Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1837-11-16
oil Russia, is too remarkable to be omit
ted. The spire which rises
and liphi nnd .mnmn

ioily, and light, and smulI,''
is terminated by a globe of conside rabl.
dimensions on which an angel stands,
supporting large cross. This angel
less respected by the weather than per.
haps his holy character deserved, fell in.
to disrePair, and some suspicious were
entertained that he designed revisiting,
uninvoked. the surface of the earth. Th.
affair caused some uueasiness, aud the
government at length became seriously
perPleXed. To raise scaffolding to such
height would cost more money than all
the angels out OF heaven Were worth
aud in meditating fruitlessly OH these cir.
cumstances, without being able to re-
solve how to act. considerable time was
suffered to elapse.
Among the crowd of gazers below,
| who daily turned their eyes and their
thoughts towardsthe angel, was miiick
called Telouchkine. This man was
rooter Of houses. and his speculatons by
degrees assumed more practical char
acter than the idle wonders and coniec-
| lures OF the rest of the crowd. The spire
was entirely covered with sheets of gil
ded copper, and presented surface to
the eye as smooth as il it had been one
mass of FURNISHED gold. But Telouch-
kline knew that the sheets of copper
were not uniformly closed upon each o.
Their; and, above all, that there were
large nails used to fasten them, which
projected from the side Of the spire.
Having meditated upon these circum-
stances till his mind was made up. the
mijick went to the government, and or
fered TO repair the angel, without scat
folding, and without assistance, on con-
dition OF being reasonably paid for the
time expended in the labour. The offer
was accepted, for it W as NJ AIDE in Russia,
and by Russian.
On the day fixed for the adventure,
Telouchkine, provided with nothing
more than coil of ropes. assembled the
sPire in the interior. To the window
Here he looked at the concourse Of peo-
pie below, and up at the gl:ttering "nee-
die" as it is called, tapering far above
his head. But his heart did not fail him
aud stepping gravely out upon the win.
dow, he set about his task.
He cut portion of the cord in the
form of two large stirrups, with loop
at each ends. The upper loops he fas-
tened upon two Of the projecting nails
above his head and placed his feet in o.
thers.-Then digging the fingers of one
hand into the interstices oil the sheets of
copper he raised up on his stirrups on the
other hand. SO as to make it catch a mai!
higher up. The same operation he per
formed on the part OF the other leg, and
so on alternately. And thus he climbed
nail by nail. step by step, and stirrup by
strruP, till his starting post was scarce.
iy distinguished from the golden surface
and the spire had dwindled in his EN-
brace till he could clasp it all around
So far, so we'll. But he now reache ed
the ball, globe Of between nine and ten
feet Ia circumference. The angel the
object OF the visit, was above the ball,
and concealed from his view by its
smooth, round, and glittering expanse.
ORiy fancy the man at that moment, tur-
ming up his grave eyes and grave beard
to an object that seemed to defy the dar-
ing and ingenuity Of man.
But Telouchkine was not dismayed
He was prepared for the difficulty and
the rnesus by which he essayed TO sur
mount it, exhibited the same prodigieu!
simplicity as the rest of the feat
SuSpending himself in his stirrups, he
girded the needle with cord, the end
Of which he fastened around his waist
and, so supported, he leaned gradual,
back. till the soles of his feet were pla
ted against the spire. In this position
he threw, by a strong effort, coil of core
over the ball and SO coolly and accurate.
ly was the aim taken, that at the frs
trial it fell in the required direction, and
he saw the end hanging down on the
opposite side.
To draw himself up in his original po.
sition, to fasten the cord firmly around
the globe, and, with the assistance O.
this auxiliary, TO climb to the summit
were now an easy part Of the task ant
IN few minutes more Telouchkine stood
by the side Of the angel, and listened t.
the sudden shout that burst like snddeI
thunder from the crowd below, vet cam,
to his ear only like faint and hollow
murmur.
The cord, which he had an opportu
nifty OF fastening properly, enabled hin
10 descend with facility and the mex
day be carried up with him a ladder O
ropes, oy means of which he found it ca
sy to effect the necessary repairs.
a hHr,.-