Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1858-03-11

Thrilling scene.


FEARFUL EXPERIENCE OF LIGHTNING RoD
MAN-llIs ASCENT To THE SUMMIT OF "a
THEDRAL SPIRE-Mr. Thos. Kingston, who
for several years has followed the business OF
putting up Lightning rods, which. OF course,
requires steady nerves and firm brain, met
with an accident recently. by which but Tor
the most singular presence OF mind, or rather
supernatural instinct, he would have fallen
! from a DIZZY height, aud been dashed to
pieces. lie is compelled 70 climb roofs, over
chmueys, and up spires and Fix q rod, with
perfect GOODNESS and precision, hundreds OF
feet above the level OF the earth.
Ga the occasion to which We refer, Mr.. H.
had assembled St. PauPs Cathedral, whose
spire is about two hundred and thirty five
! feet high, near the head Of Broadway, and
gone to the very top, where, having lett his
! ladder below, be chung BY his arms and legs,
/ fastened the last foot of the rod, and attached
its poiu:-quite heavy piece of metal-se-
curelv, as he supposed. to the cross sur
mounting the steeple. lie had just compile
ted this difficult and dangerous task, watched
! by humber of persons 10 the street below,
| and while looking az the work and experen-
cling that satisfaction which results from
sudden something heavy struck him and
made bis brain reel until he could hardly
see Instead of losing his hold at once, as
would seem to have been the natural and IN
| evitable result, he chung with power be-
yond himself, and a will superior to his own.
closer and instinctively to the spire. lie
knew not what had occurred, and to his con-
| flu sed senses it appeared that the steeple was
tumbng, or that some strange cause was
about to bring the vast structure 10 the
ground
Some forty seconds--an age to him--must
! have elapsed before he sufficiently collected
| his scattered thoughts end subverted COO
| scicusncss, TO know that the entire upper
part of the rod bad fallen upon his head,
! causing the blood to trckle over bis forehead,
and nearly blind him. lie was in dread
full perplexity and most dangerous position.
! lie feared, if be moved ne would 60 cieav-
| ing the air to a terrible death upon the stony
street below-and at the same time he knew
he could not 10 the disordered state of has
nerves, and his increasing weakness, rettin
his grasp, more the result of fate than OF
| feeling, much longer. If he stirred be might
| fall: if be remained, he certsiGly would and
so determined to make at least an e.Jrt tpr
his life he put forth one foot very cautiously,
then his arms, and then moved the other
foot; and after half minute of exertiOn,
and the greatest danger, the touched the toF-
most rouDd Of the ladder, and in few Sc
conds more was inside of the steeple. and safe.
Then it was Mr.. KS great courage and
strength forsook him; his nerves and muscles
relaxed be grew sick unto DEATH his knees
gave way his vision swan, and he sank
upon the platform motioness and insensible.
He must have lain there bali an boar before
h. could rise and walk, and he did Dot re-
GOV from the shock for more than fort
/ nght afterwards.
The people gazing up at him from the
street, describe the scene as painfG! and excl
ting in the extreme. When they observed
the rod fall, thrill Of horror ran through
their hearts, and two women swOOned away,
for they expected to behold him the nezt
moment dashed to pieces ut their feet. Desr
tiny had ordered otherwise, and MIR. Is. still
pursues his dangerous aVOcatlOu; but he
says if be were to live thousand years, he
would never forget the intense horror OF
those certury-like moments when he seemed
to hang upon the air more than twI hundred
feet above the earth, and to be mOmentarllV
descending TO a dreadful DEATH ChctHaah
EIlguTCr