The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1870-09-30
BIDDEFORD, ME-, FRIDAY MORNING, SEPrEMBER 5o lolO.
A Perilous Adventure.


A Perilous Adventure.
The Newark Advertiser tells this start
ling story of an adventure In that place
"St. Patrick's Cathedral has q steeple
surmountsd by ball. on which Is cross.
The top Of the cross Is two hundred and
fifteen feet above the surface ofthe ground
the height being but five feet short Of that
Of Bunker Hill Monument. The steeple
Is OF wood, square at the base and tapcring
TO . point. Along each angle. from the
base to the point are nailed at tho distance
Of four feet apart ornamental knobs OF
wood.
"All this wood work. being weather
beaten In the course of time rots; espeo-
tally the knobs and the cross, which pro-
sent many small angles; 90 that It becomes
necessary to attend now and then to the
repairing Of these parts. To erect stag
Ing for the purpose when man OF sum:
cient daring and GOODNESS might climb and
do the work, would not be the most econ
omical method. Such men are rare, but
they are to be found, The price charged
for each assent Is usually twenty-five dol
lars. The risk does not consist merely In
the danger of becoming giddy and dcmor-
allied while clinging In mid air to the
outside of "a steeple and while tho neigh
bors and passers.by arc collecting In
groups below and gazing upward with
batod breath and trembling knees ut the
climber. He must 60 up by climbing foot
and hand to what be finds; and what he
must cling to are these very kno,s, rotten.
ing and weakening In the weather. and
finally, to the cross already decaycd and
ready to drop. The man who does this
sort OF work in Newark Is Frank Jacob
us. ....
"IAst month he was engaged to make
an ascent of tho cathedral steeple for the
purpose of removing tho old one and re-
placing It with q new one. Going up In
side the steeple to the highest admissible
point, he reached out from tho narrow
window and felt one of the knobs to test
its strength. Judging It to be strong
enough ne swung himself out BY 1t, and
scrambling up caught hold OF the next
higher knob and rested his feet on the
lower one. So far all right. He glanced
around him and then looked up along the
line OF knobs that reached far up to the
ball and the cross marking his hazardous
way. 1t was something of an expert.
mont. Were other knobs, too, strong
enough? Carefully and quickly he scramb-
led up and felt ofthe knob next higher. 1t
seemed to have sufficient strength. He
pulled upon It. 1t bore his weight and
up he went. Gathering confidence. he
made his tests and drew his conclusions
RAPIDLY. He went up moro and more
quickly, at last scarcely caring to try the
strength of the knobs before trusting his
weight to them. Already two thirds of
tho steeple were climbed. A few more
efforts and his hand would be clinging TO
tho cross.
"He reached forth to raise himself. A
slight grating sound reaching his keen
ear, even in tho breeze blowing strongly
about his ears. The knob had moved
under his pull-was giving way. A mist
spread before his eyes. He felt himself
falling backward. With cOnvulsive cf-
fort that lamed his back, he clutched ut
something and brought himself forward
again and down he slid. His presence OF
mind had not once Left him. He even
tested the knobs rs he slid over them, to
stop himself from the momentum Of his
falling Gradually ho even lessened the
momentum. Then he fastened his grip
upon knob. It held him, and he was
safe. The sigh that went up from the OBJ
servers In the street below almost reached
his quickened car, and It grew into n
shout. He was not demornlized. He
might havo como down and given up tho
job. Not 30. His purpose to 60 up to the
cross was not changed. But he could no
longer trust himselfto the knobs on that
angle of the steeple. He tried to reach,
but the knob was just beyond his utmost
stretch of foot or hand.
"The observers below were looking In
breathless suspense. They saw him 20
mp higher, almost to tho very spot whence
ho had fallen. and then at last reach out
and swing himself across. He was now
on another angle, clinging to an untried
place and looking up the long line of un.
tested knobs. He went up, more CAREFUL
", less rapidly than before, trying every
knob well before trusting his weight to 1t.
Soon no was at tho ball. Grasping 1t he
slid himself up over 1t and sat himself
down on It with his feet on each side Of
the cross. ....-...
There he waited awhile, though no
seemed still to be busy. Then raising
himself to his feet, he stood beside tho
cross. With his hand no broke Il piece
meal. and they fell into fragments rs
they touched the stone walk. Then he
descended. and In few minutes was on
the ground again, to be surrounded by
some OF the observers.
"A little frightened, eh, Frank. quizzed
one of them, when you slipped here p
"Not bit. Just rs cool rs am here,
now Mt this minute" ..
"Risky, though. wasn't 1t ?"
"Welf. yes 1t was risky. But tho
worst Of It was I tore my pantaloons.
Il don't SEQ it." .
"But mended them."
awhile you were sitting on tho ball
there ?"
"Yes; I wasn't coming down with such
rent rs that In them. Tho wind was
blowing hard and things tapped: and 1
happened to have self thrcador Billy
Withers had given me this very morning
and I'd stuck It In my vest. / threaded
the needle without looking at 1t, and
scwed up the tear in hurry. .f
"Well, Frank, you're cool one."
81 have to be, he said, and no glanced
around mt some ladies who wero grouped
q few yards Of. looking at him.