You're right, Ian, but I was describing an archaic use of the knot that fell out of favor before synthetics were invented. Pardon the pun.
And before anybody with a Visa card could buy twice as much rope as he needed.
It's scary to think about the occupational risks that people used to take for granted not long ago. Check this out, for instance:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...York-City.html
Scroll down to the Brooklyn Bridge painters.
John V