This early 1950s color documentary “Lifeline” is a long advertisement for Plymouth Cordage Company. It is a George F. Foley Production and narrated by Thomas Mitchell (best known as Scarlett O’Hara’s father). A lumberjack holds his hand to his mouth; a tree top falls (1:50-2:20). A Plymouth machine ties bundles of newspapers printed on high-speed presses (2:21-3:13). A farmer uses binder twine to bind bundles of wheat collected in the field (4:31-4:42). A cowboy uses a lariat to rope a calf. Two bulls butt heads (5:00-5:32). A tractor uses baler twine to harvest hay into bales picked up and loaded on a farm trailer (5:34-6:25). A halibut fisherman ties baited hooks to a heavier line before tossing it overboard. Very large halibut are placed into the hold (6:30-8:02). A lobster pot is pulled onboard by rope (8:03-8:43). Tuna, salmon, and sardines are caught using purse seine rope (8:44-9:26). A whale is caught using a harpoon attached to specialty rope (9:27-11:02). Rope is used to swing cargo to ships. Tugboats are attached with sleeve lay rope (11:04-13:15). A deckhand uses rope as a lariat to circle the pier peg (13:16-13:49). A tug uses nylon rope to move a train car barge (13:50-14:45). Highly twisted rope secures boats passing through the New Orleans locks (14:46-15:33). A slag ship is pulled on the Great Lakes to the steel mills (15:34-15:50). Smoke rises from steel factory chimneys. A construction worker straddles a steel girder high in the air. Another uses rope to pull a beam into place (15:51-16:15). Oil wells use wire with fiber centers and those of 100% fiber made into a spinning line (16:16-16:58). Girls wade across storm flooded streets (16:59-17:10). Telephone repairman fix pole lines using storm line (17:11-17:45). Costumed Rockettes walk backstage in front of stage ropes before performing (18:00-18:34). Skiers use a ski tow rope (18:36-19:00). Circus workers use ropes to pull up tents (19:02-19:20). Climbers use nylon mountain climbing rope. A climber carefully uses his shoes, pick, and ropes to climb (19:22-20:00). A cowboy lassos a calf at a rodeo (20:02-20:35). Sailboats use linen ropes to work the sails (20:36-21:13). A speedboat pulls performing water skiers (21:14-21:43). Smoke rises from a pilot’s crash-landed plane. A rope is thrown from a rescue ship to the exhausted pilot floating in the water and pulls him onboard. Wounded soldiers on stretchers are moved by ropes to a hospital ship (21:44-23:07). Food is transferred in a rope cargo net to a combat vessel. Assault troops leaves ships via rope ladders. Ammunition moves towards the beachhead secured by ropes. Sailors are transported to a ship via a rope swing (23:08-23:53). The process of rope-making is shown at the Plymouth Cordage Company. Fibers are combed. Many spools are wound. The results are wound into strands on a turning machine, adding twist. The strands are made into rope. The test laboratory is shown with its various machines. Bottles of liquid test resistance to mold and parasites. The stress test machine is shown in action (23:55-26:52).
The Plymouth Cordage Company was a rope making company located in Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA. The company, founded in 1824, had a large factory located on the Plymouth waterfront. By the late 19th century, the Plymouth Cordage Company had become the largest manufacturer of rope and twine in the world. The company specialized in ship rigging, and was chosen among other competitors in the early 1900s to manufacture the rope used on the USS Constitution. The company’s twine, Plymouth binder twine, popular among farmers, was the inspiration for the naming of the Plymouth brand of automobiles first produced in 1928.
The Plymouth Cordage Company served as the largest employer in Plymouth for over 100 years. It went out of business in 1964 after over 140 years of continuous operation. By the early 1960s, it had bought all the materials needed for production, had no debt and a lot of cash and was bought out by the Columbian Rope Company in 1965.
We encourage viewers to add comments and, especially, to provide additional information about our videos by adding a comment! See something interesting? Tell people what it is and what they can see by writing something for example: “01:00:12:00 — President Roosevelt is seen meeting with Winston Churchill at the Quebec Conference.”
This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
