Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1867-08-07
%aistellaaH.
THE LONGEST LADDER N TEE
WORLD.

On approaching the roads of James
Town, in the island of St. Helena, your
attention is attracted By an enormous
ladder, that extends from the town be-
meath, to 2 fort directly over the town,
on the summit Of a hill, eight hundred
feet high. On inquiry found that SEN
tinels were placed both below and above
for the purpose Of preventing any one
ascending or descending without an or
der from the town mayor. This regula-
ton was adopted in consequence of the
number of accidents, attended with fatal
consequences, that had occurred. To-
gether with companion, after dinner, I
rambled down to the guard house, and
having found the town mayor there, we
obtained an order to permit our. ascent.
The ladder is composed Of steps more
than 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 upwards of eighteen in
ohes apart, and great numbers Of them
much decayed, At regular distances arc
small seats for resting places. On one
side, without the ladder, description Of
slide has been formed, along which pull
lies are fixed, for the purpose, it would
seem, of raising anything from the town
beneath, OF lowering from the fort above.
The face of the hill against which 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 overhanging.
At the bottom we found no sentinel
and proceeded to ascend at once, but had
not attained above the height Of hun
dred feet when we heard a voice hailing
Us, and perceived a sentry calling on US
to return, who in his walk had been con-
cealed from US when below by an inter
vening projection. Down We had to 90,
and having shown our pass, and satisfied
the Cerebus, commenced our ascentR again.
At first we proceeded rapidly, but soon
found it not to answer, the height of each
step causing considerable exertion. More
slowly then we moved along, attained the
third resting place, where We seated our
selves, and turned to view the town be-
meath, with its narrow streets and con-
fined situation, covering, as it were, be-
tween the two mighty hills that seem to
press If on either side.
Aloft We turned our eyes, anZiously
wishing ourselves at the top, but we had
the best part Of the ascent yet to accom-
pIish, and to our task once more we went.
As we attained a greater height, We found
the steps getting more and more out Of
repair; in some places two or thee steps
together broken, so that We had to clam
her up the best way We could. On, on
we went, with alternate rests; the town,
the bay and the shipping beneath grad
ually became more and more minute, the
moving bodies seeming almost mites
When we reached within a hundred feet
of the top, the unusual fatigue almost
overpowered us-tha dizzy height so af-
fected US thatwef felt as if we could scarce
preserve ourselves from falliug-yet We
persevered, and did succeed IN reaching
the top.
A moment later, a human being would
have passed into another world. My
companion, who was before me, had
scarce passed the gate at the top when
he tainted, completely overcome, and be
afterwards declared to me, that for the
last hundred feet or so, nothing prevent
ed his physical energies from being over
come by the fatigue and the position he
was in, but the immediate prospect of
reaching a place of safety. Many lives
have been lost on this ladder, particular
ly those OF passengers, whom curiosity
induced to attempt the ascent. The ar
tillorymen and garrison of the fort are
not however, used to going up or down,
exempt from casualties, and it was only
the week before my visit to St. Helena
that an artilleryman was killed in at
tempting to descend the ladder against
lime, for a wager. Ladder Hill Fort
completely hangs over the bay; it is Of
great strength, and commands the road
stead beneath.
In the batteries are mounted, ccner-
ally. eighteen, twentv-f0ur and thirty
two FOUNDERS, but there arc some few
guns of a larger coliber. A singular ac-
cident happened few years previous on
this battery. a passenger from enc Of