Front View	Side View

This is the original design for a vertical spool.

Peter Grant described the vertical spool in an early Huntsville Grotto Newsletter (see the 1962 Speleo Digest). The device was developed by "John" (possibly John Wegstein or John Danhof, see the 1963 Speleo Digest) for Fern cave, a 426 foot drop that was done on 500 feet of 5/8 inch manila rope. Naturally, the weight of the spool wasn't the biggest concern.

The rope is rigged by passing it under the top bollard, once or twice around the stem, and over the lower bollard. A safety carabiner should be used at the bottom, although I still think that the rope could easily come off if the rappeller isn't careful. This spool causes one to spin horribly. I don't think it is practical by today’s standards.