Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1870-09-08
a PeriI0us Adventure.
CLIMBING CHURCH sTEEPLE-A TAIL
ORING JOB AT THE SUMMIT.


The Newark Advertiser tells this start
ling story of an adventure in that place
st. Patrick's Cathedral has a steeple |
surmounted by d ball, on which is cross.
The TOP of the cross is two hundred and
fifteen feet above the surface of the
ground, the height being but five feet
short of that of Bunker Hill Monument
The steople is of wood, square at the base
and taperiug to a point. Along each
angle, from the base to the point, are
nailed, at a distance of four feet apart, or
namental knobs of wood.
All this wood work, being weather
beaten, in the course of time rots especial
" the knobs and the cross, which present
many small angles so that it becomes ne
necessary to attend now and then to the
repairing Of these parts. To erect stag
lug for the purpose when man OF sui
ficIent daring and GOODNESS might climb
and do the work, would not be the most
economical method. Such men are rare
but they are to be found. The price paid
tor each ascent is usually about twenty
five dollars. The risk does not consist
merely in becoming giddy and democrat
| ized while cliuging in mid-air to the out
side Of steople, while the neighbors and
| oaseers-by are collecting in groups below
and gazing upwards with bated breath
and trembling knees, at the climber. He
must go up by clinging hand and foot to
what he finds; and what he must cling to
are these very knobs, rotting and weaken
ing in the weather, and finally to the
cross, already decayed and almost ready
10 drop. The man who does this sort OF
work in Newark is Mr. Frank Jacobus.
Oae day last month ha was engaged to
make an ascent of the cathedral steeple
for the purpose Of removing the old cross
and replacing it with a new one. Going
up inside the steeple to the highest i'd
missible point, he reached out from the
narrow window and felt one of the knobs
to test it's strength. Judging it to be
strong enough he swung himself out by
it, and ecram5ling up caught hold of the
next higher knob and rested his feet on
tho lower one. So far all right. He
glanced around him, and then looked uI
along the line of kuobs that reached fal
up to the ball and the cross, marking hi,
hazardous way. 1t was something of AZ
experiment. Were the other knobs, too
strong enough? Carefully and quickly
no scrambled up and felt of the knob mex
higher. It seemed to have sufficien
strength. He pulled upon it. 1t bore
his weight, and up he went. Gathering
= confidence, he made his tests and drew
3 MS conclusions rapidly. He went NOR,
and more quickly, at last scarcely caring
b to try the strength of the knobs befor,
D trusting his weight to them. Already
g two-thirds of the steeple were climbed
g A few more efforts and his hand would
q be Gins ing to the cross.
+ He reached forth to raise himself.
e slight scraping reached his keen ear, eve,
= in the breeze blowing strongly about hi
r ears The knob had moved under his pull
e was giving away. A mist spread be
r fore his eyes, He felt himself fallin!
e backward. With a convulsive effort tina
t famed his back, he clutched at somethin.
and brought himself forward again ant
?, down he slid. His presence of mind hat
r not once left him. He even tested tn
I knobs as he slid over them to see wher
J he might trust to stop himself with tn
momentum of his falling. Gradually b.
, even lessened the momentum. Then b
= fastened his grip upon knob. 1t he'll
him and he was safe. The sigh that wen
: up from the observers in the street below
o almost reached his quickened ears, as
grew into shout. He was not democrat
} lied. He might have come down ant
: given up the job. Not so. His purpos
t TO go up to the cross was not changed
2 But he could no longer trust himself t
b the knobs on that angle of the steeple
g lie must get across to the next angle. FL
:, tried to reach over, but the knob was jus
i beyond the utmost reach of either foot o
u hand.
I The observers below were looking on il
!. GREATNESS suspense. They saw him g
I up higher, almost to the very spot whenc
2 he had fallen, and then at last reach on
: and swing himself across. He was nov