The Evansville journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1834-184?, 1845-09-25
LADDER IN THE WORLD.

LONGEST LADDER IN THE WORLD.
On approaching the roads of jamestown,
in the Island of 81. Helena, your attention is
attracted by an enormous ladder, that extends
from the town beneath TO a fort directly over
the town, on the summit Of hill 500 fl, high.
On inquiry | found that sentinels were placed
below and above, for the pnpose of prevent
ing any one ascending or descending without
an order from the town major. This regula-
ZION was adopted in consequence ofthe num-
Der of accidents, attended with fatal conse-
quences, that bad occurred. Together with
a companion, after dinner | rambled down to
the guard house, and having found the town
ma or there, we obtained an order 10 per-
nit our ascent.
The ladder is composed of steps nearly
three feet in width, and some four inches in
breadth, firmly fastened in sides of great
strength. On either side is a hand rail. OF
such a width that you can conveniently lay
a hand on either side. The steps are up.
wards of Is inches part, and a great number
of them much decayed. Al regular distances
are small seats for resting places. On one
side, withouttbe ladder, a description ofslide
has been formed, along which pullies have
been fixed, Tor The purpose, il would seem,
of raising anything from the town beneath,
or lowering from the fort above. The face
of The hill, against which the ladder is erect
cd, is extremely steep, SO as utterly 10 pre-
clude The idea oiany ascent without artificial
means; in places there are perfect precipi-
ces, the rocks completely overchanging.
AT The bottom we found No sentry, and so
proceeded 10 ascend at once, but had not got
above the height OF one hundred fl. when we
heard a voice halling us, and perceived a
sentry calling on US 10 return, who in his
walk had been concealed from US when be-
low by an intervening projection. Down we
had TO go, and having shown our pass, and
satisfied the Cerebrus, commenced our as
ceni again. At first we proceeded rapidly
but soon found that not TO answer, the height
Of each step causing considerable exertion.
More slowly then we moved along, attained
The third resting place, where we seat
ed ourselves, and turned 10 view the own
beneath, with lis narrow sts., and confined
situation, covering, as it were, beneath the
two mighty hills that seemed 10 press it on
either side.
Alof we turned our eyes, anx;ously wish
ing ourselves at The top, but we had The best
part of the ascent yet 10 accomplish, and TO
orr task we once more went. As we attain
ed a greater height we found The steps get
ting more and more out of repair, in some
places Two or three steps together broken, so
that we had 10 Chamber up the best way we
could. On. On we went, with alternate rests;
IIe town, the bay and shipping beneath grad
ually became more minute, the moving bod
les seeming almost mites. When We reach
ed within Il hundred feet of the top, the un-
usual fatigue almost overpowered us:-the
dizzy height SO affected us that we felt as if
we could scarce preserve ourselves from fall
Ing-yet we perseVered and did succeed in
reaching the top.
A moment Iaier one human being would
have passed into another world. Ny com
paniOn, who was before me, had scarce pas
sed the gate at The top, when he tainted.
completely overcome, and he aflerward de-
claIed TO me, that for the last hundred feet
or so, nothing pIevenledh his physical energies
from being overcome by the fatigue ano the
position he was in, but the immediate pros
pect of reaching Il place OF saIeiy.-Many
lives have been lost OH this ladder, particular
ly those Of passengers, whom curiosity indu-
ced 10 attempt The ascent. The artillerymen
and garrison of the fort are not, however u.s.
ed to going up and down, exempt from cas-
%ualities, and it was only the very week be-
fore my visit to ST. Helena that an artillery
man was killed in attempting 10 decend the
ladder against time for a wager. Ladder Hill
fort completely hangs over the bay: it is of
great strength, and commands the roadstead
beneath.
In the batteries are mounted generally
eighteen tweniy-lour and thirty-two pound
ers, but there are some few guns Off large
caIibre. A singular accident happened a
few years previous on this battery. A pas
senger fiom one of The ships in the bay had
assembled to the fort, and looking from the
ramparts of one Of the batteries, perceived
his vessel beneath, and thought he could
reach her with a stone, but in his attempt TO
do so, overbalanced himself, land fell from the
awful height, being dashed literally 10 pieces
by the fall.--Afler passing an hour at the
fort, We descended, but by the road, which
is cut in a zigzag manner in the side oil the
hill.-From "Reminiscences of a Nine Years
| TrareT" in the liverpool Times.
DECIDEDLY RICH.
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