Washington telegraph., 1845-09-10
THE LONGEST LADDER IN THE
WORLD .. .-

On approaching the roads of Jamestown,
in the Island of st. Helena, your attention
is attracted by an enormous ladder, that ex-
tends from the town beneath TO fort direct
" over the town, on the summit of hill
500 feet high. On inquiry, | found that
sentineis were placed both below and above,
for the purpose of preventing any one as
cending or descending without an order
from the town Major. This regulation
was adopted in consequence OF the number
OF accidents, attended with fatal conse-
ouences. that had occurred. Together
with a companion, after dinner, | rambled
down to the guard house, and having found
the town MAJOR there, we obtained an or
der to permit our ascent.
The ladder is composed of steps more
that three feet in width, and some four inch
es in breadth, firmly fastened in sides oil
great strength. On either side is hand
rail, of such W idih that you can convenient
w Law a hand on either side. The steps
are upward Of { inches part, and great
numbers of them much decayed. At reSu-
lar distances are small seats for resting pia
ces. On one side. without the ladder,
description of slide has been formed, along
which Dullies are fixed, for the purpose, II
vvonld seem. of raising anything from the
town beneath, orespwering from the fort
ob,,,.e, Tho r--.izlts. hich
the ladder is erected is extremely steep, so
as utterly to preclude the idea of any ascent
without artificial means; in places there are
perfect precIpices, the rocks completely
oyerhanging.
AT the bottom we found no sentry, and
! i ! hut hs,H moi
attained above the height Of enc hundred
feet when we heard voice ha!ling us, and
preceived sentry calling on US to return,
who in his walk had been concealed from
us when below by al intervening proec-
tion. Down we had to go, and having
shown our pass, and satisfied the Cerberus.
commenced oar ascent again. NJ first we
proceeded rapidly, but soon found that not
to answer the height Of each step causing
considerable exeriion. MoIc slowly then
we moved along, attained the third resting
place. where we seated ourselves, and turn
ed to view he town beneath, with its mar
row streets and confined situation cover
ing, as ii were, between he two mighty
hills that seemed 10 press it on either side.
Alolt we turned our eyes, anXlous y
wishing ourselves at the top, but we bad
ihe best part Of the ascent yet 10 accom-
plish, and TO our task we once more went.
As we attained greater height, We found
die steps getting more and more out of re-
pair. in some places TWO or three steps to-
gether broken, so that we had 10 Chamber
up the best way we could. On. on we
went, with alternate rests: the town, the
bay and shipping bcaca'h gradually became
more minute, tAe fIIo, .ng bodies seeming
almost mites. When We reached within
a hundred .eet OF the sop. lie unusual IA
tgue almost oYcrpowe ed as; the dizzy
height so affected US that we tclt as if we
could scarce preserve ourselves from fall
iug-yct we psEscyeses!. tfni did succeed IN
reaching the top.
A moment later one human being would
have PASSED into aat. her word. My COM
panion, who was before me. had scarce
passed the gate at the top, when he tainted,
completely overcome, and he atlerward de-
cIared 10 me. that tor ihe las, hundred feet
OF so, nothing prevented his physical ener-
gies from beng oycrtO:-e Dy the fatigue
and the position he was IN, but the immc-
diaic prospcc; ul reaching place of sale
". Many lives have been lost on this lad
der, particularly those Of passengers, whom
curiosity induced to attempt the ascent
] he ariiiierymen and garrison Of the tort
are not, however used to going up and
down, exempt from CASUALTIES. and il was
,,nlv the week before my visit To ST. Helena
that an artillcryman was killed in attempt
ing to descend the ladder against time for a
wager. Ladder Hill fort completely hangs
over the bay; it is Of great strength, and
commands the roadstcad beneath
In the batteries are mouuled generally
eighteen twenty -ioar aud thirty two pound
ers, but there are some lew guns OF larg-
ercalibre. 4 singular accident happened
"a few years prcvloLs on thus battery. 4
passenger from one of the ships in the bay
had ascended to the fort, and looking from
the ramparts OF one of the batteries, per-
ceived his vessel beneath, and thought lie
could reach her with a stone. but in his at
tempt to do so, oyerbalanced himself and
fell from the awful height, being dashed lit
orally to pieces in the fall. Alter passing
an hour at the loit, we descended, but by
the road, which is cut in a zigzag manner
in the side Of the hills.-From "Reminis-
censes of a Ninc Years Tracel," in the
Lirepooj Times.