The Twopenny hangover "sleeping over a rope"

[smezenen]

Im starting this thread today for the purpose of my experiment. Any of you that follow The People of the Abyss thread have no doubt read the discussion of weather this actuall happened or not. I will be posting to this during the week that i spend sleeping over a rope.

First of all I am trying to get a few people to join me but they all think im crazy. None of them dispute that it could be done they just claim to have more comfortable places to be. Anyone is invited to join me, Email me if you would seriously want to be a part of this experiment.


I have ran into many more descriptions of sleeping over the rope this week, the one true constant in all but one account has someone either cutting or untying the rope in the morning to wake up the sleepers. I will be testing more than one version to see what works best. I have already devised a way to string the rope across my den.

here is what i have learned thus far;
A thicker diameter rope will be more comfortable than a thin rope.
A towel or piece of rag wrapped around the rope gives some relief from the rope biting into you. Wading it up and placeing it on the rope is not as effective becouse it will move and possibly fall while sleeping.

I have yet to try to sleep but have decided on the positions I will try this coming week. More to follow.

[Bulldog]

Smezenen,

Good for you. To be fair, though, your test panel should be drawn from the poorest of the poor -- people whose only other choice would be sleeping outdoors. You also probably want to come as close as possible to replicating conditions in a 19th century doss house. To start, move your experiment to the kitchen -- that’s where the two-penny-a night lodgers usually slept. You’ll also want a long bench for your test panel to sit on.

Here comes the important part [ta-dum] the rope. Yes, the infamous two-penny rope. It should be heavy. Try for something about an inch in diameter. Then stretch it taut right in front of the bench. It should be about shoulder level of someone sitting down, and a little way in front of them. Now all they have to do is lean over and rest their head on the rope, using their folded coat or jacket as a pillow. That's all a two-penny rope was.

And Smezenen, don’t even think of cutting the rope and sending your test panel tumbling to the floor. That’s more fancy than fact. Doss houses were business establishments and two-penny-a-night lodgers were paying customers.

Good luck, and sleep tight. And don't snore!

Bulldog

[smezenen]

Bulldog,
Thanks for the advice. I have already gone over most of those sugestions and covered some of them in my above post and also on another thread. Unfortunatly im not going to be able to use the destitute and poor for my experiment becouse there just are not any around here this time of the year, still a bit cold for them however I figure me, my kids and hopefully some of their friends will do. (I will have to force the kids they think I'm nuts) Also as stated above I have read a few references on the subject but I havent seen any that refer to a kitchen. Most I have read describe a long room with rows of benchs or just rows of rope. And as I also stated in the above post all but one mention cutting or untying the rope to wake the sleepers and get them moving. This practice is said to have come about due to the fact that people would not move on in a timely manner in the morning unless forced. If you know of any sources that state otherwise please pass them along so i can add them to my reference list. Thanks.

[Ally]

They wouldn't have cut the rope. Waste of rope.

[smezenen]

I think the same way about it being a waste of rope, so I wont be cutting mine however I am taking that bit from contemperary liturature and I have no reason to doubt the likes of Orwell or Dickens. I tend to believe that most would just untie it.

The Twopenny Hangover. This comes a little higher than the
Embankment. At the Twopenny Hangover, the lodgers sit in a row on a bench; there is a rope in front of them, and they lean on this as though leaning over a fence. A man, humorously called the valet, cuts the rope at five in the morning. -Orwell "Down and Out in London and Paris"

'And pray, Sam, what is the twopenny rope?' inquired Mr. Pickwick. 'The twopenny rope, sir,' replied Mr. Weller, 'is just a cheap lodgin' house, where the beds is twopence a night.' 'What do they call a bed a rope for?' said Mr. Pickwick. 'Bless your innocence, sir, that ain't it,' replied Sam. 'Ven the
lady and gen'l'm'n as keeps the hot-el first begun business, they used to make the beds on the floor; but this wouldn't do at no price, 'cos instead o' taking a moderate twopenn'orth o' sleep, the lodgers used to lie there half the day. So now they has two ropes, 'bout six foot apart, and three from the floor, which goes right down the room; and the beds are made of slips of coarse sacking, stretched across 'em.' 'Well,' said Mr. Pickwick. 'Well,' said Mr. Weller, 'the adwantage o' the plan's hobvious. At six o'clock every mornin' they let's go the ropes at one end, and down falls the lodgers. Consequence is, that being thoroughly waked, they get up wery quietly, and walk away!
-Dickens "The Pickwick Papers"

[harry]

Smezenen,
Do not forget the double rope for couples that wish to sleep together,nor the half ropes for children under ten.Perhaps also you might try sleeping longwise,and include a knotted rope,for those you think ought to get knotted.Me for example.Ha! Ha!.And try to begin on April 1st.Yes I can be humerous at times.

