The recalled axe-and-rope reactor shutdown arrangement

Was an early way of scramming a reactor to cut a rope with an axe?

The arrangement is recalled for very early experimental reactors, with explicit uncertainty and no particular reactor identified.

A participant asks whether an early reactor could be shut down by cutting a rope to release control rods. One answer is uncertain, while another agrees with the qualification that this concerns very early, laboratory-built equipment. The mechanism remains a qualified recollection, with no installation or documentary reference identified.