Tent Pitching by S. E. Wight

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park, Washington, D. C. · Aug 21, 1913

Tent Pitching

By S. E. Wight

THIS article has been prepared for the REVIEW AND HERALD by request. Many of the young ministers who have not had the opportunity of connecting with tent efforts would like to know how to pitch a tent, and it will be the endeavor of the writer to give such plain instruction that any one may be able to pitch a tent without difficulty. It is more than likely that the older ministers of the denomination, having had a great deal of experience, can tell better how to pitch a tent than can the tent-makers themselves, and the writer would like it understood that he does not attempt to exhaust the subject in this article, but only to give a few hints that will enable the beginner to successfully prepare his tent for the holding of meetings.

When a tent is bought, a blue-print should be secured with it, if possible. This makes the pitching very simple. Often these prints are not procurable, so for this reason we must know how to pitch a tent without their help.

First, let us consider a square meeting-tent. The tent may be spread out on the ground to its fullest capacity on the spot where the tent is to be pitched. We shall suppose that the wall is six feet high, and that the tent has only one guy-rope in each corner. Draw a line around your tent in a perfect square, five feet every way from the tent, and in each of the four corners of this square, put a stake. The other stakes place five feet from the wall pole holes, directly opposite and in line with the corner stakes. Most of the square tents are not laced. If they are sufficiently large to be laced, then before lacing, the ball ring should be put on and the center poles put in place. In case it has no lacing, the center pole is put in after the tent is placed on the ground in its proper place. When all the stakes are driven well into the ground, tie the guy-ropes and raise the tent.

In pitching a round tent, the diameter of the tent should be determined. To do this, measure with a tape the distance around the eaves of the tent, and divide that by 3.1416, which will give the diameter. Add to the diameter twice the distance from the tent you wish your guy-stakes to be set, which is usually one foot less than the height of the wall, and multiply this by 3.1416; divide the product by the number of spaces between the wall pole holes there are in the rim of the tent, which gives you the space between each stake. When this distance has been found, put a stake, with a nail in the top of it, where you wish your center pole to be placed; place over the nail the ring in your tape line, and go out a distance equal to one half of the diameter of the large circle just found, and set a stake. After the first stake has been set, then pass on, keeping the tape line straight, and make sure the space between your stakes as found, and so follow on until the complete circle has been formed.

If there is a splice, prepare only one half of the round top as described above; then if you wish, you can lay down the splice on the ground opposite this half-circle and set the stakes for it, and then prepare the other half-circle the same as the first.

When the tent is put up, do not make the mistake of drawing it too high on your center poles. Leave it very loose until you have your small guys adjusted. The rim rope should be well stretched before the center is pulled up. When you have securely tied your small guys, unless something out of the ordinary takes place, it is not necessary to ever untie them before taking the tent down. When desiring to slacken the tent, do so by crossing the wall poles and lowering the tent on the center poles.

S. E. WIGHT.