I give the following extracts from the Report of a Committee appointed by the Alpine Club in 1864, on Ropes, Axes, and Alpenstocks:—­

Ropes.—­We have endeavoured to ascertain what ropes will best stand the sharp jerk which would be caused by a man falling suddenly into a crevasse, or down an ice-slope:  and on this subject we lay before the Club the result of nearly a hundred experiments, made with various kinds of rope purchased of the best London makers.  We considered that the least weight with which it was practically useful to test ropes, was twelve stone, as representing the average weight of a light man with his whole Alpine equipment.  In the preliminary experiments, therefore, all ropes were rejected which did not support the strain produced by twelve stone falling five feet.  Under this trial, all those plaited ropes which are generally supposed to be so strong, and many most carefully-made twisted ropes, gave way in such a manner as was very startling to some of our number, who had been in the habit of using these treacherous cords with perfect and most unfounded confidence.  Only four ropes passed successfully through this trial; these were all made by Messrs. Buckingham and Sons, of 33, Broad-street, Bloomsbury, and can be procured only of them.  We confined our further experiments to these ropes, one of which failed under severer tests, while the remaining three, made respectively of Manilla hemp, Italian hemp, and flax, proved so nearly equal in strength that it may fairly be doubted which is on the whole to be preferred.  Each of these three ropes will bear twelve stone falling ten feet, and fourteen stone falling eight feet; and it may be useful to say that the strain upon a rope loaded with a weight of fourteen stone, and suddenly checked after a fall of eight feet, is nearly equal to that which is caused by a dead weight of two tons.  None of these ropes, however, will bear a weight of fourteen stone falling ten feet; and the result of our experiments is, that no rope can be made, whether of hemp, flax, or silk, which is strong enough to bear that strain, and yet light enough to be portable.  We believe that these ropes, which weigh about three-quarters of an ounce to the foot, are the heaviest which can be conveniently carried about in the Alps.  We append a statement of the respective merits of the three kinds, all of which are now made by Messrs. Buckingham, expressly for the Club, and marked by a red worsted thread twisted in the strands:—­

No. 1.  Manilla hemp.  Weight of 20 yards, 48 oz.  Advantages—­Is softer and more pliable than 2.  Is more elastic than 2 and 3.  When wet, is far more pleasant to handle than 2 and 3.  Disadvantages—­Has a tendency to wear and fray at a knot.

No. 2.  Italian hemp.  Weight of 20 yards, 43 oz.  Advantages—­Is less bulky than 1 and 3.  Is harder, and will probably wear best, being least likely to cut against rocks.  Disadvantages—­Is much more still and difficult to untie than 1 and 3.  When wet, is very disagreeable to handle, and is apt to kink.