dick; or the Whale

• “I hope, my Lord," observed D----, as he stood at the gangway of the yacht, and handed the man-ropes to R----, "you have had a pleasanter voyage than we.”

  A Yacht Voyage to Norway, Denmark, and Sweden 2nd edition

• “While in this situation, with the vessel rolling from side to side, watching the proper time for letting go the man-ropes, it required the greatest dexterity and presence of mind to leap into the boats.”

  Records of a Family of Engineers

• “Ropes that are to be used as hand-lines, stanchions, man-ropes, railings, or in fact wherever a neat appearance counts, are usually wormed, served, and parcelled.”

  Knots, Splices and Rope Work A Practical Treatise

• “This is probably the most useful of decorative knots and is largely used aboard ship for finishing the ends of rope railings, the ends of man-ropes, for the ends of yoke-lines and to form "stoppers" or "toggles" to bucket handles, slings, etc.”

  Knots, Splices and Rope Work A Practical Treatise

• “In like manner he told off three other guncrews, and the remainder left at the double, to return through the further doors with four light quick-firers jerking at the end of man-ropes.”

  Traffics and Discoveries

• “It therefore afforded some merriment to those who had got fairly seated in their respective boats to see the difficulties which attended their companions, and the hesitating manner in which they quitted hold of the man-ropes in leaving the ship.”

  Records of a Family of Engineers

• “An instantaneous yell of the most appalling nature issued from his mouth, and never before, since ship-building began, were a couple of man-ropes thrown off with greater violence!”

  The Battery and the Boiler Adventures in Laying of Submarine Electric Cables

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