Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1870-05-24
Gales aud Sketehes.
A Peril0us Adventure.

Two brothers named Rodriguez, Span
iards, as their names indicate, came to
Father Edward Purcell and asked leave to
put in order the lightning rod that runs up
the tall spire of the Cathedral, at the cor
ner of Plum and Eighth streets The
Father told them that the insulators on the
rod were broken and other repairs to it, no
one could tell how much, were needed, but
he besought them to put up ccaffolding in
order to get at the rod, which was to be
repaired. Having been commissioned to
do the work, they proceeded without de-
lay to the execution of it..
To the passers along the thoroughfares
the sight two men threading their way
up the outside of the spire was full of in
terest. Coming out of the spire at one Of
the Louvre widows. just above the dial
faces of the tower, the man swung a lad
der partly by rope dropping down from
narrow aperture Just below the base of the
spire, and partly by its hooks caught upon
the stone moulding around the next story
above the tower. Up the pendulum lad
der one of the men clambered, hanging to
the rungs like q parrot to its perch. On
the ledge of the moulding the hooks the
ladder hung to was good base Of operat-
ions. A half a dozen ladders were pro-
vided. One was drawn up and planted on
the new base, and lashed in place, both at
the top and bottom. The top touched the
last ledge of moulding in the ascent, the
base out of which the tower arose.
On the streets for squares distant along
Plum, in both directions, and along Eighth,
eastwar1ly, witnesses watched the ascent,
while near the scene the pavements were
lined with spectators. The two brothers
tI,n Jxv,@ = I,e i - 4
ascent up the spire proper had been COM
menced The first ladder of this final
series rested on the base OF the spire, and
was lashed to it both at the top and the bot
tom by ropes passing around the spire.
The two men carried a second ladder up
this one. lashed the bottom of the former
to the top of the ladder The next thing
was to secure this last addition of climbing
apparatus. One of the brothers climbed It
while the other held its base. Up in that
dizzy height rope was thrown around the
spire, and the top of this last ladder Sc
cured by it, until five or six ladders were
strung in the series, the topmost reaching
within two or three feet of the cross, which
terminates the spire at height of two
hundred and twenty-five feet above the
base of the Cathedral. When the line of
spliced ladders had crept up the eastern
face of the spire, to this position ladder
with hooks at the top was carried up and
hooked upon the cross. One of the broth
ers ascended this, took position first upon
an arm of the cross, and then stepped up
and stood erect upon the very tip top Of
the upright portion Of that stone cross.
Standing there he unscrewed the top of
the lightning and tossed it to the
ground. Several variations of the per-
formance took place about this time.
Once both the brothers were on the oppo-
site arms of the cross. The standing upon
the top of the cross and the climbing about
its arms continued for some time, when the
men descended, leaving their ladders for
a continuation of the performance to-day.
The crowd cheered when the top of the
cross was reached; that is, the boy in the
crowd cheered. The men were sober OBJ
servers. One strong fellow turned from
the sight with the remark that it was too
much for his nerves. Others shuddered
audibly, and wished aloud for the men to
come down, but still they continued TO
look. Men who had passed at four O'Clock,
when the work began, returned and saw
it completed at sundown. Everybody
expressed reliefwhen the men came down,
and many gave vent to regrets that the
perlous work would be continued to-day.
I-Ctncin1sdti Gazette.