It was necessary to know the prisoner’s height and weight accurately and to this end they were weighed and measured by the prison staff and this information passed to the hangman.
The length of drop was determined from the drop table based upon the person’s weight in their clothes, combined with the hangman’s experience and his direct observation of the prisoner.
A line was painted on the noose end of the rope marking the point where the internal circumference was 18 inches (457mm) which in the 1890’s was deemed to be equivalent to the circumference of the neck plus the distance from the eyelet to the top of
The head after the drop. The 18 inch figure allowed for the subsequent constriction of the neck. Presumably this was increased where the person had a very thick neck. From the painted line the hangman measured along the rope and tied a piece of thread at the calculated drop distance. The rope was then attached to the D shackle at the end of the chain hanging down from the beam. The chain was adjusted so that the thread mark was at the same height as the top of the prisoner’s head. A sandbag of approximately the same weight as the prisoner was now attached to the noose and dropped through the trap and left hanging over night to remove any stretch from the rope. The following morning it was removed, the trap doors re-set and the rope re-adjusted to get the thread mark back to the correct height.
The Home Office issued the following instructions to executioners in the 1930’s for the correct setting up of the drop.
"Obtain a rope fTom Execution Box B making sure that the Gutta Percha covering the splice at each end is un-cracked by previous use.
Find the required drop from the Official Table of Drops making allowance for age and physique.
At the noose end of the rope measure thirteen inches (allowance for the neck) from the centre of the brass eye, mark this by tying round the rope a piece of pack-thread fTom Execution Box B.
From this mark measure along the rope the exact drop required (this must be to the nearest quarter inch),
Mark again by a piece of pack-thread tied to the rope.
Fasten the rope by pin and tackle to the chain suspended from the beams above, and, using the adjusting bracket above so adjust the rope that the mark showing the drop is exactly in accordance with the height of the condemned man.
Take a piece of copper wire from Execution Box B, secure one end over the shackle on the end of the chain, and bend up the other end to coincide with the mark showing the drop.
Put on the trap the sandbag, making sure it is filled with sand of an equivalent weight to the condemned man.
Put the noose around the neck of the sandbag and drop the bag in the presence of the governor.
The bag is left hanging until two hours before the time of execution the next morning. At this time examine the mark on the rope and copper wire to see how much the rope has stretched. Any stretch must be made good by adjusting the drop. Lift the sandbag, pull up the trapdoor by means of chains and pulley blocks, set the operating lever and put in the three-quarter safety pin which goes through the lever brackets to prevent the lever being accidentally moved.
Coil the rope ready and tie the coil with pack-thread leaving the noose suspended at the height of the condemned man's chest. All is now ready."
World History