[smezenen]

LOL Harry I apreciate the humer and actually a double rope is in the plan based the Dickens description. his description sounds like a form of hammock.

[suspiria_2]

i just saw a depiction of this, however inaccurate, in a Sean Connery/Donald Sutherland movie called "The Great Train Robbery". It flashed for about 3 seconds on the screen as a man was running through the room, and showed a bunch of disheveled persons who seemed to be in a standing position, leaning frontwise over the ropes with their arms hanging down on the other side. most still seemed to have their hats on.

there were multiple ropes strung across the room, and it seemed to be pretty packed. hope that helps, but probably not. movies have no obligation towards determining historical fact.

[smezenen]

Thanks for that lead suspiria_2 I'll have to check into that tis afternoon.

Ok after my first night on the ropes i can say.....man that was uncomfortable. sorry no pistures yet becosue I was the only one home last night.

I first tried to sleep standing up facing the rope with my arms hanging over it. that only lasted about 3 minutes. I find this method most improbable becouse without anything other than the rope suporting the body you can not stay on the rope. if you where ever able to get to sleep you'r legs would go limp and you fall off.

Next ZI tried sitting facing the rope arms hanging over. This method will be possible but only after I am very tired. The first thing you find out with this method is unless you have a large roled up piece of material between your arms and the rope your arms will fall asleep before you do.

Next i tried leaning forward with my forhead on the rope. This is much more comfortable that the other two tries and I could sleep this way. same as resting your head on the desk in front of you or the seatback on the schoolbus as i heard one person put it. the drawback is if there are more people on the rope and someone moves it you will fall off.

last I tried leaning back against the rope with my arms hanging over it. this position actually supported my body very well but not my head it was by far still the best position and I actualy slept for about an hour.

More to follow. and hopefully pictures tonight.

[Jane Coram]

Hi,

For what it's worth an old friend of the family who was a great adventurer in his younger days bummed around the world in the 1920' and 30's and he told us that he slept over the rope in the Salvation Army hostels in Australia on many occasions, because he couldn't afford a bed for the night.

He described it in exactly the way that it is described in the accounts posted on the thread, and said that he slept quite well considering. And no, the didn't cut the ropes to wake them up, they just shook them violently.

I am pretty certain that there were an assortment of age groups, and health conditions dangling there at the time, just as there has always been in any Salvation Army hostel for the homeless. Reg was a tough little sod himself, which goes to show that roughing it doesn't always lead to ill health and an early mortality. He's well in his 80's when he died.

Good luck with your experiment smezenen!

Hugs

Jane

xxxx

[Rob Clack]

i just saw a depiction of this, however inaccurate, in a Sean Connery/Donald Sutherland movie called "The Great Train Robbery". It flashed for about 3 seconds on the screen as a man was running through the room, and showed a bunch of disheveled persons who seemed to be in a standing position, leaning frontwise over the ropes with their arms hanging down on the other side. most still seemed to have their hats on.

there were multiple ropes strung across the room, and it seemed to be pretty packed. hope that helps, but probably not. movies have no obligation towards determining historical fact.

One of my favourite films:



Rob

[Stephen Thomas]

Wasn't there a similar scene in 'From Hell'?

[DVV]

Hi Stephen,
there is. Mary and her friends. But they were sitting to sleep. Comfort is something important.

Amitiés, hope you're fine,
David

[Brenda]

I just found this thread! I love that smezenen is attempting to do this. Someone should get Ripperologist magazine to interview him - it's interesting news!

[smezenen]

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Im sorry I havent posted to this thread this week but my little experiment is on hold for the time being. My wife and two of my children where in an auto accident on April 1st. The kids are fine but my wife has been in hospital so I have been there at her side. She is doing ok and should be coming home later today or tomarrow but unfortunatly it has taken a toll on my emotions and my heart is just not into this experiment at the moment. I may pick it back up in a few weeks, who knows. Thank you for your interest and if anyone wants to pick this up and run with it you are welcome too.