Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1860-05-25
CEDAR FALLS, IOWA, FRIDA1

The interior of the tower and spire was
empty, except for the various appliances
which had been used for the purposes of its
erection. Glancing upward, therefore saw
only the rough and irregular interior of a
great perpendicular stone tube, in the mid
die Of which shot up vast center-post of
heavy timber, branched with crosspieces run
ming to holes in the wall for the support OF
planks, platforms, and pulleys; lost above
my head in the dimness of the narrow and
almost unlightcd tower, and the congcries of
worilman's materials. A heavy tackle yet
hung idly down at one side; snow and ice
lay here and there mixed with spattered
mortar, sand and stone chips; and a rough
and icy ladder of Stats nailed insecurity
across two clumsy pieces of jo;st, led perpcn-
dicularly up thirty feet, to a rude landing
place. Gs1 ri 1s.f =aa~
Up l went, however, with perilous and
painful climbing. A rotten slat broke in my
hand and if | had fallen sideling against
the rugged stone wall should have broken
my neck. AS it was barely saved myself
AT the landing place of which | spoke
paused moment. To my surprise there
was no further ladder. The workmen had
probably withdrawn it to prevent climbing
up. Without waiting to speculate upon the
means which Billy might have used to as
cend, seized the heavy ropes of the tackle,
which was hooked on some distance above
me, and recalled some of my boyish sl2ight,
shinned' up, hand over hand, to the edg-
wise plank at which it was secured. BY a
desperate effort lifted myself to the upper
edge, and out Of breath, with burning hands
and beating heart, sat down for a moments
rest. #..G #." -@ + T..am
Bang--bang-baRg-BANG!
What dreadful pain shot through me as
| heard something thus fall against stone and
timber, tumbling from the vast dark height
above me with those quick irregular heavy
dead knocks! Had he fallen? Down It
came, however, block of fresh-stone four
times as large as my head, dislodged by Billy,
by mere accident, only grazing my foot,
crashing onward and reaching the ground
with great thud
From this point the only means of ascent
for the remainder of the passage in the inte-
rior, was succession of pieces of joist, set
insecurely at various angles, and having slips
of boards nailed across them 5y the middle
with the common cut nails and even ofthesc
unsafe steps number was already broken
down, and either quite gone or sticking slant
ingly across by single nail. The space in
the interior was also now very contracted ::
and several times in the darkness received
bad knock from some crosspece which I
could not well see, or from projecting stone
in the wall. Slowly, however, and with diff
ficulty, ascended to a point which must
have been, nearly two hundred feet above
the earth, and emerged upon halfhoor
even with the top of the gigantic center post
into an empty space about four feet high
with no interior means of further ascent, and
lighted by large hole through the sides of
the spire. Looking up, saw the sky through
the unfinished summit, and caught a glimpse
OF the jumping simpleton. But could not
hear his voice; for when listened for it
became for the first time aware that the wind
had risen to q gale. 1t hummcd and whs-
tied and roared through the tower, and the
rope-fastened outside scaffolding at the top,
with that tremendous power for which it
finds scope in the unimpeded spaces of the
open air, often being tempest above when
there is only a moderate gale below
Fortunately Billy did not see me. and
climbing ottss,lue petook myself 20 the only
possible road for the remaining thirty feet.
namely, the frai rocking scafiold constructed
around the exterior Of the spire. As came
out into the open air the wind caught me so
strongly as almost to take away my breath !;
and clinging tightly to the ropes which bound
together the loose materials of the scaffold
looked about me. With a hasty glance saw
that the cir was gloomy with approaching night
and with the awful coming of vanguard of
storms from the northwest; looked off ho,i-
zontally, over tree-tops and houses, with a
thrill such as conceived one might have at
being let loose from balloon in vacancy !;
locke downward, and saw the wide street,
now black and swarming with an immense
crowd Of spectators-from whom, however,
could not hear sound The dizziness of
of the place began to affect my brain; So res
olutely disregarding all the facts of the stu
alton except that must go onward, / laid
hold again of the Stats and timbers There
was not room inside of these for climbing
The fool-h hardy workman had evidently made
use of a series of Stats nailed upon the sheer
exterior of the scaffold! No help, however,
SO climbed out; and with that instructive
desperate grip which such situations seem to
nccessitate, and refusing to see anything ex-
cept the narrow octagontai shaft Of stone that
rose close beside me and the successive steps
of my fragile and slippery ladder, step by step
| worked on.
think that this is the only time when |
ever felt what the wind could do. have read
and heard fearful stories Of its power at sea !;
but have no experience of it there. Here,
however, had; and indeed it seemed as if
all the blasts in the the heavens were leaping
savagely at me to sweep me from my shaking
hold. The. scatfold itself was only loose
sort Of Frame set upon the spire as it had
been built apart from it, and spiked down on
it like case, to hold by its own weight, but
with no solid fastenings to the stone. For this
reason it worked and writhed about under
the terrific gusts as if it would twist itself
loose
My head was at last nearly even with the
top of the unfinished spire, and made sure
ofsuccess. But sudden and overpoweringly
sharp, long, and unearthly shrek from the
insane child startled me so much that it is a
wonder that did not fall. And in spite Of
the immense height, of the intense prcoccu-
patton of my own mind, of the immcasurable
force of that terrible wind, there surged up at
the same moment from the thousands in the
street below a great deep shout, or groan-I
knew not what it was-an intense and wild
and fearful cry, that thrilled through my very